Well, It has been a long time since I have updated this blog and well, I am sooooo sorry. Ok I should make a disclaimer and say that this is the first time I have done this. Sheena is usually the one to do this for me and she does a great job keeping the family and friends updated while I slack off due to such a busy and highly nerve racking life.

For now things are about the same but I wanted to add a few new pics and let you all know that We really are alive and doing Ok. Derek's health is still decreasing but he is being such a trooper. He does such a great job with Jensen and still loves staying at home with him. He has been able to help me with the dishes and some cooking again since he had the fluid taken off but his energy is still pretty low.

Jensen is growing so fast. He loves to play outside and absolutely loves to be in the water. The summers are very hot here in Kansas so We do a lot of inside air conditioned activities like riding his four wheeler through the house. He is still working on steering and not running into everything but he loves it.

I am still working for the bank and enjoying it. We have had some rough patches with a fellow employee but I am learning so much about forgiveness, patience, and understanding individual personalities. I am also talking to a co worker about the gospel and she is seems ready. She just doesn't know it. I don't know if she will accept it but I just absolutely love having her with me at work. I also have learned more about the gospel and about myself through teaching and talking to her.

Well, We love everyone and want everyone to know that we think about you all all the time. It will probably be a long time before I get to do this again so be patient with me.

ON OUR OWN.... SOON!!!

There has been lots of new developments with the Strelka Family.

Jensen, at 9 1/2 months, is learning to crawl. He is getting around ARMY style. He can get up on his knees, but chooses to use his elbows and toes to army crawl around. He just had his 9 month check up and was almost 20lbs. and was 29 inches long. He is at the 50th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height. He likes to click his tongue and talk to himself.

Mary is still working for Emprise Bank. I got a transfer from the Derby branch to the South Wichita Branch. I am getting a small raise for the transfer. I was helping the South branch out and they liked me so much that they offered me a raise to transfer out there. I am successfully losing the weight that I want to by exercising everyday and eating horribly on the weekends.

Derek is still a stay-at-home daddy and still on the transplant list for new lungs. He is looking forward to the winter and lower humidity because the summer months are hard on his breathing.

Other updates: With the help of Mom and Dad Jensen, we were able to purchase our first home thru an action. It is a three bedroom, two bathroom, 2 car garage, living room, family room, solarium, nice big back yard and wonderful neighbors. We close on Friday the 19th. We will be painting after we close and then hopefully moving in by the 28th. Check out the slideshow of our house pictures above.

Long Awaited Update

Jensen: He is now 7 months today. He is eating #2 baby food now. Sitting up on his own, and is using his walker like crazy. He has 1 tooth on the bottom right and the bottom left is almost in. He is getting so big and is always the talk of the town where ever we go. He loves his cousin Brooklyn and gets so excited every time he sees her. He is very ticklish and loves to laugh!!!

Derek: Loving being a stay-at-home dad. He finished all the testing and evaluations for lung transplant and should be on the transplant list within a month or so. He is having a blast being able to enjoy activities that he hasn't been able to do because of his condition. Billie (Mom) spent her birthday money to buy Derek an electric scooter so we can now go on family walks together. Derek loves putting around on it. We also purchased a dry suit for him so he could finally go swimming again. He was able to go jet-skiing on the 4th of July for the first time in his life. The dry-suit allows him to get in the water without getting his medicine pump wet.

Mary: I am loving my job at Emprise Bank as a teller. I just recently got a promotion from Teller 1 to Teller 2. I also have finished my degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology and just got my diploma from Portland State. We have been going swimming at the community pool almost daily and have been enjoying the sun. I got scorched on the 4th of July at Santa Fe Lake. Riding on the jet-ski was a blast. Other than that, I enjoy spending my time with my cute hubby and son.

Love and miss you all,

Mary

The Beginning

This is the beginning of our history here. So to start off I will introduce our family.

Derek and I (Mary) were married on May 21st 2005. We met on a web sight called LDS Planet in March of 2004 and in person in August 2004. Derek is from Caribou, Maine and I am from Molalla, Oregon. My family movied to Oregon city, Oregon sometime in 2003 and Derek moved there on my birthday, October 13, 2004.

Derek and I just had our first baby three weeks ago today, December 6th 2007. We named him Jensen Leo and he is a joy. He keeps us up all night and has fussy time at 9pm but we love him anyway. He is such a joy and is growing so fast.