Visiting the Daytons

Last Monday my mom and I had the opportunity to make a surprise visit to see John, Darlene, & Abby at St. Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids.  Dar is on her 2nd week of receiving hospice care for brain cancer.  Abby moved to Northwood when we were in 7th grade and we've been friends ever since.  John was my principal from 7th grade through graduation.  And Darlene.....she is one of the sweetest ladies I've ever known - seriously!  Dar is known for her smile, laugh, and bubbly personality.  I am so thankful for the time my mom and I got to spend with the Daytons, it was a very special day for all of us.  Please continue to pray for peace and comfort for Darlene and her family.  Please feel free to follow Dar's journey:

  Dar's Website   Password = Darlene

Tales from the Potty

Harper has a potty chair similar to this picture. When not using it as a potty chair, the lid flips down and it can be used as a step stool. {Which is awesome by the way, Harper uses it to help reach the water when she brushes her teeth and washes her hands.} Last night while she was sitting on the potty, she flipped the lid up so it was resting on her back, she leaned forward, and said, "Look Mommy, I'm a turtle!" I was instantly amazed at her creativeness. I had never taught her anything about turtles before. I asked Adam about it this morning and he said he has never talked about turtles with her either. I have NO clue where she learns this stuff - I'm guessing at daycare because they do teach the kids an age-appropriate curriculum everyday. I am just amazed at how much Harper knows - I'm sure she knows way more than what we think she knows. She says or does something new every day. Her mind is a like a little sponge and I love it!

Potty Tale #2: Harper has been potty trained for 4 months now. Other than the 1st 2 weeks, Harper has worn underwear to bed. In the 4 months, she has had 5 over night accidents, FOUR of them being in the last 2 weeks. I have no clue what has caused this change. We make her go potty every night before bed. And we try to limit what she drinks before bed. We have decided that she can no longer take a cup up to bed with her anymore. I'm hoping that is all it will take to break this habit. Wish us luck!

Easter 2012

Happy Easter from the Nerliens (a week late!)

Our Easter weekend was pretty low key. On Friday night we dyed Easter eggs. Harper loved it! She dictated what color each egg was colored. She was a great helper!

I had to work all day on Saturday while Adam took Harper to visit the Easter Bunny and participate in the city Egg Hunt. As you can tell from the photo below, Harper was not a big fan of the Easter Bunny. The pictures cracks me up - a classic Easter Bunny/Child photo! Harper was overwhelmed at the Egg Hunt - way to many kids with way too much energy! She was able to pick up a few items with the help of Adam - she came home with some tootsie rolls and a frisbee.

My family came to visit us on Sunday. We grilled out for lunch, had a Easter Egg hunt, & played at the playground. Brett even made us a 'Bunny Cake.'

Hope everyone has a great week. Please remember to pray for the families of Abby & Ashley.

Family Time

We were able to spend some quality family time with the Nerliens a few times in the month. We are grateful for any time we get to spend with our families, as it seems the days in between visits keep getter further and further apart.

We all stayed at The Adventureland Inn back in March for Gary's 60th birthday. It was nice to be able to sit around the pool and have a few drinks while catching up with everyone.

I think Gary's favorite birthday gift of all was the lesson I gave him on how to whistle with his fingers. He was as excited as a child on Christmas morning when he finally learned how. He is very proud of himself. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks...just kidding Gary - I love ya!

Last weekend we headed to Emmetsburg to see Adam's Grandma. We hadn't seen her since last summer. She hadn't seen Harper since September 2010! We grilled out and enjoyed each other's company. It sure was nice to see her. Judy gave Harper a little stuffed kitty. She take it every where with her! She even lets it outside to go potty in the grass :)

4 Generations of Nerliens

*Check back later this week for an Easter blog

**Please continue to pray for Abby & Ashley

Prayer Requests

I have a few prayer requests for the families of a few very close friends of mine.

Abby: Abby's mother was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of brain cancer in January 2012. Darlene is currently in the ICU in Cedar Rapids, where she is battling a respiratory infection, fatigue, and increased swelling in her brain. Her recovery has been very slowly. You can follow Dar's progress here. Password: Darlene

Ashley: Ashley's daughter was born 9 days ago with unexpected heart defects. Lia is currently in the PICU in Wichita, where her heart is being monitored. Lia will under go heart surgery in the near future. You can click on Ashley's blog on the right side of my page or click here.

If you so choose to pray for my friends and their families,

Please pray for healing & comfort.

Thank you!