for posterity's sake

i'm not writing for any other reason.

just to keep a record of this week.

last week brought some tough times for buz and me. not tough times between us. tough times for us to go/grow through together. we are definitely not at the point where we can look back and say, "oh honey (wait...we don't call each other honey anyway), wasn't that such a wonderful time of growth for us? i'm so glad God built our character during that time." we are definitely NOT at that place. yet.

i know we will be. because surprisingly, the two of us have felt a peace about our situation. it's barely there. but it IS there. because HE is there.

amen?

oh, and remember that job that we almost took several months ago? and we decided not to take it because of our community here? that community?

has walked with us this past week. God totally showered us with people -- physical presence, email, FB, twitter, texts, etc.

sometimes i moan and groan about FB and twitter. that they are just places for me to spend my time instead of being with my kiddos or spouse.

but lately...they have been so comforting and encouraging.

anyway...point of the story.

saturday was good. nothing too fancy. we went to the mall to let big h look around the lego store. goo has a new favorite store. surprisingly, i've kept her out for this long. she literally hugged one of the mannequins and said, "mama, i yub this dress because it's so bee-uh-ful." normally, i go in by myself. but this time, she came to realize the wonder that is this store.

saturday night, we put them to bed and buz played his playstation and i piddled around on the computer. we had iTunes on, and we had a great night just talking to each other and reminiscing about songs. we both finally got in bed around 2am.

you've met buz, right? you know he's an early-to-bed/early-to-rise guy, right? 2am is UNHEARD OF.

at 215, we heard groaning followed by, "oh no. i don't peel so way-uhl."

you other parents, please tell me you know what we walked into.

the smell. oh my word, the smell. buz took the laundry shift. i took the cleaning off the child shift. good times.

big h slept in my bed and buz took the couch. (ironically, buz had taken tylenol that night because he had a headache.)

4-ish. big h to the bathroom again. get him cleaned up again.

630. big h to the bathroom. rinse. repeat.

8-something. big h still sleeping. buz starts to wake up. sunday a low-key day.

sunday night at 10. i get the call that my friend bitsy is going to the hospital to deliver her sweet little girl. she wants me to photograph. totally honored.

get there. bad light. oh well. stay up from 1030-7. so worth it. witness my friend give birth to little (not so much -- 8#) baby annie. still bad lighting. very small delivery room. complications at the end of delivery require many hospital staff members to attend her delivery. i am NOT one of the important hospital staff members. which means i do not get a "good spot." all of this -= not proving to be best setting for rocked out photos. seems that my friend bitsy is not near as concerned with rocked out photos as she is with her friend janet being there as well as the health of her brand new baby.

come home at 9am. eyes burning with fatigue. buz not feeling well. he finally tells me to go take a nap, and he'll put goo down for her nap. she goes down. buz tries to take a nap. but is visiting the restroom a LOT. i wake up not feeling so well but don't think anything of it. i get goo up, and big h, goo, and i head to grocery store for saltines, sprite, chicken noodle soup, and Imodium AD. good times.

we come home. i feel hot. but it's hot outside, i tell myself. i turn the tv on because at this point i can't stop feeling yucky. i walk to my bedroom, pass buz in bed, head for the restroom, pull my hair back, and surely you know the rest.

i am here to tell you. I WILL NEVER BECOME BULIMIC! NEVER.

and then, because i'm a mom (here's my request for sympathy), i walk back into the kitchen and begin fixing dinner. and then, bathed the kiddos, read them their stories, and put them to bed. and then went to sleep. AT SEVEN-THIRTY. you understand what that means for a night owl? it means mama was dog tired.

when i got up this morning, big h had gone into goo's room and was yelling to me about something. normally, he taddles on her in the morning. trust me -- we've been working on that lately. can't think of anything worse than someone starting your day by telling on you FIRST THING. when i went to lay into him about taddling, i realized by THE SMELL what he wanted to tell me. that goo had become the 4th victim of this wisner illness. and sister was as happy as a lark. the only thing she said was "oh mama, you need to clean muh. her is dirty. and i had yuckies come out of my mouth."

i love that girl with every ounce of my being.

today was boring. and we may or may not have watched a LOT of television. and had the most boring lunch and dinner. i will take boring over "eventful" any day.

but tomorrow is a new day. house is clean. linens are clean. jammies are clean. mama is clean. we're good to go.

see how fun this will be to read when big h and goo are in their teens? :)

and because it's virtually impossible not to post without a picture, here are some from fourth of july.

it has come to my attention that i have "virgin hair." meaning HOLY COW! LOOK AT ALL OF THAT GREY HAIR! YIKES!

