She's Heeerrrre!!

Dennis' Mom was born and raised in Darmstadt, Germany and after meeting Dennis' dad there while he was in the service, they married and moved to the states. When I think about that, I think of what a difficult move/transition that would be. Anyway, Herta (well, I still tend to call her Tina...that's the name she "chose" for herself when she moved to the US) moved back to Germany about 20 years ago. Now, every November she comes "home" and it is a BIG DEAL!! My boys get SO excited to see her and carry out some of the annual traditions she provides them. So, last night was the night...we picked her up at the airport shortly after 11pm and she will be here in Indy with us for about 11 days at which time she will head to Vincennes to spend the remainder of her visit with Denise. Here are some pics I took of her with "The Boys" shortly after her arrival. TOO CUTE!!

99 Balloons

I spent two days last weeks near Chicago at an RTS Bereavement conference with my very dear friend, Angie Martin. As you can imagine, it was a pretty rough couple of days for both of us. I spent a fair amount of time in self reflection, an enormous amount of time considering where to begin to offer more appropriate bereavement services to our grieving families at the hospital, shed many tears, learned MUCH!, and thrived on the conversations Angie and I were able to have while together over the 48 hours. During the conference, this video was shared with us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qILw1iFzmIE. It is....beyond words. Please take a couple of minutes to view it and then, if you are inclined to do so, spend some time in prayer for this family and for all of the families out there who continue to put their faith in God. In the medical community, we lean toward advising patients based on most likely outcomes and, many times, personal biases. Watching and listening to this family reaffirms for me that there is a plan and a purpose in everything and disrupting this balance of power leads to missed love, unlearned lessons, and lost opportunities. Faith and sacrifice of self are difficult concepts, especially in today's world of instant gratification and the false concept of human control over all things; but, this amazing family exemplifies faith and sacrifice of self beyond all boundaries. While their grief is deep and wide, the joy of knowing their son and the widsom of the lessons they learned, and are now sharing with millions of others, are blessings that cannot be described sufficiently with words.

Thank you, Eliot's Mommy and Daddy, for teaching me about faith, sacrificial love, grief, and hope.

***To learn more about Eliot and his amazing family, visit: http://mattandginny.blogspot.com/

HAPPY 40th Jacki!!!

NEW YORK! NEW YORK!!!

WOW! We were having FUN!!!

Jacki was SO excited to see Tim McGraw!! He's a hottie!!

OUR PAL, AL!!

About nine and a half years ago we (the Wagners!...then Dennis, myself, and a not quite 3 year old Austin!) moved to Heartland Crossing on the south side of Indy. Shortly after moving there, Austin made his first true "best friend", Trey. As time passed by, Dennis and I became friends with Trey's parents, Brian and Jacki. I LOVED Jacki and over the years we have had many good times with our families. Some of my favorite times with Jacki have been WITHOUT children and husbands (sorry guys!). As I sat here in my hotel room (away at a conference for work) with Angie, we were LAUGHING about these pictures from a trip the three of us took to New York a few years back. We had SO MUCH fun!! Life changes, time goes on, kids grow and change, and we spend less and less time together; however, I will always cherish the many, many laughs we have shared. I love you dear friend!

HAPPY 40TH JACK!!!!!

Davison's First Stitches!

We never thought it would have taken this long, but it still shook me up a bit when Davison made his first trip to the ER for stitches!! Just before Austin's soccer match started last Tuesday in Franklin, Davison slipped on a piece of wet playground equipment. It looked like he smacked the right side of his head against that equipment so hard, that it split his right earlobe right open! It was a mess!! Rainy, getting cold, lots of blood! and my screaming little man. He only become more upset when, after getting a pretty good look at his now fileted open ear, I told Dennis that I thought a trip to the ER to have Davison's ear "put back together" was probably in order. So, a quick trip around the corner to Johnson Memorial (after getting lots of help from other parents at the soccer field!!) and into the ER for, what turned out to be, five stitches. Davison was brave, handled the numbing of his ear like a champ, and started dozing off during the actually suturing of his ear. He was exhausted after that big adrenaline rush and fell asleep again in my arms while I was checking him out of the ER. He slept all of the way home and passed out in Dennis' big recliner when we got home. Poor little guy!!

.....AND ON!!!

Well, the big party day finally arrived last weekend! It was a lot of fun and went by pretty quickly. Davison, as always, had a great time!! After everyone headed home, he and Jake spent some time working on legos and such that Davison received as birthday gifts....Jake spent the night as part of Davison's "party". Sunday was also spent playing with birthday gifts, putting together lego projects and bionicles...even turning down offers by Dad to go do other fun things!

Dave's Celebration Goes On!!

