General

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WES!!

Posted by kcoddington on May 21, 2011
Posted in: General, wes©. 21 comments

Today is Wes’ 39th birthday!

From the day I said “Yes” to the day I said “I DO” to this present day, I have not regretted a single day.  Yes we have had our differences, but the man you read in our blog and hear comments of testimony from others is the man God has given me.

Wes is very much human!! He does his best to glorify God in all that he does.  He has been a faithful leader in our home.  He strives to teach his kids in a manner that inspires and corrects.  He has been an example of patience, grace and mercy to all of us, especially his stubborn wife.

Wes has shown strength in weakness, hope in disappointment, encouragement in discouragement, faithfulness in what seems to us to be injustice, and above all he has shown, as best he can, Christ despite all circumstances. It has not been an easy road for Wes.  There has been such a variety of emotion as each day holds its different challenges and God has proven faithful to uphold him and give him the strength to go on.

As much as this is a testimony of Wes, it is also a testimony of the God we serve who gives and takes away. Blessed be His name.  As hard as is has been and life hasn’t gone the way we have planned, time and time again God has shown us a larger picture beyond ourselves.

Wes you are truly amazing and a blessing to me and our children.  You have a heart for God and a heart for others.  You have encouraged us to press on in all life’s challenges.  I am thankful God chose you for me and that I said “YES”.

Happy Birthday! – Karen

Here are some words from your children:

Dad you are awesome and I am excited that now that you have this new kidney we will be able to play around more.  Happy Birthday – Dakota (10)

Dad I hope you feel better and I look forward to wrestling more and going for walks together.  Happy Birthday – Kadin (8)

Daddy I love you because it is your birthday. Happy Birthday! – Kasey (5)

 

Kasey Learns To Ride

Posted by kcoddington on April 29, 2011
Posted in: General. 3 comments

Day One – Kasey wanted to ride her bike.  After 30 minutes of being bent over holding onto the seat, my back was done but Kasey kept trying.

Day Two – 20 minutes before she went to school, Kasey wanted to try again.  She had everything down but the start up and turn around.

Day Three – Success!!! I was able to stand in the middle of the street while Kasey rode up and down.  Starting, stopping and turning with no problems.  Kadin even came out to ride with her and show her a few “tricks”, like skidding the back tire, ridding with no hands and even standing up on the frame and occasionally jumping off.  Yes, he is a bit of a dare devil and no, Kasey did not try any of them except skidding the back tire.

Karen.

Here is our proud 5 year old!

 

Another ER Trip

Posted by wes© on March 13, 2011
Posted in: General. 10 comments

Today in Sunday School, Dakota was sitting on his chair (in an awkward position, as usual) and he fell off and hit his head on the table.  He put a good gash in it and opened it right down to the skull.  His teacher worked to keep it under control while Kadin ran to the class Karen and I were teaching.   We got him to the ER where they expertly stitched him up.  He got 11 stitches.  The doctor said he was brave and did a good job, especially compared to the patient he had in the other room, which he said thrashed and would not sit still.

We have no picture of his head because he did not want to see it himself so he would not let us take a picture.  He is fine now and came home to work on his homework.

wes©

Popcorn, marshmallows and bacon.

Posted by wes© on March 9, 2011
Posted in: Family Fun, General. 6 comments

I am not sure this is necessarily newsworthy, but tonight we had family night and it was Kadin’s turn to pick.  He decided to use the Cricket Craft machine to make a bunch of cards that we can send out to people when they are sick or as Thank Yous.  When we were done, we had a snack planned by the kids:

Popcorn, marshmallows and bacon.

Dakota thought the popcorn and bacon tasted good together.  Kadin and Kasey dipped their marshmallows in cinnamon sugar.

