Thinking Pink

I am finally feeling like I am ready for baby to come. Not that I am done being pregnant, but if baby should make an early appearance I feel prepared.

I think I have all the necessities covered. The pack n' play is set up next to my bed with soft, pink sheets. All the necessary clothing items have been purchased. Many adorable outfits and lots of onsies in varying shades of pink are ready and waiting to be worn.
I even have a "going home from the hospital" outfit picked out. All three of the boys came home from the hospital in little sleepers that said, "Daddy's Little Boy" on them. All three of those precious, tiny outfits are safely packed away in their keepsake boxes, and Todd thought it was about time I had a little one come home from the hospital in a similar outfit. This one says, "Mommy's Little Girl".

I even have baby's first pair of pretty shoes.
Everything has been washed and neatly packed away in, what else, pink bins on the changing table that has been placed in my room to act as a dresser. Can you also see my brand new sling from Slinglings? I am so excited to wear baby in it. I always liked wearing my babies but never had a proper sling that didn't dig into my shoulder or hurt my back.
And! This lovely stroller/carseat combo finally arrived last week and is all set up and waiting for baby's first ride.

I think I have a sufficient amount of pink for baby now and I can safely say, "I'm ready when you are, baby!"

Two Weeks To Go

Yes. I am still here. And I am still pregnant.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I haven't been feeling the greatest. I've had a bit of nausea this past week, mixed with a few headaches, and lots of aches and pains. My hands are really swollen and numb for the majority of my days and nights. Sleep is something I've heard about but have not experienced in quite some time. Heartburn has been ruling my life. My feet and ankles hurt and my back has been killing me. You know, the usual.

Well, actually, for me this is not usual. I have had super easy pregnancies and I don't remember being this uncomfortable for any of my others. But oh well. No big whoop. I am still trying to soak up as much as I can of this (my last) pregnancy.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and so far I am not dilated at all. Another first for me since I am usually dilated 2 or 3 cm by this point. I guess it really is true that every pregnancy and labor are different. But because I know for a fact that you can go from no dilation to being in active labor in the blink of an eye I am still on high alert.

I also learned that my doctor will be on vacation all next week so I am guessing that baby will want to make her appearance then since my doctor has been MIA for all of my past deliveries.

So anyway, just wanted to let y'all know that I am still here. I will try to get around to visit you as soon as I can properly feel my fingers again. In the meantime, picture me waddling after my crazy boys in the park, on their bikes, at the lake, in the grocery store, at dinner time, etc. And maybe say a little prayer for me. ;)

Patience Is A Virtue

I am a fairly patient person but lately I have had a lot of waiting to do. Not only am I eagerly awaiting the arrival of our little lady, I am also counting the moments until we are in our new house.

As of Friday we no longer own this house. We are now renting the house that we have lived in for the last 7 years until we can move into the new house. Why can't we move in now? Well, remember when I said it would be a huge project? Yeah. It's huge. The contractors are working at lightening speed but there is still so much to be done. All the major interior projects have been done like the electrical, plumbing, HVAC work, addition to the garage, and framing all the rooms in as they should be. Now they have to start making it look like a house.

I took some pictures of the progress so far to give you an idea of the scale of this project. Today the windows will be coming in and once those are in the siding and the drywall can go up. From there I think things will be moving even faster than they have been so I wanted to get some shots of the house as it is now.

Here is a quick little tour:

This is our lovely spiral staircase at the entrance of the house. See my library off to the right? Isn't is grand? You can't tell? Hmm.
This is where my kitchen sink will be. I love the huge window over my soon to be sink. It looks out onto my massive backyard. See? This is the view from my window and only a portion of the backyard. This is where our patio will be. Todd is dreaming of sitting on the patio drinking beer. Doesn't he look thirsty?

This is where my kitchen table will go. Another very large window. I love it. It makes me look small. hehe

This is the view from where the kitchen table will be. It looks through our kitchen into the family room to our beautiful fireplace. Ahhh. Cozy. The new dining room. And another massive window.

