Hess Family

It's A Boy

2009-06-12T10:01:00.003-04:00

It is a boy!! Asher David was born this morning at 7:51am. He weighs 7 lbs and 14 oz. All are doing well - he has a couple of pretty excited big sisters!!

Stuff

2009-04-15T20:59:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the girls from Easter Sunday. It was pretty neat to hear Autumn running around that morning saying "Jesus Is Risen - Happy Easter - Jesus Is Risen - Happy Easter"

On Spring Break the girls had lots of fun - here is Jayna making a calendar.

Here is Autumn feeding her dogs - she loves loves loves dogs (we don't have any real dogs, she is just feeding her imaginary dogs)

Of course they had to color their Easter eggs.

And finally, Autumn decided to start wearing make up while the girls were home.

This N That

2009-03-26T20:24:00.003-04:00

Just a couple of things from the past couple of weeks!!

As promised - a picture of the girls bunk beds. Autumn has loved being in a big girl bed and the transition has been very very good. They are pretty good to each other.

Jayna had decided that she wants to play softball this year. Here we are on a warmer day a couple of weeks ago tossing the ball around. Autumn had to join in the fun (of course) - she really wants to be a lefty - Yeah!!

Also a couple of weeks ago, some great friends of ours had their twins. Here the girls are enjoying one of them in the hospital - it was so so nice to finally meet these babies and the girls were very excited to hold them!!

And lastly, last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity of travelling to Oklahoma to stand up in the wedding of one of my friends. Pastor Shannon and Sarah were married last Saturday night. It was a wonderful couple of days with them.

Family Fun

2009-03-04T20:42:00.006-05:00

As we are preparing for the new baby - we are also preparing to move Jayna and Autumn into the same room. Part of that preparation is going to be bunk beds (they were delivered on Monday - I will post pictures when I get them assembled and installed - I promise). In the new bedroom decor the girls also picked out some nifty curtains. I hung them the other night with a couple of helpers. Autumn is way too daring and would climb to the top of my ladder if I wouldn't stop her. Jayna had to join in the fun. Here are a couple shots of them being them!! They bring so much joy and love to us!!

Autumn Faith Hess

2009-02-18T20:26:00.010-05:00

So our little Autumn hasn't been feeling well for the past few days - a little RSV, the stomach flu and a fever. So her and Jen have been spending days together while she is trying to get better. For those of you who know Autumn - you know how unusual it is to get a moment like this with her. Jen said that this was her all day yesterday. She was miserable.

On my way home from work I stopped and grabbed something that I thought would make her smile - hard to believe but Dad is still the hero!!

Here is also a picture of Jayna doing a school project - she had to take 100 things to school for the 100th day of school. She asked me if she could take some wirenuts, so I brought some home and here she is counting out 100 of them.

Lastly, Autumn is feeling much better today - after 2 days her fever broke last night (I think that it was the rocking horse - Jen doesn't necessarily agree) so today she was much more herself. Jen decided to go to church tonight so Autumn and I hung out. When she is ready to go to bed Jen usually carries her to her room whereas I let her walk. Tonight she was a few steps in front of me and I walked in her room to this: (of course this is reenacted for video sake)

Dead End Roads

2009-02-17T19:42:00.003-05:00

I have had the joy of living on a dead end road basically my whole life. I grew up on a dead end dirt road that was only a few hundred yards long, when Jen & I bought our first house in Midland it was on a dead end road and then we moved to our current location on the end of a dead end. One of the many joys of living on a dead end road is the lack of traffic which basically allows you to play in the road. Here are a couple of pictures of us this winter including some of us playing in the road here and some of us playing in the road at Mom's.

Beautiful Girls

2009-02-17T19:31:00.002-05:00

Christmas Videos

2009-02-15T18:18:00.006-05:00

Here are a couple of videos of Christmas Day at Mom's house. Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday

2009-02-11T20:07:00.005-05:00

When we got back from Las Vegas we celebrated Jen's birthday. Here are a couple of pictures of our little party. Both of the girls love love love birthdays. They get very excited about anyone's birthday. Enjoy!!

Finally Pictures

2009-02-09T20:24:00.003-05:00

I thought that I better show Jen how to put up pictures again - so here you are. I am just putting up a few pictures from our long weekend in Vegas a couple of weeks ago!!

Here is our hotel - it was huge and even had two Starbucks in the lobby. Crazy!! The 'House of Blues' was also located in our hotel - we enjoyed the World Famous Gospel Brunch on Sunday morning at the House of Blues and saw an incredible children's choir.

We spent the last day there at the Hoover Dam. Quite an incredible site.

We had rented a car for the day to drive to the Hoover Dam and were amazed when we looked back through the desert and could see the whole city. Definitely a little different than Michigan (it was so nice to come back home to trees for sure)

Just a Little Update

2009-02-03T11:49:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I still haven't had time to figure out our picture thing. So for now, I will just give you a little update on our lives:

Jayna's Arm: Her surgery was a success, for the most part. The nails were removed, but it took a lot of time and hard work on Dr. Goethe's part. Also, he accidentally cut the tendon that controls her thumb, so she is in a soft cast for a bit longer to heal that properly. We think she will be cast free Feb. 12th.

Aaron and Jen's Vacation: Yes, we managed to sneak away for a few days and went to Las Vegas baby! Aaron hadn't been there before, and we got a really good deal. We had a super time! We stayed at the Mandalay Bay resort, which was very nice and a bit quieter than the middle of the strip. We were able to visit the Shark Reef Aquarium, House of Blues (gospel brunch), Hoover Dam, Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden, Antique Car Show, the mall and a wonderful show, "LOVE Cirque du Soleil." We really enjoyed being together. The girls stayed at home with Amber. They were super happy each time we called, which made our time away that much better. Of course, it was really nice to come home and be a family again.

Other: There is not much else to report, other than we are all healthy (praise God!) and living our day to day lives. We are thankful for so many things: each other, a loving/forgiving Father, health, "the necessities" and then much more, wonderful family/friends/church family, etc. We do have our ultrasound with the specialist on Thursday. We are trusting God that all is well, and He has a perfect plan for this baby within our family and beyond.

May you be encouraged today: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

So Many Events, So Little Time

2009-01-07T12:12:00.004-05:00

I am so sorry about not posting during break. I tried a couple of times, but I can't get our pictures to load. I didn't have enough time to figure it all out, so I still can't load pictures. I have lots to share though when it does all get settled. Here is a quick rundown of our break/Christmas celebrations/New Year's.

Break:

We had lots of family time, which was WONDERFUL! We built forts in and out of the house, we baked/cooked, we did crafts, we played games, we went sledding behind the quad and manually, we watched movies and sports, we visited family and friends, we even went carolling inside the house (thanks to Jayna's spectacular imagination).

Christmas:

We spent the Saturday before with my mom's side of the family. We were able to spend time with Mom, Roger, my brothers, my sister-in-law, my two nieces and one of my nephews. We actually cleaned house with the family Bingo game!

We had our traditional birthday party for Jesus at home Christmas morning. We read the "birthday story," opened our stocking stuffers, ate breakfast, relaxed and got ready for the rest of the day.

We then went to Grandma Hess' for good food, presents, sledding and more family fun. We ended our time here with a silly string war that caused Autumn to gag. She has such a weak stomach.

We ended Christmas night with a nice visit at the hospital with our good friends Aric, Dena and the babies.

We then spent the Saturday after Christmas with the Messer family. That was a fun-filled time with musical children. Jayna received a guitar, my nephew Kahnen got a keyboard and Autumn sang. It was music to our ears!

New Year's:
We had a good party with the college age crew from church at our house. It was such a blast! We played cards, games, darts and even watched crazy stunts on TV. We all saw the new year come in, including Autumn who was awakened by all the noise. The party ended a little after 4:00, so yes we are old, but we can still hang!

Now life is back to normal. We are back to work, school, mid-week church and routine. It is nice to have some routine, but we sure did have a nice time over break. We do have a couple of prayer requests if you have time in your busy prayer life: Jayna has surgery on Wednesday to have her nails in her arm removed (She is fully healed!!!) and WE ARE EXPECTING OUR THIRD CHILD IN JUNE!

It's a Miracle!

2008-12-09T14:17:00.004-05:00

One of Autumn's favorite songs goes like this: "It's a miracle just to know God is with us wherever we go. It's a miracle as big as can be that He made a miracle of me." She loves to sing this song, and I would say it is very fitting for this little girl.

We had our biannual visit to Ann Arbor last Friday. We started the day with her yearly ultrasound. Then, we visited the NICU staff since we had a few minutes. They couldn't believe how great she looked. Finally, we ended our visit with "Dr. Michelle" and her nutritionist, Katie.

Now, just a little reminder to those of you who have a memory like mine...due to some unexpected and crazy complications at birth Autumn lost 83% of her blood and had to be fully recesitated for 8 minutes. After a few hours, she was rushed to Ann Arbor where they realized her kidneys and liver "took a hit" and shut down from the blood loss. Her liver has regenerated completely. Her kidneys regained 25% of function and that is how the doctors thought they would remain, with eventual loss of that and a transplant someday.

At our last appointment in June, we were told that maybe Autumn's kidneys would just remain at 25% and possibly not get worse. That was great news!

At this appointment, the ultrasound showed that the kidneys have grown and there was fluid flowing through them for the first time!!! They have improved, something that wasn't supposed to happen! Not only that, but the doctors were super impressed with her overall physical growth for the first time ever! Also, her potassium was low (which never happens in kidney patients), so she can now have a small amount of certain foods that she has never had before (potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, oranges, squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, etc.)! WOW! PRAISE GOD! IT'S A MIRACLE!

Now, there were a couple of things that were off a bit: her blood pressure has been running a little higher than they would like, her protein was a bit high and her iron was a bit low. These involved small tweeks in her medication, nothing huge. Also, the ultrasound showed what they thought was a kidney stone, but the doctor said that we were not going there until there was a problem.

