tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37250950686159216552024-03-13T21:33:19.843-07:00Wisley's LifeMelissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-25263490859654309302013-03-27T08:25:00.000-07:002013-03-27T08:25:48.783-07:00Hank and Wyatt's birth storyI can honestly tell you that I am horrible at updating this blog. You already knew that since you probably stopped checking it months ago. Well I have a few moments in the craziness of my life to fill you in on the twins and yes, I have pictures too.
It has been just over 10 weeks ago that Hank and Wyatt FINALLY made their entrance into our family. We were anxiously waiting, and waiting, and waiting just like we usually do when I am pregnant. When we found out we were having twins at 35 weeks gestation I promptly called three of my friends and my cousins who have twins and tried to absorbs as much info as I could from them about what I should expect, how to breastfeed them, what extra items I needed to buy, and borrowed a few books which I read in one weeks time. I fully expected it would be any day from my ultra sound. Why I even thought they would come before their due date, I don't know, but I am very glad they waited despite the stretch marks they gave me. We were very glad they were full term, healthy, and BIG for twins. I was so worried I would have to have them in the hospital! Funny how people think I am crazy for not wanting to have them at a hospital cause most people would be scared to do it at home. Thankfully they were both head down and my midwife has had LOTS of experience delivering twins, even breached twins so I was not worried to continue with our plans to have them at home.
It all started on the morning of my due date. I had decided I needed a morning to myself so I called my friend Teresa and dropped Jake and Wade off around 9am. On my way out the door Joe asked me when I was going to pick them up. I responded in a not so loving way(a sign that I was already going into labor). My plan was to use my breast pump to stimulate some contractions. I was determined to get these babies out on their due date! The day before I went to the chiropractor to get adjusted, with hopes that it would start labor. My doctor was amazed that I wanted him to be rough with me and not so sure he believed it would help.
I began pumping for 20 min on, 40 min off for four hours. Every time I pumped I would have a contraction every 5 min so it was actually working! Around noon I called my friend and told her I would not be picking up the boys because I was pretty sure I would be in full blown labor by the late afternoon. Good thing I gave her the boys over night bag in hopes I wouldn't have to pick them up. Joe came home from work so we could prepare the birthing tub and get the birth kit ready for action! I continued to have small contractions so long as I was moving around doing something. I cleaned the bathroom and my midwife showed up at 4pm. She sent us outside to walk around to help my contractions continue since they slowed down if I was resting. We walked to our neighbors house, Josh and Denise Wisley, to drop off our dog and I had several hard contractions in just those few hundred feet of walking. An hour later the other midwives started to show up. I was told that because of having twins my midwife would have a few assistants with her to help out. I had no idea that there would be 6 midwives in my house at once! They were all so wonderful! I was able to labor in my room alone with Joe most of the time and they were so quiet in my living room I would not have known they were present.
Hard labor started when my mom and sister arrived around 6pm. I was so glad they were able to witness the birth since I knew this would be my last pregnancy. At least we hope it will be our last! I keep telling Joe it's time for him to schedule a little surgery that will keep this body of mine from bearing any more children.
My contractions picked up and became more intense an hour later and continued to stay the same for the next couple of hours. I was able to move around a lot. It was nice to have the birthing tub to climb into when I felt I needed a little break from collapsing on the floor to get through each contraction. My midwife would come in every hour to make sure I would go pee and then listen to the heart beat and left us to ourselves again. Around 10pm I became discouraged because I was still going and didn't feel close to pushing. I had two options. Go for a bumpy car ride or have my midwife check me to see how far dilated I was. Of course I opted for the second option and good thing cause I was fully dilated and we were just waiting for my water to break. I begged for her to break it so we could get this show on the road and have babies before midnight. You see. I was also really wanting all my babies to have birthdays that were in odd years, in odd months and on an odd day and so far I had the first two covered just needed to get them out before the 10th day of January rolled in. Within 10 min of my water being broken I was pushing Hank Levi out at 7lb 2 oz and with lots of hair all over his body! It felt great. Not the part of him coming out, but him being out of my body! I actually said a few bad words as I pushed him out. Thankfully my mom didn't hear those! I confessed anyway and she gave me that look that all mommy's give when you say words that are banned from your vocabulary. Love you mom!
Well, after feeling like I was done I realized great; I have to do this all over again! We waited for over 20 min and nothing was happening! More frustration! I got out of the tub and tried squatting. 28 min after Hank came Wyatt James at 6lb! He was almost completely bald. Finally! What an amazing feeling it is to know it is all over. Or so i thought.
You would think that delivering the placenta would be the easy part. It wasn't after Jake was born and it was happening all over again! My placenta would not come out. I pushed and pushed and just knew what was going to have to happen next. It was going to be my midwife who would go in and scrape it out. Let's just say that hurt more than two babies being pushed out of my body. After that I have lost twice the amount of blood and feeling very faint. Joe carried me to my tub and I literally lay there trying not to pass out. They put smelling salt under my nose and carried me to bed so I could get warm and they hand fed me toast with peanut butter and made me drink tons of orange juice to help me get my energy back. I guess I was pretty pale in the face. Soon I had my color back and was nursing two babies at once! I don't think I slept more than an hour that night. My after pains were pretty intense every time I nursed and I was also given 5 cc's of an antibiotic just to keep me from infection since it took a while for the placenta to come out. The pain of that shot was the worst! I can still feel the knock in my hip from it!
Everyone was probably out of the house around 1am. Of course I was ready to pass out from exhaustion but I think I only slept a whole hour that first night from the pain of the shot and from my uterus contracting. It was a long night and I was so relieved when 7am rolled around. I hate laying in bed when I can't sleep and I knew I would soon be able to take a good long nap when my mom woke up.
I am so thankful for my wonderful mother who stayed with me for over a week! My youngest sister Kim also stayed for about 5 days to help out as well! They were both so wonderful keeping Jake and Wade occupied and allowing me rest, cooking meals and organizing any and everything they could find to do to help me out! When my mom left to go home she took Jake and Wade with her so I could adjust to the babies and get them on a schedule. I cried when my mom hugged me goodbye, not knowing how I would manage two babies and how I would do without Jake and Wade around. I missed them terribly! The house was SO quiet and it stayed so CLEAN too! I had to close their bedroom door because every time I walked by and saw their stuff I would cry. It was 11 days before my mom brought them home. Joe and I were both so happy to have them back. My mom stayed with us for another week! She is just the best! So glad she has the time to come help!
Over the course of the first 6 weeks we had a lot of other helpers. My sister-in-law Janice came with her mother and two kids Kate and Luke for about 3 days. The kids were great with the babies and helped keep Jake and Wade busy. Joe's mom came for a few days and it was nice to ask her a bunch of questions about how she raised Joe and Josh 33 years ago. Oh the resources these days compared to 30 years ago! I am so glad I have a mother-in-law who went through it and she didn't have near the help I have had! You are one great woman Judi! Don't know how you did it?!
Our next pair of helping hands was Joe's Step Mom Shari. His dad Jerry also came too. I could tell that every time Jerry would hold the twins it would take him right back to what life was like when his twins were little.
One more person who has been a huge help ever since Jake was born. Teresa Graber and her husband Allen and daughter Abbie! They are known to Jake and Wade as Mamaw T and Papaw Allen. Teresa has come over several times a week to help out and we often drop our children off at their house so we can run errands or go out for dinner. Thanks for all the breaks you have given us over the years!
Thanks to all who came to stay with us! I hope I am not leaving anyone out!
It has been a crazy journey but I have gotten used to the chaos. I consider it a blessing to have four boys and know each day will have it's challenges but so long as I take one day at a time I can get through it. I still have a large list of people that want to help us out.
