Prayer Request - Ty Sichmeller

Hello, All! Just a quick request. Annette Sichmeller's (a friend from my days visiting my grandparents in Estelline, SD) 3-year-old son, Ty was diagnosed with ALL leukemia this week. Please send prayers up for not only Ty, but for Annette who is expecting baby number three sometime this month, and the rest of their family. Thanks!

Trip to KC, Swine Flu and Pneumonia... BOO!

Well, as you can tell in the post title, this has been a busy couple of weeks for us! We were fortunate to get to make a quick trip to KC (our first since moving five months ago!). We got to see lots of friends. Unfortunately, we were all sick the whole time we were there. Jeff and Josh had a sinus infection. I was diagnosed once we got home, with the H1N1 (Swine Flu) and Pneumonia in my upper left lobe. It was AWFUL! I can really only speak for myself, but I was down completely for a week. Yuck! We are all feeling much better now. I am doing a lot better, still just a little wheezing. Good times!

While in KC, we were fortunate to visit with Lonnie, Randy, Mitch, Jill, Addyson, Shannon, Sarah, Leslie, Cathy, Steven, Rob Vanbiber, Terracon friends, Jenny, Elizabeth, the Green's and the Gross's. We thank everyone for putting up with us and all of our germs! So far, I don't think anyone else has gotten sick!

Josh is still loving school. He is really excited, as next week all the kids are going on a Safari field trip. It will be his first. I got the opportunity to read to his class September 11th. It was a very fun experience. I also got to sample what school lunch was like... Fiestada... yummy (not!) We had our first parent/teacher conference with Miss Ottemann. It went very well, and she had nothing but great things to say about Josh. Awesome!

Jeff has been on the road a lot for work. He is on his way back from Colorado today. Heading to Canada this weekend, and then the following week, off to Vegas.

In other news, my dad and Pauline bought a new house in Yankton, and moved two weeks ago. They were fortunate, and the house that Kara and I grew up in sold quickly. Also, my little sis, Kara and niece Natalya came for a visit in August. It was so great to see both of them. Kara and David are expecting a baby boy at the end of February.

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Josh's first day of kindergarten. The excitement has been building for months. The buildup culminated this morning, upon arrival at the school at 8am. After a few minutes of walking around the playground looking lost (WAY too many kiddos!), Josh and I waited patiently with his new friend Connor for Miss Ottemann. I am anxious to pick him up this afternoon to see how he liked it.

Jeff and Josh... they look nothing alike! RIGHT!

Our Family.

Josh coming out the front door to go to school.
Josh with his big ol' backpack in our house.

The kitties

Well, as promised, here are some pictures of the cats. Jerry seems to like our tractor. If he isn't out roaming around the property and through the cornfield he can be found laying in the seat of the tractor, on the mower deck, or underneath the Tahoe.

Karen seems to be doing well too. I am still a little apprehensive about letting her stay outside of her cage. I think I will just have to give it a try tomorrow.

New Challenge/Adventure/Journey

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting every doctor under the sun. When you are a "problem child" in the medical area (such as myself!) it is a pain in the rear to move. Well, it was time. So, I got a new primary physician two weeks ago, and she referred me to my millions of new doctors. Upon doing my bloodwork, it was determined that my cholesteral is off the charts (BAD!) and my diabetes could use some work as well. In addition, I have been wanting to lose weight, but needing a nudge. Well, nudged I got! They aren't forcing me, but tomorrow, I am starting the Glycemic Index Diet. I bought the book, and some food tonight at the store (what I remembered off the cuff from reading, I've got a real list ready to go to the store tomorrow!) I am ready. The treadmill is plugged in and ready to go.

I am going to do a daily food journal, and will blog about my experience as I begin this journey. I am hoping to lose 70 pounds (YIKES!). Say a few prayers for me, (Jeff and Josh!) as I'm sure the first days and weeks of this lifestyle change will not be a pleasant one!

Here's to a healthier me!