So, she still does have kidney disease, but God has done some unexplianable healing in this little girl! I love it when He works like this and the credit can only go to Him! Science and medicine are great, but He is the ultimate physician! Glory be to God!

Thanks for all your prayers over these last two years! Please continue to love Him, serve Him and call out to Him. Enjoy this wonderful season! I know we are! (Especially these snow days...that is how I have time to post this great news!) We love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T11:36:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! We are so thankful to our Lord for not only providing for all our needs, but blessing us beyond measure. We have more than we need in every area. Most importantly, we have been forgiven by a mighty God, we have a relationship with Christ, we have peace, we have unconditional love, we have comfort, we have hope, we have acceptance, we have joy and much more! What more could we ever want or need...NOTHING because we have all in Christ Jesus!

We wish your family many blessings this Thanksgiving! Don't forget to take some time in between feasting and resting to thank God for all He has given you. Enjoy your day!

Finally, A New Post

2008-11-23T21:26:00.004-05:00

I am so very sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. We have been busy with our everyday lives, and I have been too tired to do posts after the girls are in bed (and the daily chores have been completed of course). I have been finding myself curled up next to Aaron on the couch falling asleep around 9:00-9:30. We do have some things to share and will have more with this special season approaching. For now, enjoy the Halloween pictures:

This is the first time we have carved pumpkins as a family. We have painted them in the past, but Jayna never had a desire to do the actual carving until this year. It was lots of fun! She worked hard at getting all the "guts" out. Then, she played in those "guts" while the carving took place.

Autumn had a harder time with this. This is the one time she stuck her hand into the pumpkin only to gag because of the slimy "guts." (She is so much like her dad!!) It was actually really funny when this all occurred. After this, she walked around telling us all what we should be doing. I suppose someone needed to be the supervisor.

Jayna's friend, Rayna helped us too. She is a sweet girl and made the task that much more fun!

Here they are, the three workers and their pumpkins. Each girl with a unique personality, each pumpkin with a unique face!

Justin and Brenda brought the girls over all dressed up. Autumn and Megan were loving each other!

Taylor and Carly looked exceptionally beautiful!

Tucker and Toby came over too! They also brought Sep's dad and his friend with them. I think it is obvious those boys love their papaw!

A House Divided

2008-10-25T21:42:00.005-04:00

Victory for MSU!!! I just couldn't resist posting after our big win!! It has been awhile, and it feels soooo good. I am very sorry to the 5 Michigan fans I watched the game with. Aaron, Brownie, Katie, Jayna and Auti (and all my other Michigan friends/family)-we have switched spots for one year. I love you all even though we can't see eye to eye on this subject! To my fellow Sparties-GO GREEN!

I do have to say that it was really great to have Brownie home and hanging around again! Katie, it was fun to have you over too! We do miss Louie, but we know soon enough you will be home and hopefully over at least a couple of times to hang out. We miss you guys. For now, enjoy the college life.

The Ultimate Reason to Rake Leaves

2008-10-13T21:31:00.006-04:00

Sunday was such a beautiful day! After our much needed and enjoyed Sunday naps, we went outside as a family and played! This is about the only reason I rake leaves. We had so much fun! Hopefully the pictures will speak for themselves. (Aaron was the man behind the lens, so he did not get in any of the pictures.)

Autumn's 2nd Birthday

2008-10-06T21:29:00.003-04:00

Autumn turned two last Tuesday! What an amazing two years it has been. God has done so many wonderful things in this little girl's life! This young lady is often exploring and trying to figure out how things work. She enjoys reading and music/singing/dancing. She is full of energy and seems to love life. Dr. Juarbe said at her 2 year well check that she carries a 'don't feel sorry for me' attitude and is full of joy! I would have to agree. We praise God all the time for the blessing she and her sister are to us! God's plan is always perfect (even on the rough days)! Both of the girls were sick for Autumn's actual birthday, but we did manage to get in the family party the weekend before. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I also encourage you to thank God for your family today and the plan He has for them.

Here is a very HAPPY birthday girl!
She is trying really hard to read this card. Maybe in a couple of more years, Auti.
Tucker and Auti check out the new Mickey toy. This happens to be their very favorite character.
The birthday girl and her sister busy figuring out the new presents.
I am sure she made some sort of deep wish at this point. Grandpa Shutes is glad to help her reach her cake, while Jayna pats her on the back for encouragement.

Time With The Cousins

2008-09-26T21:53:00.003-04:00

Sorry about the lack of posts. We are full swing into our fall schedule, so blogging is something I now have to squeeze in. I do have things to share, so be patient and keeping checking in. I thought I would start with these little cuties. We got the pleasure of watching our nephews, Tucker and Toby a couple of times this summer. Here are some photos from the fun that was had on those days.

Autumn and Tucker each drawing on their seperate boards. Right before this there was a little dispute about whose was whose, but they worked it out and even decided to share a couch!
I think this shows Autumn's territorial side a bit. Toby is being his cute little self, and Autumn has all her toys gathered in her hand because she is sure he's about to take one. I wish sharing came more natural.
I had to take this picture to prove that they were all fed...safely and at the same time. I think this was the quietest part of the day. :)
This was such a cute moment. These two were having a sort of counseling session. Okay, maybe it was just a chat.
They ended their time together cuddling on the couch with their babies. They had just woke up from their naps and wanted their blankies and babies. What sweethearts!

First Day of School

2008-09-12T22:04:00.003-04:00

Well, we are back to school and have been for two weeks. That is why there hasn't been a post in awhile. Evenings are fast and furious. We try to pack in a whole day of family time into a few hours. After the girls go to bed, chores are done and then it is pretty much bedtime for Dad and Mom. The morning comes and the next day is underway. Be patient with us, we will still share our lives, it just may take a bit to get to it.

Jayna began her 2nd grade adventure this year. So far she loves it. She is working very hard on her homework, her Accelerated Reading, her spelling words and her math facts at home. Many of her friends are in the same classroom, so that makes for a happy girl. Not to mention, she really likes Mrs. Zimmerman. Here are a few pictures that were taken before she left for school that morning. (Thanks Grandma and Aunt Allison!) I wasn't there because I was starting my 1st day of school for the 28th time, so I am adding my own commentary to these pictures. I probably have it all wrong, but let's have some fun...

Riley, Autumn and Jayna are excited about their first day. Wait a minute...Auti you can't go to school yet.
Jayna posing for a beautiful picture in her new clothes and backpack. She is all about posing and always has been! What a beautiful creation of God!
"Look, Sissy, here comes the bus."-Jayna
"Goodbye, Sissy. I love you. Be good and learn a lot."-Autumn
Jayna and Riley boarding the bus.
"What, you're really going to leave us here alone?"-Grandma and Auti
"See ya folks! I'm otta here!"-Jayna
"There's no place like Grandma's after school!"-Jayna

Our Little Monkey

2008-08-30T22:08:00.003-04:00

Our Autumn is a little monkey...a Curious George that is. We have always thought this, but she did some things this summer that proved her identity. She has dug deep in our travel bags; found and opened a bag of medication; then proceded to eat a Zantac. (She thought it was candy.) This required a call to poison control. Just so you all know, Zantac is not harmful to most children. It could have hurt her kidneys, but luckily it did not. (This all happened within a matter of two minutes.) She also got a stool, drank water out of two glasses on the counter, played with the glasses and broke them. She thought she was just playing, as she had four little cuts on her hand. (This all happened within a matter of two minutes.) Another day this summer, she was a bit jealous that her sister was having a bath and she wasn't (she had one the night before). Here is what she did...

Placed her stool under the water jug that we use for her...
Pushed down the handle to let the water flow...(the picture was staged to capture what she had already done)
Emptied the jug half way...
And created her very own bath! What a character! We are going to have our hands full with this one. Dr. Juarbe tells us that she is simply making up for the life that she missed out on in the beginning. I agree with him and add that God has given her extra spunk to remind us of the blessing and miracle that she is. Kids...just gotta love 'em!

Water Play

2008-08-26T08:50:00.004-04:00

The girls love running in and out of water (like most kids). Grandma took these pictures as they were playing by a fountain at the Navy Pier in Chicago. They had so much fun! They also had fun the other night playing in the rain. Unfortunately, our camera ran out of batteries as I attempted to take pictures. Then, I decided to just join Aaron and the girls in play, so no pictures. I hope you enjoy these...

Chicago-Day 4 (Last Day)

2008-08-18T21:47:00.003-04:00

Day four included a trip to the zoo with the Timbers family before we got on the road. After checking out of the hotel, we headed for a gas station and some breakfast before we even started for the zoo. 'Sassy' (our GPS) couldn't get us to a gas station so I didn't know what to do (we were very near empty). As we were getting a bit desperate we just happened on a gas station with a McDonalds right across the street from it. OK-We didn't just happen upon this, I know God provided as He did many times on this trip!!! Thanks be to God!!! After this excitement we easily found our way to the zoo. Here are a few pictures of our time there. Autumn and Grandma enjoying the animals together. Autumn loves animals, so she enjoyed this event very much.
Here are the four girls in the pouch of a giant kangaroo. (I should have gotten the kanga's head, but I was too focused on getting the girls.)
The four girls piled into the stroller Kay was pulling. She sure had a load to pull here, but they were having a lot of fun. Thank you Kay for pulling them most of the day.

After this, we left the zoo and got on the road. We left at 4:00-4:30 Chicago time and we arrived home at 10:45-11:00 our time. It was a very fun trip with lots of memories made!

Celebrating 10 Years

2008-08-15T14:41:00.007-04:00

Ten years ago today, Aaron and I began our life together as husband and wife. We agreed in the beginning that we would be married only if we could serve God better together than apart. I will say that not everyday has been perfect in this mission, but we do strive each day to honor God and each other.