Here are a few pictures of our new family!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qfwlqkD7Swo/UVMOJMtR2NI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/LMSiVlZ9eaA/s1600/Picture+698.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qfwlqkD7Swo/UVMOJMtR2NI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/LMSiVlZ9eaA/s320/Picture+698.jpg" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fbWyhJGThY/UVMOQXqvzPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/V1pUmCCazPk/s1600/Picture+734.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fbWyhJGThY/UVMOQXqvzPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/V1pUmCCazPk/s320/Picture+734.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aKj84K-csmM/UVMOa8dqFEI/AAAAAAAAAaI/lCOlAiqYO4k/s1600/Picture+793.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aKj84K-csmM/UVMOa8dqFEI/AAAAAAAAAaI/lCOlAiqYO4k/s320/Picture+793.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BapTUK4cUgo/UVMOjhmLcXI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/Q_zZsMJ8syM/s1600/Picture+820.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BapTUK4cUgo/UVMOjhmLcXI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/Q_zZsMJ8syM/s320/Picture+820.jpg" /></a>Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-63853985021745756022012-11-07T13:29:00.001-08:002012-11-07T13:29:30.284-08:00Where's my hope coming from?I couldn't fall asleep last night due to the election results. I tried to go to bed before I found out who won the election. I had been close to drifting off a few times but Wade kept waking me up crying from his stuffy nose. I had that sick feeling in my gut all night that I was going to wake up and hear what I did not want to hear. It's no secret. I voted Mitt Romney. I just can't agree with anything Obama stands for. Who care's whether he is black or white. I just don't agree with the direction he wants to take the country.
After getting a little bit of sleep I woke up feeling a little anxious about the next 4 years. Knowing that I need not be anxious about anything I knew that if I opened up my devotions for the day I would find comforting words, so I did and found just what I thought I would find, comforting words. This comes from my daily devo's "Jesus Calling"
Love this book!
"Worship me in the beauty of holiness. All true beauty reflects some of who I am. I am working My ways in you: the divine Artist creating loveliness within your being. My main work is to clear debris and clutter, making room for MY Spirit to take full possession. Collaborate with Me in this effort by being willing to let go of anything i choose to take away. I know what you need, and I have promised to provide all of that abundantly!
Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way. I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My Presence. This entails being satisfied with much or with little, accepting either as My will for the moment. Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive. Cultivate this receptive stance by trusting Me in every situation."
So I didn't have it go my way and I worry what could happen to our economy/what we possess as individuals and in our freedoms that could be taken away, but God wants me to depend on him in every situation. Even if Mitt Romney had won I still can't put my trust in man alone. This may bring our country into a place where we all learn to depend on God way more than we ever have before and that would be a very positive thing. Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-14450227509042671122012-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:002012-11-01T11:37:50.279-07:00Applesauce and Pumpkin PancakesThese are actually good and very healthy. Very little sugar and no white flour! You don't even need eggs! I use one in my batter but I like it that way!
2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup of milk
1 cup of applesauce
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (optional)
2 tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
6 teaspoons of baking powder
1 egg
Mix it all together. Dry stuff first and then add it to the wet stuff. I usually have to add a little more milk to make the batter more wet.
Heat up the skillet and pour over your favorite maple syrup!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-37174476496047542792012-10-22T13:32:00.000-07:002012-10-22T13:32:43.322-07:004 o'clockI see I have had 40 views of my last post! Wow! If I knew people were reading then I would probably post more often. Comments people? If I know you are there it might motivate me to keep updating. Okay so this next post might come off sounding a little negative but it is something I feel can be true for a lot of people, not just moms and since I have nothing else to write about this is what you get for today!
You know that time of day. The time you wish never came each day. The time you have to force yourself not to keep looking at the clock wondering when it will be here and when it will be gone. It is currently that time for me and it shouldn't be that hard for me to get through, but by this time of the day I feel like all the energy and life has been sucked out of me. I could play ANOTHER game of hide and go seek, or read "that" book for the 10th time today, or go for another walk outside but I just don't want too. This is the mundane life of the stay at home mom. I know that sounds bad but I would probably say the same thing if I was a working mom. I stay busy at home doing things that moms do. Some days are great and we have lots to do. Some days I just wish I had a fenced in backyard and could have the boys play outside where they can take their fights, their noises, their whining where I can't hear it. For someone with very little patience I actually handle these daily battles better than I thought I would. I try not to yell. I try not to show how annoyed I can be when one of the boys has to whine about every little thing. These daily battles always seem to multiply by 10 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I still have 4 hours until I can put them in bed and have a few hours a peace and quiet. I'm tired, I am board(I hate saying that), but I really am. I try to get creative and find fun things to fill our time but those things get old to me too. Maybe not as much for the boys but for me, my ability to "play" has run dry. late into the afternoon. I often wonder what other stay at home moms do all day? I'm sure it is different in every home. I just can't be my children's only source of entertainment for the whole day. I want them to know how to play on their own for a few hours at a time and they can on most days, but there is always some sort of fight or one of them hurts the other and I have to go in and kiss the wounded and separate them. TV can be a nice option at times but not one that I want to use very often at all. In fact, the less the better. Having somewhat of a daily routine has helped, but don't most routines get to be soooooo mundane you have to break it up with something different. Knowing whats about to come up all the time can become so dull and I don't want the boys to grow up thinking they will always know what to expect all the time. I guess it can just be somewhat hard to mix it up during the week. We go to the library on most Mondays. That usually lasts about 10 min after they have tried to pull every book off the shelf. We go to the park on nice days. We walk around the camp almost everyday. We watch a show after nap time. We build forts. We play out in the yard. We even sometimes take a bath just to play in the water.
I would love to have more play dates with other moms who are at home. It helps me connect with another adult and gives my kids a break from me as well as a break from being somewhere other than home. I miss my friend Andi who lived at the camp. She and her husband moved a few months ago to pursue a calling from God and headed to Dallas to study a year at Pioneer Bible Translators. It was so easy for Andi and me to get together often because we lived a couple hundred yards away from each other. Our houses were usually messy but we didn't care. We just understood each other and what life is like for a mom. Sometimes we would just drop by unannounced and see what the other person is up too. I loved that! I loved knowing that when I came over, even if she was in the middle of something, she would drop it to visit for a few minutes and I was usually not up to anything so important I couldn't drop something for her. (miss you Andi)
I still need to get out more by myself or with friends which I am pretty bad at planning. Realistically that isn't as easy as it might be for some. I don't have very many people who can just take the boys whenever. Joe is more busy these days working at the camp and at the church and once he is home at night I don't necessarily want to be away from him when I haven't seen him all day.
It is all a balancing act. How to take time for me so I don't become a crazy lady and how to balance my time with the boys, doing chores, time with Joe, time with God and time with friends. I can't be a mom without sacrificing a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of peace and quiet, a lot of money, and a lot of time doing other things that I love. It is part of being a parent where I need to find joy. I didn't understand much about sacrifice before becoming a parent. I did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it and didn't have to think much about anyone but myself and Joe. I don't wish away the smallness of my children at all. I find them to be precious, funny, daring, risky, curious, playful, unpredictable, adventurous and most of all the two beings in my life besides God and Joe that loves me most no matter how unattractive I may look on the inside and out. Kids bring out the crazy in me but they also bring me to my knees more than ever before. They force you to grow and want to be a better person. They give you a sense of how not be too boring, or too clean, or too quiet, or too dense. They have a way of making life something you never expected it to be. The only thing that is to be expected is this hour of the day. 4 o'clock. Make it or break it. I guess it is up to me.Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-44558763784350911302012-10-12T11:16:00.001-07:002012-10-12T11:21:34.047-07:00Since my last Post...Boy oh boy! I don't know how I can give you an accurate update of all I have been up to since my last post in May but I will try and try to make it interesting too. I keep thinking about blogging about different things but sometimes blogging to sucks too much of my time. I would rather be outside reading a good book, or getting some housework done, or baking healthy snacks on most days. But here I am back into the world of blogging. I love to read my friends blog so I guess I am just doing it because of how much I enjoy keeping up with my friends who blog.