New Additions - Jerry and Karen

Well, we are, for the time being, pet owners once again. While up visiting Grandpa and Grandma Hilfiker this weekend, Josh and I decided it was time. So, we are now the proud owners of a gray and white cat that is about a year old. He is a tom cat, and is named Jerry (after the mouse on Tom and Jerry.) We also had the opportunity to go see a domesticated fawn (baby deer for any of you city folk that might be reading this (Kara Green)) named Lenny. It was born at the end of May, and sports a rhinestone collar (if you can believe that!) While we were visiting Lenny and his adoptive family, I was admiring the tame calico kitten that they had. I must have been admiring too long, because they told me I could have it! So, that would be Karen. Again, Josh's choice. She is adorable and maybe 10-12 weeks old. I will try to put a picture up once they aren't so freaked out.

We thought that Jerry was gone for good as soon as we let him out of the cat carrier. But, he came back. It is going well so far, and Josh loves the cats to death, so I hope they stick around!

Visit from the Green Family!

We were so excited to have our KC friends Jeff and Kara Green come up to visit last weekend, along with their two girls, Avery (5) and Ellery (almost 3)! They were here for a somewhat action packed three day weekend.

They arrived Thursday night. Not much to tell there. I think that the girls really enjoyed running around the "farm", and catching fireflies. Also, Kara was perplexed by all the corn. She had no idea that the corn you see around here is for feeding animals... not humans! She also could not believe the amount of corn between here and KC. I believe that quote was, "Do we really need that much corn in the United States?" Again, it is to feed the animals that we in turn eat ourselves, so the answer is a resounding, "YES! We really do need all that corn!"

Friday we went to the Omaha Zoo. We started off at the Skyfari, the new attraction this year. It was "OK". We spent about three hours there, and while the weather was surprisingly good, we were pooped, and most of us were ready to go!

Saturday, it was off to the movies. The men took the kids to see the newest Ice Age flick, and Kara and I took in a chick flick, My Sister's Keeper. Those of you that know me, know that I cry at the drop of a hat, and at a movie about a kid with cancer, this couldn't have been a good choice. I however, did very well... three tears. Kara was a mess. That girl can do the "Oprah Ugly Cry" with the best of them (I can make fun of this, because I too have quite the "Ugly Cry"!)

After we got back to the house, it was off to Eagle Days. I think we got there at the wrong time, because there wasn't a whole lot going on. We let the kiddos play on the bouncy toys, and then it was back home to the AC!

Lots of Phase 10 was played (by Kara and me), and some Wii Tiger Woods disc golf was played by the men. All in all, a good visit!

Relay for Life 2009 - Yankton, SD

Josh and I traveled to my hometown of Yankton, SD this weekend, to take part in the annual Relay for Life. As I'm sure most of you reading this already know, I lost my mom to cancer in May of 1995. This is not where my family's fight against cancer ends. My dad is a prostrate cancer survivor. My Aunt Lois is a double survivor of Hodgkin's Disease. My Aunt Ann is a breast cancer survivor. My mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor, and my mom's sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and is currently undergoing treatment. My mom's best friend Carolyn died two years ago of brain cancer. And sadly, last September, my son Josh's 4 year old classmate, Sarah Macy, died of complications from Wilm's Tumor, a cancer of the kidney.

Nobody is unaffected by cancer. Everyone has lost someone to this awful disease, whether it be family or friend. I am including pictures of the luminaries that Josh and I made (most of them). We did six. Three for survivors (Papa Ordell, Aunt Linda, and Grandma Del Rae), and three in memory of our loved ones who lost the battle to this beast, but definitely earned their angel wings (albeit at a much to early age!)

Tommy - 02/01/2000 - 06/28/2009

For nine years, we have been blessed to call Tommy our dog. He was a faithful friend, our constant companion. It is with heavy hearts, that Sunday, June 28, 2009, we said goodbye to our best dog Tommy. We are sad that he is not here with us anymore, but we are thankful that he is no longer in any pain. We are having many conversations of our memories of Tommy, and hope that he is hopping from cloud to cloud, playing catch, and catching Frisbees up in heaven.
Please see the attached pictures of our boy. Please note that even right before we had to put him to sleep (picture on left, by himself), he still was full of smiles. We miss him terribly already.