This is our new master suite looking into the master bathroom. Oooo. I feel relaxed just looking at it, don't you? Okay. Maybe not yet. But I will.

Anyway, you get the picture. Major work has been done and major work still left to be done. I am hoping to be in the house before the boys start school, but we'll just have to wait and see. For now we will just keep renting and reminding ourselves that patience is a virtue.

(Can't remember what the house looked like before? Click on my "The New House" label on the bottom of this post.)

PSF- Honesty

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Tommy was standing next to me as I was getting the boys' breakfast ready when he said, "We're skinny, huh?"

Without looking in his direction I answered, "Yep. You are little guys."

Tommy slowly looked me up and down, patted my belly gently, and said, "And you're... shaped like a ball."

Yep. That sounds about right.

WW- Belly Shot - 9 Months

"There she blows!-there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!" — Herman Melville (Moby Dick)

A Glutton For Punishment

I am not a pretty picture.

I look something like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. My hands are so swollen that they look like baseball gloves. My feet and toes look like sausages. My cankles feel like they are going to break every time I stand up. As a matter of fact something is poking out of my right ankle. I may have fractured a bone. I can't be sure.

My back is killing me. My vagina feels like it is dragging on the floor. My stomach is stretched as far as it will go (I hope). My pelvis may be separating at this very moment. I have to pee every half hour. I can't sleep at night. I get so winded just going up the stairs. I began crocheting little lady's pink blanket yesterday and could only do it for a few minutes before my massive mitts started cramping up and stopped working.

And yet, I love being pregnant.

The other day my mom said, "It won't be long now!" And I actually got mad. I don't want this pregnancy to be over with yet. I love being pregnant. I want to savor every sweet second of this pregnancy, and yet I feel like I have been distracted for the entire 9 months. It has been a completely hectic and emotional 9 months and I feel slightly jipped.

I want more time. I want more time to soak in this feeling of being pregnant. I want to remember the way my baby rolls and stretches in my belly. I want to remember all the magical parts of being pregnant and forget about the minor inconveniences.

I want more time. A month just is not enough to soak up this wonderful blessing.

And yet, I look forward to holding that little bundle in my arms. Smelling that warm, sweet smell. Feeling the soft peach fuzz head against my cheek. Watching the rise and fall of the little lump that will lie peacefully snuggled on my chest. It is all very exciting and overwhelming. And a month just doesn't seem like enough time to properly daydream, plan, and anticipate it. But I fully intend to soak in as much as I possibly can so that years from now I can recall exactly how it felt.


(If you like reading birth stories feel free to take a look at my previous post.)

Thirty Days???

I have thirty days left in this pregnancy. Thirty. THIRTY! Um. Thirty, people. Actually, it will probably be less than thirty because I already feel like I'm carrying this baby between my knees.

This may be my freak out moment. Seeing the little counter on my sidebar telling me I only have 30 Days To Go = Freak out!

What was I thinking? Four kids? Am I nuts?

I think I have a freak out moment during each of my pregnancies. I specifically remember my freak out moment when I was pregnant with Joey. I was home from work on my lunch break and I was making myself a sandwich. As I was started to eat it hit me that soon I will be taking care of another little HUMAN BEING. Every time I wanted to make myself something to eat I would have to make something for this little person FIRST. I would never again be able to just quick grab a sandwich and run out the door. I would be making someone else three meals (HA! If only I knew then how much my boys eat) a day for, like, I don't know, forever! I started hyperventilating. For some reason thinking about constantly feeding a helpless little person really freaked me out.

It didn't last long. The freak out, I mean. And I am not freaking out on the same level this time. I think it is more of a "am I ready for baby yet?" kind of a thing.

I've tried to wrap up some loose ends. I definitely need more baby outfits. I haven't even started crocheting her pretty pink blanket yet. I haven't washed any of the clothes that I do have for her. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I feel like freaking out.

