2008 Review, 2009 Preview

Wow! Another year has come and gone for our family. This year has seen a ton of changes. The most obvious is the newest Wiseman rugrat, Clay Jonas. Clay is now 4 months old. He weighs 17 pounds and is 27 inches long. Clay's nickname is "Little Ironman." He giggles and smiles all the time. He is already rolling over from his front to his back. Ibalari is 2 years old. She has a full head of beautiful curls. She is very fluent in several animal noises and motions like: cat, dog, cow, monkey, elephant, horse, duck, skunk, flamingo, and camel. She loves to sing and play music. Her favorite singer is Libbi Perry Stuffle of the Perrys. Of course, She is still a HUGE Daddy's girl.

We took a few of trips in 2008. In late April, we traveled through Missouri to catch two baseball games in two days with my parents. We froze on Friday night at a Kansas City Royals' game and got sunburnt on Saturday at a St. Louis Cardinals' game. We traveled to Nashville, TN in July to attend the Steve Hurst School of Music to study voice. That was a great opportunity that I recommend to anyone wanting to sing. We are definitely are going back this year. In October, we journeyed to Dalton, GA to record a demo CD for me at the home of a good friend of ours, Channing Eleton. I am very pleased with the finished product.

Jessie is enjoying staying at home and teaching the kids. I am serving tables at Tumbleweed. I am returning to Louisville Bible College this semester to work on my master's degree. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. We are excited about the year ahead and the possibilities that it holds. God has been blessing us and teaching us. May we be receptive to his leading.

In His Grip,

Ray

Family news

PRAYER REQUEST - Jessie's first cousin, Kristen Estes, died last night (September 17) due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Her boyfriend (Michael) and one-year-old son (Brendan) are in an oxygen chamber at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY. Please pray for Jessie and her family during this time.

CLAY JONAS WISEMAN

Clay Jonas Wiseman was born on August 21, 2008 @ 2:56pm at Harrison County Hospital in Corydon, IN. He weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 22.5 inches long.

It's a...

BOY!!! Yes, I know that I still have 20 more weeks to wait, but it still is a boy! Clay Jonas Wiseman is set to appear on August 21. Mommy and baby are both doing well. Ibalari turns 17 months old tomorrow. She is walking everywhere now. She has a total of 12 teeth in her head. And, of course, she agrees that Daddy is her favorite person in the whole world.

Our Family is Growing Again!!!

Yes, Baby #2 is now on its way. Jessie is doing well. "Deuce" (as we are affectionately calling him/her) will arrive around late July. We are just overwhelmed by God's blessings on our family. We will post more information as we know more... and as things have more time to sink in.

Ray

IBALARI'S FIRST YEAR

Year one in the life of Ibalari Anne Wiseman is now complete. It is extremely difficult for her daddy to imagine. She has grown so much. She now has eight teeth in her head (including 1 molar). She is learning very quickly as well. Daddy enjoys teaching her new things. She can say "da-da," "ma-ma," and "na-na." She can tell you that a dog says "woof," a lion says "rrrr," and a monkey says "ooo, ooo." She is crawling all over the place. She can use her hands to do "roll 'em up" and clap. She loves music too. She bobs up and down to music. That is her dancing. She is no longer eating baby food, but she eats real food. Mommy and Daddy get to spend a lot of wonderful time with her each week. She is an extremely sweet, wonderful baby girl... soon to be BIG GIRL.

Busy Summer for the Wiseman's

I am so sorry that neither Jessie nor me have updated the blog in like an eternity. It was a busy summer. Let me recap for you. JUNE... Ibalari had a couple of firsts. She got her first tooth. Little did we know that by the end of summer she would have SIX! And they can hurt a finger something awful. She also got to spend a week at the place where her mommy and daddy got engaged, Scenic Hills Christian Camp. Oh, yes, my daughter loves church camp! Also in June, I got a new job. I am no longer at First Christian Church of Radcliff primarily because of needing more time at home with Ibalari and the ever-rising cost of petroleum. And I am no longer at Pizza Hut primarily because FAST FOOD KILLS! I am now working at the Providence House for Children in Georgetown, IN. It is a home for abused children. It is definitely a ministry. The stories that I have gleaned from there are way too many to type in this blog. Keep me in your prayers. JUNE 3rd... Happy 24th Birthday to Jessie!!!
JULY... We have finally moved. No, we did not move in with my parents. My brother, Ned, did that. We got his 14 ft. x 60 ft. trailer. The move has made me utterly aware of the fact that we need to have a yard sale. One day after moving everything in, the Wiseman's hit the road for vacation. We had our first (of what we plan to be many) baseball road trips. First stop... Baltimore to see my beloved Orioles play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Yes, I almost cried when I walked into Oriole Park at Camden Yards. We also met up with one of our good friends, Stephen Johnson, who is blessed enough to live just an hour from Baltimore. Next, we drove to Aberdeen, Maryland which is the hometown of Cal Ripken, Jr., my favorite baseball player. That was on the way to Cooperstown, New York to see Cal and Tony Gwynn inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Of course, neither could 90,000 other baseball fans. Talk about crowded. The last stop was Pittsburgh where we saw the Pirates play the St. Louis Cardinals. We took a wonderful boat ride down the Allegheny River.
AUGUST... Ibalari is now officially mobile. Hide everything from this kid. She picks things off the floor better than a Hoover. AUGUST 6th... Happy 2nd Anniversary to Ray and Jessie!!!
SEPTEMBER... This week is going to be Ibalari's first National Quartet Convention, which is my Christmas. As if I weren't getting little sleep already. SEPTEMBER 6th... Happy ??? Birthday to Ray. (I lost count somewhere along the way.)

Until next blog,

Ray

Fruits, Veggies, and a Couple of Nuts!

Well, Ibalari continues to grow, and her daddy continues to get more and more crazy as she does. She is now eating baby food. We started her on carrots. She is now eating bananas. Talk about a big girl. She even slept through the night last night. I woke up at 4am (don't ask why... I guess habit) and asked Jessie, "Did she wake us up any tonight?" No. NOOOO! We freaked! We ran into the bedroom thinking the worst. Nope. She was still breathing. Talk about your over-reacting. One thing that I have come to expect from my daughter is you can expect nothing! She is driving me nuts. Just when I think I have her figured out, she throws me for a loop. As long as she picks a good nursing home for me, I will be fine. Until later.

Ray

Ray was wrong!!!!

Okay Ray updated this thing earlier today and didn't realize how wrong he was. Ibalari just rolled from back to stomach. We are so proud of her!!! She's just way too big now.

The Wonderful World of Ibalari Wiseman

Well, we are now a quarter through 2007. Things are changing quickly with Ibalari. She is getting so big. She now weighs 12 lbs. and is 24 inches long. A lot of people we meet says that she is a very happy baby that must get plenty of kisses. I am guilty as charged. Jessie and I took Ibalari to the Louisville Zoo. She was fascinated by the penguins. Ibalari has also reached another milestone... she is able to roll over. She can roll from her stomach to her back; and she is very close to rolling over from her back to her stomach. Her arm just keeps getting in the way. That just about says it all. Unitl next time, Ray.