I am so thankful that God has brought us this far. I know we are still fairly early in our marriage and we have a lot more to experience together. However, the past ten years have been full of challenges and new adventures. We have grown in our faith and in our own relationship. We have had our trials in these areas too. We have welcomed two beautiful girls and wait to meet a baby in heaven. We have said goodbye to some very important people in our lives. We have endured many illnesses, some major and some minor. We have had financial hardships and many financial blessings. We have seen some friends come and some friends go. We have served in many different areas in the church. We have gone through good times and hard times at work. The list could go on and on. What matters most is that God has been the head of it all. He is the leader of our home, our marriage, our family and our everyday. On good days and bad, we give Him praise. He is our all in all. We still have so much to learn and so much more growing to do, as does everyone. I encourage you to love God first today and love others second. This is what God desires most in our lives. This is my pledge to my husband today...I will love God first and then love you second only to Him. I will strive to honor Him and you each day, Aaron. I love you!

I included some pictures so you can see how time has been to us. Unfortunately, we didn't get a digital camera until Jayna, so I couldn't post any beginning years pictures with just the two of us. Here are the last 5 years...

Chicago-Day 3

2008-08-14T21:43:00.011-04:00

Day three began with an early morning after a late night. Autumn had some trouble being in the same room with us all and sleeping. Therefore, we were all a bit tired as we headed to Shedd Aquarium. We did have a pretty good time though. Autumn did have a melt down after a couple of hours, so she and Grandma went back to the hotel early.

Here are the girls enjoying the fish displays in the very beginning. (Still happy!)
After Autumn and Grandma went back, Jayna and I enjoyed a dolphin show. Here is one jumping in the air. These are the only two pictures I took while at the aquarium. We then went back to the hotel ourselves for some food and a small bit of down time. When we were all feeling refreshed, we headed down to the Navy Pier. It was a short walk from our hotel...
Us girls were enjoying our time together as we began this next adventure.
These girls love their grandma!
And she loves them! (I absolutely love this picture!)
Jayna, Autumn and I rode the "horsie ride." This was Autumn's first time. She kept saying, "WEE!"
Here we are with our friends, Kay, Kaytlin and Talayah (sleeping in the stroller).
A tired Jayna holds her dear friends hand as we walked to our seat for the fireworks. I didn't catch any pictures of the fireworks, but they were really neat. Then, we walked back to the hotel and headed to bed. The girls fell fast asleep. Grandma and I enjoyed some adult talk time until late, but it was so worth it. We had another fun-filled day. (I do have some very cute pictures of the girls playing in the water at the pier, but I will share them later.) Stay tuned...

Chicago-Day 2

2008-08-13T14:51:00.005-04:00

Day two of Chicago was Jayna's favorite by far. We started the day by walking about 1/2 mile to the American Girl Doll Store. You can tell by her smile that she was really enjoying herself...

This is when we first arrived.
Jayna stands next to her doll, Julie. Each doll is from a time in history and has a story of struggle and triumph. Julie is from the 1970s. She has divorced parents but finds joy and happiness in her life despite.
Taylor Morley gave Jayna an American Girl baby to take along with us. (Thank you Taylor!) It was nice because this doll was able to have brunch with us. (We didn't purchase Julie until after we were done with brunch.) Notice the baby even has a seat at the table.
Jayna and I enjoyed our time together at the brunch. I always love spending time with her.
Grandma had a nice time with us too. Jayna so enjoys having Grandma around. (Notice the doll now has her own little tea cup. What a place!)
Here we are at the end of brunch. We had mousse for dessert in flower pots. You were able to keep the flowers, which gave Autumn something to play with and bought us a little more time at the table.

After this, we shopped a little and went back to the hotel so Autumn could have a nap. Later, Jayna and I went back to the American Girl place to watch a play. It was a wonderful play, and we had a nice time just the two of us...thanks to Grandma for staying with Autumn. As soon as we returned from the play, we hopped in the Tahoe and headed over to see Jayna's friends, Kaytlin and Talayah. We had dinner at their house. Then, the girls played together for a couple of hours. It was really nice to spend some time with them. We didn't get to bed until late though. Isn't that what vacation is all about? Be watching for day three...

Chicago-Day 1

2008-08-11T06:50:00.007-04:00

We are back from Chicago safe and sound, thanks to 'Sassy' (our GPS). We had a wonderful time. I think I will share the events one day at a time so you can feel as though you were there...well kind of anyway. Our first day was spent travelling, swimming and dinner at Rainforest Cafe. Enjoy!

Jayna loves to swim so much that it didn't take her more than 30 minutes to throw her things in the room, change her clothes and get the rest of us down to the pool. She then jumped right in. She is a lot tougher than her mom because it was a little chilly. This was the outdoor pool. We had a great view of it from our room.
She had a ball swimming. I had to convince her that we needed dinner to get her out of the pool.
Autumn on the other hand is more like her mom...cold. She didn't stay in for more than 5 minutes. She has the look of torture on her face. This is how I felt too, but I love Jayna too much to not swim with her.
We then walked about 7 blocks or so to the Rainforest Cafe. The girls enjoyed looking at the animal displays, but they did not enjoy the noise. Also, Autumn had zero patience for sitting there and waiting. They did eat their dinners, but Grandma and I took ours in a box.
As we were about to go Jayna said, "Mom it is really raining outside." I replied with, "That is just a reflection of the inside. No wait, you are right it is really raining outside. Let's go get Grandma and find a way to our hotel." Well, we got Grandma and found a nice man to catch us a cab. We then all jumped in the cab while throwing all of our stuff in quickly. Needless to say, we still got drenched. Autumn was freezing the whole way back to the hotel. Jayna was uneasy about riding with this stranger. Grandma and I were laughing about the whole situation. What else are you going to do? I thought it was fitting to take a picture of the girls wet hair. By this time, Jayna found the situation comical as well. Day one ends. Stay tuned for day two.

Jayna's Arm...No Cast!

2008-08-04T07:26:00.003-04:00

Jayna got her cast off last Tuesday!!! She was so happy and is doing great! The bones are healing and look very good. Of course, she had plans made with Aunt Vicki and Uncle Eldon to go swimming that very afternooon. She is such a fish.

Here she is, free arm and ready to swim.
Here's a close up of the arm. The surgery scrub was still on along with a lot of dead skin. Since then, it has come off.
She's ready to jump in.
Here she is swimming with her cousins Madison and Ava. She had so much fun. She says that Madison is a great swim partner. Thanks Aunt Vicki and Uncle Eldon for letting us swim...two days in a row!

A Day With Kaytlin and Talayah

2008-08-03T07:46:00.002-04:00

Jayna has some friends from daycare/preschool that moved to Chicago two years ago. We usually get to see them when they visit Michigan, which is a couple of times a year. This makes Jayna very happy because she really misses Kaytlin and Talayah. As a matter of fact, we are going to Chicago to visit them on Monday, so be waiting for those pictures. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the ones here from their day at the park in Midland. These girls are such good friends!

Autumn loved driving. I think she liked having the control. HMMM
Here are the three girls playing together. Jayna was able to hang in there with her cast and all.
Here is a beautiful shot of the three friends...Talayah, Kaytlin and Jayna (left to right).
Jayna and Kaytlin have been friends ever since Kaytlin was a baby (Jayna was 1).
The girls had fun on the train too. They are silly and cute!

Jayna's 7th Birthday

2008-07-30T07:25:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it, Jayna turned 7 last Monday, July 21st. Time is going way too fast, and she is growing into a very beautiful girl. She is so smart and has a wonderful passion for life. Jayna has a super kind heart. She often thinks of ways to make people feel better when they are down. We love this girl and feel so blessed to have her as our first daughter.

She picked a theme of Hello Kitty. Ms. Donna made this beautiful cake to look exactly the way Jayna wanted it to. It tasted wonderful as well. Thanks Ms. Donna!
Uncle Sep, Aunt Allison, Tucker and Toby got Jayna this fun singing card. The kids went wild whenever they heard "Who let the dogs out..." It was so funny. Jayna got many sweet and kind cards for her birthday. Thank you everyone who thought of her.
Jayna picked a friend to go to the beach with us this year. Katie agreed to spend the day with her. These two girls played so well together the whole day. What a great friendship! Thank you Katie for making Jayna's birthday super fun! (Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when we went to the beach, sorry. We had a lot of fun though.)
Jayna and Katie decided to have a beauty salon for the guys when they got out of work and came over. Louie and Sean were so very kind to participate. They also played a few games the girls made up. Thank you Louie and Sean for being so nice and playing along.
I think Sean was enjoying this way too much!!! Notice how Autumn had to get in the fun too. She loves playing with her sister and Sean.

We appreciate all who made Jayna's birthday so special. She really enjoyed her Hess family time on Friday. Then, the beach with Katie and the Messer family made for a wonderful birthday day. The evening was complete with the guys (Katie Bovee too) and Daddy for Chinese. She does have one more celebration with Grandpa and Grandma Shutes. What a blessed young lady. She has a lot of love from you all. Thank you so very much for loving her.

Congratulations Aaron

2008-07-25T06:53:00.005-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MASTER ELECTRICIAN

Aaron passed his master's exam and is now a master electrician! We are very proud of him! He works so hard everyday and definitely deserves this! We praise God for His faithfulness to Aaron! This is such a blessing for him! Way to go Aaron! We love you!

Sorry

2008-07-24T07:50:00.005-04:00

I have been trying to post about Jayna's 7th birthday, but I can't retrieve the pictures from out computer for some reason. I am sorry. I have a few posts to do, but each of them involve pictures. Maybe I can get it working this weekend. Aaron is going to have to look into this one. Keep checking, we will be back soon.

Our Newest Family Member

2008-07-16T07:43:00.011-04:00

Meet Sean. He is our newly inherited son. While Sean has his own original family, he has decided to be a part of ours too. He says that since Aaron will never have a son of his own, then he will fill the role, and he does this quite well. He fits in perfectly. He and the girls even pick on each other like real siblings. (Notice he is wearing Jayna's pink hat in the picture...what a brother!) We love Sean! We also love his friends that hang out here. (Now Sean will feel like a full part of our family since he is on our blog.)