I have finally filled out my preregistration form and birth plan (like anyone ever reads that anyway) for the hospital. It got me thinking about my last three births and how this one might go. All of my births have been so different from each other that I have no way of predicting what kind of labor and delivery I might have. I know enough to keep my plan open. None of my births went according to plan.

Do you like birth stories as much as I do? Want to hear mine? If not, skip to the end. If so, this is what my last three labors were like:

Birth #1- I went into labor 5 days before my due date while Todd and I were watching "A Haunting in Connecticut". I got so scared at one point that I jumped up in the air and almost landed on the floor. I told Todd that if I kept watching I may go into labor and 10 minutes later my water broke.

A half an hour after my water broke (even though we only live 2 blocks from the hospital it took a while to get there because I hadn't packed a bag yet. Oops) I was at the hospital and my contractions were really starting to pick up. They went from light cramps to back labor that was one solid contraction with no breaks in between. The nurse kept asking how far apart the contractions were and I told her they never stopped. I was beginning to hyperventilate. I couldn't stand or sit or anything. I just kept pacing around the room saying, "This is CRAZY!"

A little while after I arrived at the hospital I managed to lie down long enough to let the nurse check me and I was already 7 cm dilated. No wonder I had been having one solid contraction. I was told that the anesthesiologist lived a half an hour away and because it was 11:00 at night and snowing if I wanted drugs they had to call him now. I told them I would hold off and as soon as the nurse left the room Todd looked at my pacing, hyperventilating self and told me to get the drugs. So we had the nurse call the doc in. While we waited the nurse gave me IV meds to "take the edge off". But there were still edges everywhere! Those drugs don't work. I needed the good stuff.

By the time the drug man arrived I was almost 10 cm and could not get the epidural so they gave me a spinal instead. Shortly after I began to push.

I swear the drug man just injected me with sugar water or something because I could feel everything. I pushed, and pushed, and pushed and finally the doctor on call (not my doc but another wily, old veteran) told me the baby was face up instead of face down (hence the back labor). So trusty, old, on-call doc reached up my nethers and turned the baby around. That felt awesome! Not. So I began pushing again. After two hours of pushing the doc decided that baby was stuck coming around "the corner" and wanted to try using the vacuum.

Now a whole new set of problems was about to happen. First of all, they couldn't find a suction cup thingie small enough for me. Huh? Whatever. They had to go find some special one, and when they did the doc couldn't attach it properly because I was too swollen. He kept saying, "This has never happened before." Great. Thanks. Then the dude goes and drops the suction on the floor and off the nurses go in search of ANOTHER specially sized do-hickey. Lovely. So, they finally get the right size, and get it attached, and I push for about another half and hour. At one point I told the doctor that it felt like my tailbone was going to break to which he replied, "Well, that could happen." WHAT? I actually sat straight up and said to him, "WHY? WHY on EARTH would you tell me that right now? You want me to push after that???" I was pretty upset. Somehow I pushed anyway.

And finally, after two hours of labor (very short, I know) and three and a half hours of pushing (very long, I know) Joseph was born with his umbilical cord wrapped tightly around his neck. He was fairly healthy except for the huge black and blue, bloody bruise he had on his head from the vacuum. Poor little guy. They set him on my chest for a few seconds while they cleaned him off and then took him to a warmer. A little while later I was able to hold him and I didn't let him go for a long time.

My recovery was horrible. I couldn't sit, stand, or lie down comfortably for almost two months, but because this was my first baby I didn't know that was unusual. When I told my doctor about that at my 6 week check up he confirmed that I did indeed break my tailbone. Lovely.

Birth #2- It was almost two weeks before my due date when Todd got up at 6:00 a.m. on a Monday morning to go to work and I decided to skip sleeping in for an extra hour like I normally did and got up with him. I had been having some strange gas pains that would come and go and I just wasn't comfortable lying down anymore.

