Life Changing Lessons

Bible Study Fellowship
God is in the smallest details. A friend told me about BSF. I decided to look into the it. I was at a point in my life where I was thinking that maybe it was a fit for me. It runs during the school year and is a faith based work (free). I decided to go to the opening meeting. I'm a fairly shy person and I don't seek out large groups of people where I don't know anyone. I had my friend with me and we were there together(comfort in numbers right?). When you are joining for the first time to BSF you get put on a waiting list. As they are forming the groups they need to make sure there are enough leaders to compensate all the new people wanting to join. I was placed in a group the first week and was able to start the study of the book of Romans. That study changed my life. God was teaching me and preparing me for the biggest trial of my life. It was to come 2 weeks after I finished the 32 week study. I became pregnant a few weeks into BSF. As the study went along I grew with each week. The ladies in my group were in anticipation for the baby to come and were excited to come and see me after the delivery. At our last fellowship meeting together we shared lunch and talked about what we had learned and what had stuck out to us over the course of the study. I don't remember what I said then, but I've started to go back and look through my notes and my lessons to see what my answers were. I wrote a ton of notes about suffering.
Romans 5:3-5 says And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
My notes from the lecture on that lesson talk about suffering and how God can use it in our lives. God uses suffering to direct us...or to motivate us to change. God uses suffering to inspect us- to show us his strength. God uses suffering to correct us- to show us where we are wrong. God uses suffering to protect us- God uses stuff to happen to us to direct us back to him. God is working his good purposes in all our circumstances. Little did I know that I was going to have to rely on these truths when I gave birth to my baby girl at 35 weeks gestation and she was stillborn. I had a placenta abruption and my baby's blood supply was cut of and she passed away to Heaven on May 30th, 2007. Since that day God has used my suffering to draw me back to him. He has shown himself to me and my family in so many circumstances that we have began to make a list of all the things so that we will never forget. The list is going on 3 pages long. I'm still recalling things. One of the questions in the lesson on Romans 5: 1-11 was Do I have peace with God? My answer on 11/08/06 was "Yes, but I have to remind myself often that He is in total control and He knows what is best for my life". I still feel the same way and find I still have to remind myself that God is in control, but now I'm wondering how could giving birth to a stillborn 5 pound completely normal baby be best for my life? I may never know this side of Heaven. Another question on my lesson from 11/08/06 was How has God used suffering in your life to produce perseverance, character and hope? I answered that "Living in the world today, I haven't had much of any suffering, but that I would have to rely on God to get me through the hard time and when there is nothing left to hold to God is always there."
I can now say with total honesty that is true of me. There have been such sad days where I didn't know how I could go on without my baby here on earth with me. I don't get to enjoy her smiles or her 1st steps. In those sad moments I'm reminded that I could never have given her the life on earth that she now has in Heaven. She will never know suffering, sadness or hurt. She is in glorious beauty face to face with our lord and eternally praising him.
Psalm16:11 says "In your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
A person that we conceived is perfect and is forever praising God. A person that we conceived is at the throne forever praising God. One day me and my baby Hazel Hope will be standing together in the fullness of joy singing praise to our Lord together.

I posted this on a community blog... i thought that I would repost it on my own blog.

feet and hands...

Thank you to our family (you know who you are) for making this temporary headstone for us. We haven't ordered the permenant one. The rock we chose was a rose quartz but they couldn't sand blast it. So they took care of finding another rock and sandblasting it. It is still at her gravesite... but it has some bird poo on it.

My cousin took this picture at Hazel's service. Just thought that I would share. By the way... these are her real hand and feet prints. They scanned them in and were able to sandblast them true to size on the rock. What an awesome memory to see and touch.

not much to say

Not feeling to talkative the last few days. Enjoy this sweet pic of Aly when she was 7 months. A friend took this picture when we were camping last summer. Hugs to all.

her little big world

This is the world that aly lives in. These are the words that she can say. She has gotten to mimicking stage. Mostly the last word that you say she will say.
"do you want to go in the car or the truck"? "truck"
"do you want to go in the truck or the car"? "car"

mommy daddy book loud eva katie erica cody rachelle cracker apple hi money nose eye ear toe clothes toast cow towel hair stick down up close baby feet shoes bear eat monkey fish boots bed bath clock potty shower poo poo coat chair buckle toy car bug guy cookie elmo go ball walk tractor truck hot backpack bee bye todd papa hudy jesse emmy noisy milk push please egg bed juice water ice

almost all of these words anyone can understand.... milk (ka) water (wawa)

She had her 18 month appointment today. tall and thick. 95% for both. she is sure my big girl. I went shopping at the Carters outlet with a friend and was looking at the sizes thinking... I know that the carters 18 month pj's are getting to small. The 24 month size looks just huge, but I know that soon she will fit in it. Today she is wearing a 24mo onesie and a 3T skirt. Crazy how fast they grow. When she got her shots she was yelling Owwwweeee. So sad when they can actually tell you... "owwee mommy".

Maybe a little TMI.

I woke up last night at about 11pm to a voice in the distance. What was she saying? Was it poo poo? Then it was quiet again. Then again a little louder...pooooo pooooo. That was then followed by a meltdown crying fit. I jumped out of bed and hurried to her room. My little daughter had pooed her pants while she was sleeping and as she was pooing she woke herself up. She has been aware of the pooing process and is upset now when she goes in her diaper. She doesn't get to put the poo in the toilet and flush it. I think that since she was half-asleep she was more upset by the fact that she was awakened by pooing her diaper. She was groggy and crying while I changed her diaper in the middle of the night. I put her back in bed and tucked her and she was right back asleep. She hasn't done that since she was a baby. I hope that she doesn't start that cycle of pooing in the nighttime. She has gone already today on her little toilet. Such a big girl!