4th of July

2008-07-14T06:44:00.003-04:00

4th of July was a busy day for us because we were running a garage sale at Grandma Hess'. We had a fun day, but really didn't feel like going anywhere after that, so we had our own little celebration at home. We had a campfire, where we roasted sausages and marshmallows. The kids had a ball playing together! Then, we had a great fireworks show thanks to Aaron and Sep. It was very nice night.

Look at this beautiful smile!
Tucker and Autumn each had their own ride. This cut down on the arguments.
Jayna loves playing with Tucker and Toby. Toby enjoyed the show very much. Here he is raising his hands in approval.
Autumn spent the whole time saying "all done." She voiced it and signed it. I think she thought this would make her point more known. At least she had her grandma for comforting.
Tucker and Jayna sure enjoyed the sparklers. It was fun to watch them!

The Library Cards

2008-07-11T06:45:00.003-04:00

Here they are, two sweet girls with their new library cards. They each got a book and are busy reading. We have lots more to share, so I will try to get to posting. Stay tuned...

Summer Days

2008-07-02T08:48:00.006-04:00

O.K. here is my second attempt at this since I ruined our site with the last one. I am super blessed to be a teacher, so I get to spend my summer days with the girls. The first week was Jayna's surgery, as well as VBS in the evenings. The second week I had a class all day everyday (I need to take six credits this summer to keep my certificate.). Finally, this week seems as though we are starting our summer. I thought I would give you a glimpse into our fun days together.

On Monday, we had to go to the Dollar Store, flower shop and a friend's house. While at the Dollar Store, Autumn provided us with entertainment. I needed something on the top shelf and couldn't reach it of course, so I got a stool and stretched as far up as I could (no short jokes please). As I was doing this, I heard Autumn's little voice, "Caresul Mommy. Don't sall." I had to get down because Jayna and I were laughing hysterically. As you can see, she has heard this before...

Yesterday, Jayna had an appointment with the surgeon. She got her new orange, writable cast. She is super excited and wants everyone to sign it. She even had her Dad's Bible study guys all sign it last night. She is healing perfectly and will get her cast off for good on July 29th! Praise God for healing her! Also, yesterday afternoon we had the privilege of playing with Tucker and Toby while their mom got her hair cut. We had a super fun time!

Today, we are going to the library (if I can get this post done), so Jayna can get her own library card. Then, after lunch we are heading to Grandma Hess' to set up for our rummage sale. Come by on Friday if you would like some of Jayna and Taylor's yummy cookies and lemonade. Here is a picture of my beautiful reader...

*Sorry, Jenny. Your comment deleted when I deleted the last post. Thank you for your sweet message though.

Jayna's Arm

2008-06-21T17:17:00.003-04:00

As we told you, Jayna broke her arm on June 5th in gym class. She had her first surgery that night to set the bones and clean out the open wound. Her arm was then put in a full arm cast and a sling. She spent one night in the hospital and came home. She was super brave and calm before and after the surgery! We were so proud of her! We went back to the surgeon the next week and found out that the bones were not set anymore and further surgery needed to be done. She had this next surgery this past Wednesday. Dr. Goethe put in elastic titanium nails in each bone. He had to make an extra incision than planned for the radius bone because it was off so bad. She spent another night in the hospital. Once again, Jayna was super brave and calm. She has done an excellent job with all of this! Now, she is recovering and feeling better everyday! PRAISE GOD ALL HE HAS DONE FOR JAYNA! Thank you for your prayers! July 1st is her next appointment. This is when she is supposed to get a PINK cast (still full arm) that her friends can sign! The nails will be surgically removed in 6-9 months. Here is what she has been up to lately: cuddling with her sister...
enjoying visits from special friends like Amber and Michelle... working on a memory book with people like Grandma Ellie...
playing school with friends like Aric...
and doing art projects. She also gets on the computer, reads books, plays games and goes outside as much as she can tolerate, along with many other things. This hasn't slowed her down too much, but there are times when she needs a rest. She is a champ in our books!

Autumn and Ann Arbor

2008-06-17T09:03:00.003-04:00

Autumn had an Ann Arbor check-up last Friday. Things went very well. The only adjustment was an increase in her iron supplement just because her iron stores were a little low. Other than that, she is doing very well. She will go back in December for her annual ultrasound and semi-annual check-up. The doctor did say that she can have some more time in public this winter since she is getting stronger and proved this past winter she can make it through some sickness. The doctor wants her to gradually build up an immunity so she is ready for school in a few years. Of course they did remind me that the stomach flu may be a bit more incovenient for us than usual (as it has been this year) because we still have to be careful not to let her get dehydrated. I did ask the doctor if there is any chance that she might be able to remain this way forever (rather than heading for dialysis and a transplant). She said that she can't make any promises, but there is definitely a chance, especially if she continues to do well through illnesses, growth spurts and puberty. We will just leave it in God's hands as we have already. He is an amazing physician (especially when I am reminded of her crazy start to life - recessitated for 8 minutes, 83% blood loss, liver damage, no kidney function, multiple blood and plasma transfusions...) PRAISE GOD FOR THIS MIRACLE! I thought you might enjoy some pictures of her. This child has a personality all of her own. She loves everyone, she isn't afraid to take chances, she rarely stops moving, she speaks a mile a minute and she counts to 20. We lovingly call her the wild child. She is also our little monkey-very similar to Curious George.

She often finds a way out of her clothes.
She likes to wear a hat, on her own terms that is.
This girl loves books! That makes her dad and mom very happy!
She goes and goes until she crashes. She is either up or down, there is no in between.
She is just too cute for words in our eyes. Thank you Lord for our Autumn! What a miracle she is!

Now, please pray for Jayna...she will be having another surgery tomorrow on her arm. We pray that this one works. We know God is in control of this too. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you Lord for our Jayna! We love her so much!

We Are Here

2008-06-12T22:07:00.004-04:00

So here is what is up....

Today was Jen's last day of school - so be prepared for lots of posts in the next couple of weeks.

Jayna fell at school in gym class on the second to last day of school (June 5, 2008) - she broke both of the bones in her arm with one puncturing her skin causing her to bleed. She had surgery that night and will have another surgery on Wednesday, June 18, 2008. More details later - I promise.

2nd Annual Terry Hess Memorial Golf Tournament was a great success with around 40 people participating - Lots of great fun and memories of Pops.

Autumn is going to Ann Arbor tomorrow (Friday) for an appointment - I am sure that Jen will share about that also in the next week or so.

Spring / Summer is here in Michigan - we have been enjoying it very much so far - the flowers are beautiful - the grass is green - the birds are loving our food. It has been very enjoyable around here.

Enjoy a couple of pictures - more in the next week or so.

Major Updates

2008-05-02T21:20:00.004-04:00

I thought maybe a big update on our whole family is due because of my lack of entries lately. I am very sorry I haven't kept up that well. I am hoping this summer will allow me a little more time to take pictures and blog. I will start with Jayna...

Jayna is so enjoying school this year. She loves her teacher, Mrs. Robinson. She works hard and is doing a marvelous job! She recently told Dr. Juarbe that her favorite subject is math. She also loves to read and just recently passed on to the next level in the reading lab that all the students go to. Also, Jayna was named student of the month in March! We are so very proud of her! She enjoys her church activities very much as well. She loves her Sunday School teachers and her Wednesday night CLC teachers. This coming Wed., she will receive all the badges she earned this year by learning about the truths in the Bible and applying them. Jayna has such a loving heart. We so enjoy her fun-loving spirit!

Autumn is growing and changing all of the time, as are most kids at this age. She is quite a spunky gal. She spent a night in the hospital again a few weeks ago and they were calling her "the wild woman." (This is what we often say about her at home as well.) She loves to TALK, go outside exploring, blow bubbles, read, run around everywhere, etc. The girl is almost always on the move and so is her jaw. She has found a love for some new foods too: blueberries, suckers, popsicles, green beans, Italian wedding soup...(she likes to keep us guessing). Isn't this picture of the blueberry face just hilarious?!?!

Jayna and Autumn are definitely typical sisters. On Easter morning, they were loving each other and finding eggs together. They also can't wait to greet each other in the morning or after school. They have the other sister side too...bugging, teasing, fighting, etc. All in all, they have so much love for one another and are each others joy.
Aaron has been working very hard these past few months. He has had to be out of town a lot too. His work at church has kept him busy too. Even though these last few months have been tiring for him, he does it because he loves others and he is very good at serving them, whether it be at work, church, home or wherever he might be. He does find time to relax here and there though. He enjoys playing his Wii, goofing around with us girls and following/watching sports. He is looking forward to the golfing season...that is if his finger allows him to swing a club. He is really looking forward to golfing with Jayna in the 2nd annul Terry Hess golf outing this month.

I am keeping myself busy with home (husband, kids, chores), work and service in the church. I have been leading (more like guiding) a ladies Bible study on Thursday nights. This has been a true blessing for me. I am so enjoying the ladies. They are a joy and God is working! I am really enjoying watching my family grow in God! I am so thankful that is who we as a family choose to serve and honor!

Last Sunday we celebrated the 2nd anniversary of Pops'/Grandpa's homegoing. We spent the day together as a family and with our friends. It was a day of memories, laughter, tears and a lot of love. This is one of the greatest gifts that he provided all of us with. His love was amazing, as was his laughter, bird calls, humor, hugs, wisdom, selflessness, guidance, forgiveness, etc. He was this way because of the Creator he served for so many years. God is love, peace, patience, comfort, wisdom, salvation, all-knowing, forgiving...GOD IS ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME! Thank you Lord for our time with a wonderful man, Terry David Hess. Thank you God for ALL that you are!

Spring Break '08

2008-04-15T21:26:00.002-04:00

Since Aaron was working out of town for Spring Break, us girls decided not to sit around the house and stare at each other all week. We packed up and went on a little trip. We spent the first night with Grandpa Shutes and Grandma Connie. After that fun, we picked up Grandpa Gene and Grandma Ellie and headed for Sandusky, Ohio. This is where we checked into a Great Wolf Lodge and had a BALL! The girls loved the water, all the activity, sleeping in a hotel, playing nonstop, etc. We also were able to meet up with some family in the area and enjoyed dinner with them, as well as some nice visiting time. It was so much fun, as you can see from the pictures.

