Life With My Special Ks

A Conversation with Keeghan

2012-01-27T15:00:00.001-07:00

I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it was really cool! The point is to make a new one each year so you can remember what your kids liked that year. I plan on doing new ones every January. I only have Keeghan's completed so far because the 3 big kids are at school. I'll get theirs done this weekend.

I love Pinterest!!!

One Day Down...

2012-01-26T19:50:00.006-07:00

I dropped Frank off at Ft. Carson at 10:00 last night. They were set to have their goodbye ceremony at 1:00am. Frank and I decided that it would be crazy to keep the kids out that late. They were already emotional and get more emotional when they're tired. So, we put them to bed at their normal bedtime and Frank said goodbye to each of them. Around 9:30, my friend Tiffani came over to sit with the kids, who I thought would sleep the whole time.

Kass got up right before Frank and I walked out the door. She said she had a bad dream and needed water... and maybe an extra hug from daddy. ;) Then we headed out to Carson. I helped Frank get his stuff inside and hung out for a few minutes and then we said our goodbyes. He didn't want me out until 1 or 2 in the morning and I have been to LOTS of goodbye ceremonies, so we agreed it would be best to just say our goodbyes privately and go on... it's probably a whole lot less emotional that way, too.

When I got home, Keeghan was awake, and not happy. He was crying and saying that his ear hurt. Tiffani said he had been awake most of the time I was gone. poor little guy. He climbed into bed with me and he slept horribly. Even the Motrin I gave him didn't seem to help. This morning when we woke up I asked him how he was doing and he said he was fine and wanted to go to school. Whew!

After all the kids were dropped off at school, I took Kellsey in for a barium enema test for Hirschprungs Disease. I've never had this test done, but it looks ~~really gross and uncomfortable~~ less than pleasant. She handled it well though. The good news is that everything looked normal in there and they said she doesn't have Hirschprungs. I didn't think she did, but it was still good to hear them say it.

After Kellsey's test we dashed back to Keeghan's school to pick him up. He said his ear was hurting again so I called their pediatrician and they were able to get him right in. His ears looked fine, so he said it could be some congestion draining into his ears or something. He seems to be doing ok tonight. They also reminded me that Keeghan and Kellsey both need their shots for Kindergarten. Keeghan was NOT happy about this news at all! We'll get them done eventually... but don't tell Keeghan!

After the trip to the pediatrician, we came home and rested for about an hour, and then Kennedy had dance class... Keeghan asked last week if he could try dance too, so he joined her tonight. He really seemed to like it! I guess we will enroll him and see how it goes. Kameron has been missing Tae Kwon Do because he got a part in his school play and they've been practicing after school twice a week. Thankfully one of his friend's mothers offered to take Kameron back to her house after practice so he could do homework with her boys until I got back from dance. When I went to pick him up, they were having a great time making an Angry Birds play. (They said I can even have a part in it! haha)

We came home and grabbed a quick dinner and now everyone is showered and bathed and we're getting ready for bed. Ahh! I'm praying that Keeghan will sleep well tonight and wake up refreshed in the morning. Tomorrow will be a little less hectic, which is a good thing!

As for Frank, we've talked a few times today. They went to San Diego this morning to pick up some Marines and then headed off to Alaska. Here's a picture he took while he was there... it's -3 degrees! Brrr!

I just talked to him a little while ago and he was getting ready to fly again to somewhere else. He said he's been fed well, the plane is only 1/2 full so he can stretch out, and hopefully he'll be able to sleep on the next leg of his flight.

Thank you to everyone who has sent prayers and words of encouragement over this past week. I'm feeling much better about things even though I lost a "friend", and I'm going to keep blogging... maybe not every day, but when I have something to say (which may be every day! HA!). Thank you to those of you who love our family... I appreciate you more than you know!

Here We Go Again...

2012-01-25T18:40:00.003-07:00

Tonight we begin another year of deployment. This is number 5 for our family... twice to Iraq, three times to Afghanistan. Every deployment has been different... more kids, the kids at different ages and different stages of awareness about what's happening. Frank has been in different locations at each time, which means different accommodations for him and most importantly, different forms and quality of communication home.

Last time was really hard because the communication there was horrible... he would try to Skype with the kids and the connection would freeze or drop completely which made Kennedy very upset. She didn't understand anything except that she wanted to see her daddy.

This time, we've been told, the communication will be good. It's well established. I am praying this is true because it makes things so much easier. I am thankful for communication, for technology. I think often about the Army wives before me, in the days of the World Wars, the Korean war and even Vietnam when they eagerly awaited letters... sometimes coming weeks apart. Never knowing if their husband was alive, or hurt, until long after the fact. I am so grateful to all of them for paving the way for our country and our military now. They inspire me and help me get through each deployment with my own husband.

Kassidy and Kameron are strong. They amaze me. They are so proud of their father, yet they worry too. Kassidy takes on the role of the oldest well. She protects her siblings. She hugs them often. Even when she feels like crying, she hangs tough. And she helps me. Sometimes too much... but I love her and I appreciate her and her sweet spirit. Kameron has blocked all deployment talk out. He may be in a little bit of denial. He was literally surprised when Kassidy reminded him that daddy was leaving today, even though we've been talking about it for weeks. He plays everything cool... like the big kid that he is, but sometimes the little boy inside comes out and you can tell he is scared. No matter how much I try to protect them from the news, they know. They know that sometimes daddies just don't come home.

Kennedy is understanding in small doses. She knows that daddy is going to help people. She knows he won't be back for "lots and lots of days". She knows that when he does come back, we are going to California. And that makes her happy. She gives big hugs and kisses and wraps her arms around anyone who needs a hug. "It will be ok..." she assures us. We talk about how she will get to see daddy on the computer... and he will talk to her and check in on her, and make sure she's being good at school. "And he'll watch me dance?!" she questions. Yes. He will watch you dance. And he will smile and call you a princess.

