Life at the Zoo

updated photos on The Zoo inhabitants

2010-10-26T11:08:00.002-04:00

one of my favorite pics taken on our dock down by the lake

Bekah Sue my 5th grader!! When did she get so big?!

Bobby my 3rd grader and his latest passion, skateboarding!

Zach my 1st grader and his new skill, riding without training wheels!

Miss Madison in her Ariel shades talking on her Ariel phone! Can you guess which princess she is in to?

I'm back with an update on The Zoo!

2010-10-26T10:08:00.004-04:00

Hello! I hadn't realized how long it had been since I posted until I started reading through my last few posts! So much has happened and changed since I was last here! Like everything we have done so far it has been fast and drastic change! Since the last time I posted was when Madie was 7 months I guess I should start there....

I last left you with a finally healthy family after Jay and Madison's boughts with MRSA and thankfully they both made a full recovery! They both still are prone to infections and we take any weird looking bumps very serious and they both have been put on meds since but thankfully no more hospital stays or pic lines! We enjoyed a pretty mild fall and early winter with a wonderful time with family for both Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2008. We started off 2009 like every other year, getting back into the routine after a nice long break from work and school. We were finally getting there when on January 15 our world came to a screeching stop! I was just finishing up my shift at PromiseTowne when Jay's boss came to get me saying I had to leave with him right away that our house was on fire! I froze. I felt like I couldn't think or breathe! After franticly making sure the kids (who were all at work with me that day) were all taken care of and going home with co workers I left to meet up with Jay at a scene I will never forget! Jay and I sat in the back of a police car and watched as our house and everything in it burned. Jay's brother who lived with us and was home at the time the fire started was taken to the hospital and treated for 2nd degree burns on his back and arms and frostbite on his feet. We lost almost everything we owned and our 11 year old cat. We stayed with Jay's boss for just over a week until we found another house to rent and were blessed beyond our wildest thoughts by friends and our church family as bags of clothes and toys and all the furniture we needed began showing up! We truly could not have made it without our friends and church family there to love and support us! We then began a season of life that I felt like was a blur! We dealt with insurance companies and moving and going through the mounds of items given to us, returning to work and school. Kids did amazing and Jay and I were in survival mode! I ended up taking a leave from my job for the summer to regroup and finishing setting up house and ended up making the leave permanent. Life strated to settle back down and the fog began to slowly lift! Jay started back to school to get his masters degree in the fall of 2009, Bekah started 4th grade, Bobby 2nd grade, Zach started Kindergarten and Madie was busy getting into everything! In early 2010 Jay had decided to leave ministry to pursue a career in the business world. He began studying and taking IL state test for a position with a company he was going to work for. After a few months and some hard lessons God made it very clear to Jay that he was not done with him in ministry! Jay began applying and we began praying for the right position for him and our family to open up, where ever that may be! The kids and I were scheduled to come to MI for 2 weeks for my nieces 1st birthday party and a cousins baby shower with lots of visiting with family in between! Jay ended up coming with us and interviewing at 3 different churches in MI and before we left MI (after an extended almost 3 week trip) we had accepted a position in Mt Pleasant, MI and went back to IL to pack! We had less than 3 weeks to find a house (from IL) and pack our house in IL and say good bye to some really good friends who had become more like family in the 4 years we lived there! Jay and Bobby ended up making a long weekend trip to find a house and I stayed behind to finish packing! They found us a great house on a wonderful lake 20 minutes from church. We have now been here almost 3 months and are loving our new church and church family and loving being closer to both of our families! The kids are adjusting to their new school and have made some great friends who live right behind us! Bekah is in 5th grade, Bobby is in 3rd, and Zach is now a 1st grader and loving staying at school all day! Madie who is now 2 1/2 and I are loving our days together. We got to church for Mom's group once a week where I get to hang out with Mom's and talk and grow and learn and Madie gets to go to her class to in her words "play with all my friends"!

So there you have it the short version of what has been happening at The Zoo since the summer of 2008! Crazy busy as always with ups and downs, but we have each other and we found through the events of January 2009 that thats all that matters!

Our baby is getting too big!

2008-09-08T22:56:00.004-04:00

Madie is now 7 months old! She is enjoying trying solids. So far green beans are her least favorite(though we have yet to try peas!) and cereal,a mix of Gerber Rice and LP-Fruity Pear flavored(her Lo-protein cereal), her favorite. She is sitting and starting to try and scoot while on her back and tummy! She keeps trying to get on her knees! I think we are starting to get teeth as well! She is chewing on everything in sight (me included!) and drooling like crazy! It still amazes me how different each of my kids are yet how similar too (does that make sense?). She loves her brothers and they love to make her laugh! Bekah still loves to pick out Madison's clothes and has tried to veto some of my choices! She still has blue eyes and I am praying she keeps them! She is a blessing and a delight and I love waking to her cooing and babbling! Seeing her smile makes it hard not to get up happy!

So far so good...

2008-09-08T22:46:00.005-04:00

Well we are into our second week of school. Bekah and Bobby are adjusting to the new school and have both made new friends. They still miss the kids from last year but are doing well. Bobby is learning to read and Bekah is doing great with her cursive! Sad to say though her homework is already posing a challenge for Jay and I to help with! I told him we are going to have to hire a tutor soon to help! Zach is adjusting as well to not having his brother around to play with. Zach started Speech on friday and is happy to be back at "his school"! Hard to believe next fall he will be going to school with Bekah and Bobby! Everyone has continued to be in good health with just a sore throat and low grade fever to report so far!

What a crazy summer!