Well summer is over and fall is amazing! I love summer, but this one really got to me with all those over 95 degree days. I did not want to be outside unless we were at the camp pool.
We found out we were pregnant in April and since then I have felt like my pregnancies just get more and more uncomfortable than the last. I'm just guessing it's because the more kids you have the more your back hurts from all the extra work and the more tired it makes you having more than one to care for. I think this one is going to be our last baby. We talked about only having two but two just didn't seem as complete to me and I had been praying that if God wanted us to have another that he would just make it happen. I get more and more excited about it the closer we get to due month. I haven't been giving a due date since both my boys were around 21 days late. We also won't be finding out the gender of the baby so you will just have to wait!
This summer I was asked to join the steering team for my MOPS group and I happily agreed to help out. Phew! It is a lot of work planning for an entire year but I am on a great team, a small team, but we know how to get things done and I hope the registered Moms have been enjoying their every other Fridays with us. We have already had some fantastic speakers and we had a lot of new faces this year which is always nice. I know this time has been so valuable to me over the past couple of years just coming to MOPS so I am hoping we can be a blessing to them and give them some much needed down and as much encouragement and support that we can during motherhood.
Onto my wonderful hard working husband...He has been an amazing person in my life this year! We hit our 10 year anniversary this August and I feel closer and closer to him the longer we are married. I love our time spent together of an evening and our conversations we have about anything and everything. I just love spending time with him talking about life. The last 6 weeks he has signed on at the church as the youth interim until either next Spring or until the church finds a new full time youth guy. He loves kids and was already pretty involved in teaching S.S. and Bible Study on Wed nights so now he just spends a little more time planning events and organizing volunteers or people to teach etc. It takes a little time away from the camp but at this time of the year things slow down enough that it doesn't effect camp work in a negative way. If anything it will actually benefit the camp because of the relationships we are building at the church.
Jake and Wade are a riot! They love playing with each other and fighting over toys. I go a little bonkers by the end of the day but what mom doesn't? I love having boys except for the dirty side of them. I think I change their clothes a couple of times a day from playing in dirt and puddles and sand but love how easy it is for them to have fun. They each have a tonka dump truck that they will push around the house or at camp all day long! Wade has been talking more and more of course. Some of his words come out even better than his brother such as the word "yellow." That one is pretty hard for Jake to say. Every morning when I get Wade out of bed he grabs his diaper and says "ewwww" and he has been standing in front of the toilet and tries to pee. I don't know if he will be potty trained before he is two or not but Jake was so I am praying I get lucky again and can encourage that to happen!
What have I been up too...
Gardening, canning, painting the house, reorganizing the house, reading a lot of books, praying more, working on examining my heart, thinking about home schooling, singing with my kids, trying to play more and be silly more. This year has been an interesting year for me. I can't lay it all out in one paragraph but I love how being more aware of God's presence in my life as given me the desire to see what he desires for my family. Jake has been asking so many questions about Jesus and God and heaven. I love having those chances to answer his questions and see how his heart is molded as he grows. I have begun to see that my most important goal is to make disciples of my children. Of course I can't save them, but I can give them a picture of how great our God is and that he is a child a God, created by God, and loved by God. Lots of times I think about all the things I want to teach my kids or that Joe wants to teach them. They are all great things but more important than their education and how to shoot a gun we hope that we can make faith our number one goal before anything else because nothing else can save them.
I think it's time for me to get my laundry folded so maybe in the near future I will start another post for you, hopefully with some pictures of the kids and our nearly finished housing projects.
Blessings!
Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-55975321177737874002012-05-16T11:03:00.002-07:002012-05-16T11:03:51.636-07:00Live In Summer StaffCamp is almost here! Always an exciting time around Rainbow Christian Camp. Summer staff arrives this coming Sunday to move in. The one difference this year is that we will have 3 of them living here in our little home with us for 3 months. Jake and Wade will be moved into a room together and the 3 male summer staff will stay in the back bedroom where Jake usually sleeps. Why you ask? Well. We are trying something different this year when it comes to the summer staffs dormitory. Usually they would all stay either in the ARK or the CAVE. Guys on one side and girls on the other. However this year we are trying to create an atmosphere where we can do a better job building a community and discipleship. The 9 males on staff will be split up between us, and two other full time staff houses. All the girls will be staying in the ARK. If you have never been here before and have no idea what these places look like I apologize. You need to come and visit us so we can give you a tour!
Other exciting stuff happening around here this week. Our bedroom addition has been added. Now all we have left is the finish work and painting. Today my father-in-law is here helping Joe pull the siding off our house, along with the windows so we will finally have energy efficient windows and new siding! No more tyvek siding on our garage!
Geesh! We don't even own this house and it has been one project after another the last couple of years. Which reminds me of our new deck Joe built two weeks ago on the back of the house. Thankfully we aren't in the process of building a new house. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again!
All these projects have been on our must do list for a while so it is nice to see it all come together! Can't wait to see the end result of a lot of hard work. Mostly from my husband of course. Building things is not really my trademark!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-91633340577480494292012-05-12T14:50:00.000-07:002012-05-12T14:54:08.454-07:002 plus 1 = ?I had been praying a lot that God would just make it happen. I didn't want to have to say whether I was ready or not. I will almost never be ready for change so God made it happen which means this January we are going to add a 3rd precious baby to our family. I am thrilled to say I will be apart of a family of 5. I loved having just the 4 of us, but to me 5 is more of a party. I look forward to all the same things I did with the boys, but the one thing that always stand out to me most is that I will always be needed by them. I love to know that even as grown children or adults that my kids are mine for life. I will always be there for them and they will always be there for me.
Okay so now let me answer all those questions that are typically asked once this kind of announcement is made.
When am I due? Since Jake and Wade were both 3 weeks past their due date I refuse to set a due date. It will be sometime in January. It could even happen in early February. I simple cannot say for sure!
Was this a surprise? YES. I was planning to go on a mission trip to Africa this December and wasn't planning to get pregnant until after that trip. So I guess God is putting a hold on me getting to love on little orphans in Africa for another 2 years.
Do we want a boy or a girl? Hoping for a girl this time around!
How am I feeling? Very very tired! All I can think about during the day is how much more I could get done if I didn't feel like I was on a sleeping pill all day long. I have been feeling a little sick to my stomach in the mornings the last couple of days but other than that, I feel pretty good!
How far apart will Wade and this one be? around 21 months apart. CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME!