Here is Autumn wondering a bit about the water.
She is starting to smile a bit here.
Now she is loving it for sure!
Jayna is quite a fish. It didn't take her long to get right into the water and cause a SPLASH!
Us girls really enjoyed our time together. It was great having Grandpa and Grandma with us too. (Grandpa didn't want us to post any pictures of him, so we honored it.)

Fun in the Snow After Being Sick

2008-03-27T12:53:00.002-04:00

Here are some picutres from about 1-2 months ago. Aaron took the girls outside because they had been in the house for so many days from sickness.

Here comes Auti!
Jayna geers up to throw a snowball at Mom who has the camera.
Autumn is having fun in Jayna's sled. We have a very small slope in our front yard.
Jayna thinks she can take her dad down in the snow, while Autumn watches from the bottom of the slope.
Obviously, Dad won this one. (Autumn still watching patiently.)

Easter...New Life

2008-03-22T11:10:00.004-04:00

My sister-in-law sent me a wonderful email. I liked the message very much and thought you might too. Have a beautiful Easter!

Motherhood often seems just like spring. It's a season of extremes. During a spring day, it can be freezing, raining, blowing and sunny--all in an hour. Mothers can be yelling, crying, pleading, and cuddling--all in a matter of minutes.

Extreme mothering begins with the "extreme" wait. We wait, filled with impatience, for that once-in-a-lifetime call from the adoption agency or we count the days until our due date. We wait to witness our baby's first step. We wait to see if the preschooler will ever stay dry.

We long to hear our elementary child read aloud with fluency as they master their first reader. We hold our breath as we listen to our children recount their first day of junior high. We pray constantly throughout high school as our children begin to drive and date.

Then, we wait to hear how they're really doing in college or in their first apartment.

As moms, we also plan in extremes. One minute we've got all our ducks in a row. The next, our children moved every duck until nothing is going according to our perfect plan--today, this week, this month or this year. We live every day of mothering activating Plans B, C, D and E.

We may even plan for an extreme, fun-filled Easter ending up with everyone too sick for one bite of Easter candy. Extreme mothering also shows up in our emotions. We whisper under our breath that we won't live through one more day of a particular childhood stage. A few months later, tears well up remembering that our children will never be that little again.

Some days we're angry with their willful behavior. By the next day, we're so proud of them that we send out a press release to family and friends.

But the ultimate extreme found in mothering involves compassionate, zealous, sacrificial love for our children. There's a she-bear inside us ready to lay down our lives to protect our cubs. We adore and protect our children to the extreme--beyond distraction, distance or empirical data.

This compassionate, no-holds-barred kind of parental love is celebrated on Easter. The perfect heavenly parent sent a perfect son into a totally imperfect world to save totally imperfect people--by sacrificing the life of his son.

Today people still give up the lives of their beloved children to save the lives of others. A few years ago, I read a story in a national news magazine about two sets of parents--one whose son needed a heart transplant and the other whose son died and donated his heart.

The mother of the son who donated his heart held the son who lived and breathed. In the chest of this healthy baby boy beat her dead son's heart--still alive, still thumping--although he died.

I can't imagine the poignant pain, yet agonizing joy, of holding someone else's son whose healthy, pounding heart belonged to the son I lost.

Asking Jesus into our hearts is like what happened between these two mothers. At the time of death, one mother willingly gave up her son's heart so it could beat in another. It's as though our father in heaven did exactly the same thing. God looked down knowing that this totally imperfect mom was worth the suffering and death of his one and only son. He placed the heart of his son into me so that I might live. Simply put, God replaced my dying heart with the living heart of Christ. His son died so that I will live eternally.

The Bible says: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ gave up his life for us." 1 John 3:16.

That's a supreme extreme of a parent's love to give up the life of a beloved child to save the life of another. Why not ask God today for the living heart of his son to replace your own dying heart so you, too, will live eternally? And have a happy extreme Easter--no matter what the weather or too much candy might bring!

-Mary Steinke: Mary speaks at retreats and moms groups, teaches Bible studies, writes many Hearts at Home newspaper articles, and serves on the Publishing Team for Hearts at Home. Before children, she worked in full-time ministry as chaplain in such diverse settings as nursing homes and prisons. Mary resides in Normal , Illinois , with her husband, Harry, and three sons.

Sorry...Hang in There

2008-03-10T21:21:00.002-04:00

I am sorry I haven't posted in awhile. We have battled a couple more illness and the fight is still on. Nothing too serious, just annoying stuff like the rest of the world. God's promise of a new season is very encouraging! Here is a little encouragement for you while you await the spring season too...continue to cast all your cares upon the Lord. He hears them, cares for them and will help you. Stay tuned for some pictures of fun in the snow after being cooped up together in the house. I will try to get them on soon.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!

2008-02-25T13:23:00.004-05:00

We are praising God today! He has answered so many of our prayers the last few days, as He always does. As many of you know, we (like many families) have been battling illnesses this winter. Well, the very feared stomach flu hit Autumn last Wednesday. She spent a couple of days in the hospital and then came home Friday night. Saturday, she was still very sick. We decided to call the doctor on call and did exactly what he told us to do. Sunday, we had to wake her up. When we did, she was having trouble standing steady and was very clingy/lethargic. She didn't seem to be dehydrated, so we didn't know what could be wrong or what we should do. We cried out to God for some wisdom. We decided that we were supposed to call Ann Arbor. The kidney doctor told us to slowly give her some diluted formula with her medicine in it because she was probably low on some much needed medicine. He said if she didn't turn around by 6:00, she needed to go back to the ER. We did what he said and didn't see improvement until about 5:30, and then there was only a little perkiness in this little spitfire of a girl. All the while, prayers were lifted for her. At 7:00, Autumn crawled down the stairs on her own, played independently and even danced to the Hannah Montana song. PRAISE GOD! Only He is capable of turn-arounds like that!

I also was praying that God would spare the rest of us from having this horrible stomach virus. He answered that in our household, at least. (He must have known how spent I was after not sleeping for 2 days.) Unfortunately, Grandma Hess did have to endure the bug. We prayed fervently for her healing, and she has recovered!

God has also restored my health, as I was fighting a yucky sinus thing before our hospital stay, during the hospital stay and into Saturday. Miraculously Sunday it was all gone! Praise His name!

Autumn also acquired a sweet little friend in the hospital. This little red headed beauty was named Allison, which was easy for Autumn to say (hmmm, I wonder why). They both had the stomach flu and underlying issues, so it didn't hurt them to play together. They enjoyed each other so much. It was really nice to be able to get to know her parents. This helped the time pass by.

PRAISE GOD FOR ALL HIS BLESSINGS AND ANSWERS TO PRAYER! Thanks for praying with us. We too pray for your families.

A Rockin' Saturday

2008-02-17T10:34:00.004-05:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, Jayna and Aaron went shopping in the morning. They came home with "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Guitar Hero" for the Wii. Here are a couple photos of them rocking out. Autumn even gets into the dancing. It is a super fun way to hang out as a family.

Who's got the best rhythm here?
Auti and Jayna are super dancers.
This is Aaron's favorite. He's really good at it too. It is fun to watch him.

After all this, Jayna and I had a very special evening together. Watch the video to see what we did. (The "hair" also came from Daddy/Daughter shopping time.)

Snow Day Fun

2008-01-30T08:55:00.001-05:00

A snow day is a complete play day in our home. We spend the entire day being crazy and creative. Here are a few picutures from one of those recent days.

We had a picnic lunch complete with beach towels and this little table in the living room.
Autumn often empties the drawers and cupboards, but she ventured into the drawer this time. This is her getting caught.
Jayna changed her clothes a total of 8 times this day. Here is just one outfit and her idea of an indoor sack race. Of course, she won!
Autumn spent most of the day in these sunglasses. I guess they are more comfortable upside down.
Finally, we have the queen on her throne. She was accepting our gifts at this time. (I think she has seen the "Princess Diaries" too many times.)

The Sickies

2008-01-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Hess Family, welcome to the sickies. It seems as though our entire family has been under major attack lately. Grandma Hess has been sick with a respiratory/sinus infection for a month and she tore her retna last week. Justin and Brenda's family has had the stomach flu and a respiratory thing. Sep and Allison have been through RSV, strep throat, scarlet fever and a small stomach thing. Finally, we have battled RSV, other respiratory/sinus yuckies and now the influenza virus (despite the flu shot). HOWEVER, WE ARE NOT GOING TO LET THE EVIL ONE HAVE HIS WAY WITH THIS FAMILY....WE SERVE A GOD WHO IS BIGGER THAN ALL OF THIS AND WILL HELP US COME OUT VICTORIOUSLY!!!! I only tell you this to ask for some prayer. Also, I wanted to encourage you that no matter what you are facing right now, God is in complete control. His ways are much higher and more powerful than the "yuckies" of this world. If you serve Him, you have access to all His great power. Hang in there, and He'll get you through. You will come out stronger...and healthier. I am claiming this promise, I hope you will too! Lots of love from our home to yours!

New Year's Eve

2008-01-26T09:38:00.001-05:00

I know this is long overdue, but we had a wonderful New Year's Eve party with our college age Sunday School class, and I couldn't resist sharing some of it.

It all started out perfect with our dear friends, Michelle and Israel, staying at our house. As you can see, this absolutely thrilled the girls. We have been missing them since they married and moved away. We were used to having them around just about every weekend. What a treat to have them around again!
The night was hopping as soon as Israel busted out the DDR and we all got down. :) Even Aaron enjoyed this. Isn't he just so handsome?!?!
Sean and Louie even were in on the fun!
Ben is used to dancing with his sisters, so his future sister-in-law was a perfect competitor.
Here's Ben trying to figure out one of the mazes we had around. Some of them were filled with gift cards. These were a huge highlight. There's nothing like challenging the brain a bit and getting some reward when you master the maze.

