One of my New Year resolutions is to start blogging more/again! I can't tell you yet what the other resolutions were because I'll have explaining to do if I don't keep them! I learned today that the average New Year resolution lasts less than a week! Hopefully this one will last longer!
To start the year off in picking up my pencil again here is an article I recently submitted for the WGUSA newsletter:
Happy New Year!
The tree is put away, ornaments carefully wrapped, new toys are scattered all over the place and we, in the blink of an eye, rang in the new year only to wake up the next day, go back to work and carry on as if nothing was different. And for a lot of us nothing is that different. However, for some of us things are quite different and "happy" New Year just doesn't do it.
Like you, I'm sure, I spent the last few days of 2012 pondering over what the year held. I watched many friends say goodbye to loved ones, some of them their own children. As I know that pain myself I know the emptiness they felt when there was one less stocking to stuff on what would have been that child's first and second Christmas. I also said goodbye to a family member at the beginning of last January and remember thinking then that this was not a great start to THAT new year. I watched friends struggle through marriage and health issues and have been continually on the edge of my seat watching events around our country unfold. On this side of the country we had the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and are still picking up the pieces, LITERALLY, of that. We also had a new election which was pretty monumental for our country and will bring some changes that many are not happy about and, to cap off the year, I sat stunned, numb, in disbelief when I learned about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. How could something so heinous happen? Like many of you I walked around choked up for days thinking about those precious little lives that where snuffed out with no warning. My oldest is about the same age as the children that were killed and the pain I felt just thinking about how those families now have to deal with the loss of their sons and daughters...well I just don't have words. To think that the unopened gifts and the Christmas outfits that may have never been worn are constant reminders that Christmas and New Year were missing one less Grandchild, son, daughter, brother, sister....brings tears to my eyes even now.
So how DO we celebrate the coming of the New Year? How do we rise up out of all this trauma? How do we put one foot in front of the other and walk in to such unknown territory? I'm left baffled most days after watching the news and wondering how things have gotten so bad? How do we find the good? Is it still here?
I was reminded recently of Isaiah 45:2- “I [God] will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” A promise that no matter where life takes us, as a person, family, country that our God has gone before us and made our path. He knows what's up there good or bad. And while we are guaranteed to have bad, we are also GUARANTEED to have good because that is the God we serve and He is good!
"Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other. Our God is healer, awesome and power our God, our God." You know the song, SING IT OUT!!!
So how do we do 2013? We walk that path! It's that simple! Because the good IS still here. It comes from all situations and all things and it lines the sides of that path cheering us on. (Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.) The speed bumps are there too but remember He has gone before you and leveled the mountains, broken down gates of bronze and cut the iron bars. So get your sneakers on start walking!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Saturday, April 7, 2012
What a day!
At our MOPS Easter Egg hunt! Just us girls!!
She was chompin' at the bit to start tearing into her eggs!
My lovies!
Love this face!
At mum-mum's and pop-pop's for Easter fun!
Sneaking a jelly bean after who knows how many grams of sugar she has consumed today!!
Looking forward to church tomorrow and remembering the empty tomb!
Happy Easter!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
March
March is gone and I can't believe it! We've celebrated Gwen's fourth birthday, Olivia's second birthday, Lewis starting on solid food and ALMOST crawling and spring cleaning! Well, we didn't really celebrate the cleaning, just started it! Lots and lots of cleaning! I've been cleaning out every cupboard, bin, drawer, cubby, wiped down woodwork, washed windows and blinds and LOTS of de-dog-hairing the place! I love standing in a newly reorganized and freshly washed room and just soaking it all in! AH!
Gwen celebrated her birthday this year by having a birthday party with all of her little friends! We have never had a party other than family so I was excited to put her little "princess" celebration together! We had all her little friends dress up in princess (and two little princes) dresses and did the typical birthday activities! It was so much fun!
We didn't do too much for Olivia's birthday this year. I'm still trying to figure out what our tradition for her will be. We had our first year celebration for her last year when she turned one but of course I won't be doing all that every year. This year her birthday fell right on a trip to Lancaster so we didn't have too much time to do anything formal. We did go to the Angel Garden to light our birthday candle and sing "Happy Birthday" to her. I always enjoy talking to Gwen about her sister in heaven and welcome the questions she asks. She doesn't remember anything so I feel like we have to reexplain everything to her and how do you tell a four year old that Olivia's BODY is here and in the ground but she is actually alive in heaven! Lewis slept the whole time in his car seat but we made the most out of the time we had hanging out, saying "hi" to our other little baby friends there (our friend's children who are also there) and being all together. I didn't bake a cake because we had so much left over from Gwen's birthday just a week earlier so we went to Dunkin Donuts after ward to get a birthday donut!
