Foot and Friends

In August of 2011 I purchased my first pair of running shoes.  Ran my first mile. And lived to tell the story.  This began my love/hate relationship with running.  I loved that I accomplished something healthy.  I even ran two 5K's in 6 months.  Something I swore I would never do!  HA!  After running my second race last May, I started having some issues with my right foot.  I worked really hard at avoiding the Doctor.  I didn't work. I ended up having to have my foot operated on this past August.  The Doctor assured me that I would be ready to run the May race again...the verdict is still out.  But enough of that boring subject...lets get to the good stuff.

As it turns out, having your foot basically reconstructed takes a good 7 full weeks of non weight bearing time to heal.  This means that my wonderful husband, great kids, and AMAZING friends had to pick up some serious slack around the Bush house.  I was unable to drive for 8 weeks, on my back...literally for 2 full weeks and then part time for another 2 weeks.  It basically was awful!  My hubby became very proficient at cleaning, cooking, laundry, taxi, and nursing.  He was incredible...ok IS incredible.  There is no way we would have lived through those weeks without his willing servant heart!  I also found out that I hands. down. have the BEST friends!  I had some who came at the drop of a hat to help, some that were the most reliable taxi drivers known to man, some that cleaned, and one who gave two full days every week for eight weeks to keep our house running.  I always knew they were great...now I am even more thankful! 

My dad also gave up two weeks of his time to come and help out.  I will give him his very own post later this week though!

All in all, my foot is still healing, and my friends are still around.  We survived!


Side Note:  I finally figured out the picture thing...next post photos! I am fairly certain you dont' want to see the photos of my foot....we call it frankenfoot.

Kindergarten!

Andrew is very proud of the fact that he is a Kindergartner!  When we talked to him about being home schooled he was a little less than impressed.  Upon questioning him, we discovered the only reason he was upset was because he wanted to ride the school bus.  I informed him that even if he was going to "regular school" he wouldn't be riding a bus.  He was then completely and totally fine with staying home! 
Almost every school day goes well....Of course I am typing this on day number two of a really rough week.  It's not all roses, but I certainly wouldn't change our decision. Andrew is progressing very well with reading. Our goal for Kindergarten was to learn to read independently and build a desire to learn more about Jesus.  So far, I think we are successful. 
Many people have asked us why we choose homeschooling when we live in a decent school district. My short answer is "I cannot imagine sending my son to school for 8 hours five days a week." That is true...but only half of the truth.  Both Paul and I feel that our children are God's gift to us.  We have a deep burden to instill in them a love for Jesus and his Word. We have taken very seriously the command to train up our children and feel the best way for that to be done is to have them at home with us instead of in public school.  There are many more reasons I can give but that sums it up pretty good. I don't often give the full explanation though for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I don't always think people want the full answer.  Secondly, I certainly don't want to come across as judgemental. In no way do I feel that if you choose to send your kids to public school or even private school that you are wrong.  I completely believe that God gives us all our own peace as to the best way to educate our children.  As "home education" and "public education" is not a "Deal Breaker" for my faith, I am so thankful that we can all make the choice that is best for our own families. 
This has been a wonderful journey for our family as we have searched for fun and functional curriculum, developed a schedule that works for us, and chosen subjects in which to dig deeper.  We look forward to what God has in store on this path for us!

And for your enjoyment, perhaps we will revert to old English around the Bush house...

Failure

This is kinda like that 12 step program.
My name is Marcie and I am a blogging failure.
Ok, there I said it so you don't have to.  So it's been seven months since our last update...don't worry, I won't cram it all into one big long ridiculous update, I will just right a few different posts and schedule them over the next few days.  I will give you a quick run down though....enjoy.

1. We took our annual summer trip to Montana.
2. Andrew started Kindergarten.
3. I had foot surgery.
4. It was officially solidified that I have the best friends known to man.
5. Marianne turned 4.
6. My Dad is the greatest!
7. Andrew turned 6!
8. I lost my best friend to a nasty battle of cancer.
9. Christmas with my family.
10. Its a new year.