Another day down

B.fast

Cheerios&1% 150

Snack

Banana 80

Lunch

1/2 sandwich with turkey and mustard 145

Bit of Pork stir-fry leftovers 200

Snack

Yogurt 200

Dinner

Bit more of Pork stir-fry 200

Salad with Homemade veggie salsa 100

Dessert

Frozen Yogurt 120

Before bed snack

a few sips of silk soy chocolate milk 20

Exercise
I planted 20 1 gallon Kinnickinick plants.
Helped Mr. D pick up all the grass that he edged off the front yard... major leg and arm workout today. I was definitely feeling the results of only eating 1200 cals tonight as I was trying to continue helping with the project that we were trying to finish. But I know that it will be so worth it when I can fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes that have been siting dormant waiting to see the sun again.

We went to library reading time this morning and I put Aly's hair up in the cutest piggy tails... I didn't get any pics because my camera batteries were dead. I also don't know where the back-up batteries are because of my special little helper.

today

Today
9am
Special K with 1%---- 210
Half Banana----------40
Water

Pulled weeds outside and watered plants

10:30
Aly and I shared some Non-fat Yogurt--110

12:45
Red/Green Lettuce(2 cups)----30cals
Handful grape tomatos---------25
1 yellow pepper----------------25
handful dried cranberries------150
slice of flax bread with jam-----110
Water
Total so far today 700...........500 to go for the rest of the day at it is 1:40pm. Not bad!
Pilates ab routine 25 minutes

5:15 dinner
Veggie Salsa--------50
2 Steak Flautas-----350


late night drink and snack with the girls
Vodka Martini-----170
Side of Veggies----45

Total--------------1305

Donkey, Doggy, Judy, Baby and Bear

Gangs all here.

Aly has gotten attached to a purple bunny. We named her "Judy" after Steven's Aunt Judy. She was here a few weeks ago and Aly picked up on her name right away. It is really cute when she says it so we had to name bunny that so we can hear her say it all the time. If "bunny judy" isn't in bed with her she will ask "Judy?" She loves to snuggle her close. Missing in this picture is baby... but you did get a bit of bears foot.



We were swimming yesterday and my mom bought her a blow-up donkey. She figured out how to bounce on it very quickly and she even caught on the the fact that we were calling it a donkey. She called it dunkee. Too cute. She can also play with Lego's now without putting then in her mouth. She loves to take a bunch and put them in a container and then take them out one by one. You know the little yellow dudes that are part of the Legos. She calls them "Guy". We have started to be able to actually have a two way conversation with her. She is beginning to have an opinion. She can say "ya" and "no" to a question that I ask her. Of course the answer that she gives isn't always the way that she gets to have things go.



Calorie monitoring is going well. I have lost 2 pounds already. Not bad for 1 week.

30 to go.

So my sis in law Shan and I are back in the saddle again of counting calories and working out. For me it has been a while since I have been on and off again prego over the last 2 years. It is just amazing how quickly my body adjusts to eating 1200 calories a day. I had a 3/4 of a can of tuna and a yellow bell pepper for lunch and I'm full. It really helps to write down the caloric intake...because at the end of the day on Friday I was only at 750... after dinner. So I got to have more dinner and a bit of chocolate frozen yougart to get me up to 1200 cals. I have the same amount of energy, actually even more now that I've been working out again. I'm so sick of looking the way I do and I'm determined not to stop until I lose 30 pounds. The losing always starts out slow... which doesn't help the motivation. But once my body resets it's metabolism and starts tapping into all that stored up fat I need to burn off... it will only be a matter of time before I start to shrink. I'm so looking forward to wearing all my old pre-prego clothes. I hope that they arn't to out of style.

Our nieghbors had married off one of their daughters this last Saturday. I helped do the flowers and decorate. The rain held off and it was such a beautiful wedding.

Yes I did, but she's not here.

I knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. I was at Target and ran into an old friend. She asked the dreaded question. "Hey did you have a baby?". I think that I handled it quite well. I didn't burst into tears, because I was having a low emotional day. I just proceeded with the conversation. Yes, I did have a baby but that she was still born. Yuck, I just don't like that word. Makes me feel like I failed at growing and birthing my baby. I told her the short version of what had happened. Water broke, Labor began, Hemorrhage, No heart beat, Baby girl born. She just stared wide-eyed at me probably thinking about the two children she had sitting in her grocery cart and wondering how she could have ever left the hospital without them. When I was telling her what had happened to me and how it was actually life-threatening to me and that I could have bled to death ( a thought that I have not completely dealt with yet) I felt like I was just talking about it so nonchalantly. It was like I was telling her a story about someone else that I knew and not myself. I feel like since I can talk about it without crying that I've gotten over it and moved on with my life. I know that is so not the case. I think about Hazel Hope so often and miss her so much. I have been trying to deal with the trauma of seeing others with babies that are 7 weeks old and not losing it. I think that I'm doing pretty well. I have a journal almost done that I've recapped the whole event... start to finish. Even though I put the journal down at the point of when we are at the hospital the next day and people are starting to come and see us. I have had to take breaks with that journal, because I've been so detailed with it that it is almost like reliving the short time that we had with our Hazel.

Me ~ God is doing a major work in my life. All revolving around Hazel Hope and her short little life. I have been awakened to the holy spirit that has been with me all along. I can hear the Lord speaking to me in the quiet moments that I'm concentrating on listening. I also have been writing what I've been hearing down. Thanks to Margie, because she has an amazing story to tell regarding that. Which in itself is a miracle work. I've started to run on the treadmill again.. which feels great. I haven't been able to because I was prego...nursing...prego. Things jiggle in places that never use to jiggle... I hope that I can just jiggle them away! Also, I've started a home business with Arbonne International. It is a Pure-Safe and Beneficial line of Swiss Skin Care. Check it out at www.arbonne.com I'm having fun telling people about the great product and I've even had people ask what I'm doing different with my skin. Makes a girl feel good.