God's timing is more perfect than mine is what I have to tell myself all the time. I know I will be tired, but nothing is more perfect than holding your own little baby in your arms and thank God for giving them to you!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-67951629678970401602012-05-03T17:37:00.003-07:002012-05-03T17:37:50.322-07:00If you are stubborn like me, change doesn't always come easy. I'm learning to embracing change in my life and see God work on my heart in the many ways I am changing. I don't know where that will take me but I trust God to use me in the ways I never thought were possible. I'm scared to say that sometimes because I know the moment I am willing to let God use me that could put me in situations I am not comfortable with. I hesitate to even mess with writing a blog about this because my thoughts can be so messy in writing but I felt good about it today and wanted to share my heart and what God is teaching me.<br />
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I'm learning that I don't care as much about luxuries like I used too. Ever since my 6 month hike on the Appalachian Trail I don't worry as much about wearing make-up(I still wear it but not as much and not as often), taking a shower everyday(don't worry, I do at least once a week.....Just kidding!), getting my nails done, having lots of jewelry, having highlights, buying new clothes, having a perfectly clean house, shaving(yes I still shave, but if a week goes by and I have hairy legs I am not bothered by it), eating out, cable, cell phones...I don't have a data plan and really hope I don't ever have too have one. These are just a few of the luxuries I am realizing aren't that important to me. I still enjoy them, but they have becomes things I am okay with living without excess of them.<br />
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I am learning more and more that I need to do more than just support a few missionaries and supporting a compassion child from Columbia. Something inside me just doesn't want to accept that it is enough for me to just hand out money and not get my hands dirty. I am not sure how to go beyond just giving money at this point, but God is a God of perfect timing and maybe he is preparing me for something and it isn't time yet.<br />
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I'm beginning to understand what matters most in life. It's not the condition of my house, my car, my education, how much money is in the savings or retirement funds, arguing over different opinions in relation to politics, parenting, and belief systems; or my social status. What matters is how I live my life according to the way Christ commands me to live on a daily basis. <br />
How I serve others.<br />
How I love others.<br />
Am I pleasing God, or trying to please others?
I don't want to miss the opportunities, big and small, God places in my life to love, serve, counsel, or to just be available to listen.
Over the last couple of years I've been learning something so vitally important to the way I relate to others how I think. I am a first born which means I am a perfectionist at heart. I strive for perfection while setting high expectations in myself and others as well. This has made it difficult for me in my relationships and you know what. I was wrong. Very very wrong. I don't know what caused me to change exactly but I'm glad it happened because I notice how it has helped me become more grateful, less critical, and strive for excellence rather than perfection. To be perfect means to be flawless. Thankfully I now know I can't be flawless and therefore I am less stressed out, more laid back, more forgiving, and less uptight and I love the flow of life, yes, even when my ducks are not all in a row!
Where does this leave me? It means I practice sharing and giving more. Loving and serving more. Praying and dying to myself more and working on making myself more available to the needs of others. My heart breaks for hungry and lonely children so maybe God will give me an opportunity where I am able to change the life of a dying child. I really don't know, but I am at peace knowing God already has a plan. All I need to be is available and willing.Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-3108096973744426932012-04-07T11:12:00.000-07:002012-04-07T11:12:29.318-07:00Jake sayingsI just love the things kids say! Here are a few of my favorites from the past few days.<br />
Jake: mom, I want some more candy please.<br />
Me: not right not jake.<br />
Jake: Why mommy?<br />
Me: because too much candy can make you sick.<br />
Jake: I want to be sick mommy!<br />
Me: Laughing out loud! <br />
<br />
This one was today while I was making him lunch<br />
<br />
Jake: Mommy I love peanut butter and jelly and bread. It makes me sooooo happy!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-79536242688404457682012-03-31T14:14:00.000-07:002012-03-31T14:14:54.097-07:00Little WadersOur little man turns 1 today! Just like that and my baby ends his first year of life and steps into toddler hood. Hardly seems right for the innocence of the baby stage to be so short and before I know it he will be testing and challenging me like his big brother is. I have thoroughly enjoyed Wade's first year! Though stubborn, he is overall a happy, enjoyable little guy. Reminds me everyday of why children are a blessing from the Lord and how lucky I am to be his mommy. These younger years go by so fast and I am so glad that I got to be around for each of his firsts. <br />
First smile<br />
First bath(surely that came before his first smile)<br />
First time rolling over<br />
First time sitting up<br />
First laugh<br />
First steps<br />
First time he kissed me(kind of hard to not be around for that one but I was the first one he kissed)<br />
First word<br />
I have cherished each of these moments and as hard as it is to let go of the fact that he won't be this little for much longer I love watching him learn, discover, laugh, play, and get excited over the simple things in life. I am very grateful to my little ones for the way that they have changed me and given me opportunities to grow and learn from them.<br />
Love you Wade Robert Wisley!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1t8VOVX6O1Y/T3dxBhdYOdI/AAAAAAAAAZo/oI1hfKDhHDQ/s1600/IMG_0470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1t8VOVX6O1Y/T3dxBhdYOdI/AAAAAAAAAZo/oI1hfKDhHDQ/s200/IMG_0470.jpg" /></a></div>Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-46348342877121221232012-03-12T19:47:00.002-07:002012-03-17T06:53:09.615-07:00Tornados and Florida FunA week in the sun always recharges my soul when I have been stuck in central Indiana's long and boring winter. We drove down to Naple's Florida with my sister Kim and her husband Ben. Our departure time was Noon on Friday the 2nd. This was the same day of all the crazy tornado's ravaged the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia(probably several others too). We knew we were taking a huge risk but really wanted to get on the road so we could start our vacation on the beach. My parents were already there waiting for us so away we went to face what almost turned out to be the death of us.<br />
The weather turned bad in Southern Indiana. We were on highway 65 and it began to hail pea sized hail balls. Joe called his stepmom to ask about checking the weather where we were driving through but they had not had any satellite at the moment. Out of no where their satellite returned and she was able to tell us that the tornado was about to cross over the same highway we were on. We pulled off onto the shoulder and waited for the hail to pass us by. After 5 minutes of what sounded like marbles being shot at our van we pressed onward. No more than half a mile we saw it...the biggest funnel cloud I could have imagined just to the east of 65! It was so wide it almost didn't seem real, but we knew it had to have been real and that we missed it by less than a mile. Another half mile of driving and we realized that if we had not pulled off to the shoulder we would have most definitely been thrown by the same tornado we watched pass us by! So sad to see the damaged it caused and we were so thankful for God's protection from it for us! I have a video of the damage we saw so if I can figure out how to post it I will do so in a separate post for you.<br />
We made it safe and sound after 22 hours of being in the car. The boys did pretty well sleeping all night in the car. Wade was a gem and we had no issues with him. jake had a few difficult hours but was able to get 9ish hours of sleep. I was so proud of them both for their cooperation for being strapped in their seats for so long. We only had to make a total a 5 stops and 4 of those were no more than 10 min stops. In order to keep Jake busy in the car I had gathered and bought and borrow a bunch of stuff and put them all in a black bag and called it my "treasure bag." Whenever Jake was getting bored or whiny I would pull something out of the bag for him. These items were things that he had never played with before so he was very excited to discover his new treasures. <br />
Here is my list just in case you are curious so you can plan for your next rode trip with your kids.<br />
Magnadoodle<br />
Monkey's in a Barrel<br />
Pipe Cleaners<br />
Colorful Cotton Balls<br />
Coloring activities(washables Stacy Cook!) Or even better use Color Wonder Markers<br />
Window Stickers<br />
Light up Toys for night driving<br />
Small Melissa and Doug Puzzles<br />
Stickers with a sticker book<br />
I borrow magnetic Leap Frog Letters and brought a cookie sheet for him to play with in his lap. I think the cookie sheet idea is my favorite because you can do so much more with it. I also brought a few others magnetic toys that I borrow from a friend that he loved and I didn't have to worry about toys sliding of constantly. I also plan to make my own magnetic puzzles for our next trip or to just keep in the car for anytime we are in the car for an hour or more.<br />