Chillaxin

Whatup, everybody? That's my sad attempt at being cool! Not much going on here in the good ol' state of Nebraska. Josh and I are waiting for Jeff to get home from Kansas (for the third week in a row!) Seems to be a habit anymore!

Josh's head seems to be doing much better. The misshapen-ness is all but gone. We have to take him back for his followup scans in August.

Jeff's work is going fine, although, it has had in him Topeka 3 out of the 5 weeks we have been here. Hope that slows up, but we are getting by!

We had our first overnight visitors last weekend. My dad and Pauline came down Sunday night and left Monday. Phil and DelRae came Monday for lunch. It was nice getting to show our family where we are living now!

Josh and I are leaving either tomorrow or Thursday to head north. We are going to Marquette, Michigan to join my family in celebrating my Aunt Gayle's marriage to Dirk. I am anxious to see Gayle, Rachel, Ross and Greg, as it has been almost 6 years (they have never met Josh!), and to meet Dirk, Jill, Luke, Brita and Greta. They are a welcome addition to the Akland clan, and we can't wait to break them in at the next holiday gathering they join us for! Not looking forward to the 13 hour car ride, but we will get through it!

Later!

Update on Josh

I have an update to our post from last Monday, Josh was injured in a roughly 8 foot fall last weekend (May 2). We took him to the ER last Sunday, and he was given a clean bill of health, and in fact the doctor and nurse couldn't even find a bump on his head where he hit it. So, imagine my surprise on Saturday night, when I was giving Josh his bath, and noticed that his head was extremely swollen/enlarged on the side he fell on.

I called the peditrician's office this morning (what a great way to be introduced to a new practice!). The doctor we had already made a well check appointment with was out today, so we saw the PA. He was quick to try to ease my fears when he said, "I think his skull is fractured." Not the words that you want to hear. Well, he explained to me, that because the mass was mushy, it was likely that it was fluid between the skull and the skin, and would likely just need to be monitored closely, but he wanted to run a CT scan to be certain, and would confer with the doctor upon her return tomorrow.

So, off to the hospital Josh and I went. Josh did very well for his CT, although he didn't hold still very well! He thought it was pretty funny! They called this afternoon, and it is in fact fractured. The radiologist found a few places that concerned him, so it was also reviewed by a neurologist, who stated that because of the nature of the injury, and the age of the injury, it was nothing to be concerned with.

We will be heading back to the doctor sometime this week to get the lump measured. We will likely be going in weekly for monitoring until it is cleared up. Until then, Josh is having to be super careful, and we have to be sure he doesn't hit his head.

Boys! What can ya do! Hope this finds you well.

Katie

Pics of house

Sunset from front porch

Master closet

Master closet

Spaceship shower

Dining room doors to deck

Mud room

Kitchen

Dining Room

Living Room

House

Open House and Last Day of School

Josh and his class. I think that they are Sophia, Sarah, Saige, Kobe, Jovan, and Olivia.

We Moved!

Well, the move is officially complete! We got our boxes and furniture delivered today. So, now the unpacking can begin! We are excited to sleep in our own beds tonight... now if we can only find our sheets! Tommy seems to be adjusting well to his new surroundings, but it has only been about 3 hours! He hasn't wandered off yet, and seems to be enjoying laying in the garage!

Josh is back with us today. He had a trip to the ER last night, as he took a fall on Saturday and hit his head. Just a "quick" visit to make sure everything was okay. It wasn't quick, but he turned out fine, and that is all that matters!

Jeff is planning on returning to work tomorrow. I think he is looking forward to it. We spent the last 5 nights in Brian and Tara's camper. Thanks for putting up with us! Josh spent the weekend with Todd and Malinda and the cousins (Allen, Allison, Brice and Brittany). They brought us our first dinner (KFC) last night. Tonight Brenda brought us some homemade beef stroganoff. We are ready for a break after the day of moving! No pictures, as I'm sure the camera cable will not be found for awhile! Soon though, I promise!