Hey Boys

At Henry's 1st birthday party Aly was the only girl amongst lots of little boys. When we walked in the door to the party everyone was like... whoa a girl. I didn't bring her a swimsuit so she had to go swimming and playing in the sand leaving nothing to the imagination. But it didn't matter she got down and dirty all the same. If these two could talk would the conversation go something like this?

Henry- "Hey baby did you see my rake?"

Aly- "Yah I saw your rake... not to impressive".

Henry- "What about this sweet sand box I got for my birthday!"

Aly- "Now that I like. It is much cleaner than the sand I get to play in at my house. You should come over and see the dirt piles I play in."

Henry- "Hey can you get your hand off my foot, your cramping my style. I need some room to play you know".

Aly- "Sorry buddy, just giving you some birthday love".

one of my favorite days of the year

4th of July

Neighbors

Home Made Ice Cream

Fireworks

Smores

Friends

Family

Love

Laughter

Happy Faces

Home Cooked

Music

Dancing

Moonlight

Memories

Patriotic Songs

Flannel PJ Pants

nite nite.

This is what a tired little girl looks like after a bbq and playing in the sun and the dirt. She is all lathered up in sunscreen which does wonders when playing in the dry dirt. It is almost like I put a glue stick all over her... it just attracts dirt. She got a wipey bath before the ride home. She is at the stage of trying to say what ever we say. Everyday she says a new word. Hat, babyduck, buckle...etc. She is also at the stage of not wanting to eat in her highchair... what is up with that?

me and my girl

When your child has a fever and isn't feeling well it is a sad thing. Is it bad that I kinda like that she is so snuggly with me? I know she feels horrible... I clipped her fingernails and she cried. You know when you have a fever everything hurts. Apparently her fingernails were included. Poor girly. So feverish little Aly was my little snuggly bug all day Tuesday and most of Wednesday. Today she is getting back to her on the go self... but she has temporary lapses back into snuggleland. I enjoy that I can cuddle her so close and not have a big huge belly in the way. It is the small little things like that which give me joy right now. I would still be huge pregnant and getting within days of my due date, but instead I get to enjoy a sick little baby that wants to snuggle with her mama. Snuggling with Aly makes missing and not being able to hold Hazel a little bittersweet. I get to hold a 28 pound little toddler on her way to becoming such a little girl and I get to rest in the thought of Hazel praising God and hanging out with Jesus in Heaven. I have so much in life to be thankful for and at this time in my life I'm living in thankfulness everyday.

Heyyyy

I was organizing our closet when I came across one of Steven's old T-Shirts. It was so worn out that it was totally in shreds. So we decided to make Aly a lovely outfit with it caveman style.
All she needs is a wood stick and she could be a girl version on Bam-Bam.

Classic

A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's restroom stall.
My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window. People often comment on how clearly he speaks for ajust-turned-3-year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume.It's always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times thatI've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by anot-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco. Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I tookCade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall:"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?" At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full . 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out ofthis stall and reveal my identity. Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh ... Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!" I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me. Where is a screaming newborn when you need her? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting along time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some!" "No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to gag at this point. "Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!" As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself . OK. There are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who over heard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone. "Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done going stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me off. Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door. "Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door? What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?"More laughter. I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation. "Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy." He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!" I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. As I sheepishly opened the door, and found an open sink, I thought, Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my privacy? But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow. (Written by Shannon Popkin, who is a freelance writer, and mother of three. She lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she no longer uses public restrooms.)

Hazel and Emma

The doorbell rang and there were two sweet little boys at my door. They were bringing us a card "for our baby who died." They are 2 of 5 boys of a family who live in our neighborhood. I haven't seen any of their family since we have been home from the hospital. Their mother and I were both pregnant. Actually their were 3 mothers in our neighborhood that were pregnant. One due June 2nd, I was due July 3rd and the other was due early August. I lost Hazel 5 weeks before her due date and another baby was lost to early miscarriage. The mother that was due on June 2nd was induced and had her baby girl Emma on May 30th. The same day that I had Hazel. Hmmmm, not to sure how I feel about that. To be totally honest I feel Jealousy. I know that someday seeing Emma running around the neighborhood will be a nice and sweet reminder of Hazel and that they would be the same age. But right now... not so much. Maybe I'm being petty and childish in feeling this way... but hey this is how I'm feeling. That mother is doing all the things that I would be doing right now. Sleepless nights, nursing, suggling a newborn. She gets to enjoy those things and I'm left empty handed. I feel like I'm sounding boo hoo for me. But I guess I'm having a boo hoo for me kinda day.

Psalm 20

The Assurance of God's Saving Work

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And stengthen you out of Zion;

May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah

May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

And fulfill all you purpose.

We will rejoice in your salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright.

Save, Lord!

May the King answer us when we call.

*************************************************************************

(Thank you lord for answering me when I call.)

Pool Party

Today Aly and Callie were pretty pool girls. We got a ton of pictures of naked bums running around with the hose also. Too Cute. Aly loved being in the pool and what a great day for it. It was fun to get in a pool and swim around with her. She is a little dare devil when it came to being in the water. She just wanted to go free and swim around on her own. She like putting her face in the water too. It was fun to have fun. A little bit of joy was had today and a little taste of the good life was remembered. Laughter and playing is a nice change of pace. Thanks Linds and Callie for a fun day at the pool.

cheese

Who is the biggest cheeseball ever?

Just the best

I just want to stand on top of my house and yell.

"Thank You JLChristStudios!"

http://www.jlchriststudios.com/

360.253.9234

Jason and Lindsay have been so gracious to us.

I want to just yell and tell everyone.

