I'm not a witch, I'm your wife.

Recently Heath reposted a survey on Myspace asking all of our friends to answer questions about him to see who knows him really well. I love filling out surveys but felt that being his wife, it would be too easy to simply "answer the questions." So for a challenge I decided to answer every question with a quote from the movie The Princess Bride. If you have never seen this movie "Let me 'splain. [pause] No, there is too much. Let me sum up."This movie was a favorite among us and all of our friends when we were teenagers and now our children have seen it several times and can even quote it at times. Needless to say it just felt appropriate to use these quotes. Now I would like to share with you the survey with my answers......

My name: "Farmboy"

Summarize me in one sentence: "with eyes like the sea after a storm"

Where did we meet? [The Fireswamp] "Well, I'm not saying I'd like to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely."

Take a stab at my middle name: "What? Humperdink? Humperdink, Humperdink, Humperdink"

How long have you known me?"... it's been twenty years now and I'm starting to lose confidence. I just work for Vizzini to pay the bills. There's not a lot of money in revenge."

When is the last time that we saw each other?"The Pit of Despair! Don't even think... "[clears throat] "... don't even think about trying to escape."

Am I happy? "Fezzik, jog his memory."

Am I a good person?" I admit it, you are better than I am."

What was your first impression of upon meeting me/seeing me?"I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains."

What's one of my favorite things to do?"You've got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance.It's going to get you into trouble someday "

Who do I love more than my life? "Your princess is quite a winning creature. A trifle simple, perhaps. Her appeal is undeniable.I know, the people are quite taken with her."

Am I funny? "You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny!"

Have i ever made you smile..if so when? "You're alive. If you want I can fly."

What's my favorite type of music? "Look, are you just fiddling around with me or what?"[as he is unsuccessfully fighting Fezzik]

Am I honest? "You be careful.People in masks cannot be trusted"

Have you ever seen me cry?"You mock my pain.Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

Can I sing? "INCONCEIVABLE."

What is the best feature about me?"I do not mean to pry, but you don't by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?"

Am I shy or outgoing? "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Do I lie? "Yes you're very smart. Shut up."

Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what)? "We are but poor, lost circus performers."

Have you ever hugged me? "As you wish"

Kissed me? "Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind."

Whats the best thing about me?"Get some rest.If you haven't got your health, then you haven't got anything"

What is my favorite food? "true love is the greatest thing, in the world-except for a nice MLT - mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe."

Am I a good cook?" It's possible, Pig,"

If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be? "Have you ever considered piracy? You'd make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts."

What's your favorite memory of me?"They're kissing again.Do we have to read the kissing parts?"

What is my worst habit? "You've been mostly-dead all day."

Do I like coffee? "No matter.First, let's drink. Me from my glass, and you from yours."

Do I believe in God? "With pride.What can I do for you?"

Have you ever had a dream about me?"It was ten days to the wedding. The King still lived, but Buttercup's nightmares were growing steadily worse."

Have you ever wanted to date me?"Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."

If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what is the one thing I would bring? "If you're in such a hurry, you could lower a rope or a tree branch or find something useful to do."" I could do that. I have some rope up here, but I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you."

Whats my religion?"Please understand I hold you in the highest respect."

Am I family oriented? "joined by the bonds of love. And you cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds, and you cannot break it, not with a thousand swords."

Who is my best friend? "That Vizzini, he can *fuss*.Fuss, fuss... I think he like to scream at *us*.Probably he means no *harm*.He's really very short on *charm*.You have a great gift for rhyme.Yes, yes, some of the time.Enough of that.Fezzik, are there rocks ahead? If there are, we all be dead.No more rhyming now, I mean it.Anybody want a peanut? "

Will you repost this so I can take yours? "As I told you, it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable....Out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

THE END

Alyssa learns to share...

These are some videos of Alyssa sharing her breakfast with Baby. This is a baby that my mom gave to her at Christmas. She is best friends with her and has named her "Baby." I say best friends rather than Baby's mommy because no mommy would treat their baby the way that Alyssa treats this one, but they are friends because they do almost everything together. Baby is even trying some potty training.

Alyssa is turning 2years old in April and we will be having a family time tea party together. She also wants to invite Baby and some other dolls so these videos are how we practiced sharing. Alyssa doesn't really know how to share in the first video but in the second one she finally gets it.

