My dear friend Toni

I had my first baby back in 1995. When I found out I was pregnant I was petrified. I was a single woman of 22 with no chance for a boyfriend let alone a husband. I had no idea what to do. I went to a Dr to find out what would be next and if the home test was accurate. Well, it was accurate, without a doubt. The other bad thing was that the Dr was mean and rude. I was scared and I didn't know what to do. At the same time, my sister-in-law was pregnant and she was going to a midwife. Well, I finally told my family and I went to see Toni. I will tell you that Toni took what was a terrifying and tragic time to me and turned it into a wonderful experience of motherhood. Each time I went to my appointments she greeted me with a hug and a kiss. I was accepted and forgiven by a woman I now consider a huge part of my family. She has been with me through so much with my children. She has been a shoulder to cry on when my two babies passed away and even took the time to come to my little Timothy's funeral. She has laughed at my silliness and didn't bat an eye at my words when the pain would be so intense I wanted to die. She has delivered all 5 of my babies, I count the last one even though I went to the hospital because she did all the work not the doctors or nurses. She loves my children as though they were her own. I will never forget going to her 50th anniversary with her husband and the children at her feet while they danced together. This is exactly how I have always thought of Toni. She loves people and especially children. She has the kindest heart of anyone I have ever met. If you don't know my midwife Toni then you are missing out on a heart of gold.
I am telling you all of this because my dear friend has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig disease and it is progressing very quickly. Please pray for her that she will not suffer too much pain and that she would give her final days and weeks to Christ. She loves the Lord, I know this much to be true. But please pray for her and for her family. She has 10 children herself and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She has an abundance of friends and loved ones who have been touched by her in all different ways.
I love you miss Toni, your in my thoughts and my prayers daily.

Finding the cheapest deals

Yesterday was a one day sale on Spiral ham at Safeway. We are having Christmas at our new house this year, so we're expecting about 16 people (mostly Rob, me and the kids). The sale was for half hams or whole. I didn't see any whole ones so I thought I would get a half and then my parents could get a half for me, but I talked to the meat guys and I got a whole ham for .99 a pound. I'm so thrilled. The thing is huge.
I think Amy will be proud of me. I also went to Albertsons and bought $26 worth of stuff for $6. I even got two items for free without using the double dollars. I plan to go back for more today. My Albertsons only let's you do a couple of transactions at a time.
I think I did pretty good. I do have to say though, we have spent way more this week than I had planned on but it all goes to Christmas and I have to think of it that way.

Less diapers

Alainna has been doing so good, now we just have to train Logan to use the upstairs bathroom. It seems that every time he's in there she wets her pants.
She went with only two pull ups today. One because we had to go out for a few hours, but she held it for most of the time then told us she peed. Then the next time Logan was in the bathroom and she couldn't wait, so really, I think she is doing great.

Surgery

Well, I'm on the calendar now. I've decided, along with my family, that it is time for me to stop having babies.
Don't get me wrong, If God wanted me to have 20 more kids I will. But I have prayed about this for awhile and have listened to my body and well, my body says I'm done. So I will be going under on January 14th. Happy birthday to me. When this happens I will be almost 39.
I love my children so much and if I were to have more I would love them too. But I am getting older and the last birth was very painful and we ended up in the hospital.
So, I'm asking for prayer. This is surgery and I've never been in surgery except to get my wisdom teeth out. Even though this surgery is done daily you still have to be put under. I'm not thrilled about this but I see no other way. I'm allergic to about 90% of birth control that is out there. The other stuff I either don't agree with or I'm too afraid to try. Please keep me in prayer and I'll let you know if I wake up. :)

Hello?

Does anyone read my blog?

I was only wondering. Sometimes, I'm sure everyone feels this way, I feel completely alone even with a house full of kids. I have a ton to do all the time, but when I sit down to be alone for a bit I struggle with getting my focus on God and I start to feel alone. I know that God is ever present and is always with me but there are those times when He is quiet. And that is when I need to be quiet and learn once again to settle down and focus. My favorite verse is "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
I do miss My church very much. I just feel that it is too far away for me to be involved and I really want to be involved with other believers.
So, if anyone is going to Ikea, jot up the hill and see me. My door is always open.