If you need an AWESOME couple to take

portraits of your family call THEM.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Through the loss of our little Hazel I have been able to look at the brilliant photos that they took of her and our family on that peaceful day that we shared with our little baby girl. I called on them to come and capture the loss that we were feeling and they were there. It was the first time they had ever taken pictures of a baby that was no longer of this earth and they captured Hazel as through she was their own. They took such special care as they moved her little body and hands around to take pictures of her. I don't want to decide which pictures to get and put an album together for Hazel and Lindsay is taking care of it for me. I TRUST in her completly to do a job that is of the highest standards. The attention to detail that Jason and Lindsay have with their work is uncomparable.

My hope is that all who read this will consider them the next time they need pictures taken. I promise you will be the most impressed. God has placed them in our lives and when we needed them most they were there. We are eternally greatful for the memories of our time passed with them and we look forward to all our times together with them in the future. Blessings on their family and on that special little baby growing inside her.

Maybe someday again.

Last night Steven took apart Aly's crib. It was bittersweet. I hope someday that it will be used again. Although in the shape that it is in we should just buy a new one. I sat and watched him take it apart with a special helper right in his lap. Aly watched him so intently. She wanted the wrench and she wanted to help so bad. After he was done taking it apart he gave the wrench to her and we sat and watched her go to work. She sat there and got the end of the wrench in the screw and started to try to turn it. She needed help and soon enough she was able to do it herself. She worked on the screws until she lost interest... about 10 minutes or so. We just sat and watched her and giggled to ourselves and how much she is like Mr.D in her own little ways. She studies and wants to see how things work. She is interested in what we do and why we do it.

We counted how many words she can say the other day and we came up with 41. I wonder if Hazel would have been more like me and carefree about how things work. Just glad that they do and when they break...take them to someone like daddy who knows how to fix them.

sweet little hand

Today Kelli is outside with the kids doing yard work. What an awesome servant of God. I don't have to tell her what to do... she is just doing it. I'm inside catching up on emails. Please enjoy the sweet little picture of our little Hazel's hand. She had such long fingers. Much longer than Aly's were. I miss holding that sweet little hand. Our nurse at the hospital made casts of her hand and foot. She made them out of plaster and they are just so precious. Today is the day I had a baby shower. But instead of just cancelling it...we are going to still get together. Thanks friends for pulling it together for me, so we can celebrate the life that we lost and the life that we still have.

A Visitor From Heaven

by Twila Paris

A visitor from heaven,

If only for a while.

A gift of love to be returned.

We think of you and smile.

A visitor from heaven,

Accompanied by grace.

Reminding of a better love

And of a better place.

With aching hearts and empty arms,

We send you with a name.

It hurts so much to let you go,

But we're so glad you came.

We're so glad you came.

A visitor from heaven,

If only for a day.

We thank Him for the time He gave,

An now it's time to say,

We trust you to the Father's love,

And to His tender care.

Held in the everlasting arms,

And we're so glad you're there.

We're so glad you're there.

With breaking hearts and open hands,

We send you with a name.

It hurts so much to let you go,

But we're so glad you came.

We're so glad you came.

We miss you Hazel Hope.

You were born a week ago yesterday.

We haven't held you for a week today.

Hazel Hope

Hazel and Elmer together for eternity

Mr. D's precious Grandma Hazel went to be with the Lord today. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. She was the most kind and gentle women and she will be dearly missed. She is celebrating a reunion with her husband who went before her about 3.5 years ago. Praise Jesus for their reunion. They are together now with the Lord and have no more pain or hurting. Hazel will have a perfect new body and she will be glorious.

flower power

Somebody had fun at her friend Avalyn's 1st birthday party. There was a clown there doing face painting and so I decided to have a flower painted on her nose. I wanted a rose... but the clown couldn't paint one. So we settle for a daisy. Pretty cute huh. Not like she even knew it was there, but sometimes it isn't all about her all the time. Sometimes momma needs to have a little enjoyment at her expence.

Her new words are dowm sometime it is dowmn (down) but I like to pretend that she knows her last name by asking her that question. Aly what is your last name? as she is wanting down off something. Also she says deer, bottom and go. My little jabberbox.

So Big!

Guess who slept all night long in her big girl bed!!!
I put one of those rails on the edge to protect her from falling off and she didn't wake up once!
No more crib... which is a good thing because we seem to have another baby coming soon who will need it!

Wet Fun

With the nice weather yesterday and today I was tired of looking of my dirty patio furniture. So Aly and I went out to hose it down. The table and chairs got a nice wash and so did Aly. She would bring over that red cup to me and say wawa and I would squirt a little in it and then she would proceed to "drink" it. But what that really mean is pour it down her mouth and face. She was wet head to toe in the front. She also didn't mind it if I sprayed her with the nozzle of the hose. I had the sprayer on gentle shower and she would just stand there in the shower and let the freezing hose water rain down on her. The look in her face was "hey this is fun... but I'm frezzing." We stayed outside in the shade until she dried off. I got her that cute little red chair from Target and she can pull herself up into it and sit. Note in the next picture her battle wounds on her legs and knees. Those are courtesy of getting up and down on the concrete step by crawling. She is still a little afraid of just stepping off. We shared an apple and then came inside to wash her dirty feet off. She is down for a nap now and I'm sure she will sleep well.

a poem for mommy.

Mommy Mommy Mommy, I love you.

You take care of me,

feed my tummy and wipe my poo.

You pick me up when I fall down and make me laugh by acting like a clown.

You and daddy are just my style,

to get a kiss I would walk a mile.

Buppitee x10

I went to the doctor yesterday and all is measuring well. I do have a tid bit of extra amnio fluid but nothing to call the doctor about. The tech didn't get any pictures because the baby's head is so far down already. She was barely able to measure the head accuratly, because of that reason. So no due date change as of now. Still 32 weeks and counting. I have a doctor appt on Friday so we will see what his take is on the ultrasound results.