We also have a DVD player in our car which was a lifesaver. We brought around 12 movies for him to pick from.<br />
Our trip home was a little more difficult because we started out driving around 7pm and drove all night and didn't get home until 2pm the next day. I think I prefer to start out mid-day, drive all night and know that by the time the boys wake up we will be at our destination. Poor Wade also had a high fever and runny diapers so he didn't sleep much through the night which means I didn't get to sleep more than about an hour either.<br />
All in all a week on the beach was worth the 40 hours of driving and much cheaper than flying if you think you have enough patience to manage being in a car with your kids that long. <br />
We stayed in a rental home with a private pool and hot tub for 6 days with my parents and sister and brother-in-law. Lots of walks on the beach, swimming in the pool, laying in the sun and went looking for alligators in the wild with Joe and Jake. That part was probably Jake's favorite part.<br />
Enjoy the pictures!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKu5nE-6QM8/T16wcuWsoZI/AAAAAAAAAXY/Qs-Pis603V0/s1600/IMG_0309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKu5nE-6QM8/T16wcuWsoZI/AAAAAAAAAXY/Qs-Pis603V0/s200/IMG_0309.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9kI3wbww-A/T160WDYW3mI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/E05qynsPrMU/s1600/IMG_0389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9kI3wbww-A/T160WDYW3mI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/E05qynsPrMU/s200/IMG_0389.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GFT3r70tspk/T160WVBsvLI/AAAAAAAAAZc/ZzfCDhWYKF0/s1600/IMG_0411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GFT3r70tspk/T160WVBsvLI/AAAAAAAAAZc/ZzfCDhWYKF0/s200/IMG_0411.jpg" /></a></div>Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-42118025610728304002012-01-14T06:44:00.000-08:002012-01-14T06:44:08.012-08:00AND I'm Back!I sometimes don't know why I blog, and then when I don't blog I wondered why I don't blog. I think for me it is just the lack of time and maybe I feel my life just isn't interesting enough to keep updating it weekly. So I will go on Blogging once every couple of months. It has been 2 months since my last update.<br />
Jake is his usual rambunctious 2 year old self. Sometimes I look at him and think he is 3, but really only because the kid is wearing 3T clothes and isn't even 2.5 yet. He gets it from daddy. There is no way my short self produced tall hefty children. We finally got him into a twin bed a few days after Christmas. He was climbing out of his crib a lot so we knew it was time for him. It wasn't hard convincing him to sleep in his new bed. We dressed it up with tractor sheets and his new Moose Pillow pet. Jake has been an excellent sleeper for us since he was 6 months. He rarely wakes up in the middle of the night unless he is sick. Our only struggle with him are mornings and the early hour he wakes up. Bed time has always been about 7:30 or at the latest 8pm for him. He has been waking up at 5:45 or 6am for the last couple of weeks. The first week he would run into our room and feel around for me waking me up out of a dead sleep. One morning I remember feeling little hot hands all over my face. I had no idea what was going on so I began flailing my arms around as if to try to swat away a swarm of bugs. I have been walking him back to his bed and telling him not to get up until we come and get him. I also put a clock in his room and have been showing him what 7:00 looks like so he has a time he is allowed to get out of his bed. I don't mind getting up at 6am, but not to start my day because Jake gets me out of bed. I would love to get up at 6am and read, journal, pray for an hour before I start my day. It always better prepares me for my very busy days with two busy boys during these long, cold winter months. Yesterday morning I woke up hearing a milk thudding noise. I found Jake in his bathroom playing in a sink filled to the top with bubbles. He had dumped an entire bottle of a travel sized baby shampoo bottle in the sink and ran the water for who knows how long. That was at 5:50am. He said he was brushing his teeth! I hoped it wasn't with the soap!<br />
January and February are rough months for me. Winter is just too long and being stuck inside our tiny house all day long makes us all a little bonkers. Last winter Jake and I went out nearly everyday for a walk even when it was 20 degrees. This year I have only been out a handful of times if it is below 40. Having a 9 month who can't crawl around on the wet, cold and muddy or snowy ground makes it hard. I have a hiking carrier I can carry him with but he is pretty heavy after 30 min. Jake has been good about playing outside with Max by himself. He either stays in the backyard or in the garage. He loves the snow! I enjoy watching him run around with Max laughing when Max chases him and knocks him into the snow.<br />
Jake has discovered the movie CARS and is in love! We got him Mator and Lightening cars for Christmas and Grandma Shari got him the movie. He asks me everyday to watch Lightening. When I say "No, not today" he usually responds by saying, "my love Lightening." I love the sentences that come out of his mouth! I understand most everything he says and if I don't have a clue Jake usually tries to say it a different way. One time he was trying to say the name of an animal and I was clueless! He knew I didn't know what he was saying so he started making the sound the animals makes to help me out! I was impressed at how he thought to do that.<br />
Short update on Wade. He started taking his first steps the day he turned 9 months! I try not to encourage my babies to grow up too fast but I do love it when they start walking early! He has been practicing for 2 weeks today and as of 2 days ago he walks more than he crawls now. It is so funny to watch because he is still so little to me. He has great balance, just like his mommy.<br />
I haven't moved Wade into Jake's room yet. With Jake waking up at 6am I don't want Wade being woken up when he usually sleep until 7-7:30am. I would love to have them together now but want to give Jake a little time to learn that he isn't supposed to get up before 7am. It wouldn't surprise me if I found Jake in Wade's crib waking up his brother so he had someone to play with.<br />
Well boring update but I feel better now that I have at least written something. I wish i had pictures. Our camera stopped holding a battery charge so I have no new pictures to post until we get a new camera.Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-88908135058717063402011-11-14T11:50:00.000-08:002011-11-14T11:54:19.526-08:00Christmas Time is Coming...Time for children goes by much slower than it does for an adult. As a kid I felt like Christmas and my Birthday were never going to get here! I waited, and waited and waited until it was finally here! Now I don't wish for my Birthday to come as quickly, and although I love the Christmas season I dread the Christmas shopping. I made a wish list and a gift list this year...a first for me. I typically do my shopping last minute and whenever people ask me what I want, my mind goes blank. I can't seem to think up "things" that I want. Most times I am happy to just get some cash or a gift card that I can store away for a time that I find something that interests me. Gift giving is fun and even more fun when you give a gift that someone will treasure and love! I guess one of the reasons I don't like to shop for gifts is that I never seem to find that perfect gift. <br />
I am really looking forward to this Christmas. This will be the first Christmas that one of my boys will be old enough to open a gift and be excited about what is inside. I remember the excitement my sister's and me had growing up as we opened our gifts. My parents have a video recording of me and my sister Heather opening our "Lady Lovely Locks Dolls" and the dorky way of celebrating our new play toys. I also remember sheepishly hitting the box that held my brand new pair of roller skates because I didn't know how else to react about the one gift that I dreamed about opening on Christmas morning. My toothless smile doing all it could to keep itself from revealing the black hole in my mouth because I was more excited about those skates than I wanted to make known to everyone.<br />
Christmas just isn't the same for me anymore. I cherish the time I spend with my parents, sister's, brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws and Joe's parents and the new traditions I will make with my husband and sons on Christmas morning. I'm sure gift giving will always be part of that tradition in my family.<br />
Christmas is a time for me to think about how little I need and how much more I can give. I live a comfortable life and have plenty of stuff. Gaining more stuff isn't going to make me happier. If Jesus was to come up to me after Christmas and ask me a question I can't hear him asking, "what did you get for Christmas?" He would probably ask me what I gave people in need for Christmas. <br />