Confession time

I have to confess, I thought I was saving money. But I found out that I forgot to enter a check in the registry. This is rare for me. I am usually right on top of things with the checking account. So, with that, I feel like I'm back to square one. Yuko! Its not that bad but its still an error on my part. Shopping every other week is so nice. It really has freed up some time. I still have to run to the store for milk once more each week because we don't have a freezer for me to store extra but its still not two hours of shopping, now its only 15 minutes or so. I run in and run out, so I'm not looking around at other things. This helps me not to overspend. WooHoo. I really love the thought of getting out of debt.

Another Day of Potty Training

Well, yesterday did not go as planned. Does it ever? My dear sweet Alainna decided to take a break from her potty training and would sit on the toilet but waited for her diaper to go pee. Finally at night she was caught sitting on the toilet and actually going potty. WOW, I am so proud of her.

Diapers beware

One of the many money hungry things that are a need right now in our house are diapers. We have three, beautiful, little love bugs still in them. One is acceptable because he is only 2 months. The other two on the other hand.... One is almost two so we have begun to get her used to the toilet. The other is 3 and a half. Yes, I said 3 1/2. Who said girls are easier never met my daughter Alainna. She refuses to pee in the toilet. Don't get me wrong, she sits on the potty just fine. Every 15 minutes as a matter of fact. But to pee is whole nother thing. She will sit there and hold it until I put her panties back on then she lets loose. This has been going on for almost a year now. I have taken breaks from the potty training during the year. I will work with her for 3 to 4 weeks then take a month off, this is for my sanity. Now I have resorted to taking away her favorite toy; her doll, her baby, her love. This is only day one, but so far so BAD. She is not going to give in. The doll is not as loved as I thought. Her first love is her diaper. Her $48 a month diaper. Ugggg.
When our children decide to take the road of freedom from sitting in waste we put the money used for diapers into an account for them. This money goes towards activities they will eventually want to do, extra luxury clothes or camps that they will attend when they are older. This is a great way to pay for the extras they want without breaking the bank of the parents.
Everyone has something they need to give up or something that is costing them money that they don't need; smoking, drinking, food binges, too many purses or shoes or even just diapers are some examples. Where could you better use the money?? Vacation, a new car, a down payment on a house. How great would it be to do these things with cash instead of on credit.
Keep checking back to find out if the baby gets to go home or if Alainna really does love her diapers more.

Attempting to be frugal

We have always struggled with money like everyone else. But now with owning our first home and having 5 children to raise, we are now trying to pinch pennies as much as possible. We have always had debt in some since or another, with car loans and student loans and credit cards we are pouring out more money to banks than to our own pockets. We're not hurting in the billfold but we also don't have much of a savings.

This month I am determined to save our family money in ways I have only dreamed of. Of course this is a good month to start. We have a large check coming to us from the VA and will use that to pay off one of two credit cards we have. But with that aside I want to see how far we can stretch an average paycheck. My husband gets paid weekly and I get paid monthly so we have come up with a budget to fit our needs. I hope you have the ambition as we do to stretch the dollar and see where you can save and how you can become debt free.

William Albert

Welcome to the family little baby brother. We have longed for your arrival and finally you are here. I am so blessed with you in my life I could not ask for more. When you look in my eyes I am awed by the Almighty God who has blessed me 7 times over. You are a part of a loving family who will always be there for you. You look like your big brother with your brown hair and all your features. You are so precious when you smile and laugh and when you sleep and even when you cry. I am so in love with you and with all your brothers and sisters. I cannot thank my Lord enough for all that I have.

Welcome William Albert Krieger, welcome to our little home.

National blog posting month

I am new this year. But I thought I would try it out. This is National Blog Posting Month. I have to post for 30 days every day. If you want to try this out and be a part of winning prizes go here and sign up www.nablopomo.com

Timothy

This month is Pregnancy and Infant loss awareness month.