Aly has finally learned that when I'm at the desk working on the computer, she isn't going to get picked up. She is sitting on the floor behind me working on puzzles. She is getting much better at entertaining herself. She will leave the room that I'm in and be gone for a few and then she will come back with some kind of treasure. Just now it was an empty cup off my nightstand, a few wipes out of who knows where and a roll of film in it's plastic container (great for shaking) . She stays away from the top of the stairs, so I'm able to let her just wander around upstairs. If she does decide that she wants to go down the stairs... she will either back down on her tummy or stand at the top of the stairs and "let me know" in not so many words that she would like help going down the stairs. Her new words are up, bupple (buckle), apple, car, poo poo, cookie and buppitee buppitee buppitee over and over (who knows what that one means)... I think that is a "ohh that is fun to say phrase". She woke up at 6:30 am today... so I'm thinking by the sounds of it. NAPTIME! TTFN

Changes.

Another baby will make 4.

Aly seems so big now when I look at this picture.



She was 3 weeks old.

We will have another baby soon.



Our second, She will be so tiny.



Two carseats in the car.

Only child turns into a big sister.

How can my heart love another as much?





props to JLChrist Studios

Yes, I did swallow a beach ball.

I had a doctor's appt last week and everything is looking good. The doc did say something intriguing though. He said that I was measuring a little big. Duh, I could have told him that. Have you seen me lately... my tummy in a bit largo! Anyways, I have to go in for an ultrasound on May 9th to check on our little girl to see what is up with my largeness. The doc said I could have some extra amniotic fluid or that the baby could be hanging out a little high in my uterus. He didn't seem to alarmed... so I'm not worried. This baby has been very active and wiggly... hmmm could there be 2 babies in there. I'll keep that thought out of my mind. Scary thought! Maybe they will tell me that I'm farther along then they thought. Scary thought also because that means less time until the baby comes. NOT READY! Although I am ready to not be prego anymore. 9 months on, 9 months off and then 7 months on is a tough regimen of the body.

Prayers for Mr. D because he is hunting bear in Montana with his bro. It is just me and the girl this week. Girl time I guess. He will be home in a week. I hope he is having a good time!

Look out... poor baby!

It was 1:30pm and time for Aly's afternoon nap. We got her cup of warm milk and her blanket and she was laying on her big girl bed enjoying a story read by her mama. All done and then she has to touch the butterfly mobile and then into bed. No fussing... then fussing started? That is weird I thought. Hmmmmm maybe she wants more milk? I go about my business. Wash my hair, check my email. Still fussing? Hmmm. I guess I'll make more milk and go in and check on her. Now when I say "fussing" I mean a whine here and there... nothing to alarm me. Well, I go in and find my baby sitting with her left leg out of the crib slats up to her hip, then some how she got her leg through the next opening of slats and then her foot was through the next opening (Indian style with a crib slat mixed in and with only her left leg). It was like she had decided to see if she could weave her leg in and out of the crib slats? With a blue leg... because of the lack of blood flow I suppose... I took one look and had a little freak out. She took a hint from my freak out and realized what a bind she was in. I tried at lightning speed to free her foot/shin/thigh from the crib slats, but I thought FOR SURE that I was going to break her LEG! She is crying now because she can see that I'm in a bit of a panic. What do I do? Call someone? No, I can figure this out. I run down the stairs... jolting my unborn child I'm sure. Have you even seen a 7 month prego person run down the stairs? I'm sure it was a sight. Anyways, I went out into the garage and rummaged through the tool box (at lightning speed I will add) and found what I now know to be a sheet rock saw. At the time it was something sharp that I could saw with. So I run back up the stairs (bad idea I know)... holding a saw (it was a small one for visual purposes) and go back into her room. She is sitting there looking so pitiful with huge tears running down her face. I make her lay on her back so that I can saw the crib slat out. Then I began sawing! Can you believe it. I must have been giving my unborn baby a good dose of adrenaline from this little episode. All that to say... I had to turn the crib against the wall now, because it is missing a slat and she could stick her head out of the space. But her leg isn't broken and she is just fine. It is a good thing that we got our crib at Ikea... because it only cost $109.00 and I don't feel SO bad about hacking it up to free my babies blue leg. I guess this will be a good story to tell her and the next baby who has to sleep in a crib that is missing a slat because of what my curious little Aly did to her crib and her leg.

Hey this is fun!

Ok... so this took FOREVER to load because we have a dial-up internet connection. It is of Aly just starting to take steps (03-01-07). She it a pro at walking now... but I had to choose a video that was very short and very neat to share~!
ENJOY!

Fun at the Tulip Festival

It was so windy... Lindsay got this shot while Aly was tiptoe'n through the tulips.

Aly and I met Lindsay and Callie at the Woodland Tulip Festival on Saturday. It was sunny/showery, but we had fun anyways. It was the first time I had been... not good since we have lived here for almost 3 years.

Easter Pretties

Here is the family in our Easter best. We had Brunch after church with my parents. Note my large belly 28 weeks prego. Aly had a great day. She looked so pretty. We had fun in the afternoon with the rest of the family. Grammy had a fun Easter game with questions about Jesus and the Ressurection and the winners got Easter Eggs with candy in them. The babies had help with the questions by their mommy and daddy. It was a nice day and we thank JESUS for dying on the cross for our sins. His tomb is empty and we praise God for that. He is Risen.

He is Risen INDEED!