Spring Break...

Spring is a time of renewal. A time when the rain showers come to wash away all of what winter has brought. A time when new growth starts to become evident. A time when animals that have been asleep or just underground for months are finally starting to come to life and see the sun shine again. A time when we all seem to be getting outdoors more. A time when we start to make plans for the months to come.

When we take a break it is usually a time to let go of what we have been doing. A time to drop everything and decide what our next move might be or just a time to relax and let go of what we have known as normal. A time for reflection and meditation. A time to rejuvenate and restore our hearts and minds.

So what is Spring Break? Maybe it is a time to think about what lies ahead and how we can move forward. A time to wake up our own spirits inside and find a strength that has not been obtainable. A time to breathe in the anticipation of what we know is to come. A time to let go of all that we have been doing and saying and go a different direction.

This week is when my boys have "Spring Break" from school. I think we will all be taking a "Spring Break" and find a way to reconstruct and our way of doing family. We will have fun along the way, but mostly we will be processing a plan for the way we do our family living. This is the time for Change. This is the time.

Alyssa's High Heels

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Unfortunate, Expected, Accidents...

We have started Potty Training with Alyssa!

Alyssa is only 1yr old (will be 2 in April,) but has started to show signs that she is ready for potty training. Every time her diaper would be "wet" or "dirty" she would bring us a new diaper and the wipes and lay down at our feet expecting to be changed. She really knows how to get her point across these days. So we got her a potty chair over the weekend and decided to give it a try. I also took her to the store and let her pick out her own panties. In the aisle, I laid out all of the different panties with the different characters on them and let her decide which ones to pick.

Should have known that she would go with Mickey/Minnie Mouse. She pointed to Minnie Mouse's Shoes and said "Shews" and then picked them up and walked away.

I then picked out a pack that I liked. I picked the Curious George ones because they have a ruffle around the waistband. I guess now I have to buy myself some ruffled panties (according to Heath children shouldn't dress any different than an adult would.) Anyway, the top pair in the picture below also matches her room with the color of stripes and the random pattern.

We first put on the ones that she picked out. There are three pair in the package so after I put one pair on her bottom, she wanted the next pair on her head and the third pair over the top of the first pair. Here is another case of picking your battles. She walked around for a little while this way, but I never got a picture. :(

So the first day of training went well, although I wish the potty had a seat belt since she doesn't sit on it for more than a few seconds. We went to the potty every twenty - thirty minutes with no real success (to be expected.) We did have one major accident, but it was really my fault. She was in the dinning room, messing with something she shouldn't be, and when I told her to put it back she stomped her feet and screamed at me. I did what should be done and put her in time out (her bed otherwise she won't stay.) After about a minute and a half I went in to talk to her and she was more upset than ever. I then realized she had an accident in her bed. I got her calmed down and changed her panties and her bed sheets. We had no more behaviour problems and no more accidents the rest of the day. I did get some video, but I have to apologize in advance for the shakiness and poor quality of it. I was trying to capture the moment and be in it at the same time.

For Privacy Reasons This Video has been removed by the poster.

After Heath got home he tried to help and be an active part in the potty training process. He took her to the potty and after a few moments I came to check on them. He told me, "I think we need to put a diaper on her, she is not doing anything but holding herself and crying." I tried to explain to "Mr. Patience," that she is not used to the feeling of just letting it come out into the potty instead of her diaper and it will take some getting used to for her. The next time that I took her to the potty,she made tinkles in it! Everyone ran to the bathroom and tried to celebrate, but poor baby girl was so confused about what had happened and didn't want to celebrate. I gave her a sticker (she loves stickers) and she seemed to like that.

Today has been a better day. No accidents so far and she is sitting longer. I figured out if I read to her she stays put and doesn't think about it so much. We have not had any pee pee in the potty today, but she is now running to the potty on her own and enjoying it more. All in all, I call that SUCCESS!

Busy, busy weekend...

It was a busy weekend. First we started early Sat. morning with a Easter Egg Hunt at the school my sister teaches at. They started the hunt with a Scavenger Hunt. The boys would find a clue and follow it to the next egg and clue. Alyssa tagged along, but wasn't really sure what was going on.