On December 1 our little Timothy was born at 20 weeks after he had gone to be with the Lord. We are still broken with the loss but are praising God each day that Timothy is with Him. We also remember our little baby that was lost to us between Colton and Alainna at 12 weeks. We don't know if the baby was a boy or girl but we do know that she is loved and being well taken care of by our Lord.

We can praise God too for the birth of William Albert who was conceived only two weeks after having Timothy. He is truly a miracle to us and the love of our hearts.

Alainna turns 3

She would love to be 4, but on August 14th my beautiful little lady turned 3. We had a small (very small) party for her. She loved it though. Alainna is a wonderful help with cleaning the house she has really taken control of the messes that are made. She loves to be a mommy to her baby doll as well as her little sister. She doesn't like to eat right now, but when she does her favorite food is olives. I love my little princess. She is very precious to me.

Another summer

Well, its official. School is out. After locking myself in my room screaming and crying I finally regained my composure and went before the Lord to seek His forgiveness and His wisdom. First of all I should not have had a temper tantrum. I knew summer was coming. If you have a child with or have encountered a child with Asperger's you will know what summer means. This is the time of year where my buttons are pushed beyond my limits and where I learn to trust God even more than I ever thought possible as a human. "What's so different with your son than with my child", you ask. With my son it doesn't end even through the night. He is 14 and cannot sleep. He wonders the house through the night sleeping here and there. This alone takes a toll on him and his attitude for the day. Add that to Asperger's and puberty and you have a total mess, an emotional melt down, an angry and in your face with fists raised teenage boy. When I do get to shut my eyes for some rest it is very restless sleep. My heart aches for my son. I pray continueally for him and for his future. I wonder when he will make a true friend, one he can trust. Not someone who says they are a friend but then turns on him and makes fun of him to the point of tears. Or someone who says yah, we can be friends but ignores his calls or his hellos when he sees them. This is not just at school but this is in church as well. Of course my son has no idea they are being cruel. He forgives them over and over again only to be humiliated each time. He says they will change but in the end they never do. And still he forgives. I pray and wonder if he will ever be able to keep a job with the quick temper and lack of respect for authority he has. Yes, we do discipline in our home. We even believe in corporal punishment. We use our discipline to train our children and we forgive them just as Christ has called us to do. It has been said before behind my back as well as to me that I do not love my children because of my son's attitude and his actions. But I know that these people do not see me through God's eyes nor does God see me through their's. God knows my deep love for my son and my other children. They are not perfect nor am I. But each one of us will keep runing the race we are supposed to run, we will look to God as our example and not to anyone else. And when the race is done I just pray that each one of my children will have run with all their strength, all their soul and all their might. May they glorify God throughout their life and thank Him for all He has given them. So summer is here once again. I will try to do all I can to enjoy it and to learn from it.

Lizzy's words

Lizzy has been talking for a while. This is almost a whole year before the her brother and sister.
These are a list of her words.
"Its Gone"
Baby
Daddy Gone
Done
Bye
Lub (love)
Milk
Mine
More
Dog
Puppy
Bird
Car
La la lalaby
No
Yes

I'm sure I'm missing some.

sleeping kids

New yard

We love our new yard. We spend all nice days in it.