We had such a fun night. Jayna made it until 12:30 am. Aaron and I managed until 3:00 am. That is pretty amazing for us. Maybe that is why we hang around with this age group...they make us act and feel a bit younger. That is until the next morning when Autumn got up at 6:00 am. It was worth it!

Christmas with the Hess Family

2008-01-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

After our birthday party at home on Christmas Day, we went to Grandma Hess' for the rest of the day. We had a wonderful celebration time. We started with Jayna and Taylor singing for us, followed by Grandma Hess sharing the Christmas story. She had cool props and all. (I am bummed we don't have any pictures of these events to share.) Next, we had dinner, then presents, sledding, playing and relaxing. Here are a few pictures of our very enjoyable day.

Auti with her 'Tickle Me Elmo.' She giggles just as hard as Elmo when he gets going.
Grandma Hess always puts the adults' presents in these very challenging, but fun mazes. Well, while I was working on mine a silly sting war broke out. As you can see, nothing was distracting me from getting to my present.
The kids got these really cool sleds from Grandma. Of course, they had to try them out. They are fast and super fun! Grandma Hess also got the girls these cute matching pajamas.

Here is a video of our fun-loving, crazy Jayna. I think we have the next Hannah Montana here...what do you think?

Our Birthday Party for Jesus

2008-01-05T15:19:00.001-05:00

Each year, Christmas in the Hess home is celebrated as a birthday party for Jesus. We begin each year with a reminder of what happened the night Jesus was born, as well as a small talk about what a wonderful gift He was for all of us.

Then, of course, there are always presents at birthday parties...
Autumn was a pro at opening her gifts.
Jayna didn't seem to have any troubles either.
This "Melmo" (as Auti calls it) couch was her favorite present that morning.
Jayna was pretty excited about her tickets to the Hannah Montanna concert/movie.

Following presents, we had a nice breakfast together...there's always food at birthday parties as well. It was a wonderful celebration! We hope your family had a super fun birthday party that day too.

Christmas with Dad, Ellen and Grandpa Messer

2008-01-01T14:13:00.001-05:00

My dad, Ellen and Grandpa Messer came up for dinner and a Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. We had a very nice time together.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture we got with anyone other than the girls in it.
Jayna got a stuffed bunny from my sisters. She enjoyed this, as you can see by her beautiful smile.
Autumn was very focused on opening her presents.
Dad and Ellen went to Mexico at the beginning of December. They got the girls these cute matching dresses.
Aren't they so precious?!?! Maybe I am a little biased here.

Christmas with my mom's family

2007-12-31T07:47:00.000-05:00

This year was extra special at Mom's because we all were able to be there together. It has been a few years since this has happened. Also, my older brother and sister's families were able to meet Autumn for the first time. It was a great day!

My sister, Tracy, her husband Brian and two sons Carl and Eric came from Pennsylvania. It was so nice to see them. Carl and Eric are such polite and kind young men.
It was nice to see my brother, Scott and his two girls, Courtney and Maddy. Jayna really enjoys these girls. They are so good to her.
Here's Mom and Roger with all their grandkids...Kahnen (with Roger), Autumn (with Mom), Courtney, Jayna, Madison, Eric and Carl
My brother and his wife Jordan with their son Kahnen.
Jayna was very pleased with her new Hello Kitty alarm clock.
Eric played with Autumn all day. He was so good with her.
Mom and Roger enjoying each other and opening their gifts. We love and appreciate them.

This cute video is of Kahnen and Autumn playing together. This is really the first time they have interacted like this. They had a ball together all day.

Happy Birthday Grandma Hess

2007-12-28T08:16:00.001-05:00

In the beginning of December, we celebrated Grandma Hess' birthday. Here are some very fun pictures of that time. The grandkids have so much fun together.

Here is Grandma with 5 of the 7 grandkids.
As you can see, they don't hang out long.
Grandma is great for playing with the kids and making them laugh.
Jayna and Taylor can be the best of friends.
As you can see, Autumn cannot just sit with the others. She is always on the go.

Sledding Fun

2007-12-24T06:37:00.000-05:00

Since we have had a lot of snow already this year, Jayna has gotten to do some sledding. She loves to be outside in the snow. (She's not at all like her mom when it comes to cold weather.) She began her sledding adventures at Grandpa Gene and Grandma Ellie's on Thanksgiving Day...

Down she goes!
Jayna and Grandpa Gene at the bottom of "Messer Hill."
Sledding adventure #2...Jayna and Taylor with Grandma Hess.
Jayna and Taylor give Grandma a hand at the bottom.
Jayna and Taylor pile on Uncle Justin for a ride.

We have such good sports in our family. It blesses my heart to see how willing they are to play with the girls. Fun memories with family last a lifetime.

Ann Arbor Report

2007-12-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

Autumn had an appointment in Ann Arbor today with the Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic, as well as her yearly ultrasound. Not too much has changed in her kidney functioning. Her kidneys are still quite small, but they haven't gotten any smaller since last year. This is a blessing! Her lab work was all pretty good. This is another blessing! Her blood pressure is still quite high, which is not a good thing. They increased some of her medicine and would like us to take her blood pressure regularly at home. We should have our own blood pressure cuff soon. Finally, she isn't gaining weight like she should be. If you know her at all, she is SUPER busy and burns off every calorie she takes in and then some. Our wonderful nutritionist instructed us to put butter on her food so she has some extra fat calorie intake. Another suggestion was to mix a special concentration with her new formula, which is special for those with renal issues. Other than that, they are watching her labs a little more often and want to see us back in June.

After our appointment, we visited the NICU. We were able to see some of the wonderful people who took care of Autumn while she was there. They so enjoyed her running down the hall, talking, playing, signing, etc. They said seeing babies doing as well as her gave them encouragement that their jobs were making a difference. We thanked them for being God's instruments in Autumn's life. Also, a dad of a current NICU baby walked in while we were there and said to Aaron, "There is hope beyond here," as he saw Autumn. I am so blessed when I see God using our children to encourage others. He has a plan and a purpose for everthing. His greatest plan was played out through His son Jesus. Coming to earth as a helpless, dependent little baby; growing up into a man; living blameless in a sinful world; dying an innocent death on the cross. God's plan in all this...TO GIVE YOU AND I AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE WITH HIM. What a loving plan that one was. I pray this Christmas season fills your family with many blessings, especially the blessing of a loving Savior.

Stay tuned to the Hess blog...I am on break and have lots of fun things to share!

O Christmas Tree

2007-12-14T21:54:00.000-05:00

Last year's Christmas tree tradition was done on a pretty warm day in between Autumn's hospital stays. We took Grandma Hess with us and had a great time. This year had a bit of a different spin on things...

It was a very cold day.

I had to cut the tree down because Aaron wasn't able to with his hurt hand.
Unlike last year, Autumn was not contained in a car seat. She managed to lose both her boot and sock in the middle of cutting down the tree. Needless to say, she had a very cold foot.
We still had a great time as a family and came home with a nice tree. (Jayna took this picture.) When we got home, Grandma Hess came over and helped get the tree in the house and standing upright. Then, Jayna and I enjoyed our time putting all the decorations on. Thank you Lord for this nice family time and tradition.

Surgery Is All Done

2007-11-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately, but things have been a little busy around here with Aaron's hand and the holiday season that is upon us. Aaron had surgery on his finger today. He did very well throughout the surgery and after. The doctor was a little disappointed because he was unable to repair the joint like he wanted to. Aaron lost 1/2 of his bone (at the upper joint) when he injured his finger. The doctor ended up putting two pins in and some bone proteins to hopefully help the bone to grow back and fuse together. Only time will tell. For now, he is to spend some time recovering. He will get the pins out in two weeks or so. The total recovery time will be 4-6 weeks. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for him. Please continue to. God has certainly been shining His light on us. I pray your family is being blessed with His presence and goodness as well, especially throughout this Christmas season.

Something to Pray About

2007-11-19T21:42:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't heard yet, Aaron hurt his right hand on Saturday. He was working on the door to our back garage. Well, the spring to the garage door sprung on him to his surprise and got his hand quite a few times. The ER doctor said that he was lucky it wasn't his face and that he only had the injuries to his hand that he had. He ended up with some stitches in his thumb and ring finger, as well as some other significant cuts on his fingers/hand. He also fractured the ring finger at the upper joint and tore a tendon. We went to the hand surgeon today, and he wants to do surgery either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. There is some infection in the wound that needs to clear up before he can repair the joint. Aaron is currently on an antibiotic for this. Thankfully, he is not in much pain at this point. God has been so good to our family through this. We are so thankful Aaron is not hurt any worse than he is. We are thankful he is not in a whole lot of pain now. We are thankful this can be repaired with some fairly simple outpatient surgery. We are thankful Aaron is able to still work at this point. We are thankful we get to help Aaron out a little bit. There is just so much we praise God for. Please join us in prayer for the infection to heal, surgery to go well and recovery to be quick. Thank you for your love and support.

A Little Bit of Autumn

2007-11-08T21:51:00.000-05:00

Autumn is quite a character. She definitely has her very own little personality. In these videos you will be able to catch a bit of who she is. She is all girl, just like her sister. She loves her baby and her purse. She also is walking now, which makes her a super busy girl. Enjoy!

Leaves Part 2

2007-11-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, we had to have another round of leaf raking, jumping and burying. It was lots of fun!

This time Jayna used a real rake.
Apparently, pushing with the rake was easier than pulling.
Now, this is the face of a very happy child!
It's no longer a spectator sport to Autumn.
Jayna and Autumn had fun together! What a blessing to have these two fun-loving girls in the house!

Leaves Part 1

2007-10-30T21:23:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Jayna couldn't resist the fallen leaves in our front yard. She didn't even want to take time to get the rake from the back garage. She decided the snow shovel would do just fine. Take a look at her efforts...

She worked hard at shoveling them into a pile.

She's having a ball!

Now that there's a pile it's time to run...

and jump right in!

Autumn thinks her sister is brillant and can really put on a good show.