Lewis IS in there!
Happy birthday, little girl!
Hanging out!
Lewis turned 7 months old yesterday! He's starting to do so many things that seem so grown up! I guess it's just his personality starting to show! He is scooting all around and getting up on all fours! He moves around but hasn't quite figured out the one foot (or knee) in front of the other method! We also started him on solid food last month! He does ok with it. I honestly thought he would suck it down but he, so far, has been kinda choosy about when he eats and when he doesn't. Oh he also got his first hair cut last month! As sad as Gwen was about it the "rat tail" is gone!!
bye bye rat tail!
It was a pretty good month!
Gwen celebrated her birthday this year by having a birthday party with all of her little friends! We have never had a party other than family so I was excited to put her little "princess" celebration together! We had all her little friends dress up in princess (and two little princes) dresses and did the typical birthday activities! It was so much fun!
We didn't do too much for Olivia's birthday this year. I'm still trying to figure out what our tradition for her will be. We had our first year celebration for her last year when she turned one but of course I won't be doing all that every year. This year her birthday fell right on a trip to Lancaster so we didn't have too much time to do anything formal. We did go to the Angel Garden to light our birthday candle and sing "Happy Birthday" to her. I always enjoy talking to Gwen about her sister in heaven and welcome the questions she asks. She doesn't remember anything so I feel like we have to reexplain everything to her and how do you tell a four year old that Olivia's BODY is here and in the ground but she is actually alive in heaven! Lewis slept the whole time in his car seat but we made the most out of the time we had hanging out, saying "hi" to our other little baby friends there (our friend's children who are also there) and being all together. I didn't bake a cake because we had so much left over from Gwen's birthday just a week earlier so we went to Dunkin Donuts after ward to get a birthday donut!
Lewis IS in there!
Happy birthday, little girl!
Hanging out!
Lewis turned 7 months old yesterday! He's starting to do so many things that seem so grown up! I guess it's just his personality starting to show! He is scooting all around and getting up on all fours! He moves around but hasn't quite figured out the one foot (or knee) in front of the other method! We also started him on solid food last month! He does ok with it. I honestly thought he would suck it down but he, so far, has been kinda choosy about when he eats and when he doesn't. Oh he also got his first hair cut last month! As sad as Gwen was about it the "rat tail" is gone!!
bye bye rat tail!
It was a pretty good month!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Lewis-five days old
Some of you may have seen this photo already but I just love it so much I wanted to share it with you! This is L when he was just five days old! If you notice the scale shows his actual birth weight-9 pounds 15 oz! Our good friends, Kevin and Kerry High (and Zach!)of Kevin High photography have definitely spoiled us with super awesome pictures of our family! We met Kevin and Kerry when I was still pregnant with Olivia. We share a special bond with them in the fact that they too have lost a child, their son Ryan. The Highs have been great friends and very encouraging as we walk through our Olivia journey and it's been great being friends past our similar experiences too! You can find them at www.kevinhighphotography.com and if you want to see more of our family there you can choose the gallery "Baby L Fretz" and the password is "Winnie". I think you'll agree that Kevin does great work and it might just put you in the mood for a family session!
Thanks High family for being our friends!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Ginger Kids!
Our holidays were good. We did the usual family stuff and had a great time being together. It was fun watching Gwen enjoy Christmas this year. I would say, being three years old, that this was really the first Christmas she understood. We also experienced a lot of sorrow this holiday season watching friends and family go through some devastating losses. It's so heartbreaking watching those you love go through so much grief and it also conjured up so much emotion for me by remembering everything with Olivia. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her.
Lewis is now four months old. He is so fun and really starting to express opinions and personality. He LOVES Gwen and loves to watch her do just about anything. His eyes rarely leave her! He is:
20 pounds 28 inches
giggling
rolling over
"talking"
starting to get into a sleep schedule
tolerating the car more
playing with toys
a total momma's boy
my favorite little dude ever!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
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