There you have it, seven months in a nut shell.  To say the least, we were very busy.  I love my family, I love my life as a stay at home Mom, I love being busy.....BUT I am soooooo ready for a little slower pace!

SO....I was going to add a picture or two to this post, but apparently blogspot has changed over the past 7 months also...so until Paul comes to my rescue, this is the best it gets.  Hope you have a lovely day.

One?!?

Sweet Izabelle is One!!  I cannot even believe this.  It really seems like this year has flown by!  I know everyone says that, but really....how is this possible?  It is hard to believe that a year ago my sweet baby was born nearly 5 weeks early.  A few days at DeVos Children's hospital on C-Pap and learning to eat and here we are!  Amazing. 

 Izabelle LOVES...we are talking big puffy heart here, folks....birds.  She says birdie, she signs birdie she adores birdies.  So what better than a birdie party, right?  Bird house goodie boxes, a bird in a cage...that my wonderful hubby fashioned out of an ice cream bucket lid and telephone wire...and stuffed birdies I made from my fabric scraps.  This party was CHEAP!  (cheep cheep?) I even had the perfect fabric for table coverings in my hoard...I mean bountiful tub of flannel.  Such a fun day celebrating our girl!

 From this:

 To this:  I am sooo in love with this sweet sweet baby girl!  So thankful to God everyday for our little miracle!  We love you Izabelle Lynn!

Happiness--A kiddo update

 Sweet Izabelle!  She LOVES to stand at the window and watch the birds.  She adores birds.  Listens for them when outside, watches their every move, even signs and says bird.  I am in the process of planning her FIRST (I cannot believe this) birthday party. It will have the theme...you guessed it...birds!  She is such a joy to our hearts!  She makes me want 15 kids!  We are so blessed by her happy spirit and joyfulness.  She is always good for a smile and gives the greatest hugs.  Nothing makes you smile like her blown kisses either!

 The boy!  All boy! He loves everything superhero, guns, dragons, and his new found love is soccer.  He is very proud of his soccer shoes and declares they are the fastest shoes ever!  He is learning to read.  Andrew loves nature.  He is becoming more like Daddy every day in every way. Right down to his sense of humor.  This boy is funny!  He makes us laugh all the time. We recently discovered that Andrew cannot tolerate food coloring.  In his own words "it makes me grumpy." We arent' sure exactly what that means, but we do know that when he has dye, he is out of control and his behavior is atrocious! Since figuring this all out, life with Andrew has become very pleasant!  He is a well mannered boy who ADORES his baby sister!

Then there is Miss Marianne.  Marianne prefers to be called Annie most of the time.  The name truly fits her.  She is a bundle of laughs!  She likes to laugh, likes to giggle, and likes to make others laugh too! She has a very sensitive spirit which is usually a good thing. Annie lives to color!  She will color anything...literally!  She also likes to cook with Mommy in the kitchen.  She is getting to be quite helpful!  She also loves her TaeKwonDo lessons each week.  She is getting stronger and faster!  Her coordination will come along eventually. (ha ha!) Annie is our little cuddler.  She is often found on a lap or as close to you as she can get. 

So there it is...an update...finally.  With pictures.  You are welcome (and you know who you are.) I quite facebook recently...so maybe I will begin to have more time for the blog.  I would love to start posting recipes and creative, inexpensive, healthy meals.  We'll see.  Life does happen at the Bush house.

Thankfulness

I know...a bit late! But, well, life happened.  These are the adorable turkey buckeyes that my kiddos made.  So fun and quite yummy! But, that is not what this post is about.  It's about a tree.  A tree that is becoming a piece of our family. It is our Prayer and Thankfulness tree.  It is really my attempt at helping my kids (and myself) to think past themselves.  Past what we are doing this moment and past our own circumstances. We are rotating each month between things we are thankful for, and things we are praying for.  Each day, we add to our tree (which is a beautiful giant sticker on our wall...that I will take a picture of at the end of December).  November what Thankfulness.  We had lots of paper leaves to add to our tree this month.  I thought I would write the list to give you all a glimpse of how my wonderful children think.  These are all things that they chose to add to our tree...no prompting, just encouraging to be thankful. Total randomness shall follow as I just pulled the leaves off and threw them on my desk last week to write this post.