Buy Sell Buy Sell

So we have been in the buying and selling buisness lately. Sold the hubby's black truck in the truck trader. Crazy story... the truck trader comes out with a new edition every Thurday. Well we got the 1st call on the truck at 5:00am on last Thursday. What the crazy person calling at that hour????. He wanted to look at the truck... so they met up and he ended up buying the truck later that day and Steven had to get a ride home from work! Craziness. We didn't think that the truck would sell that fast.
My parents bought a new house on the golf course that they belong to. So therefore they have to sell their house. They listed it today and have alot of work to do to sell. Exterior stuff. But the bigger dilemma is the fact that they haven't moved in 10 years and have a TON of stuff. By the way they will be having a huge sale at their house next weekend.
I'm selling a desk on Craig's List and the buyer flaked out on me.... so I had to repost my ad. Annoying... because I needed to sell the desk to make room for the futon that I just bought to go where the desk is.
Very busy times. Lot's of selling and buying going on. Friends and Family buying and selling houses. FUN FUN FUN!!!!
I'm excited for Aly's first Easter that she can actually participate in... not just being a cute blob of love. She is cutting her 1st molars on top and bottom. One is broken through the gums but the rest won't be to far behind... because her gums are all swollen. Poor baby. Tonight was the 1st night that I gave her meds... because she was winy after we put her to bed.
Happy Easter Everyone.
He Is Risen.
He is Risen Indeed!

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

Mmmmm Dirt.

my special helper in the yard
Aly had her 1st dirt clod on Saturday. We were out doing yard work and you can only get so much done while a baby is napping. When she woke up we put on her grubby clothes.. (which she didn't have any) and she came outside to play. I was planting Strawberries and she was digging the dirt and in the wheelbarrow. I looked over at her and she had a mouth full. YUCK! She thought so too. She made a few gagging faces as I was washing out her mouth.

I worked it hardcore in the yard on Friday and Saturday and about ruined myself. Working in the yard at 6 months prego sucks. My ab muscles arn't as tight, (since I didn't give them much of a chance to tighten) so bending over on my knees weeding made me pretty sore! I've recovered and boy is the yard looking nice. (if I don't say so myself) We have a few projects left to go, which I hope to finish asap (while I still can). The baby is coming soon. 3 months to go! We don't have a name picked out yet, but I've been studing the name book looking!

Weekend Trip

So we went to Vegas with Jessica and Todd last weekend. This was our 2nd trip there with them. What a fun pair to gamble and have fun with. We all are a little passive when it comes to making a decision on where to go and what to do... it takes Todd jumping in and making the executive decision. Here is an example... "Where do you want to eat?" "I don't care." "What time should we eat?" "We don't care." But no worries, we were able to make it through just fine. Friday night we gambled at the Roulette table and lost $100.00. Not a very fun way to start out a trip to Vegas. I woke up in the morning feeling very regretful of the evening before. I didn't feel like gambling at all on Saturday... especially at the Roulette table. Jess and I had a some work to do in the morning. Yes, this was a buisness trip. We finished up around noon and were ready to hit the strip. The hotel we were at had a shuttle to the strip, so we caught that and headed over for some fun. The guys wanted to go the Stratophere to hit the rides, so we started up the the strip heading north. We could see it in the distance, we thought that we could make it walking. But we made it to The Frontier and caught a cab the rest of the way. They rode some crazy rides while Jess and I watched in horror. When we were done there we headed back to the Bilagio to see if we could get into a show that night last minute. Note to self, when wanting to see a show in Vegas book it before you go. Also if you want to eat dinner on the strip on a Saturday night, make reservations the day before. We had the hardest time finding somewhere to eat before 9:30pm. We found a place at the Paris though and had us a good steak dinner.We settled in at the Paris for a little Roulette. Yes, we caved and hit the table again. But this time it was different. I started with $40.00 and cashed out with $140.00 and Steven started with $20.00 and cashed out with $100.00. We had made our losses back and were happy about that. We played a little more with some money, but still came out about even at the end. It was so much fun. They all had their drinks and the table and I had my shirley temples and water. I saw 2 other pregos the whole trip. Not a very popular place for people who can't drink.

It was hard to be away from Alyenna for 2 nights. She did very well at the Grandparents house's. They had fun with her. It was nice to get home and back to life though. The tap water in Vegas is very yucky!

Snow !?!

March 1st and 6 inches of snow...

WHERE IS SPRING?

Hmmmm?

POWER: GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD; CONSUMPTION INCREASE AFTER 'TRUTH'Mon Feb 26 2007 17:16:14 ET Nashville Electric Service/Gore House 2006High 22619 kWh Aug – Sept Low 12541 kWh Jan - FebAverage: 18,414 kWh per month2005High 20532 Sept - OctoberLow 12955 Feb - MarchAverage: 16,200 kWh per monthBill amounts2006 – $895.60 (low) $1738.52 (high) $1359 (average)2005 – $853.91 (low) $1461 (high)Nashville Gas CompanyMain House2006 – $990(high) $170 (low) $536 (average)2005 – $1080 (high) $200 (low) $640 (average)Guest House/Pool House 2006 – $820 (high) $70 (low) $544 (average)2005 – $1025 (high) $25 (low) $525 (average) The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization, issued a press release late Monday:Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy. Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES). In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average. Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359. Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006. Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year. “As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006. For Further Information, Contact: Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431 editor@tennesseepolicy.org
Found on www.drudgereport.com
Thanks Margie!

It's a GIRL~

Miss D is going to have a SISTER!!!!
We are so excited. It was a surprise for Mr. D, but for me I felt like it was going to be a girl all along. Mr. Ddid have a few girl dreams too though. We need some serious help with names though! We had the name Miss D picked for a girl last time and it was the only girl name that we could agree on! Time is passing so fast... I can't believe that I am half way done already!

