A Hard and Sad Week

For all those who do not know yet I lost the baby this past week. I thought that I was 12 weeks along and when they did my ultrasound on Tuesday there was no heartbeat. The doctor originally thought that I was about 12 weeks also. I had a D & C on Thursday and it went well except the Dcotor found that the baby and my uterus were 4 weeks further along than we thought making me16 weeks. I had a hard time coming out of the anethesia and was quite sick to my stomach. I also lost a lot of blood and so I was very tired and slept a lot. I am doing much better now physically and emotionally it is up and down. I am having all the post partum issues just without the joy of holding a baby.

The doctor was unable to determine the gender of the baby but we named the baby Ambrose. It was a name we were thinking of for this baby and my D & C was on the December 8 th which has St. Ambrose as the saint of the day. It seemed very appropriate. Ambrose means "immortal" which our little saint in heaven is now. I am happy that I was able to keep an ultrsound picture of the baby.

The kids are sad too and have been a big help. My Nate misses the baby so much and keeps praying that God send us a new baby very soon. He was very excited to have a new baby coming and now he is sad. Kolbe has also been sad and has been crying on and off. They understand but they are helping mom and coping well.

God is good and has sent us wonderful friends through our church and homeschooling group. They have been such a help and support with prayers, meals, rides, babysitting, and more.. I love you all and am grateful for all of your help. Our family and friends in Michigan and Jen and John here, have been wonderful too though I wish they were all closer. They have been there in thoughts and prayers. Also the women of the Catholic Mom Community and the 4 Real Learning Forum have been such a support sharing their stories and their love and prayers. Thank you all.

Florida Backyard Fun

Today the boys were living it up in our backyard. In Florida there are lots of fun critters to try to catch. Some of their favorites are snakes, tree frogs, and lizards. Today they were able to catch this black racer snake. It is non-poisonous and they are fun to catch. The boys also love getting bit by them - go figure! They think it is cool to show of the fang marks and blood!! This is one of the many things we love about living here in Florida.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We had a very blessed Thanksgiving. Austin was able to come home and we spent Thanksgiving Day at Mike's parents house. My Mother-in-law made a wonderful meal and we had our fill!! After eating the boys played tennis with Mike for a while and then with Grammy. I was at the pool with the smaller ones and then Mike joined me. Of course it wouldn't be a pool time without me having to go in in my clothes to rescue Christian- lol!

Friday after Thanksgiving we hung out and Austin, Mikey, R.J., and Ben went to a movie together . They had lots of fun. Today - Saturday - we went bowling with my sister Jenny, my brother-in-law John, and my nephew Jacob. We had soo much fun. We had lunch out and then relaxed a bit before getting Austin to the airport.

We also had exciting news to share with everyone this Thanksgiving. We are having our 9th baby in June. My due date is June 16th!! I can't believe I am 12 weeks along already. We are very happy and the kids are thrilled. We are looking forward to finding out if it is a sister for Maggie or another brother for the boys. Time will tell.

Ben's 8th Birthday

Today is Ben's 8th birthday. He was born at 3:59 in the afternoon. I remember I was soo sure he was a girl because I had gained so little weight compared to the other 3 pregnancies. I guess I let a lot of people know because I was asked more than once if I was alright with the fact that he was a boy. Of course I was!! God had blessed me with a beautiful and healthy baby and I was soo glad he was finally born.

Ben is our sweet and intellectual boy. He is smart and loves to hang out and do puzzles. He has started to really enjoy soccer. He is also good at reading and baseball. We are very happy Benedict Gregory is a part of our family. Happy birthday, Ben!!!

God is good

There have been many struggles for our family over the past few years. We have seen strokes, loss of jobs, loss of our home, miscarriages, etc.... I have stuggled during this time with feelings of despair, anger, and fear. They have all stemmed from pride and not trusting enough. God has been leading me on a journey of faith. He has been stretching me and helping me to grow. He has led us to tithe faithfully again, to trust Him with all of my hopes and fears, to depend on Him to care for our needs even when it seems impossible, to being a better wife and mother. Through it all He has been showing me that He does love me even when I do not feel it and that he will care for me and those I love.


This weekend was a huge example of God's faithfulness and love. This Friday Mike's paycheck was lower than expected and I struggled with the dilema of not putting the money in the checking account to cover the bills and just buying groceries or instead making do with the food we have this week and putting the money in so no checks would bounce. I must say in the past the pattern - out of lack of trust - has been to let the checks bounce and just buy food. Well, I felt convicted to tithe and put the rest of the money needed into the checking account so we would not end up in the hole. That left me with $10 for groceries. I told the boys we would have to eat what we had and that it would not be a fancy week but we would not go hungry. They are struggling a little without their desserts and extras but they are fed.

