Photos!

Hello Everyone! It has been a VERY long time since I have posted any photos for you. Now that I have some time (Christmas break) I am catching you up -- photo style!
By the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!


Peter as Spongebob for Halloween! (we like to say PeterBob GergenPants)


Peter showing off his work at Santa Village


Peter's first Hot Apple Cider. He loved it! Of all the trees at Santa Village, this one was MY favorite...imagine that. :D


We made a gingerbread house on December 23rd. Peter was helping by licking the beaters.


Peter licking more beaters while mom attempts to use the frosting pouch


The finished product...nice, huh?


We hosted my family on Christmas Eve for our annual Fondue meal and here is Peter when we were opening gifts downstairs -- Spongebob bubble bath from Grandma & Grandpa!


My folks got Peter 2 books from the Sacred Heart Bookfair -- one was about the Ten Commandments and one was a Spongebob book. So, here I am trying to show Peter the Ten Commandments book while he is completely oblivious to my presence, focusing on his Spongebob book. Have I mentioned how much Peter LOVES Spongebob?


Christmas Day. Santa brought Peter some big gifts!


Peter sure is excited to find out that Santa brought him all new bedding -- of course it is Spongebob.


Peter checking out his stuffed stocking...


Peter is all tucked in with his new bedding. Thanks, Santa!

Now most of you know that we were hit with a blizzard over Christmas. We got around 20 inches of snow from Wednesday through Saturday. There were very high winds so of course there was blowing and drifting snow. Ben took a few photos on Saturday. It is Sunday morning and the interstate from Grand Forks to Fargo is still closed and the MNDOT is still advising NO TRAVEL. The roads are too treacherous and the plows need to clear everything. We were supposed to leave yesterday for Ben's parents house to do a small Christmas with his family...well, it still doesn't look too promising that we'd even be able to go there today. Anyways, here are a couple photos for you:


The building across the street from us -- check out the drifts that go to the roof!


This is a view from our dining room window.

Ben has snow blowed many times to clear out our driveway...and every time he does, it begins to snow right when he is finished. Poor guy. But the good news is that we are safe and sound inside and enjoying the time we are sharing with one another. It's not often that we get to spend 4 or 5 straight days at home together. It is a good reminder of all that we have -- a warm home that is filled with love.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I will try my best to add more photos in 2010. Maybe that should be my resolution?? Haha. We'll see.

Once again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!! and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Advent Conspiracy

This was passed on to me via email...It only takes a second to watch:

November? Where did that go?

Hello World...

Wow, I don't often say this -- but where has the time gone? For as busy as I have been in my life, I don't think there has been a month that has gone faster than this past November. I normally always take time out of life's busy-ness to reflect -- but I passed up the entire month of November and didn't blog once. Shame on me!

I will admit that I was a work-aholic this past month. Time with Ben and Peter was spent on the fly. The Fall is a very busy season for youth ministry with November being the busiest. I had 2 youth nights, a junior high retreat and the logistical planning for the Sacrament of Confirmation for 48 students. Oh, and a minor holiday -- THANKSGIVING! At least I know what's in store for me next year. :) The good news is I LOVE MY JOB and the busy-ness didn't feel like a bad thing. I guess that means I'm serving exactly where God wants me.

Where to begin? Halloween was a blast! Peter went as Spongebob. Of course my photos of Halloween are on my other computer so those will have to wait a little bit longer. Boring, huh? Peter got a nickname of PeterBob GergenPants when he dressed up! It's so great that he attends preschool in the same building I work in because I got invited by his teacher to sit in the classroom during "spooky story time" and I got to watch them march in their hallway costume parade. Peter got tons of candy of course...His favorite candy is suckers. I don't mind him having them -- as long as he is naked and in a bubble. His hands get so sticky and he sets his sucker down wherever he feels like it....

In November there was Parent Night at preschool (instead of conferences). So all the parents went to school with their children one evening and followed along as though it was actually a school day. Many different children had special responsibilities and that day it was Peter's day to dress the weather bear. It was 40 degrees outside and the weather bear was wearing an outfit for the beach -- but hey -- I guess Peter has caught on to how tough we are up "nort". We got to meet Peter's closest friends and experience all the songs and dances they do throughout the day. Peter is really into puzzles and mechanical toys so he showed us all of his favorites. He absolutely LOVES preschool and we feel so blessed that he is in such an amazing place with an amazing teacher. We love you, Mrs. Hammond!!

