Family
Growth in the Unexpected
Have you ever felt paralyzed by the unexpected? Something happens that you weren’t expecting and you aren’t really sure what to do or what to think or where to go from there. Discouraged, unstable, anxious, fear, unknown…all can come with the unknown and unexpected.
These are all things we felt when we first found out that Hezi would be born with a cleft lip. There were so many unknowns, so many uncertainties that the doctors could not clarify for us until he was born.
And now, most recently, Sophie was diagnosed with strabismus, something I had never heard of until we started noticing a strange occurrence with one of her eyes. We took her to the ophthalmologist and found out that because one of her eyes goes inward periodically, she would need to get glasses. When most kids her age brains can adjust to focus on something far to something close, hers has to work twice as hard to do it. So, the glasses should allow her brain to recorrect this in a few years. Although the diagnosis was what we were expecting, the treatment was much different. But, we are hopeful that the glasses will do their job and will fix her eyes for the rest of her life!
SUPER SOPHIE!!
When she first put on the glasses, she said “I’m a Super Hero!”
<–Showing off her Muscles — We told her that wearing her glasses made her muscles bigger 😀
^^^Hezi wanted to join in the fun!
Daddy and I joined in for dinner, too!
But, it can be difficult when it feels like something hits you out of nowhere and it can be easy to get stuck in a rut when the unexpected happens. Although not always a simple task, here are a few ways to find …
Read MoreCrazy Schedules and Saying no
I think it is safe to say we all say yes to too many things! We run from one thing to the next, stay connected on all our devices, minds are in a million different directions, our time is filled, and our lives are busy! As a mom, no matter how many kids, or what ages, or what activities involved in, moms are wearing lots of hats. Whether its dinner or laundry or work or personal time, it is all taking up space in the day and in the mind.
Saying yes to too many things is not only saying no to freedom, space, and a little rest, it could also be saying no to what you really need. Saying no can leave room for the big yes, more time to think through decisions, and more bandwidth for creativity. I fall into this trip all the time. I want to say yes to everything. I love keeping all my options open. But I have realized that doesn’t always lend to depth or freedom. It also doesn’t always leave room for the best thing. Saying no to something on the schedule can lead to more family time. Saying no to staying up later can leave room for more energy the next day. Saying no to another commitment may help you dive in deeper into the things you are already involved in.
I know I know, as a mom, I want to do it all. But that frame of mind and way of living probably isn’t what is best for my family. Yes I can maybe get more done, but if I am stressed out in the process it is going to affect my family, my marriage, my ability to be present. What if saying no was the courageous thing to do, …
Read MoreSeasons of Growth
Do you find yourself in a season of growth? Or a season that is requiring you to grow?
I am learning that what we need most during a season of growth is PATIENCE. Patience to take the time to learn. Patience to teach. Patience to wait on seeing the fruits of our growth efforts.
As parents, we are learning to take the time to slow down for teachable moments. As hard as it can be to set aside the time to teach something new and it is so worth it. I find I have to almost sit on my hands and keep my mouth shut to let them learn and make mistakes, but that is where the magic happens with growth!!
Sometimes (ok, most of the time) growth is messy and uncomfortable. But growing requires courage to wake up and do something EVERY DAY that moves you forward!! You can start small with one thing a day. Once that one thing becomes a regular habit, add something new and keep going!!
Are you in a season of growth?
What is something that is important for you to do regularly to keep moving forward?
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Read MoreCelebrating on a Budget — A FIN-tastic Dory Party
By now, you know that we all LOVE to CELEBRATE!
This week, we celebrated Sophie, my firstborn, turning THREE! I can’t believe it! She decided that she wanted a Dory party a couple months ago and has been anxiously waiting for it since! Once she had made up her mind, I got right to the idea board. I knew I needed to find fun ideas that would not break the bank for her party! So, I started with my party go-to’s…
Pinterest is where I always go to get my creative juices flowing. I look at what other people have done and either create my own ideas from that or try to recreate what has been done before. It is also just a great way to get ideas organized in one place and to start honing in on a theme.
Party Purchases…
Party City is a great place to look for specific themes and colors. They had a few fun Dory favor and decor items. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a variety of plastic serve ware in all different shapes and sizes that worked great for this party – and they were great prices too! I was also able to find a 20% coupon to use in store which was an added bonus!
Walmart has the best prices for paper products and simple decor like streamers. They have some themed items, as well.
Oriental Trading has so many options for party items- fun favors, treat bags, decor and more! They often have discounts on their websites, too!
I even used Ebay for this party to find some unique favors!
JOANN Fabrics is the place to go for theme fabric. We used fabric for a party dress for Sophie, table cloth, and the fishing game drape. For previous parties, …
Read MoreCelebrations-How we Celebrate our Grandkids 6th Birthdays!!!
In our family, we love to celebrate! Our family is spread out all over the state of California so we have had to get creative with HOW we celebrate as a family. Webster’s definition of the word celebrate is “to observe or commemorate an event or an accomplishment with festivities and ceremonies”. Celebrations are a way of establishing family traditions as you honor a person or event. We fully embrace the truth that children spell LOVE…T..I..M..E!!!! Spending time together builds up the person being celebrated and allows everyone attending the celebration to acknowledge their feelings of love and commitment. We also see value in establishing traditions because belonging (to a family) is a way to build security and confidence as children grow and mature and affirms our love for our daughters and son-in-laws.
One of our favorite family traditions is that when our grandkids turn 6 years old they get a whole day at Disneyland with Gammie and Poppa ALL BY THEMSELVES!