Time away

When you have a baby it really makes you cherish the memories that you had as a couple without kids. Not that having a baby drags you down. It just changes everything. In a good way, don't get me wrong. Aly had her 1st slumber party with my parents last Friday to prepare her (and me) for when we go to Vegas in a few weeks. When I stopped to think of the last time that Steven had been anywhere alone, it was to the Mayan Riviera Spring 2005. I'm excited for our weekend getaway to Vegas, but it just breaks my heart knowing that I will be away from my little tot for two nights. She did amazing with my parents over night. I dropped her off at 5pm and they had dinner and they played. Around 8pm they did the usual bedtime routine and put her to bed. She cried a little, but my mom said that it wasn't as bad as I expected her to cry. She fell asleep quickly and didn't wake up until 6:45am! Thank you Lord! Steven and I woke up to a quiet house and then went to breakfast. We made out way over to my parents house around 11am to get her. She was happy to see us, but it was like "hey guys, wanna play with me?" It was like we were more happy to see her! O well. I'm just glad that I can have piece of mind when we are out of town for a few nights.

New and Fun

So I had some fun re-beautificating my blog. There are so many new and interesting things to do on the new version of blogger. I don't even have know html code to do any of them. Note all my new links... easy as pie to add to my blog. Check them out. Thanks to Steph for getting me started on blogger. As you can see the bug has spread to some of my other friends. It is such a great way to check to see what others are up to. It is kinda like you are peeking in on their lives without them knowing about it. I hope everyone out there has fun reading about the life of S, M and A...plus the baby to come.
Things have been great around here. I have 3 lists of stuff that need to get done around the house before the baby comes. It is true what they say...."they second pregnancy breezes by!" When I stop to think that I'm only getting more prego by the day and that my energy is going to start to go away... Man I need to jump on those lists.
Prayers for energy please!

Fun at the park

It was her first time on the swing and down the slide. I got some great pictures with the sun out. Here are just a few!

www.michaelsavage.com

Borders, Language, and Culture
America Urgently Needs President Michael Savage in 2008!
By John Lillpop
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Did I hear the news correctly? Michael Savage is mulling a run for the presidency?
Hallelujah!
President Michael Savage in the Oval Office would be a blessing to America, and would be a positive answer to millions of conservative prayers.
In fact, a Savage presidency may the only hope for saving America from liberal nitwits like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, not to mention RINOs and our "conservative" president.
Dr. Savage believes in American "borders, language, and culture." He would fight to secure our borders, make English use mandatory, and he would strive to preserve the rich American heritage.
With Dr. Savage at the bully pulpit, there would be no open borders, no amnesty for 30 million third-world criminals, and no multicultural "diversity is our greatest strength" foolishness.
Savage is one of the few straight shooters with the guts and brains to tell it like it really is. He is unafraid to remind people that American culture is superior to all others in the world, bar none--which is why nearly everyone in the world wants to move here.
The good doctor is right on ALL issues--abortion, Islamofascists, taxes, religion, illegal aliens, government spending, affirmative action, size of government, free speech, activist judges, crime, and all the rest.
Savage is the conservative's conservative--a man who would make Ronald Reagan and Goldwater beam with pride.
Those of us who live in the San Francisco Bay Area have had the extraordinary good fortune of listening to Savage preach the truth for about fourteen years. His radio career started as a weekend host on a San Francisco radio station better known for it's loony liberalism than common sense conservatism.
Savage's show turned out to be a beacon of hope in the hopeless fog of liberal extremism in the Bay Area.
One of Savage's greatest gifts, in addition to his daunting intelligence, is a blistering sense of humor. He has an uncanny ability to blend morbid news with a withering wit that leaves listeners alternatively sobbing and laughing hysterically.
Michael Savage would have been a terrific stand-up comic had he elected to pursue that line of work.
Instead, Savage earned a Phd. from, of all places, the University of California at Berkley. That experience alone qualifies Savage as our nation's greatest authority on battling anti-American liberalism.
Along the way, Savage authored around 20 books, including several that made it to number one on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Can you imagine? The New York Times Bestseller list? Leftists at the "Old Gray Lady" must have gone into a towering rage each time another Savage book made it to number one! How sweet it is to contemplate the bitterness of that pill.
National radio syndication is Savage's latest success story. Again, those in the media and leftists in general are left pulling their hair out by the astounding appeal of this son of an immigrant who really "gets it" when it comes to being an American.
However great his radio work is, Dr. Savage is urgently needed for a much higher calling. How does Dr. Michael Savage, President of the United States, sound?
From where I am sitting, it sounds like a great idea whose idea has finally arrived!
Run, Michael, run!


I found this on a website that I go to called michaelsavage.com
Many of you have heard of him or maybe you haven't... he has a radio show on KXL 3-6pm.
Please visit his website and take the webpoll "Should Michael Savage Run For The Presidency"... if the count gets to 500,000 he will make another announcement regarding this matter. As of now he is "mulling" the idea! He has always said on his show that he is not interested in the Oval Office... but for some reason he has changed his mind. Let't get the vote out and pass the word to take part in this webpoll to show him that he actually has a backing and could be successful!!!!!



John W. Lillpop is a recovering liberal, "clean and sober" since 1992 when last he voted for a Democrat. Pray for John: He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where people like Nancy Pelosi are actually considered normal!.
John can be reached at: letters@canadafreepress.com

Columns
2007 2006

You want some?

Aly had her first tuna sandwich on her birthday last week. She ate a whole half all by herself. She is getting so big. She had a great 1 year check up... but whe wasn't quite her happy self. She was a bit intimidated by the doctor this time. She weighed in at 23 lbs (87%) and is 31 1/4 inches long. (97%) I knew that she was a tall girl considering one of her favorite things to do is reach up to the top drawer in my bathroom and pull stuff out...ie tubes of lipstick and bobby pins. I have also started to phase in 2% milk instead of formula in her morning and evening bottles. She seems to not even know that there has been a change. I think that she is like Steven and I... we really love milk. She has had a bit of a sick spell again, but has pulled through. You gotta love winter and the sickness it brings... no wait I hate that! Fortunately Steven and I have dodged most of the colds! For her big day she got so many wonderful gifts. We are slowly phasing them in since she did just have Christmas.
I've been feeling good. I have started to feel little kicks and movement. I started to feel that around 17 weeks. I feel a little bit each day. Just a few little kicks to remind me that YES I am pregnant. It is so easy to forget when I have a 1 year old who keeps me VERY busy.