As a result of this leap - and I do not say leap lightly - of faith God has blessed us abundantly this weekend. I have seen His hand in providing the money for a bill that I was not sure how it would be paid, by Mike selling a car to customers yesterday that no one else - even the veterans - have been able to sell a car to and by given me extraordinary peace in the given trial. Another example shows he cares not only for our needs but the desires of our hearts.

At Mike's work the boss is paying for the employees interested to go to the gym 3-4 days a week with a personal trainer and get fit. He has split them into teams and they exercise and diet together. Mike is looking sooo good. Well Mike told me that a few of the women dropped out and that Mr. Marazzi had already paid $1,700 a person for them to get fit. I told Mike I would take one of their spots if Mr. Marazzi would let me. Last night we went to the employee softball game between New Cars and Used Cars. While there I was speaking to Mr. Marazzi and Mike prompted me to ask him for my desire. I told him that if he didn't mind I would love to take the place of one of the women who quit the challenge so his money would not go to waste and I want to get fit again after having Maggie. Right away he said yes!!! He told me to talk to Bonnie in HR and work it all out. Of course the next step was someone to care for the kids while I was exercising. Timing was crucial as a lot of us homeschool so their kids wouldn't be free until later in the day. God has shown his infinite care for me by providing my gym times for 5:00 - 6:00pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's. I called one of our favorite sitters and he can do it!! It worked out just like that - a breeze.

God does love us and He calls us everyday - in the good and the bad - to remain faithful and trusting. I am a leader and struggle to follow. I do not like abrupt changes and have had many over the past 4 years. I like to be the head man in charge!!! God has lead me to follow him and Mike instead of leading all the time. This is not to say that I am perfect at it and I always do the right thing. It means that I am a work in progress and God has shown me that He does love me no matter what and that He is always there holding me up whenever the burdens are heavy and I fall.

Thnak you Lord for all of your provisions and for loving more than I can imagine. Amen

September has brought us two fun birthdays. On September 20th it was Christian's 3rd birthdy and on September 26th it was Maggie's 1st birthday! The time goes by soo fast. For Christian's birthday we went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - The Ligthhouse Crab - with my sister Chris who was visiting from Michigan. We came home and had cake, ice cream, and opened presents.

For Maggie's birthday we had two parties. We had a small party in the late afternoon with a few girls I worked with at Friday's. Then after dinner we had some of our friends and their kids over for more cake, ice cream, and presents. We had soo much fun celebrating this month and enjoying all the changes in our kids over the past year.

Christian has gotten soo big and has begun to talk so well. He went from being a little guy to a big boy! He is oo sweet and will hug anone who he sees. He is just starting the potty training process and he loves playing with his big brothers. Maggie has changed by leaps and bounds as all babys do in their first year of life. She loves to walk and run, if she can, everywhere and be in everyone's business. She is adorable and at the same time she is too much like me - haha! We are grateful for these two blessings that were given to us in Spetmeber.

Go Blue

With the University of Michigan vs. Notre Dame game today it was appropriate to dress Maggie in her U of M finery! She will wear this outfit with pride every big game day. We may not live in Michigan anymore but we still bleed maize and blue. Go Blue!!!

The Van is Fixed!!!

Thank you Lord- I am mobile again!! I must share with you the story of the miracle of getting our van fixed. Four months ago on April 23rd I posted on here how our van broke down on the way home form church. Well it looked intitally like the problem would be an easy fix. We would soon learn that the engine had died!! It had 235,ooo miles on it and it just was done. Well - at the time there just wasn't money to fix it. We knew it would be worth fixing as it is a good van, it just had lots of miles on it. We also knew that a new engine would go just as long. We waited and waited patiently - ok sort of - for extra money to get the van fixed. After many months I started to ask St. Rita for help - she is the saint of the impossible. I also began asking for your prayers. Well - it worked. God is so good and faithful. With the help of some wonderful friends in our homeschooling group who offered to help by taking up a collection we were able to get enough together to get our van fixed. Sunday was the first time in 4 months that we were able to drive to church together instead of making two trips or taking two spearate vehicles. The boys, Mike, and I were so happy and grateful. Thanks for helping us everyone and Praise God for the way he cares for even the smallest needs we have.

Big Boy haircut

Well - we finally broke down and cut Christian's hair. He was sooo cute with all his blode curls. In the first picture you can see them a little. His hair was longer and curlier than that . We decided he was starting to look girly so it was time. He now looks soooo big with his haircut. He is adorable as ever though.