For Thanksgiving we left on Wednesday night and drove to Randolph. We got there about midnight. On Thursday we spent the day with the extended Gergen clan and the evening with all the Wellmans. It was so great to see everyone! My throat was sore at the end of the night from chatting! (Imagine that...) Peter did awesome! He found regular sized Lego's (he had only seen the big Duplo's before) at Great Aunt Barb's house and fell in love with them. I think Santa has decided to bring him some of those now... Friday afternoon we left Randolph and had lunch in Apple Valley with some good friends, then headed home. We were home by 9pm or so. Saturday I had to work as it was Confirmation rehearsal. Sunday was Confirmation Day! It was a great mass and celebration. I feel so lucky to have such a rewarding job. After mass we had the first-ever ice cream social with the Bishop. It was a great success and I plan on having it each year for the students and their families! However, later that day Ben took me to Urgent Care where I discovered I have kidney stones. They aren't much fun. That's all I will say about that. On top of it I had a head cold so the very end of the weekend was difficult. I spent the early part of this week recovering. Now that December is here I think I'm doing better!

We are just at the tail end of decorating our house and tree...we are going to try and get a majority of our Christmas shopping taken care of this weekend. I'm finally getting ready to prepare for Christmas. Spiritually it hasn't been a problem -- but I feel a little behind on all the rest of it. But, December 4th isn't half bad...right??

I hope you are all doing well as you too prepare for Christmas. Come back again soon as I promise to update a bit more often. :)

I have no idea where to begin...

First of all -- no pictures in this entry. Our camera is acting up. :(

I guess my last post was about Labor Day Weekend. Since then A LOT has happened in our lives! I remained unemployed through the month of September...thanks to some great freelance opportunities, I was able to stay busy. I LOVED MY TIME WITH PETER! And he loved it too! Ben and I became quite content with my unemployment actually. It was great to catch up on some projects at home...enjoy time with Peter...run errands during the day in order to see Ben every evening, etc. I never thought I would love being home as much as I did. I am glad I had the opportunity because I am confident in the role of stay-at-home mom/wife, should it become necessary again someday.

So, right when I began to feel comfortable, God came up with an idea to shake things up a bit. Actually I came across a quote the other day...I don't know the source, but here it is:
Don't pray to be comfortable in your emotions. Pray to do the will of God in every situation.
That basically explains the new opportunity that landed in my lap.

I got a call from the pastor of our parish on Sunday, September 27th. He informed me that he had accepted the resignation of an employee of the parish staff. He then proceeded to offer me a job. The job would be Youth Minister, Confirmation Coordinator & Safe Environment Coordinator for Sacred Heart Parish. As he began explaining the responsibilities of the position, I kind of tuned him out and had a revelation in my heart. I came to understand quite suddenly that afternoon that God's Plan for me was greater than I had imagined. I had been going through the motions of unemployment -- starting to believe what the government was implying -- your future is in YOUR hands -- YOU determine when, if, how and who will be your next employer. You are to chase exactly what YOU want until you have obtained it. I had subconsciously accepted my unemployment knowing there was a reason for it. But of course, I didn't have a handle on exactly what that reason was. Until the pastor called me.

So I began work on Thursday, October 1st at Sacred Heart. Man oh man I am loving it! I thought it would be a challenge in the beginning -- but in actuality, there hasn't been one single thing that I haven't had the utmost confidence in accomplishing. I guess that means I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I'm sure there will be challenging days and uncomfortable days ahead -- but I guess that means my work will go on and that God has me exactly where He thinks I should be.

Wow, I guess this post has ended up being a bit longer than I had originally intended. What else is new? Oh, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia around the middle of September. In case you don't know, here is a simple definition:
Fibromyalgia is a common condition characterized by long-term, body-wide pain and tender points in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety. (Source: Google Health)
There isn't a magic fix for Fibromyalgia...the best medicine is GOOD sleep, healthy eating, exercise & vitamins. A doctor is able to prescribe a non habit forming drug in order to curve the pain during a flare-up. (Flare-ups are caused by stress, changes in the weather, hormonal imbalances, etc) Anyways, I have been having symptoms for around 3 years, not really putting the pieces together. I just figured I was out of shape and overweight -- causing me to be uncomfortable. Those things are apart of it, yes, but the type of pains I have been having doesn't normally afflict the average out-of-shape person. Fibromyalgia has no real cure, but isn't fatal by any means. Just a reminder to stay healthy and take care of one's self. So I guess that's what I have to do!