2008-08-28T23:19:00.002-04:00

The Raitz household had one crazy summer! I wish that meant we went to a lot of fun exciting places and that the kids will be talking about all the fun times for years to come! Unfortunately they will be talking about it but not in a "wow what a fun summer 2008 was", it will be more like "remember that summer "Daddy broke his foot and got an infection and Madie was in the hospital...". Things started to get crazy when Jay broke his foot/ankle on May 31 (for those of you who don't know it was our 11 year anniversary). He then had surgery a couple days later and ended up with a bad staph infection a month later! He was in the hospital for 2 nights and came home with an IV pic line that stayed for 2 weeks! I had to hook him up to IV meds every night! Never thought I would get nurse training! Just when I thought things were settling down, Jay was better, pic line out, no cast or boot and he went to camp with Elevate. He was home barely 24 hours and Madison was put in hospital for a staph infection from an infected pimple on her bottom! I forgot to mention we all passed around a stomach bug the week before Jay left for camp (I was lucky to get it the night before he left and Madie the day he left!!). She was in the hospital for 2 nights as well but was able to come home on oral meds (no pic line!) for 10 days. Jay is finally all better having just been released from his foot doctor and Madison is perfect and doesn't even remember the bad IV placed in her little arm. I wish I could forget it as well!

The summer officially ended for us this past tuesday at 8:20 am when Bekah (3rd grade) and Bobby (1st grade) got on the school bus. It was a fun and sad day. Fun because a new year is starting for them in school but sad cause now Bobby is gone all day! It was weird walking into PromiseTowne with just Zach and Madie! Zach is starting to feel it as well. He said tonight he misses Bobby in PromiseTowne. They are pretty good buddies (most of the time) and Zach is a bit lost without Bob there lead him along! I think it will be good for Zach to make his own friends though and be able to become his own person away from his older siblings. He has never really done anything without one of them there. This will force him to figure out who he is without being Bekah or Bobby's little brother.

So now we enter the fall season with the hope it is much duller than summer and much healthier as well!

They are all getting too big!

2008-07-13T23:15:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how big they are all getting! Bekah is 8 and going into the 3rd grade! Bobby will be 6 in 15 days and will be in 1st grade in the fall! Zachary just turned 4 and can't wait turn 5! And little Madison is already 5 months! They are all so different yet the all are so alike (if that makes sense!). I feel so blessed to be their mommy and can't wait to see what they will do next! Though I hope it doesn't require me to clean up any messes!

Zach's new do

2008-07-13T23:12:00.002-04:00

Jay took the boys to get hair cuts yesterday and this is how Zach came home! He has been talking about getting a mohawk for awhile but I didn't think he would actually do it! I should have known better though! He looks adorable and loves it!

What happens when you combine 150 6th & 7th graders an 8 ft round inflatable ball and a a Youth Pastor? Part 2

2008-07-13T23:03:00.002-04:00

So Jay was having some pretty good pain last week in his ankle and friday it got pretty bad, so he went to the doctors and they removed the cast, pin and found an infection. They sent him home with a walking cast boot and an antiabotic. Sounds simple enough...stay off it as much as possible, take your meds and come back in two weeks. Wrong! He woke this morning with pain so bad he barely made it to the bathroom! He took off his boot and the bandage and it was oozing from where the pins were and was swollen and red. We went to the ER right away and they did x-rays and a bunch of blood work and a culture of the wound site. He was admitted to start IV meds and hopes to be released sometime tomorrow. Hopefully by the time his doctor sees him tomorrow the meds will have done their job and his foot will look better! Keep him in your prayers!

Madie

2008-06-14T18:25:00.003-04:00

I put together Madie's exasaucer the other day and as you can see she is just big enough! She likes to try to eat the toys and looks at me wondering why they don't quite reach her mouth! I finally put the batteries in today and now the piano plays music and lights up. the base also makes noise but she isn't quite strong enough yet to make that work. Once her legs get a little longer and stronger though I have a feeling I will be sorry I put the batteries in! I can't believe how fast she is growing and changing! It seems like every day she learns something new! I bought her a sippy cup to see what she would do and she seems to like it! Over the past couple days she has taken 3 oz from it! She continues to be the happiest babies I know, always with a smile on her face!

Zachary James

2008-06-14T18:21:00.003-04:00

Zachary turned 4 this past monday! I can't believe he is already 4! The years just flew by! Zachary continues to be the ham of the family. Always ready for fun! His smile lights up the room and he is a very sweet little boy! He is very excited to be 4, because now he can go into the 4 year old room at church! He is a delight and we are blessed to have him for a son!

What Happens when you combine 150 6th & 7th graders an 8 ft round inflatable ball and a a Youth Pastor?

2008-06-03T20:44:00.003-04:00

You get to ride in an ambulance a broken ankle and a broken foot and a date in the operating room! Jason was playing volleyball with the kids at Elevate on Saturday night and fell, landing wrong and breaking his foot and ankle! He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and put in a splint up to his thigh! He broke a bone off in his foot that twisted 90 degrees! This morning they went in and turned the bone back into place and inserted two pins and put a screw in his ankle break! The screw will stay but the pins will need to come out in 6 weeks. He is in a splint until monday and not able to put any weight on it! H is getting pretty good at hobbling through the chaos we like to call home with his crutches! Monday they will put on a regular cast and put him in a walking boot. He is in pain but is putting up a brave front! He even talked about going back to work thursday! I think I have him talked into staying home and on the couch with his foot up until monday! The kids can't wait until he gets the real cast so they can draw on Daddy's leg! Jason just can't wait to get the cast of so he can hopefully enjoy some of the nice weather running and playing softball!

Bobby and Madison

2008-05-28T22:34:00.002-04:00

Bobby has refused to hold Madison until Monday night. His answer was always "when she is bigger". I think she just looked to fragile to him. Well Monday night Bobby, Zach, Madie an I were in my room while I got Madie ready for bed. Bobby looked at me and casually said "Mom I have never held her yet". So I asked him if he wanted to and he said yes! Of corse the camera was downstairs and he didn't want to wait till I could get it! So he held her for about 2 seconds then told me to take her back! He then proudly ran down to tell Jay that he had held her! Last night he wanted too hold her again and this time the camera was handy so I could capture the proud big brother smile as he held her (4 seconds this time!). Then when we got home from church tonight he wanted to not only hold her but feed her too! As you can see in the pictures he is about the proudest little boy around! I am the proudest Momma around too! He is so sweet with her and is always found next to her talking to her or just rubbing her head if she is sad! I hope he is always so protective of his little sister!

