Saturday, April 28, 2012
Hopefully Back on Track!
2.5 years ago I wrote my last blog - I lost time and track of everything. I started working more at John's office and we moved back to Braidwood. We made the decision to close the office and sold most of the equipment and patient files to another chiropractor. John now works for Chiro One in Flossmoor and we are living in Wilmington with his parents. This summer we will be moving closer to his office after we travel to Utah for my brother Travis's wedding.
Matt now attends an amazing school in Bourbonnais, Il called Camelot and it is fantastic for him. Denise has been attending homeschool here with me and has been doing wonderfully. She is in "Kindergarten," but finished the 1st grade curriculum last fall and is now finishing the 2nd grade work and reading chapter books and astounding me everyday! Genevieve is doing pre-school/kindergarten here with us in our homeschool and she too is doing well and learning how to read. Both girls will be attending school hopefully next year whereever we end up leaving me time spend with our latest addition.
Our biggest news from the last few years is Elizabeth Louise Braithwaite who arrived January 7th, 2012 at 8:57pm. All 3 kids prayed her to join our family and still dote on her with kisses and hugs and smiles EVERY day! We are so thankful for her and all our blessings these last two years. John loves his job, the kids are growing and doing well, and I am LOVING staying home with them and being a homemaker full time. Hope all is well with you all!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Love of Life
Well the last few months since I posted have been interesting. It has been non-stop for us and our family. We moved our home to the next town over and then 2 weeks later, we moved the office as well. We now have enough space for us at home and for all the office stuff at the office. John took some pics and I will have to post them when I get the email he supposed to be sending me with them.
Through all this, we also began a new program in our office which has changed my life and others. It is a wonderful diet called Ideal Protein. It is one that can be done on your own, but we sell food that makes it easy for people on the go. Anyway, we started on April 17, 2009 and by the 1st of August, I dropped 65 pounds and John has lost 70. I am in better shape than I have been since High School and I am fitting into a pants size I have not seen since Jr. High! I have taken myself off the diet for now, since I now just want to tone up and am doing it through exercise! Since today is 9/11, I have been looking back over the last 33 years of my life and just feel so grateful for the choice John made to become a Chiropractor. He not only changed my life, but saved it! I honestfully cannot remember when I felt this good - not even before my arthritis in HS.
My kids are growing up well and becoming their own individual people who live healthier than I have ever lived in my life. Matt is doing better in school than ever before and they have consented to give him his supplements in school because they have seen how well he is doing. He is attending a 1st grade class each day for Art, Gym, Music, Library, Computer Lab and even Phonemic Awareness (Spelling). I am so proud of him.
Evie & Didi are just doing so well at being good playmante with each other even though they get on each other's nerves, they are good sharers and helpers. Evie is our little momma! She loves babies and dolls and makes sure they get wrapped up in blankets and get bottles to drink and get loved and rocked to sleep. She loves to help with cleaning and to wipe up everything with baby wipes! :) Didi is my little artist still - she loves to draw and color and paint. She is learning to read and play the Wii and loves to dress up. Last week, in an effort to keep them out of my jewelry, we made bracelets all together, just us girls. It was a blast! We evn turned an old container into a new jewelry box for them to store it all in! :)
John attened Total Solutions and we have finally found a group and belief system we can agree with for our wellness clinic. We have found true wellness. We are now trying to implement things and align ourselves so we can become a creating wellness center. This has become our passion and purpose and we hope to be up and running with it by next april.
On a separate note, my Dad accepted a job in Indiana, sold his house in California, sold Gayla's house in Philly and they are now living only 3 hours away in Fort Wayne, IN! We are so excited to have them living close. We hope ;) to have more family living back in the midwest soon!
I also wanted to mention that we went to St. Louis to see our old friends, especially the Pontius family who are now en route to Alaska! We hope to be able to visit them soon! We enjoyed seeing them and all the other old friends we miss each day from STL! Love to you all!
Through all this, we also began a new program in our office which has changed my life and others. It is a wonderful diet called Ideal Protein. It is one that can be done on your own, but we sell food that makes it easy for people on the go. Anyway, we started on April 17, 2009 and by the 1st of August, I dropped 65 pounds and John has lost 70. I am in better shape than I have been since High School and I am fitting into a pants size I have not seen since Jr. High! I have taken myself off the diet for now, since I now just want to tone up and am doing it through exercise! Since today is 9/11, I have been looking back over the last 33 years of my life and just feel so grateful for the choice John made to become a Chiropractor. He not only changed my life, but saved it! I honestfully cannot remember when I felt this good - not even before my arthritis in HS.
