Joy Weier

Christmas 2001

2001 was another exciting year for the Weier family in Emmetsburg, Iowa.  Once again, we find many reasons to thank and praise God for safety, health, food, and shelter among everything else He has provided us with.  The year actually got off to a great start!  Before long, however, the ear infections returned for both Shelby and Kylie.  Ear infections seemed to plague one or both girls until the end of September when they had tubes put in their ears.  Having the tubes put in helped with many things, such as balance, hearing, and speech development.

March was a really exciting month.  We celebrated the birth of two nephews, one born to Mike’s sister Marsha and her husband Pete, the other to Joy’s brother Christopher and his wife Debbie.

April brought a scare to the household.  Mike received a call the Tuesday after Easter from our childcare provider saying Shelby was having a hard time breathing and we needed to get her to the doctor as soon as possible.  To make a long story short, she was flown to Sioux Falls and placed in the pediatric intensive care unit.  She was diagnosed with sudden onset viral pneumonia and was hospitalized until the Friday after Easter.  She had another “spell” in early May which resulted in a referral to a pediatric pulmonologist, a lung specialist.  Life has been much better since June, when Dr. Carver entered our lives.  Shelby was put on a twice-daily inhaler and has had virtually no problems health-wise since that time.

May brought the end of another school year for Mike and Joy, as well as the beginning of an eagerly anticipated summer.

 June was an exciting month.  Joy, Shelby, and Kylie spent a week in Wisconsin with Grandma and Grandpa Brandt and Aunt Sarah.  While they were gone, Mike remodeled the bathroom in our home.  The end of June involved a fun weekend trip to Mitchell, South Dakota for the Weier family reunion.

The Fourth of July was spent on the road, on the way to Ohio to celebrate the 80th birthdays of Joy’s grandparents.  The 14th of July was another celebration, this time celebrating one year of life for Shelby and Kylie.  The celebration was attended by family and friends from both near and far.

August coming meant it was time for Mike and Joy to go back to school.  Football started...inservices started...a new academic year began!  August and September quickly flew by.

In October, while Mike stayed at home for football, Joy, Shelby, and Kylie traveled to Minneapolis for a fun weekend with the Brandt family.  The end of October brought with it the end of another football season.

We marked the beginning of November with a VERY quick trip to Lincoln, Nebraska to visit Joy’s former stomping grounds and to catch up with old friends.  Upon our return from Lincoln, Mike’s wrestling season began.  It was an exciting time as he moved back up to high school wrestling.  We celebrated Thanksgiving in our own home this year, giving thanks to the Lord for the many blessings bestowed upon us the past year.

As December begins, it’s hard to believe there is no snow on the ground, as that usually marks the beginning of winter for us.  However, even though the snow is absent, we begin preparations for celebrating the birth of Jesus this Christmastime.  This year, we will celebrate Christmas early with the Weier family and travel to Wisconsin to spend the Christmas holiday with the Brandt family.

 We hope that your  reflections on the year 2001 bring back as many happy times and happy memories as our reflections have.  We continue to pray that God will bless you all in every possible way.  Merry Christmas and a Happy 2002...

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