Madison Jean

2008-05-19T16:36:00.004-04:00

Well Madison is already 3 1/2 months old! I don't know what happened to the time?! It seems like just yesterday I was counting the days until she would come and now she is almost 4 months! She is one of the happiest babies I have ever met! She is always ready with a smile and loves to "talk". She has been sleeping through the night since she was about 5 weeks old and I am very thankful! She loves to lay on the floor with her "fan club" (Bekah, Bobby, and Zach!) hovering above her! Her siblings adore her and love to make her smile and laugh! She is almost rolling from her back to her tummy! I don't think she realizes what she is doing and I think she is going to be totally surprised when it does happen! She has adjusted to the infant room in Promise Towne )and I have adjusted to dropping her off as well!). The ladies who care for her are great and she is spoiled while in their care! She has such a wonderful little personality and her smile lights up her entire face (and anyones who she smiles at!). She is a delight and we are so blessed to have her!

2008-05-04T22:09:00.006-04:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello! I am writing to let you know about an exciting event happening on May 17, 2008 in Illinois. May is National PKU Awareness Month and throughout the month most states will be holding events to raise awareness and to raise money for research. Illinois is hosting a PKU Walk for research and will also have many activities and low protein food samples for the kids to enjoy. The Raitz family will be attending this event and would like to ask for your support. There are a few ways you can support us on this day… 1) Pray for beautiful weather 2) Pray for the people dedicating their time to researching ways to make life with PKU easier 3) consider donating to PKU research.

As many of you know our two youngest children (Zachary 3 ½ yrs, Madison 3 months) have a rare genetic disorder called Phenylketonuria (PKU). This disorder was discovered through routine newborn screening at the hospitals where they were born. If this simple test had not been done, the build up of phenylalanine or PHE (an amino acid in protein) would have started attacking their central nervous system. This build up would have done irreversible damage, leaving them mentally impaired and physically challenged.

There is no cure at this time. The treatment is primarily dietary consisting of medical formula and strict low protein diet (no milk, eggs, cheese, meat…) for life. The medical formula is covered by the State of Illinois but we must purchase special (and very costly) low protein foods from the few online companies that specialize in low protein foods.

We also do weekly (Madison) and bi-weekly (Zachary) blood tests at home to monitor their blood PHE levels. Based on the results their dietitian then adjusts their daily PHE intake. Zach and Madison both see genetic specialists at Children’s Memorial Hospital to monitor their development.

The FDA recently approved a new drug (KUVAN) that in some PKU patients allows a less restricted diet. Unfortunately, we just found out that Zachary is not a responder to this drug. Our prayer is that they will develop another drug/ treatment some day that will work for Zach and Madison, and allow them to experience a more liberal diet. In order for that to happen research needs to be done and unfortunately that is expensive!

Please consider donating to PKU research. All donations are tax deductible. If you are able at this time to donate please send checks (made payable to PKU Organization of IL) to us by May 15th for us to take to the walk or mail them to: PKU Organization of IL, P.O. Box 102, Palatine , IL 60078-0102 by May 31, 2008. For more information see http://www.pkuil.org/ .

Thank you in advance for your prayers and support for this very worth cause!

The Raitz Family

We finally did it!

2008-04-29T22:53:00.002-04:00

Mornings had become a battle ground for Bekah and I. I was always yelling at her to brush her hair and she was always telling me she had, except the big knots told me another story! I usually ended up brushing it and she ended up yelling and crying! I finally had had enough and told her she had a week to prove to me she could take care of her hair or it was getting cut. Well a week or so later she still had not gone to school with out me having to do her hair! I told her she had to get it cut and she cried for about a minute then decided it would be cool. We ended up getting it cut and she decided to donate it to locks of love. We got 12 inches cut and she looks adorable! Her comment the evening she got it cut was "mom my head isn't so heavy anymore!".

Bobby Jay and Madie Jean

2008-04-29T22:43:00.003-04:00

These pictures are of Bobby and how sweet he is with Madison. He still has not held her but is slowly getting braver with her. If she is crying he is always right there by her to talk to her or sing to her, or just sit by her until I can get to her. He has such a tender heart! I can see him being the one to sit and play games with her or read to her when she is older. I love his gentleness with her and his need to make her happy! She is now smiling at the older kids and Bobby especially loves it when he can get one from her!

Madison Jean

2008-02-20T20:34:00.004-05:00

Madison Jean was born on February 4th at 8:35 am. She weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 18.75 inches long. She has a head full of dark hair just like her big sister! She has been here for just over two weeks and it is already hard to remember what it was like to not have her here to cuddle! She is a good baby and is already spoiled by her older siblings! Bekah has enjoyed helping pick out her clothes and Zach always wants to hold or kiss her! Bobby is happy to just look at her or touch her hands when he thinks nobody is watching! He has yet to hold her. He says when she is bigger he will hold her! We found out on February 6th that Madie does have PKU. While we were praying she did not have it, the news was not as hard to take as it was when we were told Zach had it. On the positive side Zach will now have a food buddy! He already talks about teaching her what she can and can't eat when she is big. She is taking her formula mix(Phenex 1 and Similac)great! We are adjusting to having to do weekly heel pokes again! Definatley not my favorite part of the week! Madison doesn't like it very much either! I have already almost mixed Zach's formula in with Madison's formula! I have had to lable everything with their names in black marker! I even have had to place their formuala on different shelves in the fridge so Zach can tell them apart! I am finding new ways to make myself more organized (for those of you who know me, you know how unorganized I am!) which is hard for me! I told Jay we evened out all around! Two girls, two boys, two PKU, and two non-PKU!

My monkeys

2007-12-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

We borrowed a friends camera at church the other day and walked around taking some cute pictures of the kids by the different decorated areas. They thought it was a great adventure! I couldn't believe how hard it was to get 3 kids to all look the same way and smile (nicely) at the same time! This picture is one of the few we got without goofy faces or poses! I wish we would of had a video camera as well to capture the whole process! I can't even imagine what it is going to be like when we have 4 to photograph!
The kids are growing so fast and changing by the minute! Bekah is 7 going on 17! She has already started to act like a teenager. I am hoping she will get it out of her system now and be a perfect teenager! Hey I can dream can't I?! Bobby is 5 and loving school. He has made a best friend and is learning things faster then I can keep track of! Zachary is 3 and all boy! He is enjoying his "speech school". He is making great progress with speech. He has all of a sudden lost the toddler look and is an official big kid! He is almost as tall as Bobby and only 2 pounds lighter! Our baby is growing fast and will soon make her apperance! We are eagerly awaiting her birth. We have for the time being decided on the name Madison. We thought Bekah, Bobby, Zachy, and Madie sounded cute together! We still have 8 weeks (give or take) to change our minds again, but for now she is Madie. I will keep you posted to the new arrivial to our zoo!