This weekend we celebrated Hanna and Calvin and they each had a full day of fun at Disneyland with Gammie and Poppa!! Each of them structured their day in a way unique to their personality. They get to choose all the activities for the day. Hanna wanted to pick out her gift-a pair of Minnie ears and then go on “all the rides” we could fit into the day! Calvin wanted to get a lay of the land by riding the Disney train around the park a few times before he was ready to tackle the rides.
Both children have a passion for food so we tasted many yummy delights-especially wonderful ice cream treats! Hanna had endless energy and wanted to play tag every moment we were not surrounded with crowds of people. She literally talked the entire …
The Stories of Us
Since February is the month of LOVE, we thought it would be fun to share the stories of the Growing Weisser spouses. It is our hope that you will learn something you didn’t know about our great love stories!!
Our Love Story (Kerry and Rick) and how the Weisser legacy began…
Kerry says:
“It all started with our first date with a group of 25 Jr High kids that we mentored from the church youth group where we worked. With the kids in tow we went to San Francisco to see Star Wars and eat lunch at a deli!
Proposal was epic-for the 1970’s. One day after Rick arrived home from his first year of medical school he invited me on a date. A surprise evening began with red roses then off to San Francisco to our favorite restaurant Lehr’s Greenhouse, tickets to the Nutcracker, and finally ice cream at the original Bud’s ice cream parlor!
When we arrived back at my house he had one more surprise-he played his guitar and sang me the song “Beautiful” and proposed with a cigar band!! After I said YES, he went home that night and we went ring shopping the next day!!”
The story of us (Rachel and Aaron)…
These two have been perfecting selfies and power poses since before it was a thing…even before Rachel knew Aaron was “Aaron.” That’s right! Aaron’s friends enjoyed giving him all sorts of nicknames, the longest standing being his high school nickname “Ernie,” and Rachel didn’t find out til almost a year after being friends that his real name was Aaron!!
Luckily, the truth was told, and soon after these two friends fell in love. Aaron (Ernie) proposed at Rachel’s favorite place…you guessed it – DISNEYLAND – she said YES, and the rest is …
Read MoreSending Love One Card at a Time
“Sending Love One Card at a Time” quoted from a wonderful friend’s website who has inspired this post. Upon receiving a letter from her last week it opened up a little piece of my heart. When was the last time you received a letter just because? Do you know that feeling of fishing through all that junk mail and finding a real envelope addressed to you and opening an actual real note? There is something so real and authentic about it that feels different than an email. It is like reading a real book. Real, tangible, meaningful, you can feel it and touch it. It connects to your heart and can connect to your soul. Or how about getting all those family Christmas cards during the holiday season? I absolutely love getting Christmas cards and sending Christmas cards. It is like this piece of my heart opens up and feels connected to all those people. Snail mail gets some similar feeling from me. It feels pure and deep. Real and vulnerable.
So I have been thinking about the past week of Valentine’s Day and love and relationships. And I think it is time to send a little love to some important people in my life. Tell them that are valuable to me. Show them in a different way I care. Even if the mail doesn’t mean the same thing to them, I love getting the opportunity to send it. Sometimes the things we think we are doing for others actually ends up opening a different piece of our heart and touching us in a different way.
I have a friend that sends letters on birthdays and anniversary. She is amazing and so intentional. And it means so much to me that I get a little blessing from such and incredible …
Read MoreMeet the Growing Weisser Men-Ashkon (Bekah’s husband)
Husband to Bekah and dad to his 2 incredible kiddos.
Ashkon is in his third (and final!) year as a Pediatric resident at UCSF Fresno. We are so proud of all his hard work, and everything he’s accomplished thus far!
His love language is food. He loves to try anything new but he’s still always up for a slice 🍕and a cone🍦
His other passions are soccer, the SF Giants and being a daddy!
He loves a good dad joke and is always trying to keep everyone around him laughing!
Ashkon and family are excited for what is next in his medical career- stay tuned for the news of his future job!
This family is full of the JOY of the Lord!!!
All photographs courtesy of Olia Luis photography.…
Read MoreMeet the Growing Weisser Men-Mike (Bethany’s husband)
Husband to Bethany, and the last (and best) addition to our family!!
Mike loves being around people and engaged in community. He gets the blessing of living out his strengths through various teaching and serving positions.
Mike teaches at a local high school, is involved in ministry clubs at the school, leads a small group at his church, and is very involved with his family.
When he isn’t entertaining his kids with his funny antics and great dance moves, you can find him going on runs, finding new ways to cook meat, going on hunting trips, or finding ways to compete in anything or everything.
Mike finds ways to make the most out of life and makes people around him feel loved and comfortable while always having a good time.
Such a wonderful Daddy.
Fun times!
True love!
What a beautiful family!
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.Photographs by Olia Luis
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📷@olialuisphotography…
Meet the Growing Weisser Men-JT (Jessica’s husband)
Today we highlight JT! The first man to join the family as husband and partner to Jess.
They have been living life to the fullest ever since they met, and over the year added 4 amazing kids to their bunch.
JT is a high school teacher, elder, mentor and successful track coach. He has been coaching Track and Field and teaching for 11 years. He is currently the Executive Director of a widely read leadership blog CoachAyers.com. JT also leads at his church as a pastor. JT is an incredible husband and fun and loving daddy.
He loves coaching his own kids in the way of the Lord and in all things sports. They know how to make the most of each day by loving, serving, and living big!
He has led the way and set a high standard for the other SILs. Love this wonderful Godly guy.
So much love and laughter with this bunch!
Such a joy filled family!
Photos by Olia Luis Photography…