We then went inside and played some games, colored some Easter pictures, and watched a Veggie Tales movie.

Then there was one more egg hunt and this time was not a scavenger hunt, it was pretty much a free for all. But all the kids were able to get bags full of eggs. Even Karston who was in the bathrooom when the hunt started and so joined the hunt late.

So that was our morning. We came home for lunch and then left the kids with thier Aunt while we went to a Suprise 50th birthday party for our friend Scott Rose. We saw some people that we hadn't seen in a long time and were able to have some really great conversations and laughs. Gwen did a great job keeping it a suprise and making it a great party.

We then had to leave that party early so that we could pick up the kids for the next party. Josiah's best friend (only real friend) was turning six and having a pool party at the YMCA. The party was a blast. The boys had lots of fun. Alyssa was scared at first because of it being indoors and so loud, but once we got her splashing she had fun too.

They then had Pizza and Cake and we finally called it a night. We were all ready for bed.

On Sunday morning we went to church with my sister Angie at Fusion.

We heard an incredible message from Philemon. The kids loved their class too. Karston and Josiah made some new friends and had a great time. Alyssa was just happy to be shown off to all of Aunt Angie's friends. We stayed after church for a meal of Macaroni and Hot Dogs. We got a chance to spend time with many of her new friends and to see why she is so happy at her church. We then spent the afternoon grocery shopping. When we came home we did some cleaning and some decorating chores in our kitchen and dining area. A huge Thank You to my wonderful husband that completed the "honey do" list I had created over the previous week. So that was our weekend in a whirlwind. We are now ready for the week ahead.

Bloggin' business

Just wanted to let you all know that there are a few new blogs that have become very important to me and could be of interest to you.




First of all, my wonderful husband has updated his blog after a break of two years and is again excited about being able to share some of the thoughts that have been brewing in his heart and soul. You really ought to see what Heath has to say.





Secondly, my sister, Angie has joined the blogging world. She mostly decided to start blogging just to be able to process thoughts or poems of her own. As I have read her blogs about her thoughts on Spiritual matters, her own poems along with some from others, and her interpretations of a philosophy class she has been taking, I realized that you too might like to read some of what she has to offer. She would never advertise herself, but her blog is definetly worth reading.





Some of our friends have recently shared their blogs with me as well and I have put a link to all of them on my blog. Enjoy and share a comment or two so they are encouraged to keep it up.

Pipe Dreams

Last night Heath made an announcement to me and the children at dinner. He told us that Saturday could be his last day at work. He had been thinking of putting in his resignation. Of course, that got all of our attention, so he had to explain. He said that he gave $1.00 to a co-worker to buy him a PowerBall ticket in Wisconsin. The winner will be announced tonight and the winning amount would be $275 million. Obviously it is a long shot and Heath was just joking about quitting his job. Gambling is not really our thing, but sometimes throwing a dollar in a hat can be just for fun.

Talk of winning $275 million dollars got us all to talking about what we would do or how we would live if we did have that much. After taxes taking half and tithing on 10% we would be left with $123 million. Putting alot of it into investments and savings so that neither of us has to work again, we would then pay off all debt, the house, and buy new cars (in cash.) We would then help family members to be able to pay off debts and learn ways of securing their futures. We would then have money that we could just Blow. So the question became what would you blow the money on?

Karston said that he would buy a car that was red and shiny and didn't have a top on it (all while pretending to drive and making the sound of a race car.) Josiah said that he would want the same car as Karston except that his can go off road. I am sure that there are many other things that would be age appropriate that they would ask for as well. I know that they have been asking for a treehouse for a couple of years now.

Heath said that he would either buy a house in the mountains of TN., or a house on the Lake, or possibly even an island off the coast of Greece. He would also spend the money on traveling. He would not only travel all over the U.S., but to Every country at least once. He couldn't think of any great toys he would want just the traveling.

For Me? I would also like to travel, but not to every country (some are not so safe for women to visit.) I would also spend some of the money on adopting children from abusive homes. The only other thing I can think to spend it on is remodeling our house. I would have our hardwood floors restored (even though they aren't that bad right now,) and I would have an extra bedroom put in the basement along with a bathroom for the boys, and I would have all of the top floor reconstructed and redone. Upstairs we want to knock down all the walls, put in an incredibly luxurious bathroom, a new walk-in closet, new flooring, fresh paint and french doors that lead out to a brand new deck w/ a catwalk and spiral stairs in the backyard.