After a few minutes I realized I didn't have gas and the pains kept coming and going. I started timing them and they were about 5-7 minutes apart. When the intensity started to pick up I figured I may be in labor and called my mom. I wasn't sure I wanted her to come over yet, because I wasn't even sure I was in labor. The last time my water broke and I knew for sure, but this was all new to me. Plus I had some resting time in between the contractions and that was something I wasn't used to either.

Still, my mom and dad arrived a few minutes later and off to the hospital Todd and I went. We got to the hospital at about 7:00 and the nurse checked me right away. I was 8 cm. I couldn't believe it. The contractions kept up good and strong, but with the few minutes of a break in between them this labor seemed like a piece of cake compared to the first one. I opted to go completely natural with only ice chips to sooth me. Watching the video of me during the labor is so funny because I look so calm, making jokes, and laughing. I even remember saying, "Is this what labor is usually like? I can TOTALLY do this. Piece of cake!" We couldn't even video the first labor because I was too busy digging holes in Todd's arms with my fingers, crazy with pain.

Shortly before 8:00 I started pushing. Wow. I thought the pushing hurt with the spinal, but this was insane! The next thing I know the doctor on call (again, not my doctor, but a super sweet, awesome, and supportive lady I grew to love) is telling the nurse to hit the call button and calling some kind of code for a bunch of nurses to come in and help. Four more nurses run into the room, Todd gets pushed to the back corner of the room, and two nurses on each side of me jump on top of the bed and begin pushing down on my belly with all their strength. All the while everyone in the room is screaming at me to push, though I am so scared I don't even know if I am doing anything anymore. There was so much pain from the pushing, and the nurses smashing my belly, and the fear. I didn't know what was going on. Perhaps I should have had some drugs.

After a few minutes of insanity Thomas was born. I was then told that he had been a shoulder distocia. Tommy's head came out but his shoulders were stuck. And to make matters worse his umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around his neck twice. The doc didn't want to cut the cord because she didn't know how long he would be stuck. It was a very dire situation for a while there, and I didn't get to see him after he was born. They wisked him down to the NICU where they gave him an IV of sugar water and watched him closely. He was not crying much, was a whitish purple, and was not moving his arms at all. They were afraid his nerves may have been damaged, paralyzing his arms.

After a few hours on the IV he was taken off and I was finally able to see him. I didn't let him out of my arms for a very long while after that. And to think that my biggest fear had been that I would break my tailbone again. A broken tailbone no longer seemed like a big deal.

My recovery from Tommy's birth was virtually non-existent. I was up and walking around immediately and couldn't believe how good I felt. I was taking long walks with my parents and my two boys the day after I came home from the hospital. It was quite different from my first recovery.

Birth #3- My doctor wasn't sure whether we should just do a C-section after my last labor because of the shoulder distocia, so I did my own research. It seemed to me that the distocia happened because I had been lying flat on my back for part of the pushing, and it had nothing to do with the size of the baby or my size. I opted to go for a vaginal delivery again.

I assumed (you know what they say about that, right?) that because the first two boys were early this boy would be early as well. I had been having solid and painful contractions starting a month before my due date, so I was just SURE that baby would be early. Every couple of days I thought I was going into labor. The contractions would keep up for hours, and then just stop.

Three weeks before my due date I began cooking meals and treats for my boys to eat while I was in the hospital. I cleaned the house everyday and made sure everyone had tons of clean clothes and plenty of groceries. I kept that up for three weeks. My due date came and went. A few days after my due date I started acting somewhat hysterical in the doctor's office, half laughing, half crying. My doctor suggested I be induced, though he knew I was opposed to that from the beginning. But I must admit it was starting to sound like a good idea. I said, "I guess I just want reassurance that if I am not induced that... that..." and I couldn't finish my sentence because I was laughing so hard (with tears). Todd finished my sentence for me by saying, "that this baby will eventually come out!" And all I could do was point at Todd, nod my head, and laugh/cry.