Birthdays are a big deal at our house! I just can't help it....I really feel like people of every age should really be celebrated on their special day: their BIRTH-day. That being said...we opened presents with Davison after school...Austin rode the bus home so we could get it done before he went to soccer practice. We got Davison a new "big boy" bike and Austin gave him a hacky sack. Once we all returned home that night after soccer practice, etc., we all celebrated Davison with cake and ice cream. Davison was in a great mood all day and really enjoyed all of the special moments of the day. He is SO much fun!!

Happy Birthday Davison!!

Our "baby", Davison, turned 6 years on on September 30th. I can't believe how time is flying by! When I found out I was pregnant with Davison, I began praying...even begging, at times...for twins. I just couldn't picture myself with "only" 2 children and I knew this would be the last pregnancy! The whole pregnancy thing just took much of a toll on my physical (and mental!) health along with the well-being of our family. I didn't get my prayers answered with twins, but I did get them answered with a healthy baby boy. After HOURS of labor and three hours of pushing, Davison Matthew Wagner was born by emergency cesarean section...you can see by the picture above why! He sort of got his little head in the wrong position while making his attempt at his worldly debut!!

Dennis took the afternoon off and we took a birthday cookie and some fun surprises to his kindergarten class. I love the pic above where he is waiting to blow out his number "6" candle while the class sings happy birthday to him!!

Over the years, I have often quipped that I prayed for twins and God gave us Davison! He is full of more energy and curiosity than I could have imagined! He has kept us on our toes...most have heard the endless "Davison" stories....but, has provided our family with a lively little spirit that keeps us laughing and thanking God for our endless blessings.

I've held my breath many, many times over the last six years while I try to let Davison go with his little fearless spirit and I'm quite sure there will be many more breath holding moments over the years, but I know that God has put this spunky, fearless, energetic, full of love and life little person here for a great purpose and I am really looking forward to watching that plan unfold!

Happy Birthday Dennis!!

So, I never did come across those pictures of Dennis today...the ones his parents took of him on all of his birthdays over the years. They're very cute and I will have to try to get them scanned in again....must have lost them when I had the computer issue a year or so ago. ANYWAY...we have carried on the tradition and take a picture of Dennis with his birthday cake every year. We have added our own "tradition"....ice cream cake. Ice cream cake is Dennis' favorite and, thus, every year on his birthday, he gets a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Dennis took the day off today and we had a great time hanging out, doing some shopping, and spending some time with the fam. Happy Birthday Den!!

Funny Childhood Memories

This always happens to me....today is Dennis' birthday and I know that I have pictures of him as a chiuld on various birthdays...SO, as I was looking for them, I came across the one I have added here. This picture makes me laugh out loud every time I come across it. When we were kids, our dad would "nap" in the family room.....usually falling asleep with a game of some kind on the television. We would then proceed to entertain ourselves by piling everything we could find on top of him....as pictured above. The real fun came when one of us would startle him which would cause him to jump and send everything flying! Aaahhhh....GOOD TIMES!!

A Change of Heart? Perhaps....

So, I've always been a fan (to the degree that I am a "fan" of celebs) of Matt Damon. He's a good actor in some pretty entertaining movies (don't take my word for it, though....anyone who knows me knows movies = sleep for me!), seems like a nice guy, and he's not bad to look at.

Before I go on, I must mention this...I do not subscribe to a particular political party. I really try to weigh ideals, morals, history (yes, PERSONAL and professional), and my "gut" feeling when deciding who I am going to vote for. Honestly, morals and gut usually trump.

Also, before I go on, let me get on my soapbox for a moment...and I can, it's my blog.:)
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! I do not care, really, who you vote for...just do it!! If you do not take the time to educate yourself a bit about the candidates and some of the issues and vote, then don't spend the next four years moaning and groaning about the president and vice-president that the rest of "the people" elected.

Check out these sites for more information: http://www.johnmccain.com/
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
http://obama.senate.gov/
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/
http://mccain.senate.gov/public/
http://biden.senate.gov/


So, back to what got me on this tangent. What makes actors and other famous personalities really think we want to hear all about their political views and opinions?? Today, I get a glimpse of Matt Damon on the tube talking about how rediculous and "absurd" Sarah Palin's nomination to Vice Presidential candidate for the republican party is. He speaks of her inexperience in politics and mocks her small town background. At the end of the clip, he also makes an attempt to take a jab at her "religious views". It's a bit more hidden, but it's there. If you're interested, you can watch the video by following this link: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4435771n

Honestly, I'm getting a bit weary of the "you can believe, and think, and do whatever you want" attitude. Why??? Because it's a farce! Not only do I "believe" it's a farce, even the people who are most outspoken in defending it don't mean it. They mean, "as long as you don't believe what I don't believe, don't do what I don't do, don't support who I don't support, and don't think what I don't think" THEN you are more evolved, more open, and more accepting than __________(insert your favorite "conservative" or religious affiliation here).