Yes I will do what I always do around the holidays. Buy a real tree, decorate it with my family while listening to The Carpenters or Amy Grant, make Christmas cookies, gain weight, wrap gifts, and open them on Christmas morning, travel to visit parents and siblings, go to 2 or 3 Christmas parties that you don't have time for but squeeze them in anyway, and when all is finished take a deep breath and be glad that I have a whole year before I have to do it all over again.Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-71987651742381144802011-10-14T10:22:00.000-07:002011-10-14T10:22:56.547-07:00the girls all grown up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IiBbn0JAuG8/TphqNvp5eAI/AAAAAAAAAWw/43g2ghOTqrw/s1600/320794_10150308151812820_504887819_8377813_863835984_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="160" width="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IiBbn0JAuG8/TphqNvp5eAI/AAAAAAAAAWw/43g2ghOTqrw/s200/320794_10150308151812820_504887819_8377813_863835984_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I know you all may not know the ladies in this picture so I will introduce you. From the left. Nicola my cousin from my mom's brother. Love her to pieces! We are a few years apart in age and grew up together. She is like a sister to me! In many ways we are a lot alike.<br />
Krista who is Nicola's older sister. She was born the same year as me. She is also like a sister to me. She can be a goof ball which is one of the things I love best about her. She is also like a sister to me. We grew up playing with barbies, and playing dress up.<br />
Heather -The Bride- My dear sister two years younger. We have an understanding of each other. I am very blessed to have had a sister close to me in age. We shared so many things, some not willingly. I remember our nasty fights, but more so I remember our good talks in our room before bed. We loved to play together and laugh together. We became really good at belching the ABC's. I know, weird, but that is who we are, weird. Lot's of people don't get our humor and may think it is dumb or obnoxious, but we are secure in who we are and so long as no one gets hurt we enjoy a good laugh.<br />
Kim - my other sister 7 years younger. I never thought I would develop such a deep and close relationship with a sister 7 years younger than me. I think the younger siblings are almost forced to grow up faster as I notice Kim maturing much faster than I did. She has been married for a year and a half to a man of God. Love her goofy, fun loving personality. Kim and I also have a special connection and understanding that I hope we never let go of. There is something special about a baby sister. Though young I still learn things from her. She went from the annoying younger sister that was ganged up on by Heather and me to a confident and caring person that I have come to admire.<br />
My most cherished memories are with one or all of these lovely ladies. I wish I lived closer to them. There is nothing better than a sister and cousins that feel like sister's!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-70291384575452722092011-09-25T16:40:00.000-07:002011-09-25T16:40:20.110-07:00Poop!My best poop story was when I dropped poop out of a dirty diaper right next to Jake when he was around 7 months and he grabbed it in both hands and tried to eat it. that was gross. <br />
Well, Friday after I got home from MOPS I put Jake down for a nap and didn't bother to put a pull-up or even underwear on him since he just peed and I thought he had pooped at the church that morning. Ten minutes into his nap he called me in and told me he pooped. It was only a little so I cleaned him up really fast and told him to go to sleep. 30 min go by and he was very quiet. I start to hear him chit chatting and walked in his room to find his mattress, his hands, his feet, and the bed rails covered in poop! Not only that but he managed to pull his pull-up off and throw it on the floor with a big clump of poop! I guess once you are potty trained you don't like the feel of poop on your butt and he thought he could clean it off himself!<br />
I only wish I had taken a picture of his poop painted bed to show you just how gross it was! The only thing that would have made this even worse would be poop in his hair!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-69113717309446818322011-09-16T08:06:00.000-07:002011-09-16T08:06:44.342-07:00Things I wish I were better at, or knew how to do it.There are some things that I really struggle with and thought it might make for a interesting blog. (I'm trying to work my way out of the boring blogger category)!<br />
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I like making lists because they really reduce stress for me. I always have a list of some sort. Grocery lists, To Do Lists, Wish Lists...etc. As good as I am with making lists I am not the greatest at completing them. I may have a to do list but won't get it done until weeks later, or have a grocery list but forget to bring it with me, therefore resulting in a couple of trips to the store rather than one.<br />
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I like to stay organized and keep a clean house. Keeping the house clean isn't that hard for me. I just do my best to stay on top of laundry one day per week and make sure the kitchen is cleaned every night before bed. Vacuuming and sweeping is a must every other day because of how anal I am about dirty floors and when you have a dog your floors can really never be considered clean enough. Organizing is one thing I would like to be better at. I find myself re-organizing things frequently, which isn't always a bad thing but it certainly uses up a lot of time I could spend learning something new. My biggest disaster is trying to keep all my documents and random papers organizied rather than left on my counter tops. I really hate clutter! I would be perfectly happy if the only things I my counters were my kitchen aid mixer, coffee maker and cutting board. Clean counters look so nice! I know how to organize, I am just too lazy to get it done. Which brings me to another thing I am horrible at.<br />
I am a procrastinator! Especially with things like studying, preparing for a class, getting a project done, making phone calls, trying to learn something new, getting my lists done, reading a book(unless it is so good I can't put it down). I don't know why I procrastinate because I like to see things get done and it stresses me out when I put it off. Why would I want to add more stress to life when I have plenty of time to do it? Strange isn't it?<br />
I would also like to be a better host. I like to be hospitable, but I feel like I suck at it. I am a horrible planner. Most stuff happens at the last minute and since I don't prepare myself for last minute events I don't want to be hospitable because I have nothing to offer anyone. Mostly food that is. I never seem to have the right foods stocked away for last minute opportunities for me to have people over. I really like making people feel welcome so this is the one thing I am really working on improving becsuse relationships are more important than getting a stupid list done.<br />
I am also horrible with relationships. I love people! I know it doesn't always seem that I do because I am mostly an introvert but being married to an extrovert can change you a little when he wants to be around people all the time. I recharge when I have alone time. Joe recharges when he hangs out with people. This is a good thing. I want to have people in my life but because I tend to hide in my cave sometimes I feel a little intimidated to come out and socialize. I really have to force myself to come out of my shell. I am typically a very open person and know how to have a conversation, but there is something about relationships that causes me to freeze up. I have always wanted to have that one friend that I feel I can share just about anything with, who I can pray with, call when I am hurting, have similar interests and share the same beliefs about different things. Sounds almost impossible right? Like I have made up this perfect girlfriend that doesn't really exist and I keep searching for her. I have great friends. I have imperfect friends and I myself and imperfect so why am I looking for that perfect relationship? Maybe it is because of all the movies I watch and we all know that most movies are a fantasy. Kind of like watching a sex scene in a movie. Not that I have a habit of doing so, but I will not lie and say that I haven't seen a sex scene. Sex is always protrayed as this mind blowing, going to have an orgasm multiple times per night, always incredible, never disappointing... you get my drift, unless you are a virgin of course(please stay a virgin until you are married). Sex is great, but not always like the movies make it look. Same with a lot of things.<br />
Wow, that one was a long one. I might like some feedback on that one if you have something profound to say or are in the same boat as me. Bottom line, if you are my friend and consider me a good friend I consider you a great friend too. I don't know how else to put it. I don't want those who are my friends to feel like you have disappointed me. I think I just disappoint myself in how I preceive my relationships. I don't get the girl bonding time that I so desire I guess is all I am saying.<br />
I would like to be better at giving people compliments. Joes' main love language is words of affirmation. I might think he is amazing, and hot, and my hero, but it means nothing when i keep those thoughts to myself. I need to do a better job at telling him how great I think he is. I want to give other people compliments too. I want people to feel good about themselves, to know that I approve of them and love them, and think they are beautiful! <br />
I wonder if other introverts struggle with the same things that I do. I bet they do, but sometimes I feel like I just suck and everyone else is great! I say this as a way to poke fun at myself. Not having a pity party, or seeking out a self-esteem boost. I am a pretty secure person, just wondering.<br />