Adding comments on my blog

Hi All - Some of you have had problems posting comments. Well - I fixed the problem in my security settings so any of you may now leave me comments. Love ya all - Me

My Big Girl

I can hardly believe how big Maggie has gotten. There are pictures of her in her first pretty pink nightgown. She looks so big walking around in her nightie. The other two pictures are just pics I took of her last Sunday. She was hating the adorable shoes because they are hard for her to walk in. She is a full time walker now and is getting her fourth tooth. She has also learned how to climb up the ladder to the boys bunk beds - YIKES!! Time goes by sooo fast. She will be one in a month and a half! Hope you all like the photos and I will be posting again soon.

Update

Hi Everyone - Since it has been a while I have decided to put a post on here. The Watson house is full of life and energy as usual. This past weekend my brother Matt was here from Michigan and bought a car from Mike. It was a short but wonderful visit. I miss my family and friends in Michigan and always love seeing them.

The boys are just hanging out this summer and waiting for the school year to begin in a few weeks. They are all done with sports for now, but we are hoping to get up and running in the Fall by trying out some new sports like soccer and basketball. Austin has returned from Rochester and the USA Develpoment Camp. It went well and resulted in him receiving a profile sheet from the USA National Developent Program. He filled it out and sent it in and then they will scout him this year. He goes to camp in Traverse City next week. Maggie is now 10 months old and takes a few steps at a time on her own. I can hardy believe she is almost one. Oh where does the time go!!

Asfar as life here not much is new. Mike is working hard selling Toyotas at the largest Toyota dealership in Southwest Florida. He is doing well. We are praying for a couple of miracles though and would appreciate if you could join us in praying that - 1) our van could be fixed. The engine went on it 3 month ago and we just do not have the extra to pay for the repair. Please pary that God provides for this. It is very hard on myself and the boys since we can't go anywhere and school activities will be starting soon. I also worry about if there is an emergency adn I have to leave... 2) Pray for money for school books. I need to purchse them soon and as of now just do not have the money. God is good and I know he will provide. Please pray that we are able to purchase our books in a timely manner. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and prayers. I know these may seem minor but they comsume my thoughts as I try to figure out where to find the money for these two major areas.

The Naples Zoo

Hi To All - Yesterday was a great day for the Watson Clan. We took a trip to the Naples Zoo. Mike was given free tickets for the whole family! We arrived there at 10:00am and stayed until 3:30pm. We saw all kinds of cool animals like lemurs, spider monkeys, IndoChinese Tigers, Lions, Panthers, snakes of all kinds, the Alligators being fed chickens, and much more!!! The kids had sooo much fun as did Mike and I. Here are a few Pictures. From top Left clockwise - Maggie enjoying the view from the Monkey Cruise we took - the boys waiting in line for the cruise - Mike, Mikey, Austin, Ben and Christian - Austin trying to get Christian to pet the snake while Kolbe tries to decide if he should take a turn :)

Maggie is Nine Months Old!!

Can you believe it? maggie is already 9 months old!! It has gone by so quickly. She is such a sweet baby. She is trying to stand on her own and can do so for about 15-30 seconds at a time. She is also eating lots of new things, saying "Mama" and "Dada" and making all kinds of noises, and cutting her third tooth. As you can imagine she is adored by all in our house and we are enjoying watching her grow.

Austin Going To Rochester New York

Hi everyone! I wanted to let you all know that Austin has made the USA 14 team for the Hockey Festival In Rochester New York! He worked very hard to make this team and we are extrememly proud of him. He willl be going in July to the week long hockey Festival as a representative of USA Hockey! Good job son!

true love

Boy am I jealous!! I had no idea Maggie could give kisses and last night she was kissing Mike and loving on him:) Just goes to show the bond between a daddy and his Little girl!!

The Hair cut

Hi All - I just got a hair cut about a week and a half ago. As many of you know I usually keep my hair long. It was down to my bra - the middle of my back. I got about 5 inches cut off. I love having a hair style and not having to put it up. Of course the hubby is not too thrilled that it is short and some of my sons do not like it either. What is it with men and long hair?!! I hope you all like it and I hope to see or hear from all of you soon. This week is our last wek of school - HURRAY!!! We are so happy to be done and getting on with summer. Hopefully we will have time to get together with some of you and just hang out:)

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers I know. I am very blessed to be surrounded by my mother, my mother-in-law, and many faithful Catholic Mothers who love God and their families!! I hope this finds all in good health. I hope you all have a very restful and joyful Mother's Day.