Fun With a Box

2007-10-27T07:20:00.000-04:00

It's always amazing how kids like to play with the box more than the toys. Tucker and Autumn loved crawling in and out. It was so cute.

Jayna made a bed in the box. Autumn would crawl in it too and try to snuggle up with her sister. They are so sweet together.

Family at the Birthday Party

2007-10-18T13:13:00.000-04:00

We love our family so very much! They have been a HUGE part of this past year, and we enjoyed celebrating with them.

Grandpa Shutes reading with Autumn

Autumn uses Uncle Justin as a stablizer, while Grandma Hess gets her ball for her.

Autumn and her cousin/buddy Tucker enjoy some time with this fun toy.

Our sweet niece Carly wonders what is going on.

Uncle Sep helps Auti with her toy, while Tucker supervises.

Happy 1st Birthday Autumn Faith!

2007-10-17T22:15:00.000-04:00

We praise God for this past year and all He has done for our family! What a blessing to be celebrating this incredible year full of miracles! This little spitfire of a girl has something in store for her to further God's kingdom. It is so fun watching her grow and seeing who God is making her to be. I love His plans! They are always so perfect! We had a nice quaint party for her 1st birthday. She really enjoyed herself. We hope you enjoy a few of the pictures.

The birthday girl really enjoyed her balloons!

She had no problem opening the gifts! She knows how to get to the good stuff!

'Hmmm, what is this in front of me...'

'Oh, it's sooo yummy!'

'I just can't let any go to waste. I better lick this plate clean. I probably won't get this again for a long time.'

I Tried, Be Patient

2007-10-16T21:16:00.000-04:00

I am sorry, I tried to post a blog about Autumn's birthday, but the pictures wouldn't load. I will keep trying. I have many blogs to share, so hang in there. We'll have some new postings very soon. Thanks for your patience.

Nature Girl

2007-10-05T21:49:00.000-04:00

Autumn is our little nature girl. She loves animals, especially the deer in our backyard. Here's a video of her watching the deer and talking to them. This happens everytime she sees them in the backyard. It is really cute. We tried talking Jayna into being in the video because she enjoys the deer too, but she had something better to do in her room.

Serving in Louisiana

2007-09-25T21:16:00.001-04:00

Aaron is away this week serving his heart out in Louisiana. He, Mark, Dave and John left from our house Saturday morning at 7:15 am. They are having a nice time together, but they are working very hard. They have been able to meet the people whose homes they are working on, which puts more of a personal touch on what they are doing. They are staying at a church and roughing it a bit. I have been told the showers are outside and quite an interesting experience. Please pray for these men who are serving the Lord in this very needy area of our country. Aaron said the devastation is amazing and they haven't even seen the worst part yet. That is to come. Rest assured that Aaron will post more about his trip when he gets home. Until then, your prayers are so welcomed and appreciated. Pray for the safety of these guys, as well as for the people they are encountering and helping. Thank you!

New Adventures With Autumn

2007-09-24T10:29:00.001-04:00

Autumn mastered two things last week: standing and emptying the cupboards. Here's proof of both. She is growing up so fast. It's amazing that she will already be 1 year old this Sunday. We praise God for this past year. He has done so many miracles in her little life. He does so much for all of us each and every day. Thank you, Lord!

Atlantic

2007-09-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

We had a band by the name of 'Atlantic' stay a week with us in the beginning of September. One night, they hung around with us for a bit. Here is what our wonderful daughter talked them into doing for her. Can you say lots of "bling?" These guys are great sports!

Brownie will do anything to get Jayna to talk to him. You never looked better Brownie!

Aaron even got into the pink and the jewerly.

Doesn't Drew look good in his pink choker?

Nate is having a great time, can't you tell?!?! It was a fun night!

First Day of School

2007-09-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

Well, we're off and running...back to school. Here are some pictures of our beautiful 1st grader's first day. She is loving the 1st grade. Her teacher is wonderful, and many of her friends are in her class. She even loves getting homework every night. She is growing up so fast. We are so blessed by her.

She posed for this one herself. I think she is going to be a photographer someday because she knows just how everyone should pose.

Here's Jayna and Autumn at Grandma's with Riley (Grandma's neighbor and a friend to us all).

Can't forget the traditional getting on the bus pose.

Riding Bikes

2007-08-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

Jayna has given up her training wheels! We are so proud of her!

Auti needed a turn too!

Our Future Piano Player

2007-08-29T20:39:00.000-04:00

Lots of Playing

2007-08-27T08:36:00.000-04:00

On your mark, get set, GO! Who will win this race?

Autumn bear crawls everytime she is outside or in a dress. We think it's cute.

Jayna made a bed for her and Auti one day. This is them cuddling in the bed together.

A Ride in the Barbie Jeep

2007-08-22T08:57:00.000-04:00

'Here we go, Autumn. The sky's the limit!'

'See you Dad and Mom. We're off to go shopping!'

'Yeah, Jayna can drive with her eyes closed! She's so good!'

"I Will"

2007-08-15T13:45:00.000-04:00

Nine years ago today "I will," are the words I used as I promised to take Aaron as my husband, to have and to hold from that day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from that day forward until death do us part. Well, I know we haven't been married all that long, but we have experienced better, worse, richer, poorer, sickness, and health in these past nine years. I have to say, I love him much more today than I did then, even though I thought my love could never be greater.

We decided to marry because we could serve God better together than apart (thanks Matt Schantz for that teaching). We strive everyday to serve God better. I have to thank my husband for helping me become a better Godly woman over these past nine years. I look forward to growing even more in my faith with you, Aaron. Thank you for being my leader, my teacher, my encourager, my helper, my friend and loving me as Christ loved the church. You are a wonderful husband, and I honor you today...our anniversary. I pray that I can serve you better each day, as I learn to serve Christ better each day.

To those of you who are married, I encourage you to choose to honor and love your spouse today. God will bless you for that. Remember what a blessing you have in your mate. God wants our marriages to grow and flourish. He wants us to grow closer to Him and each other in the process. Serving God together is always a blessing. May God bless your marriage and your lives today!

Summer Fun

2007-08-15T08:58:00.000-04:00

Here are some random pictures of our summer fun around the house.

The best part of the day is when Daddy comes home from work. Here are the girls welcoming Dad home. We all get so excited when he walks in the door.

Jayna is the dress up queen. She often changes outfits all day long. Here is one of her most interesting fashion statements.

Autumn got her first quad ride a few weeks ago. She loves it when her daddy takes her for a ride! Aaron has so much fun with his girls!

A blurry picture, but I had to let everyone know that Jayna did her first sparkler this 4th of July. She loved the fireworks show her dad put on!

Jayna and Autumn enjoy each other so much! It is a blessing to watch them play together! We love our girls with all our hearts!

Our Vacation

2007-08-09T07:47:00.000-04:00

We took a mini vacation to Houghton Lake a week ago. It was so much fun! We talked Grandma Hess into going with us too. We all enjoyed being together! It was great to get away and not have any other distractions, just fun times as a family. The hotel had a small indoor waterpark, where Jayna expanded her horizons on the big water slide (after much convincing). We also went putt putt golfing a couple of times. One day, we went swimming at Higgins Lake. The pictures are from there. These are the only three pictures we took the whole time. We were just too busy having fun together! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family! Thank you Lord for all our special times together!

Aaron and Jayna walked out to the end of the swimming area a few times. Our girls LOVE the water! Aaron LOVES being with his girls!

Visiting the Condo

2007-08-07T16:12:00.000-04:00

Grandma Connie and Grandpa Shutes (my mom and step father) recently bought a condo in Sugar Springs, which is about 35 minutes from us. We enjoy visting them, as you can see in the pictures. Jayna and Autumn both enjoy the boat very much!

A Very Special Day

2007-08-04T08:39:00.000-04:00

July 21st has always been an important day for our family because it is the day God chose to give us our Jayna Elizabeth. This year, the day became important for another reason. It is the day our very special friends Israel Cox and Michelle (Lewis) Cox joined in marriage. Israel, a long time friend, has been staying with us on the weekends since December, so we have felt like he was a member of the family. (Autumn has especially formed a bond with him.) Michelle has always been very special to us, but especially to Jayna. They spent many "girl days" together. It has been a blessing to watch this wonderful couple grow in Christ as they grew together in their relationship. Therefore, it was beautiful to watch them take the next step in their God led journey together. We are missing them both very much, as they moved to Swartz Creek, but we praise God for their friendship and committment to Him, as well as each other. Jayna was able to spend her birthday as their flower girl. This made her day. She also enjoyed celebrating with Stacie (a bridesmaid and friend) as "the birthday buddies." Thanks Izzy and Michelle for making her feel so special. We love you both!

Celebrating at the Beach

2007-08-03T07:52:00.000-04:00

Jayna shares a birthday with Grandpa Gene (my dad), so every year we go to the beach to celebrate. Here are some fun photos from that day. The girls had a great time! After this, there was only one more birthday celebration left. Stay tuned to see how Jayna spent her actual birthday...

Celebrating with Family

2007-08-02T08:35:00.000-04:00

Jayna really enjoyed her family party. She loves you all and felt very special that day. Thank you for taking the time to come and love on her. Here are a few pictures of that day.

Thank You

2007-07-31T17:13:00.000-04:00

Thank you for your prayers these last few days!

Our little Autumn Faith seems to be getting better. Her fever is gone!!! She is a happier girl too!!! Her appetite still isn't the same, but she is staying hydrated! God is so faithful to us! He gives us strength when we are in need, as well as so many other wonderful things! I love Him more everyday!

Thanks again and stay tuned for more blogs. I am behind, so hopefully you will see a new one every day or so. Love to you all!