My kids are growing up well and becoming their own individual people who live healthier than I have ever lived in my life. Matt is doing better in school than ever before and they have consented to give him his supplements in school because they have seen how well he is doing. He is attending a 1st grade class each day for Art, Gym, Music, Library, Computer Lab and even Phonemic Awareness (Spelling). I am so proud of him.
Evie & Didi are just doing so well at being good playmante with each other even though they get on each other's nerves, they are good sharers and helpers. Evie is our little momma! She loves babies and dolls and makes sure they get wrapped up in blankets and get bottles to drink and get loved and rocked to sleep. She loves to help with cleaning and to wipe up everything with baby wipes! :) Didi is my little artist still - she loves to draw and color and paint. She is learning to read and play the Wii and loves to dress up. Last week, in an effort to keep them out of my jewelry, we made bracelets all together, just us girls. It was a blast! We evn turned an old container into a new jewelry box for them to store it all in! :)
John attened Total Solutions and we have finally found a group and belief system we can agree with for our wellness clinic. We have found true wellness. We are now trying to implement things and align ourselves so we can become a creating wellness center. This has become our passion and purpose and we hope to be up and running with it by next april.
On a separate note, my Dad accepted a job in Indiana, sold his house in California, sold Gayla's house in Philly and they are now living only 3 hours away in Fort Wayne, IN! We are so excited to have them living close. We hope ;) to have more family living back in the midwest soon!
I also wanted to mention that we went to St. Louis to see our old friends, especially the Pontius family who are now en route to Alaska! We hope to be able to visit them soon! We enjoyed seeing them and all the other old friends we miss each day from STL! Love to you all!
Friday, January 30, 2009
The hang of it
Ok - just when I thought I was getting a good schedule down and getting stuff done at home and at the office, we went on vacation and I haven't been the same since. It doesn't help that John has been extremely busy at work and we have been potty training Didi. I have just been trying to keep up with the house and the paperwork and get as many of my projects off my plate. Now that they are done and Didi is Potty Trained, I will be heading into the office nearly full-time in the next few weeks! Hopefully I will only be in there full-time for 3-4 months and then will go back to part time when we can get someone in there to do the daily stuff! I got a new camera and digital video camera for Christmas and have lots of fun pics I hope to be putting on here soon!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Christmas Letter
OK - I sent this out as an email attachment, but some of you were having trouble reading it - so here it is again!
Hello All!
You know that saying, “Another Day, Another Dollar?” I feel like saying “Another Year, Another Christmas Letter!!” Anyway, life has been very crazy for all of us – below are some highlights!
Evie (Genevieve) has turned one! She is walking and trying to run to keep up to her siblings! She has learned a few signs which makes mommy happy! She is simply the most wonderful and easy going baby I have ever had. She fits right in and loves her older siblings!
Didi (Denise) has reached the ripe age of almost 3 (next month) and I wish she was turning 4. She has to be one of the most vocal children I have ever encountered. She will sing to anyone, talk to them on the phone, or just chew your ear off! She loves to try to read and is actually able to read some simple words. She loves to point out colors, shapes and now Christmas symbols like Santa and Candles! If we can just get her to potty train and let Evie play with her, we will be doing fine!
Matt is now 6 and is attending a special program for children with Speech Disorders and Autism. He is bused 30 minutes north to Shorewood and he simply LOVES school. He can do just about what every Kindergartener can do like tell you his phone number, the names of the coins and their amounts, tell time and even read. He is just thriving in his new school and we are so glad to be in another good school district. His new passion is WALL-E and it is also mom’s nails to the chalkboard since we have now seen it over 100 times in the last month!
Mandi is settling in and learning wonderful new things like Advertising and PR, and Insurance Billing and Coding! She works part time in John’s clinic and is enjoying being able to help the people of Braidwood! She is on a mission to save them all from the ailments that afflict them and the world of prescription drugs! In her spare time (basically never), she still likes to scrapbook and sew. She is also Matt’s Shadow at Church and enjoys the one-on-one time each week with him!
John has had the biggest year of us all! He graduated last December with his Doctor of Chiropractic and spent the first part of this year completing the requirements for his Masters of Sports Science & Rehab (which is received in April). In May & June, we packed up what supplies we could and headed to Chicago to drop him off. He started his own wellness clinic, “Gentle Hands Chiropractic.” He opened his doors in July and has been working hard to help the people of Braidwood, IL to feel better and live better lives! He loves having the opportunity to help people and get to know them better!
We are enjoying living in Braidwood, but miss you all. We hope to settle in and stay for a long time! If you ever are in the neighborhood, stop by and see us. Our contact info is below!
Love to you all,
John, Mandi, Matt, Didi & Evie Braithwaite
Home:
140 East First Street
Braidwood, IL 60408
815-390-5168
Office:
505 West Kennedy Road
Braidwood, IL 60408
815-458-BACK (2225)
Hello All!