As I sat there at the dinner table listening to all of us laugh about our pipe dreams, I thought we should talk like this more often. It is good for our children to dream big and have big expectations for the future. I want my children to know that they should never downplay thier dreams because of money. I have often wondered how it affects them when we have to say "No, I'm sorry we don't have the money for that." Granted, money is not always the reason that we say no, but I worry about them growing up with a "Poor Man's" mentality. Dreaming of what we would do if money were no option is just one way that we can show our children that they should never hold back just because of money. Karston, Josiah, and Alyssa, we want for you to achieve all of your dreams, the big and the small. We want the best for you and the families that you will have one day too.

My (um, I mean) Karston's project

Karston had a project from school that he presented to his class today. They were assingned to dress up a paper doll from the country that they families heritage is from. At first we didn't know what to do, England, Ireland, Germany, American Indian and the list goes on. Karston decided that since Goodson is an English name we should do the project on England. So we dressed the paper "guy" up as a British Palace Guard. He then wrote a few sentences on some things that he learned about England.

Today he presented this Palace Guard to the class and read to them the few facts he had learned. He was also given the option of bringing in pictures and coins and even a food that is from that country. Considering many of us in the family had been there and his Aunt Angie used to live there we had many things for him to take to school and show his class.

We also brought in "Fish and Chips" or fish and fries. Funny story here. I tried to be authentic and fry the fries at home instead of baking them, but I got burned on the oil several times and then the kitchen started filling with smoke and the fries did not look yummy. So, I did the only thing I could do. I went to McDonalds and bought some fries and then put them in my own container to take to the school. They were a big hitEven Alyssa became part of the class.

It was a great presentation. I am so proud of Karston and how well he is doing in school.

Are you game?

Last night Heath wanted to teach me a new card game he had recently learned. The game is called "pay the man." It is played alot like Rummy but, the first round is started with only three cards in your hand and then each round after that increases by one card. Each time the number of cards in the hand correlates with the card that is the wild card. You play up to thirteen cards in the hand with the King being wild. Then you continue to play with each hand going back down to three. Anyway, needless to say it is a long, long game. The first time we played I came very close to winning. If I had played my cards in a different order on the last hand, I would have won, instead of losing by one point. Very Frustrating. I demanded a rematch and then heard my husband say to me... "When did you become so competitive?" We did play another game and ended up going to bed around 2:00am.

When did I become so competitive? Well, I think that is what happens when you marry a man that is competitive and then start having family game night with the kids. As a family we try to have family game night as often as we can. The kids all got board games for Christmas from our families. It has been so much fun to enteract in such a fun way.

Our latest family game nights we played Trouble and Uno. It is a good time for us to all spend as a family and have some fun together. Karston is very competitive. If he doesn't win, he says "I Never win." I don't know if that comes with his age or his personality. Josiah has a very different reaction. Josiah is usually the one that wins, but throughout the entire game he is saying "I hope that mom wins." Isn't he sweet? Even when I am in last place and there is no chance of me catching up (happens often) he is still rooting for me to win. If Daddy wins, everyone is upset, except for daddy. Karston is upset that he didn't win, Josiah is upset that mommy didn't win and I am upset that Dad won Again. Oh well, no matter who wins we all know that we had a fun night.

No matter what games we play or who wins the games, these are the times that we will all remember and cherish for our lifetimes. Whether it is playing games, going fun places or whatever your family does to have fun, I would like encourage you to do it often. Spending Quality Time together is how we will make memories that our children can pass on to their children and them to their children. What a great Legacy!

Puppy Love

We knew when we named our two puppies "Romeo" and "Juliette" that we would have a romance on our hands at sometime.

Well it seems that "Time" is fast approaching. Juliette is now in Heat for the second time. The worst part being that she is having a doggy period. We knew this would happen and actually dreaded it coming the first time. Well, the first time was really no big deal. We were able to keep her and Romeo seperated with baby gates and she stayed at the back door entry. She mostly slept on the rug and wanted to be left alone. There was some bleeding, but it wasn't much and all in all we felt pretty lucky considering the stories we had heard. Well, this time is a whole new story.

