HELLO 2010!

Happy New Year!

We hope all had a great holiday and are recuperating from all the festivities. We were very busy throughout Dec. with many school activities, church, holiday activities, etc. It was a lot of fun but it is nice to have slowed down a little. We have been so blessed to have such a wonderful family to spend the holidays with including my many cousins and their little ones. I had to include a couple photos of our 3 plus our beautiful niece Maeley. If you can't tell they are into mischief every time they get together! They are all thriving and growing every day.

This next year is going to be one busy one! I can't believe it but Keith and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary! My how things have changed since then. On top of this we will be having a wedding! My little sister Danielle got engaged and will get married on May 22. She is marrying a wonderful man who ,I know, will take good care of her. We all really love Mark and are so excited for them. (though I have to admit I am a little sad as they will be moving to Chicago and then all over the place- he's in med school) Many of us are in the wedding so I am sure the day is going to be very interesting and full of excitement.

We pray all of you are doing well and thank you for all the love and support you continue to give as we try and raise our family is a well founded Christian environment. We love you all and God bless!

Maeley- age 22months, Morgan-2yrs, Carter-5yrs & Riley- 7 yrs

Fall is upon us

Hello all! I hope that everyone is well and enjoying the cool weather. This summer was very cool here in Midland. I think we hit 90 only once or twice. School has begun and we have Riley in 2nd grade and Carter the big kindergardener. Both seem to be adjusting well and learning a lot. Carter is really enjoying school and always informs me he loves Mondays as he has library- my bookworm- and computer. He has proudly brought home projects from school and thinks that everything is a treaure. Riley is the big stuff on campus and is everyones friend. He is in soccer again and is really improving. He is the clown and the cheerleader on the team. He also is doing well and has grown so much- literally. When they are teenagers we are in trouble! Morgan turned 2! I can't believe it!! She it talking and knows what she wants! The next task will be potty training- yikes. I am hoping that will go smoothly. Keith is very busy with work and in on a committe to decide which 4 schools in Midland to close. It is getting close to the wire so things are getting more tense. Not an easy task to say the least. I am getting busier with my jewelry business. I have a few shows coming up and a couple open houses. I have been so lucky to have the positive reponse that I've had! People are very interested in my work and have been so kind-thank you!!!!! Well I hope to update sooner, but I always say that. Here are a few photos from the past couple months- enjoy!

Okay, I know

Hello! I know, know, long time, no blog. I am finding that managing 3 kids and a hubby is a challenge at times. Not a whole lot to report at this time but I will try and break it down one at a time.

Riley- is now a second grader- ahhh! He just finished his first year of all day school and is now reading and writing like a pro. He has grown so much! I also mean that literally- he is the tallest in his class! He loves soccer and seems to be improving more and more. He still dreams of being a farmer and just spent the last few days taking care of baby calves, cleaning up manure (which he loved) and doing anything else to get dirty. Needless to say my dad is one proud papa!

Carter- is now a kindergartner---AHHH! He is my little book worm and can still be found reading and writing. He LOVED preschool and made so many friends- they all became so close. He is the one most often inside, but loved being outside today catching toads with Riley. ( They caught 7!) He also has grown a foot and is trying to read and is writing all the time. My baby is not a baby.

Miss Morgan- is a toddler--BIG AHHHH! Our last one is now talking, walking and actually has hair! She is a sweetheart and loves to give hugs and kisses. She is a big Sesame Street fan and is mommy's helper. She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. She is truly a completion to our family and we feel blessed everyday we get one of those hugs or kisses.

Dad & Mom (aka- Keith & Wendi)- We are holding our own. Keith is very busy with work and a church softball league. We did get to go to Grand Rapids for a couple days in May which was very nice-even though Morgan tagged along. Keith is still City Planner of Midland(thought I should add that considering the unemployment rate for MI is 14%!) and staying VERY busy with lots of meetings and activities. He is often found outside playing baseball with the boys when has a chance though. As for me I am doing all the mommy duties. I was room parent this year and found myself planning all the parties and trying to implement them. I tried to help out at Carter's preschool when I could and spent some time with the preschool mom's when I could. In regards to the dreaded asthma- it still is annoying and problematic. I spent a week in the hospital the end of April but I am trying out a new drug that - I'm praying- will offer some relief. It has truly been a struggle.