You know that saying, “Another Day, Another Dollar?” I feel like saying “Another Year, Another Christmas Letter!!” Anyway, life has been very crazy for all of us – below are some highlights!
Evie (Genevieve) has turned one! She is walking and trying to run to keep up to her siblings! She has learned a few signs which makes mommy happy! She is simply the most wonderful and easy going baby I have ever had. She fits right in and loves her older siblings!
Didi (Denise) has reached the ripe age of almost 3 (next month) and I wish she was turning 4. She has to be one of the most vocal children I have ever encountered. She will sing to anyone, talk to them on the phone, or just chew your ear off! She loves to try to read and is actually able to read some simple words. She loves to point out colors, shapes and now Christmas symbols like Santa and Candles! If we can just get her to potty train and let Evie play with her, we will be doing fine!
Matt is now 6 and is attending a special program for children with Speech Disorders and Autism. He is bused 30 minutes north to Shorewood and he simply LOVES school. He can do just about what every Kindergartener can do like tell you his phone number, the names of the coins and their amounts, tell time and even read. He is just thriving in his new school and we are so glad to be in another good school district. His new passion is WALL-E and it is also mom’s nails to the chalkboard since we have now seen it over 100 times in the last month!
Mandi is settling in and learning wonderful new things like Advertising and PR, and Insurance Billing and Coding! She works part time in John’s clinic and is enjoying being able to help the people of Braidwood! She is on a mission to save them all from the ailments that afflict them and the world of prescription drugs! In her spare time (basically never), she still likes to scrapbook and sew. She is also Matt’s Shadow at Church and enjoys the one-on-one time each week with him!
John has had the biggest year of us all! He graduated last December with his Doctor of Chiropractic and spent the first part of this year completing the requirements for his Masters of Sports Science & Rehab (which is received in April). In May & June, we packed up what supplies we could and headed to Chicago to drop him off. He started his own wellness clinic, “Gentle Hands Chiropractic.” He opened his doors in July and has been working hard to help the people of Braidwood, IL to feel better and live better lives! He loves having the opportunity to help people and get to know them better!
We are enjoying living in Braidwood, but miss you all. We hope to settle in and stay for a long time! If you ever are in the neighborhood, stop by and see us. Our contact info is below!
Love to you all,
John, Mandi, Matt, Didi & Evie Braithwaite
Home:
140 East First Street
Braidwood, IL 60408
815-390-5168
Office:
505 West Kennedy Road
Braidwood, IL 60408
815-458-BACK (2225)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
My Brother sent me this quote and I would just like to pass it on!
Elder Neal Maxwell:
Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. (See 1 Kgs. 18:21.)
President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had “never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1941, p. 123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ!. . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted.
This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.
There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself.
Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, “summer is nigh” (Matt. 24:32). Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat!
Neal A. Maxwell, "A More Determined Discipleship," Ensign, Feb 1979, 69–73.
An address delivered at Brigham Young University , 10 October 1978
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thanksgiving
While I am thankful for many things including our health, our family, our clinic, and being back in Chicago...Thanksgiving is not the same as it was when I was a kid! We always had TONS of family around, since the Vest side of the family would come out and we would go to my Uncle's Northwestern Football Games. We had tons of food and lots of laughs! Now since I have to do all the food by myself and since we only have our little family of five, I just feel overwhelmed! Since Matt can't have any grains or dairy, we have VERY simple holiday foods to begin with. And, on top of that, John and I have very different likes for Thanksgiving foods! Especially Stuffing!! So I have to make 2 kinds of stuffing--He likes the Stove Top stuff in the bird, and I prefer the hand broken dressing you bake in a separate pan! Oh well! We have actually been talking about just buying a pre-made one from Jewel or going to Old Country Buffet and saving us from all the work! At least with the Jewel Dinner, we would have leftovers! Anyway, we did have a good turnout for the food drive and we get to take the food and money over to the Community Care Center tomorrow! I want to do it all together as a family, since we did the food drive all together and we are looking forward to another one next year! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and eat all your favorite Harvest/Thanksgiving Foods! And if you are crazy enough to attempt the Black Friday Sales...HAVE FUN!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Walking Baby
Ok - It is official...Evie is walking. This is not something I was ready for, but she is 11 months now and will turn 1 next month.
For some new still pics of the kids, see below. I am still trying to get the rest of the Halloween pics to unload, and will have to do them later!
Traveling in style for the Ladybug and Cinderella!
Matt jumping on the leaves on the tramp
Our desecrated Pumpkins from our crazy squirrels!
Reading before bedtime
Can you believe this adorable girl?!?
Results of the indoor "snowfall" Matt created 2 days ago!
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