I laughed and thought, “Unfortunately, the apples don’t fall far from the tree…”  I am speaking of course, about Karen, but most of you would have know that.

wes©

Week in NY and Emergency Surgery

Posted by wes© on January 2, 2011
Posted in: Family Fun, General, Kadin. 11 comments

Our family spent this last week in upstate New York with my parents. There was snow but not enough to hit the trails so we played with the snowmobiles in the yard. We’ll post some pics soon. Here are some of the highlights from the trip:

Snowmobile Snowball Tag
My brother Dave and his family were there for the week and for a few days our friends Dirk and Lucy came (with new baby Charlotte in tow!) We took turns giving the kids rides on the two snowmobiles while the extra kid and adult threw snowballs at the riders. Fun! The riders were sure to keep their helmet visors down…

Kadin’s Trip to Hospital
On Friday Kadin started feeling a bit sick. He rested all day, threw up some and generally felt not-so-good. At 5am New Year’s Day, he woke Dakota up who then woke us up. Kadin had sharp pains in his abdomen so we rushed him to the ER in Cooperstown, New York (same hospital I was born in and where I was doing dialysis this week). By 11am he was in surgery to have his appendix removed. The surgery went well and he is still in hospital resting. I am writing this blog from the chair in his room. He is the ONLY pediatrics patient here. It is very quiet and has been all day. Kadin has been a trooper. He is a tough little guy. The surgeon told us that with the condition of his appendix, he was probably in pain
for a few days but did not tell us. They could not believe that he spent all week bouncing up and down on the snowmobile…kids! Dakota and Kasey have been wonderful as they have had to be carted back and forth to the hospital and not seen Mom and Dad much. When they came to the hospital, the first thing Dakota said to Kadin was, “Now you can compete with Dad for scars.” Kasey just wanted to check that Kadin was okay and see that they did not hurt him too much. Of course she had to check his band-aid.

Time With Family
We spent some great time just playing games and sitting around talking together. My brother Steve’s son Nathan joined us for part of the week so 3/4 of the cousins were all together and having a blast. We discussed the options for a kidney transplant using a donated kidney from Dave. You can be praying about the proper timing and planning for that. There is an outside chance that Karen could give as well, so we are working a number of angles. The longer I live on dialysis, the shorter my endurance gets and the more I wear out and the harder it is to keep my chemical constitution in balance. This week started out nice as I slept in and went to bed early to catch up on some needed rest. This latter part of the week in dialysis and the hospital and such does not really help, but hey, I am thankful that I am waking up each day!

wes©

UPDATE: We are home in PA and Kadin is doing better but not great.  He is resting and would appreciate lots of money to be donated to his foundation: The Kadin Coddington I was Sick so Donate Money to Me Foundation.  It’s a not-for-profit (as he wont get a thing for it!)

PS: Karen thinks people will not get my humor in the update so she made me post this:  Please do NOT send Kadin money, it is a joke.

Boys Weekend Up North

Posted by wes© on November 25, 2010
Posted in: Dakota, General, Kadin, wes©. 4 comments

In August, Dakota, Kadin and I went on a father/son wilderness camp weekend in North River, New York.  We were way up in the Adirondack Mountains at a camp I used to go to as a kid, Northern Frontier.  It was more than a 5 hour ride in the truck and then when we thought we were in the middle of nowhere, we had to drive three+ miles on a seasonal road that would rip the muffler off most 2WD vehicles.  The boys were impressed, and we had not even done anything yet!

We arrived, got set up in our cabin and signed up for our weekend activities.  Canoeing, Slingshots, Air Rifles, Archery, Falls Hike and the Adventure Course were the ones the boys picked.  We headed off to the Adventure Course which had us scaling a 12 foot wall (with no gear), swinging from tree to tree via ropes, walking a wired bridge and more.  Then we headed to dinner.  So we had been there a grand total of 4 hours and the boys were walking to dinner saying, “This place is AWESOME!!  We are coming back next year and bringing Grandpa with us!”  That made my heart soar as it was my dad (Grandpa) who had first brought me to Northern Frontier some 25 years ago.

We had an incredible time, just the three of us.  There were campfires with skits and stories each night and tons to do during the days.  We can’t wait to go back next year.  Below are a few pics from the trip.

wes©

The three of us on the rocks just outside our cabin:

Kadin at the Air Rifle range:

Dakota at the Air Rifle range:

There were TONS of places to explore and discover:

Dakota at the Sling Shot range:

Kadin at the Archery range:

Moved In…and a Broken Foot!

