Good Times!

This is has been a really nice week in the Fiedler home. Very low-key. Lots of family time (not always a good thing, but in this case it was)...and just a lot of fun with the boys. Christmas was a great day. The boys got up around 7:30 and we held them off from opening their presents until 9:00 when Grandma and Papa got up and Aunt Pam came over and we'd all had a least one cup of coffee.

They really liked everything they got and Andrew was thrilled that Mom and Dad came through with the Nintendo DS that he had "always wanted". We thought it would be somewhat of an extra-special gift because of his arm surgery and the potential for alot of pain, etc...As it turned out he has done very well and had little-to-no pain. Not that he hasn't tried to play the dramatic "I've just had people cutting into my arm" role from time to time, but that one we've got figured out. We are very thankful that he has come through this so well and pray that God continues to heal his arm. There is a 50/50 chance of this procedure fixing the problem and if not, then the next step is much more invasive.

Collin has been really funny lately. He lost his front tooth the day after Christmas which has left a giant gaping hole in his mouth and causes him to slurp alot. While his vocabulary has increased dramatically over the last year, he still struggles with some words....which makes some of his speech down-right funny. For example: a picture of the president-elect came on TV the other night and Collin asks "Is that Taco Bama?" Also, one of his newest favorite movies is "Come to Panda" aka Kung Fu Panda. He has a bit of an obsession right now with Curious George. He received 2 stuffed Georges for Christmas which brings his total CG count to 4. He insists on bringing them with him everywhere. Today, he put one on the check-out lane at the store and the clerk tried to scan it and then asks..."is this yours?"

I commented to Mike the other night how enjoyable this Christmas break has been. Last year it seemed we were at our wits end with the boys fighting and Collin's behavior and learning difficulties. Not to say that all is "merry and bright" all the time here, but as the boys get older and we see them maturing and making better choices and truly enjoying each other, we know we are truly blessed. Now...if we can just remember that the next time one of them punches the other one!?!?

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Wow...what a bad blogger I am... I haven't posted since right after Halloween. My apologies to those who check this blog on a daily basis. Helllooo anyone there???

We have had a busy month. Since I began working at Young Life it seems some things (like blogs) tend to fall by the wayside. But, I really like my job. It's a great group of people and I like the work. Plus, the hours so far have been very flexible...like when Andrew was throwing up at school and I had to work from home...or when they had a substitute bus driver who didn't know to drop Collin at the neighbor's house and took him back to school because no one was home. We are adjusting to Mommy being gone part of the day, but there are still a few hiccups.
Overall it has been a good transition. Mike even did all of the laundry last week - what a guy!!!

We had my family Christmas this past weekend which was very nice to spend time with my sisters and nieces and nephews. They are all growing up sooo fast and becoming mature young adults.

This morning Andrew had surgery on his arm. He had a cyst removed from his bone and had bone marrow from his hip mixed with bone from a bone bank injected into his arm. It went very smoothly and he seems to be doing pretty well. He has only complained of the pain a few times and we've yet to give him any pain medication. Tomorrow may be a different story, but for now I am thanking God for bringing him through it safe and sound. A funny side story: when he found out that he was getting bone from a bone bank he said: "So...they get bone from a bank? Whose bone is it?" I said, "Someone donated it." He said..."Are they dead?" I replied..."yes" and he got the strangest look on his face.

Tomorrow (Christmas Eve) and Christmas Day will be pretty low-key at our house. I hope you all enjoy the holiday. Stay safe in this nasty weather and remember that Jesus is why we all gather together. I pray you can take time to worship him in the midst of your celebrating with family and friends.

Blessings to you all.
Robin