The last thing I can think of that could use some improvement is planning parties. Sometimes I think parties are dumb. I like to get together with people, but planning birthday parties is such a drag for me. I would rather someone else plan the party and tell me what to bring rather than doing the planning myself. I lack creativity. I just recently threw a small party for Jake. I planned dinner, and made a tractor cake. Invited a few people and asked them not to bring gifts. No decorations, just a simple dinner with cake. Boring right?! Hopefully I will get better at this as the kids get older but at the same time I don't want them to expect every birthday to be this big production with tons of decorations. Growing up we had small family parties and sometimes invited a few close friends. My mom would let us pick our meals for the day. Mine was usually some sort of sugary cereal or swedish pancakes. Lunch was usually something like mac and cheese, and dinner was usually BBQ Chicken with white rice. I loved rice and still do! Yum! We were able to pick out what kind of cake we wanted and got a present or two. Rarely would we let our guest buy us presents. I remember being annoyed at my mom for telling people not to bring presents, but now here I am doing the same thing!<br />
Wow. I am bad at a lot of stuff. Maybe I should start a another list and this list will be stuff I am good at cause now I feel like a loser! Ha ha ha ha! Not Really. Just being open and honest about myself.Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-14642207804503320222011-09-15T10:08:00.000-07:002011-09-15T10:08:38.251-07:00"How to Land your Kid in Therapy" by The AtlanticSeveral weeks back our minister at church read a paragraph from an article that intrigued me and I asked him if I could have a copy of the article. He gave me his but I found it online too and wanted to share it with you. Feel free to comment whether you agree or not. Here it is if you are interested in reading it.<br />
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/how-to-land-your-kid-in-therapy/8555/Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-5299540811190557192011-09-13T18:43:00.000-07:002011-09-14T08:09:14.717-07:00He's 2, but not terrible!Really? I have a two year old? Someone pinch me cause I don't feel like 2 years has gone by already!<br />
I love this kid though! He lights up my life and gives me more JOY than I ever thought a kid could give me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOqhvO_EtXM/Tm-eKJK0rAI/AAAAAAAAAWg/f24nIOToM3E/s1600/IMG_3751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOqhvO_EtXM/Tm-eKJK0rAI/AAAAAAAAAWg/f24nIOToM3E/s200/IMG_3751.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Jake has taught me a lot about being a mom!<br />
I thought it would be fun to write about those things I have learn over the last two years being Jake's mom. <br />
1. Hold my tongue when it doesn't matter. This one's is referring to keeping my opinion to myself when it doesn't matter. I've learned to accept others in the way they raise their kids. I am learning to have good relationships with others despite our differences.<br />
2. Always check water temp before putting your kid into the tub!<br />
3. Go on dates with Joe as often as possible! This one keeps Joe and I sane! If we start getting grouchy we know that we need a date night and try to go on one at least once every couple of weeks!<br />
4. Breastfeeding is great cause it's free and so much easier that bottle feeding but when I stopped breastfeeding Jake around 12 months my hormones made a return for the better and our sex life went from good to great! I will be glad when Wade is weened in about 6 months!<br />
5. Time to myself is a requirement! I have done a really bad job at this one! I can sort of consider the boys 2-3 hour nap time to be that time but hardly since I am usually doing housework during that time. I need to find ways of getting out more with my girlfriends!<br />
6. It's nice to have a dog as a vacuum! He saves me from having to clean up having lots of food messes! I would rather have to vacuum dog hair ever other day than have to clean oatmeal or sticky rice off the floor<br />
7. Disciplining with love, a calm heart and not raising my voice. I do this so much better than I thought I ever would! I have a temper. Not a terrible one, but when I am annoyed with repetitive foolishness my heart rate increases and I have worked really hard at being firm without raising my voice and remaining calm!<br />
8. Praying for and with my kids on a daily basis has helped my personal prayer life grow! I have always struggled to be consistent in my conversation with God and having kids has taught me to stay more consistent as I pray often with them.<br />
9. Finding ways to be more frugal by way of garage sales, couponing, and borrowing from others!<br />
10. kids forgive a lot faster than adults do! I've messed up as a mom plenty of times and amazed by how quickly Jake moves on when hurt his feelings.<br />
11. Always keep pants on a toddler when going down for a nap so you don't have a poopie mess to clean up later!<br />
12. shopping for my kids is way more fun than for myself!<br />
13. I never thought I would enjoy watching Elmo's world.<br />
14. Kids hear, see and understand a whole lot more than we give them credit for!<br />
15. I drink more coffee now than ever before!<br />
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He doesn't know it yet but Jake really has changed me in so many ways! I certainly don't want to get any older but I really do look forward to seeing him grow older and getting to develop more and more of a relationship with him.<br />
Here he is! My favorite 2 year old! Isn't he a stud!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJyrSHOF32k/TnAF3nWqbzI/AAAAAAAAAWo/tpIXsrQkdsg/s1600/Jake%2Bat%2B2%2Byears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="130" width="78" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJyrSHOF32k/TnAF3nWqbzI/AAAAAAAAAWo/tpIXsrQkdsg/s200/Jake%2Bat%2B2%2Byears.jpg" /></a></div>Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-75284812876514304282011-09-08T11:10:00.000-07:002011-09-09T16:31:17.121-07:00Boring Blogger!Yep I am one of those people. I blog only when I feel excited about something and then disappear for a few months. I wish I liked to blog more, but I have been way too busy to even try right now.<br />
To fill you in a little on the last couple of months.<br />
We(my boys and me)just returned home this Labor Day evening from my parents house up in Northern IL. We were there for 10 whole days living it up on their new cute lake home! I can't say that it was relaxing, as traveling with two kids can be hectic, but it was so nice to be with family for those 10 days. We have only been up north twice this year and this was Joe's first time there since January! Joe and I were able to get away for 1/2 a day in southern Wisconsin to go mountain biking on some really awesome single track trails and spend an afternoon out on a speed boat skiing and tubing. Jake LOVED tubing with us! He showed no expression of course, but when we were done he kept saying, "more tubing!" I got up on ski's for the first time in a decade along with my sister Heather and bro-in-law Ben! It is not as fun as tubing for me. Skiing takes too much skill and I have a few bruises that show I am not as good as I once was. On the other hand Joe and John(my sister's husband as of this past Sunday), thought they would both give skiing their first try. Poor guys were unable to get out of the water and suffered with inner groin pulls for the next couple of days as a result. Maybe next time you guys will show up the girls in something! Ha ha ha ha!<br />
My sister Heather is now married to a wonderful guy! The wedding turned out to be a perfect outdoor wedding and our family is complete! No more sister's to be married! Yahoooooo! That also means no more weddings for me to be in! Double Yahooooooo! I like weddings, and I liked being in both my sister's weddings, but I am free of feeling obligated to being in any more weddings.<br />
Now that we are home I am focusing on organizing the house room by room. My amazing husband built a huge set of sturdy wood shelves in our garage for me to be able to clean out my overly- cluttered closets to make room for things that belong in closets. Now I just have to figure out what all needs to come out and then go in those closets! <br />
Next week is Jake's 2nd birthday. Since I am not a party planner and not into having lots of people over for birthday's don't feel bad if you didn't get an invitation. We like things small and simple! I am going to attempt to make a fun tractor cake for Jake!<br />
I will try to post some pictures soon and update my header picture!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-10127615109480565722011-08-15T09:08:00.000-07:002011-08-15T09:08:19.798-07:00Lots of stuff happening here!Summer camp has come to a close so it is so quiet here compared to the last 12 weeks! I miss it already but am relieved for Joe who has put so much of himself into camp! It is tired and in need of rest to revive himself from a long, hard but wonderful summer! We couldn't say enough about our summer staff this summer! They worked so hard and made this one of our best summers! So now we still continue to work hard but at a different pace. We still have rental groups on a weekly basis and school groups are coming in for a day of team building.<br />
Jake , Wade and I enjoyed all of our time out and about walking around the camp, having meals with the campers, making new friends, swimming in the pool, visiting my mom and dad north of Chicago in their new home, enjoying spending time with Joe's brother and wife who are moving here to work at the camp with us!<br />
I have been working on Potty Training Jake this past week. He has done awesome! Everyone tells me how hard it is for boys but he proved the rumors wrong! In less than a day I had him peeing in the toilet and on day four was pooing in the toilet! I am relieved to be done buying him diapers, and with Wade in Cloth that means I spend a lot less each month! More money for our vacation to Puerto Rico this coming January!<br />