summer vacation

we just got back from my "cousin's" wedding. actually, she's my mom's cousin's daughter. what does that make her? my second cousin? i can never keep that straight. so she's my CUZ. dawg.

my parents took the four of us, and we made this our summer vacation. such a fun time to get away from normal everyday.

this was the third airplane ride for big h and second for goo. big h's first was when he was ten months old, and we flew to montana to see kelly. by ourselves. without buz. and he had an ear infection the entire WEEK we were there. good times. i was sad that our time there wasn't as fun as it could've been. and kelly and i vowed to be with each other without kiddos for a couple of years. we're selfish like that.

his second plane trip was two years when he, goo, and i flew to see my brother and his family in birmingham. we went just the three of us. without buz. i know...you'd think i'd learn. big h LOVED it. goo did not want ANY PART OF IT on the flight there. she was sick. (clearly, a wisner theme.)

this time. third time's a charm. big h LOVED it. goo thought it was fairly cool. she's aloof.

we had wonderful flight attendants. my MIL was THRILLED to hear this as she was a flight attendant (stewardess) for american for many years and loved it.

we got there and rented this sweet ride.

bow chicka bow bow.

oh. you know it.

any of you who know my dad are laughing right now. because this car does NOT fit his cute, little conservative personality.

other than the lack of cargo space, we loved riding in this kickin' vehicle. if you are reading this, and you have a ford flex, i am not mocking this. it's just not quite the vanilla minivan we were expecting. it had a bit more spice.

we enjoyed everything about the weekend. my mom and i got to be a part of the bridesmaids luncheon, which was such an honor. the wedding was beautiful. time with extended family that we don't see often was absolutely incredible.

meet the beautiful bride.

and the happy couple.

we did some sightseeing. hung out together. went swimming. thankfully, i do NOT have photos from that. whew. and just spent time being a little family. it was perfect.

how much do i love this kid? um, a LOT.

what a family picture looks like when you have a three year old and an almost five year old. good times. hey, at least goo is smiling.

sister rockin' out the ping pong. she's got several more years until she'll really get the hang of it. see how thrilled she is?

this makes me cry just looking at it.

my "aunt (pronounced ont)" ginny, goo, and my mom. she's really my mom's cousin. see how confusing it all is?

daddy and daughter ripping it up at the reception.

please don't dog on my photo skillz. i love the magic of this photo. even if it's TOTALLY out of focus.

goo getting to meet "white princess." never mind the fact that she's actually, you know, RELATED to white princess. she talked about it all night. as though it was a celeb sighting.

again...family picture. see goo? thrilled, as usual. and the sweet backdrop of the construction vehicles. makes for a lovely photograph. one that may go in the christmas cards?

on the campus of UVA. so much history. we loved the architecture.

big h's best friend. ever.

big h and papa.

goo at the school section of the children's museum, which was INCREDIBLE. totally amazing. we could've stayed the entire day.

goo handing out nana's lunch.






goo excited.






this was a little wooden barn where you could put wooden eggs in the top, release the little door, and the eggs would roll to the bottom. i feared for the lives of those who even tried to play with this while she was. a bit possessive.

big h loved playing with the boats and water.

and goo could've stayed at this table full of way easy puzzles all. day. long. and could've done the same puzzles over and over again.

see?

daddy and goo in the ambulance.

big h on the velcro wall. he loved this.

fun times had by all. thanks, nana and papa, for a great trip!

sweet baby katelyn

one of my close friends had their third child about a month ago. they had two boys, and the third was a girl. i LOVE when families don't find out the sex! it is so much fun. i was thrilled when i heard katelyn was a girl. i am ELATED for them. she definitely has her hands full, but her life is so rich.

kerri, thanks for letting me come over and play with your family.

the amusement park

i told you earlier how much fun my kiddos had at the little amusement park we went to in my hometown. see for yourself...





they had to stop this ride because big h said, "mama, i am not feeling as good as i'd like."

ever since goo's eye surgery, her eyes are really sensitive to the light. she voluntarily puts sunglasses on most of the times that we are outside.

but yes, you're right. she IS cool.

sneak peek of goo's princess party

home girl rocked it in her "white princess dress" (known as a wedding dress to most people).

happy birthday, 3 year old

warning: this is long. as usual. would you expect anything different? :)

(oh, and the beginning? yeah, that's big h singing the princess song to goo when she put on her cinderella dress. that kid ADORES his sister.)

and the letter to my daughter? oh, it's coming. but you know, i'm not brief.

happy 3rd birthday, goo. from janet wisner on Vimeo.

so i was dusting off the proverbial back burner tonight, and what do you know?

there was a blog there.

mine.

sorry?

same 'ole, same 'ole. i want my blog to be updated. but don't want to be the one to do it. mainly because i don't like sitting on the opposite side of the room from buz in a chair at a computer. and so i don't. and so our little family's life isn't getting documented. i'm taking pictures. and taking video every so often. not as much as i would like. but doing my best. sometimes it just gets overwhelming, you know?

anyway...hi. how are you?

we're going to get right to it. all the things on my mind right now.