Cousins, Lunch with Daddy, Our House, Pictures, Papa and Nana, Izabelle, Princesses, Daddy's Work, Discover (our Dog), Books, Crayons, Cherries, Drinks, Playing with Daddy, Butterflies, Smiles, Books (again!) Uncle and Aunt Lisa's New House, Cheese, the World, Niceness, Computer, Taekwondo, Jesus, Snow Flakes, Oranges, Nature School, Aunt Suz and Uncle Brad, Marker, Andrew, Birthdays, Daddy, Pumpkins, Wrestling with Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, Food, Books (again!) Food, Marianne, Friends, Mommy, Medicine

This list blesses my heart!  I love the honesty, simpleness, and open heartedness that it involves.  Pretty sure my favorites are Jesus, Cheese, and all the time spent with Daddy.  It is very obvious what is important to my kiddos!  Love it!

Good Grief!

Ok, so I know I said I would try to post more....I guess I didn't try hard enough.
October FLEW by us! And here it is November is almost over, too.  Recap? Sure!
Marianne is now 3.
Andrew is doing GREAT in TaeKwonDo.
Marianne enjoys dance...usually.
Kiddos were successfully spoiled by the Nana!
*My Mom came for a week to care for the kiddos while I was recovering from a hysterectomy.  Surgery went well. Basically to sum it all up...our 3 kids are walking miracles. Ask me about it sometime, I will be happy to share.*
Paul is now 35.
Jon and Lisa moved into a fabulous new to them house just 2 1/2 miles from us!
Izabelle is sitting.

There ya go!  If I tried to do a photo update, I would have way to many pictures to sort through...so I will start over from here and do my very bestest to blog more often.
I have started a new blog for recipes and cooking fun.  If that interests you, please join me over at
http://www.expandingthetastebuds.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Little Update

Annie loving on Izabelle. They are so sweet together. Izabelle is really starting to pay attention to her siblings and ADORES them! They are often rewarded with the smile they seek!

Family vacation in Montana was fabulous as always! We spent almost enough time in the mountains. All three kiddos (and their parents) love being outside. We enjoyed a trip to Yellowstone Park, a drive over the Gravely Mountains, hiking in Lake Canyon, time at the park, and a few other adventures in between.

This is my sweet boy! I am in LOVE!!! Andrew really enjoyed being outside. He went on a 3 mile hike with Daddy and Papa, and got to eat fresh wild raspberries. He also enjoyed throwing rocks off a cliff that we found near the head of the Ruby river.

Paul and I were able to get away for about 24 hours unattended! We enjoyed a hike, a drive to...NOWHERE!, and a quiet night alone at Jackson Hot Springs. We will be celebrating 10 years of wedded bliss here in just a few weeks and took the opportunity to celebrate early. Thanks to Nana and Papa for making it possible!

In other news...

Andrew has started TaeKwonDo and is really enjoying it. We look forward to his twice a week lessons at a great Christian school. Marianne has started a dance class. She dances once a week, ballet and tap. She is way too funny about it, but it promises to be a good time for here. Both the bigger kids are involved in Wednesday night ministries at our church. Andrew is very proud of his book with lessons to do at home, and Annie is excited to go on Wednesdays because one of her favorite people is one of the teachers! What a blessing as this girl usually fights being left at church. I am in full swing with the Youth on Wednesday nights and am excited to see what God does this year in our small group.

Praying all are well!

Sand, Sun, Slugs...An Update

Beach Bum Baby! Izabelle is such a joy and blessing to our family. She is growing like crazy and sleeps really well. She LOVES to be outside. Her little personality is very fun to watch develop!

Two months old now! She loves her bath, sleeping on her tummy (daytime naps only), and has recently found a new friend....her thumb!

Marianne has become quite the little card! She is such a sweet little girl with a fantastic spirit. We are so blessed. Daddy is already making the list for his arsenal as she is quite the beauty! We have been told many times lately how pretty she is. Our job will be to teach her that beauty comes from the inside! She loves her brother and sister so much. Her Daddy is wrapped rather tightly around her little finger!