That seemed to seal the decision for everyone and I was scheduled for an induction in two days. The night before the induction I was lying on the couch at around 7:00 and felt some light contractions. We put the boys to bed and I continued to time them. They got closer and closer. Still I wasn't sure I was in labor because I had had these types of painful contractions for the last month. I wanted them to be in a very regular pattern before I made my move to the hospital. My parents had planned on coming over at 10:00 and staying the night so that Todd and I could leave in the very early morning. We waited for mom and dad to get to our house and then we decided it was time to leave for the hospital.

I had been contracting for just over three hours (well, a month and three hours) when the nurse
checked me. I was 4 cm. I was so disappointed. I had moved so much quicker with my other boys that I was sure I would have been close to 10 cm already.

The contractions stayed steady but I did not progress much. The doctor on call (AGAIN, not my doctor but yet another lady doctor who did a fine job) broke my water to speed things up. Not much happened. A couple hours later on call doc decided to give me pitocin. That stuff is no joke and really picked up my contractions. I decided to get some IV drugs to help me deal with the pitocin. Though it didn't help that much with the pain it did make me feel kind of drunk in between contractions, and that was fun.

A few hours after the pitocin was started I began pushing. After a short 10 minutes Benjamin shot into this world like a rocket. He was pink and screaming and flailing his arms. My only baby so far to make a good, healthy entrance into the world. And my only baby to get a good solid APGAR (9!) score. I was thrilled.

The recovery was okay. I had a tear that didn't heal properly, but after breaking a tailbone I dealt with the tear fairly well.



So there you have it. Three births, all completely different. I wonder what will be thrown at me this time. It is kind of strange but I almost look forward to the labor. I get such a high afterwards., I feel like superwoman. Like I can do anything. Add to that a brand new, sweet, bundle of joy and you just can't go wrong. As long as everyone ends up healthy it is all good. I'm excited to see how it all pans out this time.

I just can't believe it is only 30 days away.

PSF- Our New Favorite Pasttime

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen.

He is a cautious kid. He isn't into doing daring stunts that could possibly get him hurt. He is very calculating and always makes sure the odds are in his favor that things will turn out well. So, trying to get him to ride his bike without the training wheels has been a difficult task, to say the least.

Oh, I knew he could do it. But he didn't. I would run down the block with him (yes, almost 9 months pregnant) holding on to his bicycle seat and I would let go and he would ride just fine by himself. But the minute he would feel a slight wobble he would jump off the bike, kick it, scream at it, and be done trying for the day. No amount of cheerleading or cajoling would help.

Then yesterday I begged him to try again. He did fine for a few runs but then quickly tired of it. When Tommy saw the attention Joey was getting he decided he wanted to try. Even after we lowered the seat Tommy couldn't touch the ground so Todd decided it was time Tommy got his own bike.

Todd came back a short time later with a shiny new bike for Tommy and helmets, knee pads and elbow pads for all the boys (don't want them to feel left out, you know).

(Tommy was so excited to jump on his new bike)

Joey was so excited about the extra protection he would have that as soon as he put it on he grabbed his bike and took off down the sidewalk. All. By. Himself! He just took off riding. And now, just as I had predicted to him, we can not get him off of it.

(This is Joey just taking off. He went so fast it was hard to get a picture of him. Most of the pics were like the one below.)

Joey and Tommy are bike riding machines. Up and down the block they go. Back and forth, back and forth. By the next day, Joey wanted to spread his wings a bit more. He asked if we could go for a bike ride. Todd filled all of the bike tires up and off we went (yes, me almost 9 months pregnant). Joey was elated. And we were so happy for him. Mostly that he learned such an important lesson. Every few minutes we would ask him, "Now what did you learn, Joe?" And he would respond, "To keep trying! It is okay to fall, you just get back up and try again!"

Joe has been walking around the house like a new boy. He is so proud of his accomplishment. He did something that he didn't think he would be able to do and that is so amazing to see. I swear, watching him take off on that bike was one of the most exciting moments I have had in a very long time.

(All the boys having fun)

And now (even though I am almost 9 months pregnant and it is actually pretty painful) we all have a new favorite family pasttime.

Laughter Is Good For The Soul

Sometimes the grief hits days later, as I am finding out.