My Hubby is 32 today!

2007-09-22T12:07:00.000-04:00

Today is Jason's 32nd birthday! We went out last night with a few friends to his favorite restaurent, BD's Mongolian Barbeque. We arranged for a sitter and went out just the adults. It was fun to be able to sit around and talk and not have to worry about entertaining kids! Today Jason is coaching a soccer game for Bekah and then he heads to church to get ready for Elevate tonight. I am glad we were able to celebrate last night! Last night everyone said one of their favorite things about Jason, here are a few of mine...I love his love for our family! I love watching him with the kids! I love how hard he works to take care of us and make sure we have the things we need and want! I love when he comes up and hugs and kisses me just to say he loves me! I love his comforting arms when I am upset! I love his smile! I love being his wife and the mother of his kids and am blessed to have him in my life!

The Score is Tied!

2007-09-22T11:51:00.001-04:00

We went for our 20 week ultrasound this past week and everything looks great! We weren't going to find out the sex of the baby, but in the waiting room my family out voted me 4-1! The kids and Jay all wanted to find out so I caved and we found out it is a girl! Bekah was very excited to find out she will finally have her sister! She has been praying for a sister since Bobby was born! I am excited for her! Having 3 sisters I know how fun they can be! Of course I also know the struggles and fights you can have with a sister too! I am hoping she adjusts to not being the only princess though! Now she is the only daughter and the only granddaughter on both sides and has enjoyed all that comes with being the only girl! We now have to come up with a name we all agree on! I like Winona Mae (after my grandmas), Jason likes Emma Lynn, Bekah likes Hannah Montanah, Bobby likes Maxo or Leo ( I think he is still hoping for another brother!), and Zach likes Stella (after a friends Baby he loves!). We have a few other names we are tosing around but those are everyones favorites. Well we have a few more months to figure out her name! In the meantime Bekah is busy picking out all the pink and purple stuff for her she can!

It was a Penny!

2007-09-05T23:00:00.000-04:00

So Zach came up to me on friday in a panic, grabbing at his tounge and crying....My first thought was what did he spray in his mouth?! He was finally able to tell me while still crying "Me swallow Quarter". Now I am in a panic! Do I call the doctor do I take him in? I have never had to deal with a child swallowing anythig before! I opted to google "child swallowing coins" and see what it said. It basically said if they didn't appear to be in pain or distress it had probably passed through to the stomache and would pass naturally in 24-48 hours. Now Zach is potty trained and very independent about it so I don't always know when he goes to see if the Quarter passed or not! I had already decided he couldn't have swallowed a quarter so, I got a hand full of the differetn types of coins and asked him which he put in his mouth and he pointed to a dime. I felt a little better knowing it wasn't a quarter, but by tuesday with no sign og the coin I was a bit worried. Jay called the peditriction and they said as long as he wasn't in pain or had no fever he was fine. So figuring he had already passed it, I was even more relieved to find a penny in the toilet today after he went! I am relieved this adventure with Zach ended as it did and I am left wondering what he has next in mind to discover! He is a naturally curious little boy and has landed himself in more trouble than his sister and brother combined!

My Boy is in Kindergarten!!

2007-08-27T14:21:00.001-04:00

Bobby started Kindergartenn today! I can't believe he is already old enough for school! Where does the time go? He was alittle nervous right before we went outside to wait for the bus, but was all smiles as he got on the bus. He even gave me the thumbs up after he buckled his seatbelt. He was waving with a big smile as the bus pulled away! I wanted to cry but he was so brave! I am so proud of him! Now I am left to count the hours till he gets off the bus after school to find out how the rest of his day went! I have about 2 1/2 hours before he gets off and I can't wait to hear all about his first day of school!

Bobby is 5!!

2007-07-28T08:54:00.000-04:00

Five years ago today we were blessed with Robert Jason! I can't even begin to describe how much joy this little guy brings to our lives! He is such a sweet boy! He loves to play with his transformers, power rangers, put together puzzles, and bug his sister! He is my hugger! Every morning he finds me as soon as he wakes up and gives me a big hug! I look forward to those hugs so much! This fall he will start Kindergarten and he will ride a bus to and from school! I am having a hard time admitting to myself that he is big enough for school let alone a bus! Happy Birthday Buddy!

And Baby makes 4 Raitz Kids!

2007-07-27T19:42:00.001-04:00

This is the newest picture of our new addition! I am 12 weeks pregnant with baby #4. Bekah is hoping and praying for her sister and the boys keep changing their minds! I would be happy with either and Jay thinks it is another girl because I have been having strong aversions to most meats. Which I did while pregnant with Bekah. Though he was convinced Bobby was a girl until they said "it's a boy"! We will just have to wait until this little one makes his or her appearance. Until then we are discussing names and looking at some baby equipment we will need for this new bundle!

Bobby Jay

2007-05-28T17:57:00.000-04:00

This is my Bobby in his soccer outfit. He has been on a tots team this past 6 weeks. I was a little nervouse at first if he was going to play but he went right out on the field and has had a great time! HE gets very excited when it is time to play for soccer and I can't wait to put him on a kindergarten team where he will play 3 on 3 games! He will start Kindergarten in the fall and I can't believe he is old enough! I think it was easier to let Bekah go cause she started talking about going to school when she was 2. But Bobby even now says he is not going to go! He wants to stay home! Well I have a few months to prepare him (and me) for school starting! Hopefully the idea of staying with soccer will help!