Housewarming party/birthday for Colton

Finally

Well, we are finally moved in. We love our home. There have been a few things that we have had to fix and replace but for the most part it is perfect. Since we've moved all of us are feeling a lot better when it comes to allergies and sinuses. Lizzy is still getting her monthly ear infections though. Logan loves his school. He's actually brought all his grades up to a "B" average. He's made friends and has learned to talk to others socially while watching some of these friends of his, so no enemies that we know of. We've already met and have had many conversations with our neighbors. They are all very nice and friendly. Every year they have a block party and the people who used to live in our home were the ones who planned it. I asked if we were to take over now and they just laughed and said they would give us a year to get settled in first. I tried to go to my first King County meeting for CEF last night but I could not find it. After driving around for over an hour I finally came home. I was so upset. I wanted to be there so badly. I hope that the people of King County understand and are forgiving.
A part in our dryer blew out last week so we were without a dryer for awhile. But, my mom only lives 5 minutes from us now so we were able to use her dryer. I took the part we thought was the problem to the parts place that was recommended. They tested it and found it was find but told me which part was probably bad and to bring it in to be tested. I did and it was bad. If we had gone to Sears parts we would have spent a ton of money buying parts we didn't need. These people were great.
I have to say I miss Fred Meyer in Bonney Lake. The people there were very nice and helpful. Even the customers were friendly for the most part. The Fred Meyer in Kent on East Hill however is a whole nother world. The workers are fine. The customers though could use a good mouth washing. I've been there 3 times already and each time the people are encredibly rude and mean . One lady was cussing at my two year old because she was crying, she had smashed her fingers in a door and the lady was on her cell phone and couldn't hear. Why do people have to be so mean. I know its sin but I know many non-believers who would never act this way. And they way people drive here.... I feel like we've moved to another state or something.
I have more letters to write and send out to Pastors today to host 5-day clubs in King County. I'm really hoping to get churches to commit to at least 3 clubs each. We need them by June 20th. Please pray with me as we search for homes to invite children in to hear about the Lord.

This is one family that will never attend another Mariner's game

Last Friday a strip club was opened up only 400 feet from Safeco field. They have a giant electronic billboard that they claim will not show provocative pictures ONLY during kid friendly games. I thought baseball as a whole was supposed to be kid friendly. They also are allowed to hand out business card sized advertisements outside the stadium to anyone and everyone they want. So if I did choose to take my family to a game, my 14 year old son could easily be approached by a stripper with a business card, or how about my 3 year old. I know this happens on the streets of Vegas and that's why I have never gone and never will go to a place where God's enemies are lurking to lure our sons and men and even me into adultery and temptation. You can defend the Mariners all you want but they did not do enough to stop this business from opening up; actually they did nothing at all. The owners of Safeco Field are the ones who filed a lawsuit and then dropped it after coming to an "understanding" that they won't advertise on kid friendly days or hand out anything larger than a business card for advertising. So really the Mariners did nothing at all to protect the kids of the community that they are continually praised for helping in other areas. And what about all the Mariner fans?? I am not one, I am a Yankee fan. I haven't heard anything about them protesting or trying to stop this horrible act of lewdness from happening. Where is the church in all this. When will the church take a stand and shout out enough!!! Just because the Bible says the world will get worse doesn't mean you have to sit back and watch. We, as a Christians should stop allowing ourselves to be lazy and quiet. A Christian is a Christ follower. When you do nothing or say nothing then who are you following? Why are we so afraid to speak out. Doesn't Jesus promise us that He will be with us and that no one can harm us (spiritually). No one can come between Jesus and a true Christian. Didn't Jesus stand for the truth of the Gospel. Aren't we supposed to be like Him. I don't recall anywhere where He tolerated sin, if He did then prove it to me. Why are we tolerating it ourselves. Quotes like, "well, I'm strong enough that it doesn't bother me" or "I just don't walk on that side of the field" is tolerance.
What am I going to do? I'm going to write letters to the Mariners. I'm not going to take my family to anymore games. I'm going to inform others of what is going on with word of mouth as well as writing this blog. I can't afford to sue, but I do have a voice. And I do love the Lord with all my heart that I refuse to tolerate such filth. I won't tolerate these espresso stands in my city either and I have spoken up about it. What are you going to do?