Well, it's about time to get ready for work (I was up very early this morning for some reason...). Hopefully I will be able to post more often, now that the chaos is settling down in our lives.

What about Ben and Peter, you ask? Ben is doing great. He continues to love his teaching job in Thompson, ND. He rides with 2 other teachers from Grand Forks every morning so he has a fun little carpool going. He attends a men's group/bible study every Wednesday evening and is in a volleyball league on Sunday nights. Peter is still LOVING pre-school. Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday he comes home knowing more than the day before. All the new learning has him excited! He continues to have around 26 hours per week of ABA therapy and he is constantly "improving". Peter has a few quirks -- but they are minor -- unnoticeable to most -- and continues to be a blessing in many people's lives. I feel so blessed to be working in the same place he goes to school. Not many parents are that lucky. A couple recent funnies:

(When getting a new pair of snow boots and a pair of dress shoes on the same day...)
Peter: Look mommy, I have tall shoes and short shoes!

(During Fire Prevention Week)
Mommy: What did you learn in school today?
Peter: STOP -- DROP -- ROCK 'N ROLL

(Leaving the house one morning after the leaves had fallen overnight)
Peter: (Stops in the middle of the garage) We need a rake!
Mommy: We have to go to school...we can rake later.
Peter: No! We gotta get a rake!

I guess that's all I can think of for now. Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by our blog.

Peace.

Labor Day Weekend

We had so much fun this weekend! We spent time at Cass Lake with my folks. The weather was beautiful -- it's been a VERY long time since we have had such a wonderful and relaxing time at the lake. Peter cried really hard when we had to leave. (We were crying on the inside too!)

Here are some photos of a few our adventures...


Peter's first bon-fire and S'mores!


Let's have S'more!


Peter discovered he's not a big fan of sticky fingers...


Grandpa, Daddy & Peter


Getting some water...


and making our own lake!


Striking a pose for Mom!


Building sand castles!


Peter's first time rolling down a hill!


Thank goodness Daddy was willing to participate!

(I think my camera is going bad because some of these pics are a bit blurry...)

Hope you all had as great of a weekend as we did. Goodbye summer...Welcome to Fall!

First Day of Preschool...My heart goes "pitter, patter"

Well it has officially come -- Peter's first day of preschool! He is a Little Saint in the 4 year old program at Sacred Heart. He will be going Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings from 8:15 to 11:15am. Getting laid off has been a blessing in disguise for me as it has allowed me to spend extra time preparing Peter for this big day and it will give me time to spend with him in the afternoons.

He was a bit apprehensive this morning when he entered the classroom. But after a few minutes he warmed up to the situation and "Grandma Mary" (the older gal that assists in the classroom) began playing with him. We know many of Peter's classmates and their parents so that is comforting to us.

Here are the pictures I took! After I'm done with this post it will almost be time to pick him up! I can't to hear all about it...

Good news...and...bad news.

Good news first:
Ben and I had a BLAST in Vegas! We didn't realize how much we truly needed to get away and be by ourselves. It was so great for our marriage! Here are just a few things we did: saw the show 'Blue Man Group', went to Madame Toussaod's Wax Museam, went on a gondola ride, saw the Lions at MGM Grand, went to an aquarium at Mandalay Bay, ate at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville....oh and so much more! We stayed at the Bellagio, which is absolutely amazing. We definitely recommend it! Also, I have an aunt and uncle that live in Vegas so we had a big dinner at their house one night! They were so hospitable. Thanks, Michele!
Here are a few photos...

Here we are on the plane...


This is us in the Bellagio Conservatory--The decor was great--Watering Cans--we decorated our wedding reception with watering cans so we couldn't resist a photo!


Eating at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville


Fountains at Bellagio


And of course--the famous Las Vegas sign!


Ok, so now I have to move on to the bad news:
We flew in on Thursday morning. I went back to work on Friday. I got there at 7:30am (my usual time). And there's no easy way to say this and I will spare you all the details, but I was laid off from my job. So I am unemployed. There were 17 of us that day...but it just kind of stunk to be riding the high from our trip and then come home to that. I already filed for unemployment and will be getting "paid" real soon. I will do some freelance work from home to make up the difference. (Anyone need anything designed??) Peter is going to pre-school at Sacred Heart this year. He starts on September 2nd. He will do that Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings. I will pick him up and have him all afternoon. Then on Tuesdays & Thursdays we will send him to daycare. We are going to talk to his daycare this morning about changing Peter from full-time to part-time. So that should help the finances too. Please keep us in your prayers as we deal with this transition.