My Baby is officially a big boy

2007-05-28T17:49:00.000-04:00

Zachary James is an official big boy now! For the last week and a half he has been wearing underware during the day with no accidents! He came home from Promise Towne about a month ago and decided he needed to wear underware. I was not ready and thought it would lead to many accidents and me getting frustrated, but he surprised me and had very few! He sarted wearing pull-ups during the day and was doing great in those so this past week I got a litttle braver and let him wear underware to Promise Towne. He is doing great and I am proud and sad at the same time! Proud that he has reached yet another milestone, but sad that he is no longer my little baby! He no longer lets me call him my little baby, he is quick to correct me that he is "up" now. (He has trouble saying big so anythig big is referred to as up!)

My Little Soccer Star

2007-05-02T17:50:00.000-04:00

Bekah is in Soccer this spring and is doing great! She has scored her teams first goals both games! Last game she was goalie first quarter and was able to stop all attemps at goal! She is having fun and we are very proud!

My musician

2007-03-11T22:07:00.000-04:00

Zach is our little musician. He loves anythig to do with music! He is always playing his guitar, drums or dancing to the music on the raido((or ipod)! If he sees you watching him dance he will stop and give you his charming little smile. His love of music is just another way he is taking after his Daddy! He is now trying to sing along to songs he hears and even trying to make up a few on his own!

My Baby girl turned 7!

2007-03-11T21:58:00.000-04:00

Bekah turned 7 on February 22. It seems like only yesterday I was being handed the most beautiful baby girl in the hospital and now we are having school conferences and talks about why we don't chase boys on the playground! Bekah is a wonderful little girl and continues to be a delight! She is a fun, bright, happy little girl and I am blessed to have her for a daughter! We had her friend party a week ago. She decided to have a Luau dance party with her friends from school. She had 7 friends and they had a ball learning some hula dance moves and trying to do the limbo! She received some really nice gifts and had fun celebrating with her friends! She has decided it was so fun she wants to have another hula party next year!

"Something big and heavy just fell on it"

2007-02-14T14:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday late afternoon Jason, James and I were sitting in the living room when Bekah came in to inform us that "something big and heavy just fell on Zach's bed". Lets back up a bit to set the stage for you....James moved in with us a few weeks back and we moved Bekah into the boys room. Bekah is on the top bunk, Bobby on the bottom and Zach in his new toddler bed. We are going to paint in the near future so no pictures or shelves have been put on the walls just yet. Now back to Bekah's comment "something big and heavy just fell on it"...at the time of the crime Bekah and Bobby were playing in their bedroom and Zach was sitting on the couch with Jason. Now I am not a detective or anything, but I used my super mom skills and sorted out the facts...1. older kids in bedroom alone, 2 no heavy objects in said room except older kids, 3. one of the house rules no jumping on beds. After carefully examining the facts (and the guilty look on older kids faces) I came to the conclusion that the "something big and heavy" was in fact my older two children! When they realized they were busted they confessed to jumping on Zachs bed. Not only did they jump on his bed, they broke all but 2 of the boards used to hold his mattress in place! Zach ended up sleeping on his mattress on the floor last night and the judge( Mom and Dad) is still coming up wih the sentence for the two convicted liers! Any suggestions?

My Wonderful Hubby

2007-01-13T14:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday and since this is the first one away from family, my hubby invited our friends from the Elevate team to dinner. He made my favorite, his chicken alfradeo! It was delicious and I really enjoyed visiting with everyone! They blessed me with some great birthday gifts as well. They have all made this time of transition great for me and my family and we are blessed to have them all in our lives!

My Little man

2007-01-06T20:15:00.000-05:00

I can't begin to tell you how much this little guy means to me! Every morning when he wakes me up he finds me and gives me a hug. He is the only one of my kids to do this every morning! It has got to be one of the best parts of my day! He has not been feeling well the past couple days and finally today he was his happy old self (as demonstrated in the picture!). I hate when the kids are sick and they have all taken turns since before christmas! Bobby is the last to get the bug and hopefully it will stop with him.

Chicago

2006-12-31T20:39:00.000-05:00

We took the Metra downtown on friday with Jason's parents and the kids. The kids had a blast riding the train! They said it was cool. We got off and walked around downtown and went window shopping, since none of us had money after christmas! It was a gorgeous day weather wise and was perfect for walking!

Little Drummer Boy

2006-12-31T20:26:00.000-05:00

This was Zach's favorite gift this year! (thank you Grandma and Papa Raitz!) He can now practice with his band "The Littles". Bobby, Bekah and Zach formed this group about a month ago. They decided Zach would play drums, Bobby the guitar and Bekah would sing and play keyboard. They definitely got the music gene from Jason, since I can't sing or play an instrument! They are now bugging Jason for a stage in the basement to practice on! Zach already has perfect drummer form down and as the neighbors would agree, the volume! He looks so cute sitting on the little stool drumming! I will keep you all posted on the future performances by "The Littles".

Big Boy Bed

2006-11-27T23:31:00.000-05:00

Well we finally did it. We moved our baby from his crib to a big boy bed! He has been ready for awhile now, but I just couldn't admit my baby was a big boy! He looked so small last night as I tucked him in! When I went in to make sure the boys were all covered up before I went to bed He looked even smaller! He stayed in bed all night and woke up this morning very proud of himself! The crib is now empty and packed away in the garage. I am sad. Jason on the other hand is counting this as one step closer to us not having a baby anymore, but all "big" kids. Bekah is still praying for that little sister she insists she will have! We will just have to wait and see if the crib collects dust in the garage or if we use it again!

2006-10-30T15:47:00.000-05:00

Here we are all settled in IL! This picture was taken in September at a apple orchard we found here to go to! We had fun and picked some really yummy apples too! Bekah is doing great in school! Her teacher said she was a delight to have in class and very eager to learn! Bobby and Zach have gotten to attend classes during the week at church a few times while I help out in Promise Towne(child care for willow volunteers & bible study moms). Bobby is always ready to go to class and Zach likes it as long as I am helping in his class! Zach will also soon be starting home speech therapy, so hopefully we will soon be able to hear what he is thinking...although at times I am afraid what he is thinking!! We have all adjusted well to living in a different state, which at times still seems like a dream! We still miss being close to family and friends, but are excited for what God has for us here!