As soon as the activity of the past busy week began to die down the mourning process began. I am not depressed and woeful all the time, but I find myself shedding tears easily and often.

It makes me especially grateful when I'm given a little tidbit like this that makes me laugh:

I was explaining to the boys, once again, that it is okay to be sad for us because we will miss grandpa, but that we can also be happy for grandpa that he is in such a wonderful place feeling so happy and free. I told them how I pictured grandpa watching over us and keeping us safe like St. Michael the Archangel, and how grandpa would always be with us. Every party we have he will be there. Every time we are afraid he will be there. He will always be watching over us.

I thought I had sufficiently explained and comforted the boys until Joey looked at me and said, "Um... mom? Does that mean Michael Jackson is watching over us too?"

Peace

The good Lord has given me special graces this week.

Ever since I found out that I was pregnant with my fourth child I have been worried about the day my dad would pass away. I'm sure I don't need to tell you (though I will anyway) that I have always been very close to my dad. To this day I consider myself to be daddy's little girl. I knew grieving my dad would be very hard on me, and it worried me to be pregnant at the same time. I feared that if I became too depressed those depressed feelings could be passed onto my baby.

My fears were unfounded.

This past week has been a busy one, planning the funeral, helping take care of arrangements, and writing the obituary as my mother requested. And yes, there have been times I would break down and cry. But for the most part I just felt peace. Peace that daddy's struggle was over and he could finally be himself again. Peace that when we would have family get-togethers dad could be there to join in again. Peace that when I speak to my dad I know he will hear me. And peace knowing that dad is reunited with the daughter he lost so long ago.

Maybe it is because this has been such a long road. Yes, I will miss my father terribly, but I have already been missing him for so many years. We have been grieving for quite a while. Even still, the very thought of loosing my dad used to flood me with tears. Now that it has actually happened I am just so happy for him. And my mom seems to be feeling the same thing.

Friday was the funeral. Just planning the funeral, picking the songs that dad loved, choosing readings that meant so much, caused me to cry. Probably more than I had cried yet. But in actually being at the funeral I felt joy. So many people came to celebrate dad and what a wonderful person he was. Pictures were sprayed throughout the church. A video collection of pictures showed just who dad was in life. I laughed when I saw how many photos we had of dad holding a baby. I think that sums up my dad perfectly. He was always taking care of people. Protecting the underdogs. Giving unconditional love. Living with a child's wonder and joy. Thinking about it, dad's connection to babies was perfect, and it is no wonder we had so many pictures of him in his glory.

It reminded me how much I will miss having him at the hospital when this baby is born. I will miss him repeating one of his favorite phrases as he would have taken my daughter in his arms and said in his most reverent, joyful, and gentle voice, "There is nothing like a newborn baby!" I shared this with my mom at the funeral as we were in the back of church and she smiled at me and said, "I just heard him say, 'I'll be there.' " And I have no doubt that he will be.

The sermon captured dad's personality so well that it may have been the only time I cried during mass. Dad's enthusiasm for God's creations was catching and I will never again be able to look at the way the afternoon sun hits the brick on a house and warms it to a glow without immediately thinking of dad. Dad was famous for pointing out beautiful things that the average person would walk right by. I am so proud to be passing that on to my children. Dad's appreciation for life and all it's beauty.

Yes. I will miss dad. More than I can say in words. But I am so filled with love of this man that it is hard to feel past my joy for him right now.

I thank you all so much for your kindness and your prayers. All the overwhelming love and support my family has been given is one of the things that does bring me to tears. This love is beautiful.

I'll leave you with the obituary that was shown in our city's newspaper. I think it sums up my dad's life (if that is even possible) as best as I could in the short amount of time that I had. I am deleting last names and cities and such and I'll just place a * in their spot. I hope that doesn't make it difficult to read.

Thank you all again. And God Bless. :)


John G. * III, 77, of *, died peacefully at * Nursing Home on Monday evening, June 29, 2009 after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s.