She is bleeding more and not at all content to be alone. Last night was so sad. Heath and I went downstairs after putting all of the children to bed, and knowing that we had to keep the puppies seperated, we took Romeo downstairs with us. Poor, Sweet Juliette stood at the top of the stairs whining and crying through the door. It was so sad! So I came up with an idea. Considering we have so many diapers and pull-ups and swim diapers in our house it is only logical that we put one of the kind on Juliette so that she could join us and be a part of the family. She didn't like it, but when she realized that she would be allowed to join the family and be on the furniture, she decided not to fight it.

So this morning, before the boys went to school we all talked about how it is very natural for a girl puppy to have bleeding sometimes and that Juliette was going to need to wear a diaper for a little while. The boys were so understanding. Hopefully we can get through these diaper days and then get her spade once and for all! For now, I think the only one in this family that is going to be at all bothered by the puppy pull-up, is Romeo.

Your thoughts?

Unpredictable. Random. EverChanging. Creative. Spicy. Sorted. Graceful. Eyecatching. Sophisticated. Different. Delightful. Beautiful. Livley. Crazy. Dizzying. Inspired.Enlightened. Imaginitive. Fabulous. Impressive. Lovley. Sassy. Refreshing. Thoughtful. Suprising. Motivating.

Yes, it is true that I have made some changes to my blog. Go ahead and pick a word. You can use one of mine or pick one of your own, just tell me what you think.

Oh, and please be nice.

My heart breaks for my son...

Many times I have written this up and then decided not to post it for one reason or another. Maybe nothing needs to be said and then maybe everything needs to be said.Most people that know me, know that I have a son that was born with a Spinal birth defect. He was born with Lypomyelomeningocele. It is a form of Spina Bifida. This is a very rare defect. The link above has lots of really good information and definitions. Much more than I could ever tell you.


What I could tell you is what we have been through in the last 8 1/2 years. After Karston's first surgery at 10 days old, he progressed very normally. At the age of 2yr old we started to see his left leg and foot get affected. We took him to many doctors and they said that he would grow out of it. Just before he turned three we moved to the Chicago area and his new pediatrician sent us immediately to Children's Hospital. He then had to have two more corrective surgeries and started to wear the brace on his leg. We went through weekly physical therapy and had many difficulties in potty training. He still wears a pull-up at night. At age 6, Karston started a process of bladder stimulation. After several months of what Karston felt was torture, we found that it was not working for him. We then went to a catheter every 2 -3 hours and he now does this himself. He still finds it invasive and irritating that he has to use these methods. He is only 8yrs old so he is not really great at doing it when he is supposed to. Many kids don't understand that Karston is different and they ask him many questions. He often times doesn't know how to answer or just gets tired of explaining it so much. There is alot of emotional conflict for Karston and for us as his parents.



I have to say that I am very proud of my son and all that he can do and has done despite this disability that should be holding him back. For the most part Karston seems very normal and you would never know that he has had three surgeries and many different treatments. He does wear a brace on his leg, but it does not hold him back and after being around him for a small amount of time it will disappear in your mind. In fact he has broken many braces because they are not made to be able to withstand his abilities. He is an extraordinary young boy and I know that God has something Big for him, even when he doesn't see it.

Among all of the physical and medical parts of this journey, we have also had to deal with the emotional and mental parts too. We have had many talks and many crying sessions with him about what he has to do and why he is not "normal" like the other kids. Most of the time, he understands, but I can't help but see how his self esteem gets torn every time. He has a very gentle spirit inside and while that is what makes him loved by everyone, it is also why he so deeply hurts at times too. We try to balance the fact that we have to do what we have to do and constant questioning doesn't make it all go away, with the feelings of needing outside support (not pity) and understanding from other people that have gone through similar difficulties. It is hard to ask for help, but even harder to know who to ask for said help.


Our hearts are tired and our minds are not understanding of God's ways, but we will not give up. Karston's life is a blessing to this family and everyone he meets. By God's grace we will survive and we hope to impact other peoples lives along the way.

Please pray for us as a family to be able to support each other. This will be an issue that Karston deals with for the rest of his life and as a family we will need patience and endurance for whatever else may come.