2006-09-27T11:25:00.000-04:00

We have been "home" for almost a month! It is still weird to say home is here in IL and not MI! Whenever I talk about MI I still say back home...! Everyone is adjusting well. Bekah has already made a good friend and has had a few play dates! The boys are adjusting to Bekah not being home during the day! They actually play really nice when it is just them! I don't know what it is about adding one more that makes it hard for them to all get along! Jason is really liking his new job, and I love our new house! We have most boxes unpacked and everything is looking really nice in our new home.

First Grade

2006-08-30T22:31:00.000-04:00

Bekah is now a first grader! This is her locker! I don't remember first graders having lockers! She loves it though! She puts her backpack and lunch box in it all by herself and goes in to class! I think she did better on her first day than I did! She can even read simple books now with litle to no help! She continues to amaze me! She already has a group of friends and their favorite recesss activity is chasing or being chased by the boys! Don't tell her dad though! She has her first play date on wednesday of next week and will begin riding the bus on friday afternoon! So many changes have taken place for her in a short time and she has breezed through them! She is a sweetheart and I am blessed to have her for a daughter!

2006-08-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken in Kalamazoo. The kids and I went camping with my parents. Bobby is a tad too short to properly reach the table( without spilling), so my mom made Bobby his own special table! He thought this was the coolest and insisted on eating every meal at "his" table. I think he got a little too comfortable though! =)

Are we there yet?

2006-08-02T23:28:00.000-04:00

We are ending a very busy summer! This was actually taken at one of the early camps we did. We just finished up a week in Ohio at Kenyon College. Jason spoke to the Jr. high students and the kids were able to spend most of the day with Jay! They had not been with him for almost 2 weeks straight! He was in ohio at The University of Miami for a week then the kids and I went to Kalamazoo with my parents for a week! Jason is now in Il. He left this morning for his first staff meeting with the Elevate team and to spend the rest of the week in the office. He speaks this weekend to the Elevate students then he goes with them to camp from the 7-11. When he gets home we will have a few days ( sat-tues) to get the rest of the house packed and then he does his last camp and we leave for Il on the 19! Things have all of a sudden become crazy! At the beginning of summer August sounded so far away now I only have 3 weeks left to pack and finalize doctors and school stuff!! Our house is full of boxes and we are running out of room to put more! It amazes me how much one family can have! Jason commented last night that we have packed so much already and it is only stuff we never use! Yet we still packed it! Keep us in your prayers these next few months as we move and get settled in IL!

We are moving again!

2006-07-10T20:13:00.000-04:00

This is our new place! I know some of you are thinking not again, my address book can't handle another Raitz family address!! We are trying to create a address lable this time so you don't have to do any extra writing! Anyway...Last month Jason accepted a job at at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL. We are planning on moving the beginning of August. We went down to the Chicago area last week to do some house hunting and God provided a perfect little house for us! It has 3 bedrooms and a basement! The kids are excited about turning the basement into a play room, and Jason has plans for an office own there as well! We will see who wins, the kids or Jason! We are both excited and sad about the move! We are looking forward to the new position for Jay but are sad to be leaving friends and family! Please keep us all in your prayers as we adjust to the biggest move we have ever made! Bekah is sad to be leaving her school and friends. Bobby just wants to make sure his toys come and Zach has no clue what is happening!

Boys party Pictures

2006-07-10T19:58:00.000-04:00

We had a joint party for the boys since their birthdays are only a month apart. We had fun visiting with family and friends. the kids had a blast playing in the pool and with the hose! it was a beautiful hot sunny day!

My baby is 2!

2006-06-09T23:54:00.000-04:00

Zachary turned 2 this morning at 1:15am! I think he must have remembered the time cause at around that time this morning he was actually up! I didn't realize till much later (like 10ish) how weird it was that he was up at the same time he was born 2 years ago! We celebrated by having dinner with Grandma and Papa Raitz and going to the local fair for some fun! We are having a big party in July for both boys with the whole family! I think Zach had fun! He is cuddled up in bed now with his new soft Thomas blanket from Grandma and Papa!

Picture 1...Zachs new tiger phone, picture 2...Zach enjoying his cupcake, picture 3...Zach clapping after he blew out his candles all by himself!, picture 4...Zach waiting for mom to hurry up and give him his cupcake he has been watching for too long!

Can anyone tell me the shipping charges?

2006-06-07T11:21:00.000-04:00

Just joking! I would never ship them away! We got an order of Zachs food today ($75 for 6 items!!) and the boys decided the box made a perfect boat! I just wish they were always this happy with each other! They can be the best of friends one minute and the worst enemies the next! For the most part though they are happy to play with one another! I hope they remain good friends as they get older!

My little man

2006-06-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

I love this boy! He is one of the sweetest boys I know! He is always ready to give his mom a hug! He will run up to me with arms open and just squeeze me! I love it! I can't call him my boy though as he is quick to correct me that he is daddys boy! So I call him my little man! He has the best smile and the greatest laugh!

My Princess!

2006-06-06T11:39:00.000-04:00

Tonite is the princesses recital! She is in two numbers, one for tap and one for ballett. Her rehersal on saturday went great! The girls all remembered their routines and looked very cute! I think Bekahs favorite part is she gets to wear makeup! I can't blieve how big she has gotten since the start of this year! She will be a kindergarten graduate tomorrow! Yesterday was her end of school party and I was looking at all the kids and was amazed at how much they have changed since school started in august! My baby girl will soon be in school all day everyday! I want to know where the time went? What happened to the little bundle I was handed in the hospital? When I asked the very question to Bekah she said "I grew up mom!" When I asked her who gave her permission to grow up so fast she was quick to reply "Jesus". She has gotten too smart for her own good sometimes!

His first shiner!

2006-06-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when 30lbs of toddler chases a bouncy ball down a driveway! Ouch! I was not there at the time of the fall, but I am told he was very brave and only cried for a few minutes! It looks much better now almost a week later! It has scabbed up (and been picked and rescabbed) and the bruise is almost gone! He now has a bruise on the other cheek though from a run in with a table at church! Zach is all boy and he has two speeds...fast and faster! Sadly for him he got my clutzy genes! He loves any adventure and his recent scrapes have not slowed him down!