John was born November 14, 1931 in * to John and Clara *. He graduated from * North High School, Class of 1950 as school president. During high school, John lettered in track and football. He furthered his education at Mission House, where he starred in several positions with the only undefeated football team in school history.

John went on to play football for the Redwings semi-professional football team. He quickly became one of the Redwings’ star players and word of his talent traveled to Green Bay to the Packers organization. John discovered that the Packers wanted him to tryout for their team just as he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War.

John served his country in the U.S. Army, stationed at *. Following his service, he attended radio broadcasters school in New York, NY. He was employed at a radio station in Manitowoc for a time before he entered * Beauty School in *. It was there he met his wife to be.

On February 7, 1959, John was united in marriage to Gloria * of *. The couple were beauticians in * for a year before moving to * to make their home. John worked as a carpenter for his uncle’s contracting business before he became a lab technician at * Engineering Co. where he was employed for over thirty years until his retirement in 1993.

Mr. * was a faithful member of * Parish where he happily served with the maintenance crew and grounds keepers. He sang with the church choir for many years and will always be remembered for his annual solo of “O Holy Night” during Christmas Eve Mass. John was a member of Community Players and had many lead roles. His favorites included playing Charles Dalrymple in “Brigadoon” and “South Pacific” where he played Lt. Cable, and his wife played Liat. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus where he shared in grounds keeping duties.

John will be remembered by his wife as having the most grateful heart. He found beauty in everything around him. The way the sunlight filtered through the trees, a beautiful red barn in a field, the majesty of a sunset, or the glory of a fall day. He made life fun and exciting by taking such joy in God’s creations.

John was a true follower of Christ. Always taking care of those that could not take care of themselves. Always defending the underdog. He had a generous, kind, and compassionate nature and made each and every person that came in contact with him feel special. He was the charming life of the party and loved making people laugh.

John was an avid hunter, and enjoyed taking his German Shorthairs on hunting trips. He loved fishing and hiking and took much joy in showing his children and grandchildren all the beauty in nature. His children will always remember the family camping trips to St. Croix falls and many other state parks.

John not only had a gorgeous singing voice, and was a fabulous actor, but he was a great dancer too. John and his wife loved dancing together at weddings, parties, or even in the living room when the mood struck.

John and his wife were best friends and enjoyed spending all of their time together. They took many motorcycle trips across the states and along the Mississippi River stopping wherever something struck their fancy. They took daily walks through the woods with their dogs. They enjoyed attending mass together, singing together, taking long car rides, listening to music, and spending time with their children, grandchildren, and friends.

John will be remembered for many things, but the most important is love. John loved his God, and his family. His faith and love of God lead him throughout his life and made him an extraordinary example of God’s love for us. John loved and supported his wife and children through all of their endeavors and rejoiced in their happiness. All who knew John knew love.

In addition to his wife, Gloria, John is survived by five children, David (Debbie) *, Mike *, Jeff (Jenny) *, Anne *, Kathryn (Todd) * all of *; eleven grandchildren, Garrett, Kellie, Jake, Jason, Alyssa, Emily, Hannah, Lydia, Joseph, Thomas, Benjamin, and another grandchild due in August; 3 brothers, Clarence (Barbara), Eugene (Lois) and Carl (Marie); and other family members including a brother-in-law, Larry (Emma Jean) *.

Preceding John in death was his beloved daughter, Mary Joy, his parents, a brother, Jimmy; father and mother-in-law, August and Casey *.

The family would like to thank all the nurses and staff at Sunnyridge Nursing Home and all the nurses at Hospice for their loving support and care.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, 11:00 A.M. at * Church by Rev. *, the Pastor. A time of visitation and support will be held at the church on Friday from 9:00 A.M. until the time of service.

A memorial fund has been established in his name.

Free

November 14, 1931 - June 29, 2009

"The one who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son.' "

-Book of Revelation

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glint on the snow.

I am the sunlight on the ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in morning hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there, I did not die.

-Author Unknown