Well, Peter is awake and he needs to get ready for the day! Stay tuned for more...

Yay Peter!

Yesterday when I went to pick up Peter from daycare, his Occupational Therapist, Ally, stopped to chat with me. She informed me that she had done an evaluation of Peter and he has scored in the "above average" range in the Grasping and Visual/Motor categories! He scored in the 68th percentile for Grasping -- about 5 months ahead of his age and in the 95th percentile for his Visual/Motor skills -- about 2 years ahead of his age! This coming Tuesday she is going to meet with Peter and present him with a certificate and explain to him why she won't be meeting with him anymore. He loves routine of course so it will take time for him to get used to not seeing her. Ally told me that she will miss working with Peter because he is a very well-mannered boy and he loves to learn new things. She gave me some information about the letter/handwriting program they were using so we will be able to get it for home. She said he is very advanced in his ability write. She also said that most kids his age can count to ten forwards and backwards -- he can do that but he can also count to 38 so that is fabulous as well!

By the way, Peter's new fascination is planets and space travel. He can name all the planets in order from the sun -- I couldn't even do that. We don't know where he learned it, but now he has mastered it. He always wants to draw pictures of rocket ships and his latest favorite book is Berenstein Bears On The Moon.

Peter has had OT since he was 15 months old. He has done well with all of his therapies but just as he learns a new skill, it seems his peers learn 3 new skills. We have always focused on his abilities instead of his shortcomings, but at times it's been hard to hear that he is "below average" in this area or that area. To know that he is above average in the area of Fine Motor Skills is very exciting! We are so proud of his accomplishments and his perserverence through the many hours of therapy and intervention.

Yay for Peter!

T-10 days!

We are so excited for our trip to Las Vegas. We leave in exactly 10 days. We leave on Sunday, August 9th and return on Thursday, August 13th (our actual anniversary). We are staying at the Bellagio. We are going to the show Blue Man Group and the rest is up in the air...we have a list of all the things we would like to do so we will plan it out when we get there...no strict itinerary for this vacation!

Originally my parents were going to take care of Peter while we were gone. That way he could keep up his routine of daycare and therapy. Well that all changed last week because my mom fell on our stairs and dislocated her right ankle and broke it in 3 places and sprained her left ankle badly. She had surgery on her right ankle last Wednesday -- they put 2 plates and 8 screws in. She remained in the hospital until Monday of this week. Now she's at home laid up...and will be for quite awhile.

Since my dad is caring for her around the clock, he wouldn't have much energy to take on Peter for 5 days. A long time ago Ben's parents planned a trip up here to visit us August 14-16. So we asked Ben's mom to take the train up on Saturday, August 8th and stay with Peter while we are away. And then she will go home at the end of the weekend visit with Ben's dad. She agreed and we feel very fortunate that she is willing to help us with this! Our trip is already paid for so we couldn't hardly cancel it...Plus we have a ton of vacation to use at daycare so we will save money by Peter saying home with her that week. He will still have his 6 ABA sessions and his teachers at daycare said Paula could bring him there for Speech on Tuesday and Thursday. So his routine will basically stay the same -- he'll just get to spend a lot of time with Grandma. I'm pretty sure he will get spoiled... :D

Our days continue to be busy...Ben works long hours and I juggle my job, Peter and helping my parents now as much as possible. But it will all be worth it when we relax at the Bellagio in 10 days...

That's all for now...have a great weekend, everybody!

I love Smilebox

My cousin introduced me to Smilebox. And wow, do I sure LOVE IT! I did my very first slideshow with just some random photos I have of Peter on my computer. I look forward to creating many many more Smileboxes! Thanks, Lisa!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Potty News

Well, it's official! Peter pooped on the potty on Wednesday night. We basically consider it a miracle. Let's all pray that it continues, ok??? We are SO proud of him!

Picture Fun

I have had some time the past few days to play with Peter's pictures! (Being creative for MYSELF rarely happens so this is a treat)

The first 2 photos are actually ones that my co-worker/photographer/friend, Jack, edited...the final 3 are mine. I'll be playing some more I'm sure so I'll post more when they are done! Enjoy...

4 year photos

We FINALLY had Peter's 4 year photos taken this past week! Here are our favorites:































I will be zooming, cropping, color adjusting and adding some cool effects so stay tuned!