2006-05-26T16:47:00.000-04:00

It has been awhile since I last wrote. Things have been good, crazy but good. Bekah is nearing her kindergarten graduation. I can't believe her first year of school is over! Soon she will be a big first grader! Bobby is still Bobby! He is the sweetest one minute and the next he is using some of his fancy power ranger moves on his siblings! Oh well I guess boys will be boys, right? Zachary continues to keep me on my toes! He has now figured out how to open most doors in our house, including the ones designed to keep him inside! We have installed childproof locks/doorknob covers on all the ones leading to danger. Now the only problem is we are all locked out of those doors! Pretty soon Zach will teach the rest of the family how they work so don't feel to bad! We are getting ready for a busy summer and we can't wait!

Yeah!

2006-05-08T22:53:00.000-04:00

This is how happy the kids were today! After a week of having their toys trapped in Bekah's room while we were painting the boys room and living/dining room, they were so happy to be able to play with them again! Our house has been torn apart since last weekend when the kids and I went to my parents and Jason decided to surprise me and refinish our hardwood floors! While he was waiting for the varnish to dry he decided to finally paint the boys room and tear up their carpet to put in the laminate wood floor. After tearing up the floor he found a huge spot of black mold under Bobby's bed! He traced the mold to the shower which is on the other side of the wall from the boys room! Bobby has been complaining forthe last month or so of headaches and they get worse when he goes to bed! Hopefully now he will be better and the headaches will no longer be a problem! Jason is almost finished painting! The house is looking great! It almost feels like new! I think now that the floors are finished and the boys room and bathroom are mold free we will finally be able to keep everyone healthy for more than week at a time!

monkey see monkey do

2006-04-20T21:23:00.000-04:00

We went to the Zoo (the one with live animals, not my house!) with a friend yesterday. I think it was bring your neighbor to the Zoo day cause it was the busiest I have ever seen it! We had to wait in line for almost 10 minutes just to get into the parking lot! Then when we got in they directed us to the back parking lot and told us to park on the sidewalk! I was tired from walking before we even got into see any animals! The kids had fun though! I took this picture in front of the lions. My friend, Karyn, and I looked over at the kids and noticed they had gathered at the fence in order by age! I thought it was too cute to pass up! We stayed for a few hours and left when the kids started to fall apart from being too tired to walk anymore! I think they all had a good day! It was fun just to hang out ith friends!

My boys

2006-04-17T14:41:00.000-04:00

My Boys are the coolest! In the top picture they are showing off their cool sunglasses. They can be so sweet with each other at times. They can be the best of friends, then someone does something the other dosn't like and we come to picture #2. That is Zachary pinning Bobby down just in case you were wondering! Zach has discovered that he can pin Bobby and Bobby can't move! It is funny to watch! Bobby usually is laughing the whole time and Zach has this evil little grin/laugh he does! It is fun now but I think it is a prview for rougher times to come!!! I better start wrestle proofing things now! I hope they will always be able to play around like this with one another and not end up sending each other to the hospital!!

Hurricaine Zach strikes again!

2006-04-10T14:52:00.000-04:00

I know I mentioned before that my youngest, Zach, was a catagorey 5 hurricaine, but just listen to how our morning went....
This morning sarted like any other school day, I got up, got Zach up, started waking Bekah up, poured Zach a cup of his "milk" and gave him a cereal bar, called for Bekah again, poured Bobby Choclate milk, made Bekahs lunch, called for Her again and this time she emerged still half asleep asking for her fruity pebbles in milk, filled her breakfast order, filled her water bottle, hear Zach following behind Jason "helping" him ready for work, give Zach 10g lucky charms in little bowl, packed Bekahs backpack, hear lucky charms spill decide to find out where later, put in a load of laundry, locate clothes for Bekah, hear Zach being told to leave stuff (computer cats, Jasons books all ready to take to work, alarm clock...) alone and go eat his cereal, find cereal spill on my bedroom floor, pick up cereal and make sure Zach still has some left, fill out Zachs diet record to mail later, say good bye to Bekah and Jason, make a cinnamon toast for Bobby, mix todays supply of milk for Zach, refill Zachs cup, switch over laundry from earlier, make myself a bagel and pour a glass of grape juice, give Zach a graham cracker and we sit down and eat together, Zach flings rest o lucky charms off the table one by one with his cracker (Brownie our dog happily eats!), gets down and eats rest of cracker while watching power rangers with Bobby, I get dressed, pick up and have to stop when Zach comes to me with a bloody hand, wash it and find a scrape by his thumb?, put a band aid on and try to disover where he got it (boys aren't telling), find a broken glass on living room floor (no idea where Zach found it), pick up glass and vaccuum floor, add a few diaper changes, dishes, letting dog in and out and you have my morning from
7:15am-10am! I love Zach and I love his love of life, I just wish i had half his energy so I could keep up!

WANTED: full nights sleep!

2006-04-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

I haven't been getting much sleep lately, so I am really tired! I am either up with the kids or they are in bed with us which makes for some very restless nights! We only have a double bed so there is not a whole lot of extra room for kids! I don't know what their deal is lately? I think Zach is teething...again! Bekah and Bobby I have no idea! Bekah is very sneaky about crawling in our bed too, she will just all of a sudden be there! I will try to roll over and can't because she is on my arm or leg! Bobby is not as sneaky but he will all of a sudden be there right in my face! Scary!! I hate the feeling that someone is staring at me and to wake up with someone 2 inches from your nose is not a fun way to wake up! Zach just stands in bed and cries till i come get him, he is still in a crib! he knows how o climb out but for the time being has forgot and we don't rmind him!! I was lulled into a false sense of reality when all three of my kids were sleeping through the night by 2mos! Somewhere around 9mos they all forgot how! Once in awhile they will sleep through the night..just not all the same night! Well its bed time and I think I might try to get the kids to bed as well!