ALL BOY!!! He loves dirt, bugs, and now his new found friends...slugs. Gross! He is growing up very quickly. He is reading simple words and is so very proud of himself when he sounds them out! He loves anything nature...just like Daddy! He is very happy, and very busy. We are in search of ways to channel his determination and energy. He's gonna keep us on our toes.

I know it's been forever since we updated...so here you go.

I hope you are happy, Aleen!

Introducing...

Ok, so it took me 3 weeks...but here she is. Our sweet little Izabelle was born on June 3. She was 3 1/2 weeks early and required a bit of extra loving from DeVos Children's Hospital. After a 5 day stay in the NICU...she is perfectly healthy and beautiful. Andrew and Marianne are very proud of her! My parents have been here for 3 weeks and my sister is here for the weekend..so pray for me, ya'all....I will be home alone with these little munchkins all on my own starting Tuesday. Paul will be home at night of course, but it is the busy season at work...so, um...here's to sanity. I will TRY to update again soon with more pictures.

Take a Moment

Here is an opportunity for you to help the earthly Orphan. Please check out this blog, they are having a HUGE giveaway! You don't have to give money...though appreciated...just a simple refrence to her blog and you are in! Thanks for your time.... www.nogreaterjoymom.blogspot.com

Long time Photo Update

I know its been a really long time since a photo update...so I thought I'd throw a hole bunch of stuff into one post and pretend that makes up for it. So...for those who care, here you go...
Andrew loves to pick out gifts for people. He is as much of a giver as any child I have ever seen. He picked a necklace for Great Gram, who is my maternal Grandmother. He was very proud to give it to her. For those of you who do not know my Gram, she is a lady of grace, poise, and love. If I come within a mile of her inner beauty as I age, I will be thankful. I am so lucky to have such an amazing example in my life...Love you Gram!

While at my parents house in December/January, my Dad and Paul made a little sledding hill in the yard. It was so fun for the kids...this is Marianne refusing to miss out on the fun. She requested her "Deedee" and "Nonee" and rested in the tube for quite some time just watching. She probably would have napped if it were a touch warmer!

An attempt at curly hair. She was very proud of her curlers!

And the crazy results! Yes, she slept in her curlers...no Aleen I didn't drug her, and yes Dawn, she looks like a flash from the 80s with her crazy curls and jean jacket.

These kiddos are keeping us very busy! Andrew is actively learning to read, and in the off time, we are working on shapes and colors---Aunt Kerry, Aunt Ev, and Aunt Sue...be proud. He is loving the thought of the snow melting and spring coming.

Marianne is, well, busy. For those who are wondering, the "parents curse" works...you know, the one where the Mom says "I hope you have a child just like you someday." Apparently, I deserve all I am getting. I love every minute of it, but could do without the sass!

Baby #3 is doing well. Growing, sitting low, chilling out. And no...we have NO names picked out...we might work on it someday.

Thats about it for this update...Will try to do better!

Half Way!!!!

WOW!!! Twenty weeks of Baby Bush #3 are gone! We are half way to meeting this little blessing. We had an ultrasound this week and are very excited that everything looks pretty good. We are so thankful for this little one and the kids are VERY excited. We brought home pictures and Andrew does his best to pick out the ones with a profile...he's no better at it than we are. Annie is convinced that she also has a baby in her tummy and has started asking other people if they have a baby, too. It is so innocent and sweet.

On another note:
My little girl is apparently built like her father's side of the family. She fits very nicely into her 24 month and 2t jeans...some are starting to get a touch short, but for the most part, not too bad. Her shirts on the other hand are no officially a 4T!!!! I couldn't believe it when I started noticing her 3T shirts, (which we just got out in December), were starting to look a little belly-shirt-ish. So I got out the clothes that I bought for her for next winter, and sure enough, they fit much better. Still in amazement and a bit if denial, I took a measuring tape to measure Andrew's shoulder to hip...11.5 inches....Marianne's shoulder to hip 10.75. SERIOUSLY??? This girl has a very long body!!! I just cannot get over the fact that Andrew and Marianne are now wearing the same size shirt. GOOD GRIEF!