Prayer Please

2007-07-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

I know you all have prayed for our family so much, and I thank you. I need to humbly ask you to pray for little Autumn right now. She has a throat infection which is causing sores in her throat and a pretty good fever. She can't take the medicine to help her fight this because it would hurt her kidneys. The only relief she has is Tylenol every 4 hours. This is helping, but in between times, she is pretty miserable. Her fever gets up to the 103 degree range toward the end of the time. (I know this isn't as dangerous for kids as it is for adults, but it still seems quite high to us.) The biggest worry with all of this is that she will not eat or drink because of the pain and get dehydrated. Dr. Juarbe (the best peditrician) said she's not contagious and to carry on life as normal, but she is pretty uncomforable and cranky. We all just feel so bad for her. This is supposed to last 10 days, with the first 5 being the worst. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. We know God will help her through this. He is so good and loving. May He bless you today in a special way as well. Thanks! Love to you all!

Partying with the Girlfriends

2007-07-26T08:36:00.000-04:00

Jayna had a few girls over to help celebrate her 6th birthday. The girls celebrated with a cheer party. It was great fun!

Here are all the girls having some dinner together. The menu was all finger foods per Jayna's request. This is how she prefers to eat everything.

Playing on the swing set always leads to some major fun!

While the are heads apart, Jayna and Rayna are such good friends!

The girls had no problem breaking in Aaron's new Father's Day gift!

Makailyn was helping Jayna read her very sweet card!

Jayna had so much fun with her friends! She was glad they came to help her celebrate! They are very nice and polite girls!

Our New Nephew/Cousin!

2007-07-23T08:29:00.000-04:00

We want to welcome Toby David into our family! He was born on July 19th. He weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20 3/4 in. long. What a joy and blessing to have another baby in the family! Congratulations Sep, Allison and Tucker!

Playing at Grandpa Gene and Grandma Ellie's

2007-07-11T08:27:00.000-04:00

Jayna, Autumn and cousin Kahnen play in the pool. They had a ball splashing around!

Jayna is spraying Kahnen with the hose. He thought this was great fun!

Jayna and Kahnen cuddling on the couch together.

Too Much Summer Fun

2007-07-11T08:13:00.000-04:00

A long day on the road leads to a good nap on the way home.

After playing all day, Jayna decides to use her pillow as a blanket for her legs.

Autumn had too much fun at the park, so she feel asleep just after taking a nice cold drink from her water.

A little biased opinion, but aren't they ADORABLE?!?!

Kindergarten Graduation

2007-06-26T08:19:00.000-04:00

Of course, the traditional family photo!

Jayna looked so much more grown up and smarter after this year! She was very proud of herself!

Jayna and her very favorite teacher, Mrs. Firenze!

This is one of Jayna's good friends, Katie!

The night was made very special by having Grandma Hess, Uncle Sep, Aunt Allison, Tucker, Grandpa Gene and Grandma Ellie all in attendance! Thank you for making Jayna feel so important!

Ann Arbor

2007-06-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

Okay, Aaron is working lots of hours these days, so I am attempting to teach myself how to do this. I will do this entry without pictures, and then try to do some entries with pictures later because we have lots to share. Jayna is sitting here helping me do this. Here is how our visit to Ann Arbor went on Friday:

They were very pleased with Autumn's lab work/levels. She seems to be maintaining healthy levels with her iron, potassium, phosphorus, bicarb, etc. They also were happy that she is still growing. She is in the 5th percentile for height and 10th for her weight. They have decided that she has inherited her mom's genetics for growth and just will be a smaller girl. As long as she continues on this curve we are good. They are going to watch her blood pressure, as it was high again. Also, they believe she has polyuria. This is the production of excessive urine, which is not surprising for her kidney issues. That is why her urine is so diluted and why she is getting up so often in the night...she is super thirsty. We just have to work hard at keeping her hydrated to help this situation. They are also rechecking her protein levels in her urine because they feel they didn't get a good test due to the dilution level. Other than that, we don't have to go back again until December, unless there is a problem that can't be fixed over the phone!!!! They will do an ultrasound at that time to see how her kidneys are functioning. I hope I have covered it all. Jayna has a closing comment, and then we'll see how this posts.

I love Sissy and I like to play with her and I love Mom and Dad.

Sisters Video

2007-06-04T22:10:00.000-04:00

God's Promise

2007-05-16T20:38:00.000-04:00

God has many promises in His word. After He flooded the earth and spared Noah and his family - he promised that he would never destroy the earth by way of water again. At that time he created a rainbow as a reminder to us of that promise. He has many other promises in His word - on that September day last fall when Autumn was born - we clung to many of His promises that day including:

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

On my drive to Ann Arbor that early afternoon we were in the middle of a major rain storm with sun coming towards us from the west. As you can imagine - it formed a beautiful rainbow, but not just a rainbow - a full rainbow (I mean both sides stretching all the way down to the ground - reaching way up in the sky), but not just a full rainbow - a double full rainbow. Yep that is right - not just one but two. It was a great reminder, to us driving south in the Tahoe that day, of God's love and promises to us.

All of that brings me to a day a couple of weeks ago. Here are a couple of pictures of what we saw out our window that night:

Earlier that day we had received news that for the first time - Autumn had no protein in her urine. PTL - God is continuing to heal her (understand that she is on many medications to make these things happen, but we are still believing and praying that God will completely heal her kidneys) - here is a recent picture of our little miracle - does this look like a sick kid to you? Nope - us either. We thank God every day for her life and the way that He is working in her. She is a blessing to us and is loved tremendously by her big sister. I will try to get a video on later of these two sisters, but today I am thankful for God's promises. He also has promised eternal life to all who believe in His son. I can't wait!!

Love Is In The Air

2007-05-16T20:25:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Heather and Curt. In case you heard a rumor - there are no pictures of Jayna, Jen and I doing the 'Chicken Dance' or the 'Hokey Pokey' - but here are a few pictures of that day!!

Dirt Day

2007-05-16T19:44:00.000-04:00

On the one year anniversary of Pops' homegoing we had a dirt day at Mom's house. We had a load of black dirt dropped off and worked in the dirt all day making a new butterfly garden for Mom. There were many friends and family who stopped by that day and we put most all of them to work!! It was a great day of celebrating Pops' legacy. At the end of the day we sat around the dinner table to some wonderful steaks that some great friends brought over and talked and laughed and rememered many of the things that Pops did and many of the things that Pops taught us. He left a big imprint on many people. He is still missed!! For now - enjoy these pictures of our 1st Dirt Day w/out Pops!!

Here We Are!!

2007-05-16T19:35:00.000-04:00

Sorry about not posting in the last couple of weeks. Be looking for lots of updates in the next few posts!! Lots has been going on and we have stuff to share!!

From A Granddaughter's Heart

2007-04-26T19:07:00.000-04:00

Me and Taylor loved to read with Grandpa. I loved him. I know that Grandma is sad. I want her to feel better.

jayna hess

autumn hess

aaron hess

jen hess

Flash Back

2007-04-24T21:35:00.000-04:00

Where were you a year ago today? Most days, I would have no idea, but today is different. A year ago tonight - I was sitting in the hospital in Midland waiting for our new neice Carly to be born. She didn't make it before midnight so her actual 1st birthday is tomorrow, but I wanted to share with you a little bit of that night. You see that night is the last time that I ever saw my Pops. We all sat in that waiting room / hallway / snack machine / parking lot for the entire evening, trying to keep Jayna and Taylor occupied (can you believe that a year ago today my mom only had two grandkids and a few short months from now she will be up to seven - WOW). I had no idea at that time that it would be the last time that I would see him, but wouldn't take that night back for anything.

The last thing that my dad and I did together happened in the waiting room of the maternity ward. We were there with Taylor and Jayna - just the four of us along with another family whose young daughter was in the process of given birth to their first child. The dad came into the waiting room and explained to them (with the doctor) that the baby was fine, but that the mom was still bleeding and there were going to have to perform some quick surgery to help it to stop and possibly perform a hysterectomy. As you can imagine - they were fairly distraught. Pops looked at me and said 'Let's go pray with them!' We proceeded with the girls to grab hands with these total strangers, who were broken, and lift them and their young daughter up to our Heavenly Father. After that time we had an opportunity to talk with them and encourage them and offer some hope that only God can give (He Is Our Only Hope - just in case you didn't know that). Not too long after that we decided that we needed to get our family home as it was looking that Carly wasn't coming anytime soon, we said our goodbyes and headed home. The young girl did come through surgery very well and her and baby were able to go home in a couple of days.

The last thing that I did with my dad was to reach out to a family in need. He led me and taught me for so many years and even in the last few days of his life he was still leading me by example. Reminding me to reach out to those in need - reminding me to offer the joy and hope that God can bring to those who need it - reminding me of the awesome power of prayer. I don't want to try be just like my Dad (he was an incredible man on his own) - but I do want to be the man who does many of these things that my Dad instilled in me from a young age. I want to be a man that strives to please God in everything (just like my Dad). I want to be a man who places his family above all other things in this world (just like my Dad). I want to be a man who trains his children to love God and love people (just like my Dad). Ok maybe I will end up just like my Dad.

Remember my family this week. Pops left us a year ago this week, but he also left a legacy and although we miss him - we choose to honor him by continuing to life our lives in a way that he and our Heavenly Father will be pleased with. On Friday, as we celebrate 'Pop's One Year Anniversary In Heaven' (Thanks Jeannie) we will be sad, but we will cling to that hope of one day seeing him again. You can too - all who choose to accept Christ as their Saviour will also see him again one day. Until that day - we will live the life that we have been given - serving God each and every day (just like my Dad).

Pops

2007-04-24T21:31:00.000-04:00

I Miss This Guy!!

Pictures

2007-04-24T21:14:00.000-04:00

Jayna always loves being Dad's helper. Here we are at Cousin Tucker's house after dad and Uncle Sep finished putting up a yard light.

Jayna got to walk home from school last Friday thanks to the beautiful weather and good friends Matt & Charlotte Kleinhardt. Here are a couple of pictures that they sent to us of Jayna with Kylie & Logan.

Quiet Sunday Afternoon

2007-04-15T22:11:00.000-04:00

We love our quiet Sunday afternoons. This is normally where you find us on Sundays. Relaxing together as a family. Getting refreshed and ready for the coming week.