Posted by kcoddington on November 24, 2010
Posted in: General, wes©. 3 comments

We have moved into our new place.  It has been a week and we still can’t get the kids settled down.  They are bouncing off the walls.  They are so excited and daily our house is full of their friends.  Wes and I have been working hard going through our belongings, setting up our home and giving away or trashing what is not necessary or what hasn’t been used in the last 10+ years. We are preparing to make the next move more simple.

Thank you for all the prayers, the help in moving, and the encouragement as we search God’s plan for our lives.  We already see God using us in our new neighborhood.

Update on Wes: Wes has been mentioning on and off for the last month or so that his foot hurts and that there is something wrong.  Some days his foot was really sore and others hardly noticeable.  Last week it really started to hurt so much that he couldn’t walk properly.  Monday he saw his kidney specialist to see if it had to do with the medicines.  She sent him to a podiatrist who took an x-ray and discovered his 5th metatarsal has a stress fracture.  He explained to Wes that because of Dialysis drawing fluids off his body, it is causing his bones to be more brittle. The podiatrist sent him to get an MRI to see how bad the fracture is and to determine the next action needed.  In the mean time, he needs to wear a boot to protect from any more damage (the doctor is afraid the whole bone could break off) and it has helped with the pain tremendously.  Please continue to pray for him as this move has been wearing on him and his body.  God has given him the strength to overcome and continue on.  He is very weary but he keeps plugging away.  He is looking forward to the next few days of resting and relaxing with our family over Thanksgiving.

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Karen

We’re Moving!! (Across Town)

Posted by kcoddington on November 9, 2010
Posted in: General. 3 comments

As many of you know, we have been living with my mother and her 3 kids for 4 years.  We moved in at the critical time of the loss of my father and Wes resigning from his position and having a desire to start his own business.   It was  beneficial for both our families, at the time, to be together.  As time has gone by, we have felt that it was time to separate.  We are now doing just that, and re-establishing the boundaries of our two families.

With that being said, we are only moving a mile and a half from my mother.  We are renting a twin house, making settlement on Friday and moving in on Saturday.  We had looked at buying, but are not sure that we will be in this area forever.  We have opted, instead, to rent, and to rent a smaller place.  The purpose is two-fold:  1. We want to intentionally down-size so that we can be more mobile and, 2.  We want to simplify life for simplicity sake.  We think life will be less stressful when we have less “stuff.”  (We’ll let you know how that goes…)

Our biggest concern in this move was keeping our kids in the same school.  LoSo (their school) is WONDERFUL.  As long as we are living in this area, we want our kids there, if possible.  Also, we do not want to add any more chaos to their lives.  Should we eventually move out of the area, that will be tough for them, so this at least helps for now.  Thankfully were able to find something close by in their school zone.

We are moving this Saturday, November 13th at 9am.  If you are in the area and want to help, come on by!  Our new place is in Woodlyn Crossing.

Thanks for your prayers and love,
Karen (with a little help from wes©)

My Birthday!

Posted by kcoddington on October 25, 2010
Posted in: Family Fun, General, Karen. 9 comments

Today was my birthday and neither Wes nor my mom are here.  It was just me, Dom and 5 kids.  Here are the events of today.   The morning went well.  The kids did their usual morning routine and then when they were all ready for school they went to the basement to plan a special evening for tonight.  I was not allowed in the basement until they came home.  They all went to school this morning and I headed off for my  first day on my new job.

When the kids were finished school, I picked up all 5 and took them over for 2 of their dentist appointments.  Afterward, I took all 5 shopping to get groceries for my choice dinner, French Toast, Strawberries, and Whipped Cream…Mmmm (kids’ favorite also).  Dom cooked the delicious hash-browns.  While Dom and I were cleaning up from dinner, the kids went to the basement to finish their surprise.