Mom's Night Out

Last night I went to Mom's Night Out with the women from our homeschooling group - the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What an incredible group of women who love and serve the Lord. I felt so loved and like I was sitting at women's group back in Michigan. We honored Val for her hard work as principle and we had a baby shower for Val and Lourdes. Unfrotunately Lourdes could not make it as she was caring for Lucia Corrina, but we sure missed her. What fun we had playing games, sharing, and just being there for and with each other. Thanks so much for being there for me and for being my friends. I can't wait to go to the prayer meeting next Thursday!! Love you all and have a great summer :)

Ben's First Holy Communion

Yesterday - 5/6/06 - we celebrated Ben's First Holy Communion with family and friends. Ben did such a great job and was very handsome. My husbands parents- Grammy and Grandpa -were able to join us. My family joined us in prayer and in spirit. We enjoyed a wonderful celebration with pizza, fruit, veggies, snacks, cake, and pop. I am always amazed at how grown up my children seem when they make their First Communions. I was teary eyed as I thought about how blessed we are to have our children receive the real body and blood of our Lord. Thanks to all who prayed for our family during this wonderful and grace filled time and thanks to all who came to celebrate with us.

May the month of Mary

Good Morning everyone. Well it is actually May 1st already!! Time sure flies when you are busy. May is the month of Mary and is a good time to remember Mary's obedience to God and her goodness to all of us. It is also a good time to renew our dedication to the Rosary and begin praying the Rosary again or continue saying it. I can hardly believe that spring is in full force and school is almost done. I hope everyone utilizes the blessings in store through the intercession of Our Lady. Please keep in your prayers all of those in Lehigh Acres, Florida. Two ten year old boys started a huge brush fire there which destroyed 25 homes and burned over 2,000 acres. 1,000 people are without power still. Luckily my sister Jenny and her family were not in the line of the fires though they live in Lehigh Acres. All of the homeschooling families we know that live there were also spared - Praise God. Please continue to pray for Ben as his First Communion approaches on Saturday. Love ya all and have a great week.

TGIF

I must say - I am sooo glad it is Friday. As the school year ends we are more than ready to be finished. We had a great week, but we are grateful for Friday's off! We found out this week that the van needs a new engine - oh boy. The good thing is this engine had 235,000 miles on it and the engines for this van are among the cheapest. I will be without a vehicle for a little longer though so it is hard not to feel trapped. Tonight Mike and I have a babysitter coming so we can go watch Mikey's baseball game together. It will be nice to actually watch the game - haha. Have a great weekend everyone - I know we will.

Go Wings!!!

A new week

Hello all - well it is the beginning of a new week and it started in true Watson fashion with our van breaking down on the way home from church. The good part is that a bunch of people were on their way home and gave us rides home. It looks like it is just a head gasket and should be easy to fix - thank goodness. We are getting back to school this week after a glorious 2 week break. Only 6 weeks left and then we are all finished with our school year. It has not been without its challenges, but it sure has been worth it! The boys are so smart and they love to homeschool. We are on the two week count down until Ben makes his First Holy Communion and Nate turns 4. Please pray for Ben as this special Sacrament approaches. Love to you all and have a super week.

Happy Belated Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. We had a very nice Easter Sunday until about 6:00 in the evening. That is when the stomach flu hit and it is still going through the ranks. YIKES! At times like this a big family is hard because they all get sick. I hope everyone had a joyful Easter. It was 86 degrees here and sunny. We went to mass, had a nice brunch, gave the boys their Easter baskets, and then went to my sister Jenny's house. We had to leave early but it was still good to see Jenny, John, and Jacob. The boys were so glad that Easter was here - they had given up dessert and couldn't wait to dig in. We had also been going to daily mass during Lent. That was a challenge but awesome. Here in Florida the parishes have early times for daily mass - about 7:OOAM - and it is hard to go. During lent however they had a second mass time at around 9:00 am so that is when we went. Some of the other homeschooling families would go everyday too. It was a wonderful time to pray and get closer to God. When you have a good lent Easter seems better too. Love to all and again Happy Easter.

Good Friday

Today we observe Good Friday and remember the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for each one of us. As a family of lots of little ones we usually do not go to the lengthy Good Friday service. Instead we observe this momentous day at home. At about 2:00 we say the rosary, we read the Passion, and then we watch a great movie my Mother-in-law gave us years back called the Easter Promise. It is a cartoon movie for children but it is very well done. It always touches our hearts and keeps us focused on the true meaning of Good Friday and Easter. We are praying for all of you and hope you are all well .

Well here I go again. This is a picture of the Manhardt clan from the Bahamas. Mike's parents very generously sent all the adults to the Bahamas for our Christmas gift. We went the last weekend in March and had a great time. Maggie was allowed to join us. They had a babysitter at the hotel so we were able to enjoy adult time at night. This picture was taken our last night there after dinner.

My second post- Hi all I am just learning the joys of blogging along with tryng to keep up with quarrels, dirty diapers, and nursing the baby. I have figured out how to post a photo -so here it goes:)

Begiining Post- we'll see how it goes

Hi all - well I have decided to try blogging as a way for the Watson's to stay connected with our family and friends that live near and far. Since we do not always have time to chat with our hectic schedules, I thought this would be a good way to stay connected. Tell me what you think.