Well this is short and sweet! I haven't had internet at my house for about two weeks, which in a way has been nice!<br />
Blessings!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-22780550202614194752011-06-21T08:57:00.000-07:002011-06-21T10:47:16.616-07:00New Lives Reborn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_BDKVifaHWc/TgDZAaEvMUI/AAAAAAAAAV0/rd9ynB3WdTc/s1600/dscf1660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_BDKVifaHWc/TgDZAaEvMUI/AAAAAAAAAV0/rd9ynB3WdTc/s200/dscf1660.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Our second week of summer camp here at Rainbow is over and it feels like we are already a month into it. I am glad we aren't since I love walking over to the camp everyday and seeing the campers having the time of their lives! I wish I had grown up going to summer camp. I think I only went once when I was in 7th grade. If you live in Indiana or even the Chicago area look us up at rainbowcamp.org We have camps for kids K-12 and we aren't too far of a drive. I remember taking a coach bus from Chicago to Fort Wilderness Camp with my friend Melissa. It took 6 hours to get there so distance shouldn't be an excuse to keep your kids from coming to a place that could change their life! We are only about a 3 hours drive from the center of Chicago!<br />
This week was a crazy one! We had 4 different weeks of camp going on at the same time. Princess Camp, Jump, Jungle Huts and Mad Camp! Let's just say that the cafeteria was full of rambunctious campers who were having more fun than a pig rolling in the mud!<br />
Joe and I are so passionate about what happens here at the camp. It is so much more than a summer camp. Camp is just camp for some people. For Rainbow it is a place for kids to fall more in love with Jesus or to fall in love for the first time with Jesus! That is why Joe and I came here! It's not just about giving kids a good time, but helping them see God move and realize how much they need him! At the end the week we had 6 campers take the plunge in our pool to commit their lives to Christ by Baptism! <br />
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To our Supporters:<br />
God brought Joe and I here for a reason and before we left our previous homes and jobs I did not realize how much more of a mission we were going to be involved in. It is big! Thanks to all who support us by prayer and giving. We wouldn't be here without you! God has shown himself in some pretty big ways since we have been at the camp and has tested us in many as well! Blessings!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-14457311390767375502011-06-13T10:15:00.000-07:002011-06-13T10:15:40.926-07:00Where's the JOY?I feel something pulling and tugging on my heart these last several weeks. It makes me uncomfortable and sometimes makes me cry. I can't help but feel my heart beat faster and harder and then this uncontrollable explosion of "I don't know what" takes place and I don't know what to do with it. Is this God speaking to me? Is it the Holy Spirit trying to get me to see something that I am missing out on? Is it perhaps just my hormones from having a baby a few months ago trying to find a balance? I don't have a response but I feel like I can put my finger on what I should put my focus and energy into.<br />
Finding JOY!<br />
Not that I don't have any. I have felt rather joyful lately, but do I have enough of it? Does my joy stand out? Would my friends look at me and describe me as joyful? I hope so but I doubt it. I have a few friends that I could describe as joyful and I love them for that because it helps me stay upbeat! They don't have perfect lives or perfect pasts. As a matter of fact their pasts are much less joyful than what my past was for me. I have never experienced any kind of tragedy, or any kind of loss. I have watched many others suffer from awful things that would probably cause me to fall into a deep depression. I can't say that I have ever been truly depressed about anything. I have been sad and angry about many things. I have gotten over them quickly because they were small things. Small enough that I should not have been sad or angry for any longer than a day. Am I lucky or am I blessed? I'm not sure I would be classified as either but in a way it scares me to view myself as lucky or blessed. The reason it scares me so much is because I feel too lucky sometimes and hope that there isn't some tragedy waiting for me to have to live through, to cry over, to mourn over, and have to find beauty in the pain. I don't think I would be strong enough so rather than worry about what could happen, I want to focus on the JOY that I have now!<br />
The kind of joy that is so hard to understand! The joy that fills the face of the one who lost a husband to cancer. The joy that fills the faces of the children in other countries that lose both parents to a disease and find enough joy in them to pass their joy onto others. The joy that fills the hearts of a mother and father who hold their newborn twin baby boys long enough to say goodbye. The joy that fills the room with singing and dancing by a group of children who have nothing left but the love of Christ.<br />
I don't understand it because I have never been in their shoes. I try to think about what it must be like. It pains me some to think about how a person must feel to go through the rest of life with the memory of someone they loved so much. Even knowing they will see them again one day in heaven, it can't be easy to find that JOY.<br />
Last night I had the opportunity for the 2nd time to see the African Children's Choir sing at our church. They bring so much JOY with them. I am almost embarrassed by the amount of joy they have compared to what little joy I have. I wanted to get up on stage and sing and dance with them and share in the joy they have! To Celebrate with them in the joy that God gives them! Thanks to these kids so many people left last night with an idea of what true joy looks like in the smiles and eyes of those who have lost so much at such a young age.<br />
Joy...I want more of it and I pray my joy can increase without having to experience the pain so many people I know have had to live through to find it.Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-32763419283852071002011-05-15T17:13:00.000-07:002011-05-15T17:13:49.434-07:00Heaven Is For REAL!I just finished one of the best books I have ever read today called, "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. It is a true story of a 3.5 year old boy name Colton who gets really sick and ends up having to be operated on to clean out his insides. He was near death and the doctors were sure he wasn't going to make it. After the boy miraculously pulls through and is sent home, months later Colton begins telling his mom and dad about meeting Jesus in Heaven as well as several other people related to his parents he didn't even know about which proved more that Colton really had visited the eternal place. Over the course of months and years, Colton describes Heaven and Jesus to his parents just as it is described in the Bible, but from a child's eyes and in his own words. It is almost unbelievable to me, but at the same time completely believable. I highly recommend this book! It is a quick and easy read! I was reminded of what a child-like faith looks like and made me look forward to getting to see heaven with my own eyes even more! I hope you get the chance to read it for yourself!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-51301095682936601602011-05-08T12:30:00.000-07:002011-05-09T06:00:20.585-07:00Mom's don't have one TitleMommy's have more than one title! (No offense to all your hard working dad's out there who do a good job at many of these things too)!<br />
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Housekeeper - if it doesn't get done by mom it probably won't get done at all and then you will end up living in a heap.<br />
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Nurse - I loved playing nurse when I was little and I am still doing it now. Alwaya trying to figure out and diagnose the symptoms and how I can fix it before go to the doctor<br />
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Chef - a love/hate title for me but again, who else is going to stuff those little faces with good food to eat.<br />
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Comforter - Kids fall down a lot and it's MOM TO THE RESCUE!<br />
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Friend - I like to think that my kids will look at me as more than just the person who says "NO" all the time but a person they came come to with anything and trust that I will love them no matter what<br />
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Peacemaker/Judge - My time is coming when I will settle my boys first fight over something.<br />
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I'm sure you could add some of your own to the list. What are they? Love to all my mom friends. You have all impacted me in some pretty amazing ways!Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725095068615921655.post-76582393362066171672011-05-07T17:56:00.000-07:002011-05-07T18:00:04.573-07:00My blue eyed boysSorry some of the pictures are sideways! I am too lazy to go back and change them for ya!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FRRP3AjW89w/TcXp9LoD1UI/AAAAAAAAAVo/p_uAIG12cuk/s1600/IMG_7126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FRRP3AjW89w/TcXp9LoD1UI/AAAAAAAAAVo/p_uAIG12cuk/s200/IMG_7126.jpg" /></a></div>Melissa Wisleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01485507529633956544noreply@blogger.com1