Its been a while

I know I haven't posted in a while. I have been so sick, as usual. I was starting to get sleep at night and now I have a horrible cough that keeps me up all night and Lizzy has another double ear infection. We also have been so busy. We are packing like crazy. We've packed things that we still could have left out for use but we're learning to live without for now. We have 14 days until we sign the papers for our house and 19 days until we move in. I'm so excited beyond words. I pray that our loan goes through. There is one thing on my credit from over 7 years ago and its still looming out there like a bad toothache. But, God is in control and He knows how much we need to move. Also, we gave our 20 day notice here at the townhouse and they won't allow you to take it back. We don't want it back anyway. If you ever plan to rent don't rent from Kalles Properties. They have been the worst landlords. They have not once gone by the tenant/landlord laws and we have had to fight them for things many times in the last 4 years we have lived here. They are also extremely rude and use threats to try to scare us into not filing a complaint with the AG. But, it doesn't work I don't really like to be threatened.
But, for many reasons we are excited to have our own home.
We went to see Timothy's new marker on Easter. Its very beautiful. I wish he were with us. He was due to be born on April 20th so this is a hard month for me. He got to spend resurrection day with Jesus, there isn't anything better than that. I have a newsletter to write and CEF stuff to finish. I'll start working with King County as soon as I finish training the new bookkeeper for Pierce county. I won't have to do the books any more woo hoo. I still need $400 a month in support so I'm praying asking for 20 people to support me $20 a month. I know that God has these people in mind now I just need to find them. If your interested in supporting me as a missionary for CEF then please email me. I'll try to post again soon.

Yum, yum, yummy!

Huge thank you to Amy Woods for the Alfredo Sauce recipe. I made chicken Alfredo with Broccoli in it. I also made Italian bread with tomato, garlic and an oil mixture. Oh man, this was the best. I didn't take pictures. But, I'm making the bread again on Saturday with stuffed Portabelo mushrooms and carbenara (spelling?). I'll take pictures then. Rob was in heaven, he loves Italian food and I don't make it enough.

Another quote from Colton

"Your not crazy, I can see it in your eyes."

Quotes from Colton

"I'm hunting wabbits."
" Take a break mom."
"Putty tat is mad at me."
"I'm in the fly's home."

Have you ever been this busy

Last Thursday I got up at 5:30 as I usually do every weekday. I got Rob up and off to work. At 6:00 I got Logan up and off to school. At 6:30 I took a shower and got myself ready for the day. At 7:00 I made two loaves of banana bread for MOPS and sat down to read a verse and then get some very important CEF work done. At 7:45 I got the kids up and dressed and fed, while doing this I put my own shoes and socks on. At 8:20 I put the kids in the car came back in the house to get my keys and turn off lights then it happened. I stepped on my shoe lace and it came untied, As I bent down to retie my shoe I noticed something odd. I had two different shoes on. I quickly switched one shoe with the right one and laughed the whole way to MOPS. I just love days like these, they help me to remember to laugh and be joyful for all that God has blessed me with.

Here's a quote from Colton "There's too many bugs here."

News News News

We have been in a whirlwind here at our house. Someone is always sick. Lizzy has had double ear infections 2 months in a row. Now she, Colton and Alainna all have RSV. Lizzy and Colton are on Anitbiotics and they all are slowing getting better.
This weekend we mad an offer on another house. We didn't get our hopes up. We've made about 9 offers the last year and all of them were not accepted. But the owners of this house accepted our offer. They sign the papers to accept hopefully today. They are a Christian family who own their home outright so they were able to take a lower offer, one we could afford. Its a four bedroom home, its on the small side but the yard is huge and beautiful. There is a small sitting room next to the bedroom that isn't big enough to be considered a bedroom but big enough for a nursery for when the new baby comes. The house is in Kent on the East Hill. Its an hour closer to Rob's work. We are so excited.
Yes that's right, more news. I'm 10 1/2 weeks pregnant. Because I got pregnant right away after Timothy my body's hormones never went down so I haven't been sick at all. very slight nausea a couple of afternoons but nothing a piece of yellow cheese couldn't fix. If you have morning sickness try yellow cheese, works great. One bad thing about being pregnant so fast is that my Uturus never went down, so the baby has too much room right now and can move around a lot. That's how we lost Timothy. So please pray that the baby will be safe. We tried to keep it a secret but I'm showing a lot. So we will be expecting to have number 6 on September 11, 2010. I'll post pictures of the home later.