• my "bff" had her third kid. and i couldn't be more excited. and big h and goo came with me to go see her. and they got to hold her. and my ovaries? well, let's just say it was fun to see my kiddos excited about a little baby. there. (no, mom and ms. wiz. we aren't pr*gnant. we're not trying. period. don't let your thoughts get away from you.)
• my mom and i took big h and goo to my hometown to visit a amusement park for preschool/grade school-age children. they had a BLAST. we stayed at a hotel for two nights, which was exciting enough. we had pizza. we had snow cones. we had ice cream. it was so much fun. buz had a great time being at home without us. well, i mean, not that he had fun without us. but he had fun without us. am i still talking?
• next week, some of my photography buddies are coming into town for a all-girl sleepover/seminar/Christ-centered retreat. seriously? i couldn't be more excited.
• swimming lessons were several weeks ago. kerry...we really need to hook up, so you can brag on your daughter, and i can brag on my son. big h kicked butt and took names. i mean, he's no fish in the water. but considering several years ago i was thirty-six weeks pregnant with goo and we were taking "mommy and me" classes, and big h got IN THE WATER on day 6 of eight days. nice. he sat on the side of the pool pouting and pitching massive fits while eating teddy grahams. while i, the whale, got in the water and walked around. i figured i might as well at least get some exercise, right? this year? he rocked it. i couldn't be more excited for him. he likes the water. he still has fears, but he has come so far. and goo? well, she's the goo. i love her. but she may not be michael phelps. course, she's a girl, so she'll never really be a michael phelps. but you know what i mean. at least she likes to get in the water. but she likes to splash mainly. the fact that she fell in the water the and i dove in with my clothes on the day before swim lessons actually started may have had something to do with her resistance. you think?
• goo and big h are taking gymnastics this summer. that's the only thing they are doing that has any structure. well, other than swim lessons. big h has taken this little tumbling class since i was pregnant with goo. i love it. i love the teacher. and he LOVES it. loves running and jumping and swinging. and this year, goo is taking it. and as i "tweeted" this morning, "I love watching goo at gymnastics. She might be the most uncoordinated person I know. She just fell off the bar. I love that girl to pieces." enough said. she's not dainty or delicate. yet.
• in two weeks, i'm going on vacation. with my parents, my hubby, and my two kiddos. on an airplane. to go to my cousin's wedding. big h and goo are going to look cute. we don't do this often. most of our friends are already married. we're kind of out of wedding season. we're in "visit friends in the hospital after their baby is born" season. so this is fun. and big h is OVER THE TOP EXCITED about the plane ride. goo? well, she's the goo. she doesn't get excited about much. :)
• speaking of goo. have i mentioned how much i love that girl? boy, she pushes my buttons these days. but then, she says something sweet, and i'm mush. ooey, gooey mush. she turns three in ten days. TEN DAYS, PEOPLE. how did this happen? don't worry. i'll write her a mushy letter and let you read it. and i'll probably make a sappy slide show set to music that will make you cry. i love doing that.
• and big h? he's one incredible kid. today, he said, "mama, you're just fun. you're like a big, really HUGE toy." (i loved the emphasis on 'really huge.' the two of them keep me humble.) and then he went on to say i'm so cool that i'm like a human robot mommy that they can play with everyday, anytime they want to. and so because i AM that cool, i started talking in robot voice, "I AM A MOMMY. TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER." it's sad. i really should get out more often.
• today, i got my hair cut for the first time since LAST memorial day. yes, you read that right. over a YEAR. it was so nice to sit in a chair for a long time and not say a word.

i think that's about it for tonight. looks like i'll be back in a couple of weeks.

these videos are for grandma, grandpa, nana, and papa. and anyone that is actually interested.

goo sings pwinkle pwinkle from janet wisner on Vimeo.

h's kangaroo bops from janet wisner on Vimeo.

goo's swimming instructor, rachel.

big h's swimming instructor, alexander.

rachel again.

evidence of how much goo loves the summer heat. yeah, about as much as mama.