I'm 1 year old today!

Guess who is one year old. A year ago right now I had just started to push this little girl out. At 3:40pm we will celebrate her exact birth moment. I bet that she will be taking a nap though. Today she said byebye. She can also say Dada, Momma, More, Nana, NighNight, Boom, Wow. I think that is it. She is getting much better at mimicking our sounds though. This morning I said the word scissor and she said scdithhter... or something like that. This past year has just flew by! I can't believe that she will be moving out of her room and into a new room to make room for baby. We are going to get her a big girl bed soon! She has 7 teeth and is working on one more right now. No walking yet... but she is perfecting the art of standing. But if I hold out my hand in front of her to walk to me her knees buckle and she crawls over. We will be having an ultrasound in a few weeks to tell the sex of the next baby... can't wait!

Deep thoughts

A few deep thoughts by Jack Handey (SNL)

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.


I hope some animal never bores a hole in my head and lays its eggs in my brain, because later you might think you're having a good idea but it's just eggs hatching.


Instead of a trap door, what about a trap window? The guy looks out it, and if he leans too far, he falls out. Wait. I guess that is like a regular window.


When I found the skull in the woods, the first thing I did was call the police. But then I got curious about it. I picked it up, and started wondering who this person was, and why he had deer horns.


Consider the daffodil. And while you are doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff.


I'd like to see a guy tap-dancing so fast his legs actually broke, because it would finally establish a "tap barrier," and we could move on from there.


The other day I got you my can opener and was opening a can of worms when I thought, "What am I doing?!"

Pictures

First Snow for the little girl
Momma and Baby out for a stoll in the snow
Mmmmmmmmmm kisses from dada.

Life stuck at home.

I've been home since Monday and with a sick and grumpy baby. I took Aly into the doctor on Monday.. (glad I did that day or I wouldn't have been able to make it into town). She had been running a fever since Sat and tugging at her ears. Turns out she had or still has... not sure... a throat virus. Ohhh, she has been a grump. I think that we are nearing the end of the sickness, but she is still really congested. Poor thing... all she wants to do is suck her thumb. Kinda hard when you can't breath out of your nose. I try to use the bulb sucky thing, but I can't get a drip out of her nose. I hope that she isn't learning how to be a winy baby, because she sure is getting good at it. My parents decided to get out of the house yesterday and come over. I told them to do it at their own risk. I haven't driven anywhere since Monday and Steven has gone to work everyday and said that the roads in our town are pretty bad. Especially up and down our road. So they decided to brave the elements and head up. They made it almost all the way. Their truck got stuck and started to slide backwards down our road. They had to walk up to our house and my dad got a shovel and dug himself out and backed slowly down our road till he got to the flat part next to our mailboxes where he could turn around. As many of you know there are dropoffs on both sides or our road... scary! Well he got the truck unstuck and walked back up to our house. Later they made it back to Vancouver just fine. What an adventure for them! Our neighbors built the most awesome igloo out of all the snow that we have! It is so big. We played out in the snow for a bit a few days ago. I got Aly all bundled up and put her in the Baby Bjorn. It was her last ride in that thing because she was so heavy pushing down on my prego tummy. I need to go look for her. I hear things in the kitchen.
Ok I'm back and she was eating a candycane. MMmmmm I bet that was good. She is so curious. I hear more banging. What is she doing? She is getting so big. She is pulling herself up on just about anything. She is so close to walking. I can't believe that she is going to be a year old!!!

Ohhhhhh.... pretty day!

There is nothing as good as waking up to a snow covered morning. The house is so bright because of the reflection of the snow. Guess who is going outside for her 1st playday in the snow. Pictures to follow!

Young soldier remembered

This was such sad news to hear. I was watching the news when my mom called to ask if I was watching. Weird question... got me a little nervous. I said why? Then I saw this story. Jeremiah played baseball with my brother Adam for many years and was a friend of his. I remember his family and how friendly they were. His dad and mom use to come in to YNG to shop and again... so friendly. You could tell that they had the love of Jesus is their hearts. I will remember Jeremiah for being a man of duty serving our country and making the ultimate sacrifice no person would wish for their child. I know that he is with Jesus and that is a calming thought. Prayers go out to his grieving family.



http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_010507_news_soldier_accident.fd70aba.html
Vancouver soldier dies from injuries in Humvee accident
04:56 PM PST on Friday, January 5, 2007
By Pat Dooris and kgw.com Staff
An soldier who grew up in the Vancouver, Washington area died after injuries he suffered in a Humvee accident in Baghdad.

Caring Bridge
Jeremiah Johnson with his wife Gayle and their two children.
Jeremiah Johnson, 23, died Friday morning at the U.S. Army hospital in Germany, according to his mother Elizabeth johnson.
Johnson was part of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parchute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Johnson suffered traumatic brain injuries after the humvee in which he was riding rolled into a canal, trapping Johnson inside and under water for as long as ten minutes, according to Senior Paster Lee Erickson of the Salmon Creek Four Square Church.
Erickson is close friends with with the Johnson family and speaks with JeremiahÂ’s father, Dave, every other day.
Dave and Elizabeth Johnson live in the Vancouver area but flew to Germany to be with their son as soon as the crash happened.
BACKGROUND: Vancouver soldier injured in Iraq
Jeremiah is married to Gayle Johnson, and the couple have two children, ages 2 and 4. They met at the Salmon Creek Four Square Church.
Prayers and remembrances were being sent to the Caring Bridge Web site.
Link: Caring Bridge