My PKUer

2006-04-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

This is Zach, my PKUer. What that means is Zach has a metabolic condition called Phenylketonuria (PKU). Having PKU means he is missing an enzyme that breaks down Phenylalanine (PHE) a building block of protein. So every day I have to count/weigh everything he eats! He is allowed 250mg-270mg of PHE a day right now. Just to give you an idea of what that means is for every gram of protein in a serving of food there are approx 50mg of PHE! It adds up really fast! He is not allowed to have meat, fish, eggs, milk or dairy products. his main source of nutrition comes in the form of a formula, Phenex 2, or his "milk". He needs to drink around 24-28 ounces a day to help keep his blood PHE levels between 2-6. To monitor that we do bi-weekly blood draws from his finger and send them to the lab and his dietition calls us later in the week with the results. If his levels are too high or too low we will adjust his daily PHE intake. To supplement his diet with food we purchase lo-protein products from a few different companies that make them (all based outside of MI). I am able to order him bread, cheese, noodles and flour that are all lo-protein. These products are expensive compared to the high protein versions at the local grocery store..ex..our bread $1.29 a loaf vs Zachs bread $9.99 a loaf + s&h. Why am I telling you all of this you may ask? I am telling you first to spread the awarness of this condition, which is tested for on all babies born in the US by a simple heel poke, and its treatment ( strict lo-pro diet for life) and second to let you all know that May is National PKU awarness month! People all across the US will be having special events throughout the month to raise money for PKU research. Michigan is having a walk on May 13, 2006. I will keep you all posted on the event details and information on how to give to PKU research as the month goes on. Please consider giving to reserch in the hope that they will soon find a cure for PKU! Please check out my PKU link or for another good site go to www.michigan-pku.org.

My Guys

2006-04-03T09:37:00.000-04:00

I love my guys! They are so special to me! The little guys love to follow their dad around and do everything he does! They have even learned the art of spitting! Last week we were t the park and Bobby had climbed up the play structure and looked down and started to spit! When I told him it was gross he just smiled and spit again! Boys! they are so different than girls! I love to watch Jason with the boys,especially when they are doing "guy" things. I can still remember the day he found out he had a son...my whole pregency he was convinced we were having another girl then the doctor said "its a boy". i think he was in shock all day, he kept saying.."we hae a boy"., "I have a son"! He was so proud, especialy when he got to introduce Bobby to his Dad whom Bobby is named after! The boys love to hang out with their dad! bobby told me on friday I had to pick Bekah up from school so he could hand out with daddy! They are always wrestling or practicing their throwing! I love my guys, plain and simple!

The princess of the Zoo

2006-03-31T09:58:00.000-05:00

Bekah has been bugging us for a sister for about 3 years now! It all started with Bobby being more interested in cars than playing dolls with her! Everytime we are in the store she will point out all the cute clothes for her sister. When I remind her that she has 2 brothers and no sister she says " well someday I'll have a sister!" I think as princess she thinks because she spoke it it will happen! I have asked her what she would do if God decided she was supposed to have another brother and she said " I prayed for a sister and heard Gods answer and he said Yes!" Her other answer to this question was " I prayed for twins, we will have another brother and a sister!" Now I am scared! I have gone back and forth about having another baby (my decesion depens on how well they are behaving!), and I think having another has won out ,but twins?! I just hope God answers the first prayer instead! I have 3 sisters and even though we have not always gotten along, I have loved having sisters and hope some day Bekah will enjoy having one as well! Oh well we will see if some day in the future God decides to bless us with another! For now though she is stuck with two brothers who love to play with her as much as they love to torment her!

My Monkeys

2006-03-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

Today was such a beautiful day that the boys and I packed up after breakfast and went to the park! We loaded the wagon with fruit snacks, water bottles, a ball, my camera, and two whistles (my neighbors really love me!) then set off! We had a blast! my boys are so fun to play with! We went down the slides (that were not wet), kicked the ball around, and went on the swings. We even had a lesson on not littering (Bobby threw his wrapper out of the wagon). I am so glad sping is finally here! I really do not like playing in the snow, its so wet and cold! I like sweatshirt weather so much more! When e got back from the park we played out front for a little bit with the bikes and little tykes cars. We were having fun until I went into the garage to help Bobby look for something and Zach decided to walk oit into the street with a push toy! i had my back to him for a second! Thankfully no cars were coming down the street! I don't know who was more scared me or Zach after I yelled and ran to him like a wild woman! He is safe and I was able to calm down and explain in a calmer voice why we don't play in the street! Aside from my boys littering and playing in the street it was a fun morning!

Meet the Zoo

2006-03-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

Here are my kids! They are the the best! Bobby (upper left) is my little man! He loves Superheros, Power Rangers, bugging his brother and sister, and doing anything Daddy does! I love it when he runs up to me arms open for a hug and says "I love you mom!" Bekah (center) is the princess, and she knows it! Last night she wanted to cuddle after she had already been put to bed, so she decided her tummy hurt. She came out with tears and everything saying how bad it hurt! Jay and I were almost ready to take her to the ER when by some miracle it didn't hurt as much curled up in my lap under a comfy blanket! She fell asleep shortly afterward and Jay and I realized we had been had by our 6 year old! I still don't know how she got so big (and smart)!! Zach (right) is my catagory 5 hurricane! He loves life! He is always finding ways to explore his world...jumping off the arm of the couch (onto the dog), testing his strength (to date 2 drawers in kitchen are broken off their hinges), fur collecting (cats don't really like Zach too much), running (usually away from whichever sibling he just stole a toy from). Those are just a few of his everyday activities! He has more energy that the other two combined! I love how different they all are and have been from day 1! It still amazes me some days that they are mine! I wonder why God chose to bless me with such amazing wonderful kids! I thank him everday for the wonderful privilage of being their mom!

welcome to the zoo

2006-03-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

The zoo today is fairly quiet. The kids are finally all feeling better and we are back to a "normal" schedule! Bekah is back to school after 2 sick days last week and the boys are both napping after eating lunch! The cats are prowling around me, I think Bekah forgot to feed them his morning, and Brownie is napping with her boy(Bobby). The weather today is gorgeous and I can't wait till the boys wake up to play outside! I think I am going to open all my windows and let fresh air in in hopes of getting all the leftover sick germs out! Well I am going to enjoy these few rare moments of quiet with the boys napping!