Downword spiral or Slump?

Lately I have been in a slump. Some people would says its depression but I don't think so, I have even called it that but I still get up and enjoy my kids. I cannot wait for summer. I need to be out of this house. We have been so sick lately that we have made it to church only once in the last two months. I have no physical fellowship with other believers except at MOPS which is not often enough. I am without a fellow Believer for mostly 24 days a month. I do talk to my dear friend Liz often during the week. But I need to BE with people who love the Lord, I need to be encouraged face to face. I have a lot of things going on in my personal life that need prayer and support. Whether I share these things or not I just need to know that God's people are there.
So, on the next nice day. If you don't have plans let's take our children to the zoo. I'm not talking to anyone in particular but to everyone. If you feel the same blah from the rain and the sickness of winter then lets find a day and get out of the house. Even if you don't have kids you can come. I think I just need to laugh with other moms, watch my children make friends and just fellowship with other Believers.
Does this sound like fun? It does to me.

Tired of being sick

This has been the worst winter for us. We have all had everything that is going around except H1N1. I have barely made it to do things such as grocery shop or running the errands for CEF and to do CEF training. We have had colds, chills, soar throats, body aches, stomach flues, Lizzy has had 4 mollers coming through and the list goes on. I think we have been sick for 3 months strait. Right now I'm writing this while I have another stomach flu or some sort of bug, Alainna and Rob have it as well. I really miss church. If you ever think of it could you pray that we would be well enough to attend church more than just one Sunday every 4 or 5 weeks. My attitude is not that great when I miss church this much and there are days when one of us is so sick that I can't get any time in with the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father, Please heal each one of my family members. Make us well so we can enjoy time with you and with other believers. In Jesus Name Amen.

Lizzy VS. The Cake

My little Lizzy is one today!!!

Last year at 12:29am Elizabeth Francis Ann Krieger was born. She was born on her Great Grandma's birthday. She has been an extra blessing to our family. She is loved and it shows.

Happy New Year

Get off the phone and start driving

My baby was honored

As I was sitting watching the memorial clips for officer Kent Mundell the other day I couldn't help but think of my little baby Timothy. If you weren't aware of it, Mr. Mundell and the other 4 officers who were so brutally killed after Thanksgiving were all taken care of and watched over at Mount View Cemetery. This is where my baby is resting today.

Mr. Mundell was being carried in a white hurse, one of the same ones that carried one of the four officers in Tacoma and one of the same ones that carried my little baby.

The people at the cemetery treated my little precious baby the same way they treated the officers who served and died for the people of Washington State. They took care of him and guarded his body and drove him in a beautiful white hurse to his resting site. They did all of this without hesitation with love for me and my family as well as for my son. And they did all this for free.

Strangers lined the streets to give honor and to pay respect to the officers. Hundreds of people were at the memorials even though they had never met the officers themselves. And they will forever be remembered by their friends and family. Being honored means being respected.
My son to was honored by strangers just for being my baby and he is forever remembered by his loved ones. I am just amazed by the love and the respect the people at Mount View gave us and gave our son.

Smoking and weight loss

Rob told me on December 30th that he was going to quit smoking, Praise the Lord for this. I didn't know that he was going cold turkey though. He started on the first and now it has been 5 days. I am so proud of him. Please pray for him to keep it up. This is his choice not mine so I am determined not to nag him, but to encourage him. One of the ways I am trying to encourage him is that I have started my New Years "diet". Really its not a diet, I've just cut way back on sugars and starches and calories. I asked Rob how long he thought he could go before it became unbearable for him and he said two weeks. So with that we have decided to keep each other accountable for only two weeks to start with. After two weeks we will go one week at a time. We both have to be honest with one another, which of course I'm all for that's one thing that keeps a marriage strong. No cheating. He's on day 5 and I'm on day 4. I didn't know he was going cold turkey until half way through the 1st of the year that's why I'm one day behind. This is a huge answer to prayer for me in so many ways. I'm so proud of my husband.