When the kids were ready I went to the basement.  When I got to the bottom of the stairs, there was a birthday banner over my head and they all jumped out, yelled surprise and started singing Happy Birthday.  To start the activities we played a game of Pictionary with cards, then we all had some brownies as the cake, and then the kids went up to their dress up boxes and played two rounds of “Guess Who”.  I had to figure out who or what they were dressed as.   Dakota was a gnome and a forest soldier.  Kadin was Anakin Skywalker and a Storm Trooper.  Nancy was Little Red Riding Hood and Susan (from Narnia).  Tracy was Queen Amadala and Kasey.   Kasey was a princess and a princess with a hat on her head (a crown). They all did a great job acting their parts and dressing up.

When the dress up game was over they blindfolded me and had me pick a “prize” from a box and then everyone else picked one after me.  The prizes were mostly toys and stuffed animals they found around the basement.  I picked a cowboy and an alligator sock puppet.  Next, they wanted me to pick a game so I chose Pictionary again, this time we drew on the white board and took turns drawing.  We had a lot of fun.  The kids ended the party with party favors.  We all got a marker, a pencil, a fruit snack, and $100 (too bad is was only play money). It was the best party I ever had and it was put on by 5 kids that didn’t need, want or ask for help.

All in all, I had a wonderful day and evening with our kids and a wonderful birthday.  Thanks Dakota, Nancy, Kadin, Tracy, Kasey and Dom for making this a great day!

Karen

Blessed By Children

Posted by wes© on October 24, 2010
Posted in: Dakota, General, Kadin, Kasey, wes©. 3 comments

Lots of couples stress when preparing for their first child. We did. While we wanted children, we had also enjoyed five great years of just the two of us. What’s it going to be like when we lose our freedom? Will we ever be able to be just us again? What if our kids wreck our relationship some how? These questions and more faded quickly the night Dakota came into the world. It did not matter anymore what we might lose, because it would pale in comparison to what we would gain.

Two more kids and ten years later, I wouldn’t change my life for the world. (In case my kids read this, no, not for the galaxy or universe either!). My life has been radically changed for the better and so blessed by the gift of my children. They make me a better person and remind me daily of the true wonder that life really is… (yes, I wrote that sappy line that should only be found in spoof of some old family TV series or romance novel). They really do. My kids find humor and awe in the simplest activities. They ask the greatest questions and challenge me to rethink my static, reality-stained, narrow ways of looking at life.

My kids also understand my health struggles and offer me patience and grace on a regular basis. They do not mope or stress when my inabilities show. Instead they actually work to find viable solutions that adapt the situation and make it possible for me to participate. I have never, ever heard my children whine about my limitations.

Maybe more than all that, they regularly inspect my life and give me the accountability I need to stay on the straight and narrow. Josh McDowell once said, “You can fool a fool and you can con a con but you can’t kid a kid.”
Man that is so true! My kids can see right through my efforts of trying to look perfect. They know when I have messed up. And the best part is, they are fast to forgive. My kids want me to be successful as a dad and are eager to help me out. They dole out mercy faster than me and for that I am grateful and in awe.

Dakota has such a fast mind and is so sensitive to others around him. He is brilliantly strategic and can figure out how to win almost any game or scenario. He loves people and is kind and caring to adults and children alike. The thought of hurting another human being or creature is devastating to him and he is quick to apologize and make things right with others.

Kadin is amazingly creative and thoughtful. His art teacher told us to save a ton of money because he will be going to an expensive school for art. He creates solutions to anything he puts his mind to. He thinks about where others are at and what they’re thinking. He always has ideas of how he or we can help others. He works hard at whatever he does and tries to get it perfect.

Kasey is wonderfully expressive and a complete joy to have in your presence. She is so easy-going and energetic, all in the same sports princess package. She loves to sing, real songs and ones she makes up. She has a gift when it comes to sports and she sees the world as a giant social network waiting to be tamed with her smile, dance, song and story. She loves and loves and loves all in her sphere of influence, no exceptions.

Thanks Kasey, Kadin and Dakota for making me what I am today. The last ten years of my life have been infinitely incredible and I can’t wait for more. You make my life a blessed one!

(Thanks also to Karen for giving me the greatest kids on the planet…and in the galaxy and universe.)