I thought we had all agreed that we don't want the same ol' "politics as usual" thing going on......Or, was that only what the Democratic candidates were saying in an attempt to get one up on the Republicans. Palin consistantly states that she isn't afraid to go against the good ol' boy politics that go on in Washington. Sounds good to me and it seems to be true. Of course, I still need to do more "research". Dennis and I watched Governor Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson tonight (http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5782791). I told Dennis, that she definitely has the "verbage" down. Can we REALLY believe what the candidates say to "us" during this time, or ever?? I would like to think yes, but that's not my gut.

I hate politics! I do, but I also believe it is my God given privelage (and, yes, the basic foundation of the United States was built upon Christian principles, as I'm sure you history buffs know) and my responsibility as a US citizen to participate in the process. I will continue to do so and work toward being a little less easily annoyed by close-minded, judgemental, outspoken, elitists.

By the way, while it's not "politically correct" or the popular view, I AM proud to be an American and thank God often for dropping me here and not in some far off corner of the world where there is no indoor plumbing or running water, or where men physically, mentally, and emotionally CONTROL women, or where I cannot speak my opinion or practice my religion (whatever it may be) or in a place where there is constant war and strife.

Parenthood--YIKES!!

Refer to the cute kid below....under the title, "Ausman"....yeah, he no longer has posession of the cute little red phone. That's right, his Juke privilages have been revoked for the time being. His preteen hormones are out of control and causing him to do things like....text girls during study hall, at church, and in the middle of the night!! Not to mention the lies!! Oh my! I'm praying this period passes quickly and other "helpful" mothers insist on telling me "it's only getting started" and "oh, you just wait!". Oh, yeah...that's JUST what I need to hear!

Dave and Jake

Dennis and I have been truly blessed with some friends who have helped us out tremendously with shuttling Davison to and from school on work days and helping us out when we are traveling or attending long game days for Austin. Mark and Jennifer are the parent's of Davison's very best friend, Jake. Jake and Davison have "known" each other, literally, since they were born. We were friends as couples long before these two little men were thoughts in our heads! One night last week I went to pick Davison up from the VanHooser's after Austin's soccer game and we snapped this photo of the boys. It is PRECIOUS! and I predict it someday being shown at a high school graduation party or wedding celebration.

Sky Concert

For the past several years, our family has attended the Sky Concert on Saturday night of Labor Day weekend. One of our neighbors (and a dear friend) has had a major role in putting the event together over the last several years and we were the beneficiaries of great seats and other "perks" at the event. This year, Dennis and I spaced it and signed up to work at Ribfest from noon to midnight on Saturday. I was SO sad to miss the big night. Not just because of the great show that Sky Concert is, but because it has always been a great evening with friends/neighbors. I HATE to miss things!! Anyway, a friend that was there that evening shared this picture with me today. Pictured here are 14 kids (there's one I don't recognize!! that makes the 15th....) who have known each other for years...they were, at one point or another, all neighbors. Aren't they cute?? It's really cool to think about the many, many memories they will have of times/events/days/birthdays, etc. spent together.

Jagger

So, I finally have some pics to post of my new nephew: Jagger Van. Jagger was born on August 3rd and my Mom went to Oregon the next week to visit. She brought back some pictures, but I've had to work on them a bit to be able to post them here. Jagger is a big boy weighing in at 9lbs and 3oz at delivery. I spoke to Gina yesterday and she assures me he is growing like a weed and she'll be taking him this week to be weighed. Of course, it is SO hard to have my niece and new nephew all of the way in Oregon, but I hope to make a trip soon to meet this "little" man.

Autumn??

I don't know if it's official or not, but the weather today was gorgeous and it definitely felt like a touch of fall was in the air. After a couple of soccer games this morning, we came home and worked in the yard for several hours. This all started thanks to a landscaping "misunderstanding" between neighbors and ended with me coaxing Dennis into helping me try to save the Magnolia tree I planted in the spring. I actually love to work in the yard and could easily spend my days planting and transplanting flowers, bushes, etc. After my forty hour work week at the hospital this week and then working in the yard for several hours, I enjoyed a nap....a 4 hour nap!! It was amazing!! Now, I'm all snuggled in under my favorite blanket with all of the windows open. I LOVE this kind of weather!

Decorating the Cake??

What happens when you let a 12 year old decorate his own birthday cake????

The Celebration Goes On...

Even though Austin's "official" birthday was over, we had another birthday celebration (sans friends) today. So, there was cake and ice cream, blowing out candles, opening some gifts, and a trip to the Cincinnati Reds game for Dennis, Austin, and three of his friends....Uncle Brent was also getting picked up for the game. Austin decided he wanted to help with the cake this year and actually did most of the decorating himself.