ONE MORE THING:
Please pray with me for a very sweet family who is in Columbia now bringing home their 2nd little girl. This little girl just turned 2 in December and is about to experience all the love this fantastic family has in them. She will be joining 4 very loving brothers and an older sister. We are so excited for you VanderZwaags!!!! Safe travels, and lots of prayers being said!!!! (You can check out their blog on the side bar.)

New little Heaven in 2011

2011 is looking to be a fabulous year at the Bush residence. We celebrated the new year with Marcie's Family in Montana. We are looking forward to taking Andrew skiing for the first time later this week. Marcie is going on a trip with her sister and Mom in January. Paul has some training in Detroit in March....Marcie and the kids get to go, too. And probably the MOST exciting part of 2011 will be the addition of a new Bush to the family in June.
Happy New Year, Everyone!

The Little Man is 4!!!

My sweet boy is 4! I cannot believe it. Four years ago our dreams and struggles to bring home a baby manifested themselves into this precious little guy! I cannot imagine not having him around. Andrew is so full of joy and brings so much to our lives!
Andrew loves everything super hero. Spiderman, Batman, Wonder Pets! He also loves cowboys, policemen, and fire fighters. Lets just say he is ALL boy.
We love you little man!!! Looking forward to many many more birthdays with you!

Marianne loves Mickey Mouse

Happy Birthday, Annie! She LOVED hearing the Birthday song!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake, made by Mommy, with help from Daddy and "Broboo" (Andrew)

Annie's party dress. She loved looking like Minnie Mouse, and Andrew loved doting on his sister!

Annie had said for weeks that she wanted a baby for her Birthday. This one from Nana and Papa was immediately loved! Her new Curious George tea set and her purse set, complete with phone and camera, from Andrew were also big hits! Andrew was so proud that Annie loved what he picked out for her...he might like it a little too...

Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, tender hearted, fun loving, mischievous girl! We love you so much!

Must be doin' Something right

We have been glued to the Chilean mine rescue today. Andrew is fascinated. We were watching as they lowered the capsule down for the 20th miner and Andrew randomly started praying, here is his prayer:


"Jesus loves me. Thank you for today. Thank you for my mom and dad. Please can you be with the miners so the lions in the pit don't hurt them. And can you keep them safe because my mom says there aren't any lions. Jesus loves me, Amen."

He begins and ends every prayer with Jesus loves me...which we think is fabulous!

Lucky Ducks!

So I was going to name this post "Marianne's Big Announcement" but I didn't want anyone to get carried away...so Lucky Ducks it is!

It does so appear that the cute little girl that lives at this house is . . . do I dare say it out loud? . . . POTTY TRAINED!!! Paul and I have been blessed with two early and easy potty trainers! I can hardly believe it...but she does have a big brother to keep up with. So in just a few days (when her potty chart is full) Annie will be making a trip to the store to pick out a new baby doll! She is so cute and loves getting stickers and treats.

I hope you all have a fabulous day...I'll be looking for ways to spend money on things that are fun...not diapers!

Big Girl Room

Before: Yucky yellow paint over a dingy gross green that still showed through. Plain Jane and boring!!!
After: Soft baby pink and totally turquoise. Daisies and Butterflies everywhere! Must say, it turned out better than I had hoped.


I have been wanting to do Annie's room all girly as soon as she was born. I am in love and pretty excited. She is very excited too!!! Andrew is very proud of being a big helper today. Start to finish while Paul was at work today...and now he doesn't have to deal with it!

Mountain Standard Time

Ok, I know, it's been a really long time since I posted an update. So here it is:
We've been on vacation and we wish we still were.




Hows that? Ok, so for real, we just got back from our annual pilgrimage to Clark Canyon Bible Camp in Southwest Montana. We love that place...we really love that place! We also spent a week with my family in the Dillon area. It was a good vacation and none of us were really ready to leave, but alas, reality called and here we are back in Michigan.

The kids did great on our 25 hour (one way) drive. Of course they are kids and we had our rough moments, but all in all we were quite happy with their performance! I promise to post pictures soon.