Thank you all for your prayers and continued support and I will try and do better with this whole blogging thing-sorry! Take care!!!! =)

Updates

Hello all, I am so sorry that my blogging has been so bad. We have had a rough January and a busy February. To make a long story short, Jan 3rd I ended up in the emergency room (yes, again) with what I thought was aminor astha attack. Well, I ended up having a bad asthma attack and bronchitis so guess who ended up staying at Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall, MI- me. Let me tell you it was far from fun. I had an inexperienced Dr who gave me too much meds, the wrong meds, etc and left me in a very drug induced state. I do not remember an entire week! Poor Keith, he picked up the slack and I must say did a very fine job. We owe a HUGE thank you to our families who have been our support through all of this. They have been there through some really rough days. Another huge thank you to everyone who called, sent a card, sent flowers, visited, etc. You will never know what a HUGe impact it made. THANK YOU!! Okay, so back to the good stuff. Riley lost his first tooth! He was so worried it was going to hurt and it came out on its own. I am just waiting for the rest to start falling out- poor tooth fairy! Carter is loving school and trying so hard to read. He is really ready to learn and I know he with catch on very fast. He is just a happy little dude. Morgan is busy! She is such a girl and loves baby dolls and anything that sparkles. She sings all the time and has 6 teeth now. I am pretty sure that the others are going to be in soon. Keith is working hard and is getting into a busy season. He is loved by the community and has had some challenges come up that he has handled like a pro. We are all so proud of him. So, that's about all with us. We are waiting for spring to come- HURRY- and I'm praying we can go somewhere warm soon! (I need a vacation!) God Bless all of you and we pray you are all doing well.

Merry Christmas- our online newsletter!

Okay, so I have failed miserably at keeping this updated. SORRY! I will try and do a quick update of the past 2 months. Morgan- she is walking and jabbering nonstop. She has become quite the singer with such hits as "Twinkle, Twinkle", "Happy Birthday" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" being among her favorites. I think we counted 5 or 6 different songs that she sings. I am going to try and get a video- it is so funny. She has gotten so much taller and her hair is slowly but surely coming in. She smiles all the time and is just the sweetest little thing. She also had to give us a little scare as we spent the day before Thanksgiving in the hospital. The Dr. thought she might have a bacterial infection but with a quick round of meds and some monitoring we quickly realized she was fine. Carter- wow that kid has grown! I think Riley is going to have a run for his money! He loves to draw and is my quiet one. He also is the one who wants to climb in my lap. He loves preschool and everyone loves him. I sometimes joke that Carter seems like "an old soul"- he just goes with everything, but DO NOT interrupt his Sesame Street! Riley- is always FULL of energy. He bounces everywhere he goes and I don't know how many times a day I tell him to sit or slow down! He is my instigator and my biggest challenge but he has so much heart. He is the first to ask if everything is okay. He is a thinker and always trying to figure things out- this is good and bad! His greatest joy is being outside especially at my parent's farm and taking care of the cows. He loves it. As for Keith and I, we are doing okay. Keith has been busy with work but not as busy as last year- thank goodness! He played softball in the spring with the church league and leads singing at both the Battle Creek and Midland churches. He has really found his place here and enjoys it. The kids love having daddy time and look forward to his coming home everyday. Morgan wraps herself around his legs when he walks through the door- it is precious! I am working hard to take care of the family. I am a room parent and am in charge of the parties for Riley's classroom. So far, so good. I have also gotten into making jewelry and have had a very good response to it. It has been fun. I have had my excitement with an emergency appendectomy in April and asthma issues. Two weeks ago I went in for what I thought was a "no big deal" asthma attack. Well, they let me out 5 days later. Apparently, my lungs were 1/2 closed on one side and 1/4 on the other. They pretty much said it was a good thing I went in. Needless to say my perspective on a few things has changed. My husband, family and friends have been wonderful support and we feel so blessed this holiday season. We have added a beautiful niece to our extended family and see so many blessings around us. God is truly amazing. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and love you all dearly.

The Baker's

Fall is here

I apologize that I haven't updated recently. It has been very busy around here with school in full swing and Morgan walking everywhere! Actually, we have gone right to running! As for my sister and brother-in-law, they are home with my niece! She is beautiful and all the cousins seem to bond well. In regard to Keith's family, all is almost well. We had a great time with all the cousins and they really enjoy being together. Jodi, our sister-in-law, took these AMAZING photos of the kids and some of just Morgan. The bummer thing is that Keith's mom broke her hip and had to go through a partial hip replacement. I am happy to say she is home and doing a little better everyday. We love you grandma! More to come!

GREAT NEWS!

Okay for all of you who have kept up with the Baker Blog you know that my sister , Marcie, and her husband, Josh, have been trying to adopt a baby from Vietnam. Wellllll, God has blessed our family and next week, yes next Thursday, they will be traveling to Vietnam to get their baby girl. Maeley is now 7 months old and ready for her mommy and daddy. I cannot even begin to explain how hard this whole process has been for them ! We are SO excited to welcome Maeley Bao Hydrick to the family. We love her so much already!