This is the first deployment where Keeghan is really aware of what is happening. We've been talking about it for some time. He's had lots of questions, lots of anxiety. When he hears the garage door open, he will come running, tears in his eyes, wondering who's leaving the house, where they are going, and when they are coming back... and please oh please give him a hug and kiss before you leave. I'm not sure what the next few weeks will bring for him. He's just a little guy who loves his daddy... and it's going to be hard for him.

Kellsey is blissfully unaware. She doesn't understand. Doesn't know. She will go to bed tonight just like always and tomorrow she will get up just like always and go about her day. Will she look for him? I wonder. Eventually will she wander around the house, looking for her dad who usually sits in the chair next to her while she scribbles on her magna doodle... and will she wonder where he went... why she only gets to see him on mommy's computer? I don't think she will understand. She may have it easier than the rest of us.

My kids are strong. Tomorrow we will wake up and we will begin our new routines. We will go forward, getting everyone where they need to be, when they need to be there. We will all pitch in and keep the house running and we will smile. And we will laugh. And we will make memories. And take lots of pictures to send overseas. And we will get through the next year one day at a time... looking forward to skype calls and phone calls and R&R... and we'll watch this circle go from red to green... because green means that daddy is coming home.

Please be praying for Frank and his fellow Soldiers as they start this journey once again. One year. We can do this.

Blogging...

2012-01-23T20:30:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking a lot today about this blog. I feel like it's being neglected. I went all last year and didn't miss ANY days blogging until November when we went on vacation... after that I kind of gave up. And now I feel like I have nothing to say. Of course that never lasts long. ;o)

I have thought about closing up shop, calling it a day, and sticking to Facebook (and my new found love of Pinterest! haha). I'm just worn out. I'm tired of having to think before EVERY post, "Who's going to judge me for what I'm about to say?" or "Who's going to pick apart this cute video of my son and find something to insult my 4 year old over?" or "Who's going to freak out that I don't post enough about the older two, and instead of realizing I'm respecting their privacy, they'll accuse me of not loving them enough, and even when I DO post about them, their posts are pretty much ignored which makes them sad, so why bother?" or "No matter what I post or what I do, even though some of you know my heart, people who I thought were friends are out there spreading horrible things about me."

I read somewhere that what other people say about you is none of your business. And I like that saying, in theory. But it's really hard when I get comments on my blog picking apart my innocent children or people questioning my motives behind what I do, or heaven forbid I post more about one child than the other... and really, when you insult my children, it IS my business.

I am also fully aware that all of this... crap... comes along with blogging. Eventually, no matter who you are, someone is going to come along who does not like how you parent, how you talk, how you write, how you think, what you post... whatever. I closed down anonymous comments a few months ago, and that's helped a lot because no one seems to have the guts to leave their name to back up a nasty comment, but then in passing, I find that someone who I thought was a friend was really trashing me... and has been for years. And I'm sure there are more.

There are a few purposes to my blog...
1. To keep my family and friends who we don't talk to every day updated on our lives and our children's lives.
2. To bring awareness to Down syndrome and childhood cancer and International Adoption... it may not be all positive information, but it's real and true; and no I don't know everything, but I know if I post a question, someone out there will have the answers. It's been so wonderful being part of this Down syndrome community... one where I've received support and prayers and ideas and love over the years... and hopefully I've returned that to others.
3. To keep my husband up to date and informed when he's deployed... and we're heading there again soon.
4. It's a place for me to vent... like I am doing tonight. It's a place for me to rant about news articles or whatever I feel like talking about at the time... And I thank those of you who have indulged my soapbox for so long. :o)
(And that list was really more for me as a reminder than for all of you..) ;o)

But now... I'm not sure what to do. I've thought about turning off ALL comments (but that doesn't really stop people from talking behind my back, does it?). I've thought about going private, which seems to be the most logical thing to do, but every time I get an email from a mother who found my blog because their baby just was diagnosed with Down syndrome or Leukemia or AOI or CIPA and wants to talk about their experiences or has questions about our experiences, I think that going private is not the right thing to do. If I can help other parents on this journey we are on, then that's amazing. That's what I want to do. SO many parents helped me when Kennedy was born... and I want to pay that forward forever.

I don't really know what the point of this post is... except that I'm worn out. And I'm sad. And yes, I'm having a little bit of a pity party stemming from the hurt caused by this "friend". But I'll get over it, I promise. And it's going to be a really long week for all of us. Anyway, those are my thoughts for tonight... take them for what you will... because they're probably not worth much ;). And if something in this post offends you, which I'm sure it will to someone out there, let me apologize right now for being me. Because apparently to you, that's never good enough.

Nuff said, pity party over. Back to life.

Mindless Babble...

2012-01-22T22:20:00.001-07:00

I'm still here. We were wiped out after Kennedy's competition yesterday. It was crazy and busy and there were tons of people there, but we had SO much fun!! Kennedy's dance team won first place for their category and first overall. :o) She got a pretty gold medal. Her dance academy raked in the awards... lots of golds, silvers and platinums! They had more today, and I'm sure it went great!! The older kids work SO hard! Many of them were in 4 or 5 dances plus had solos. They are amazing! Kenn's next competition is the end of February. I'm not sure where that one is, but now that Kennedy's had a taste, she's excited and ready to go again! :o)

Today we went to church, spent time together, and then I met a friend for tea (does that make me sound British?!) and when I came home from that, we all went over to a friend's house for dinner and to watch the game. Sadly, the 49ers lost. *sigh*

Anyway, now I am editing pictures from the Family Dance and getting ready for bed... it's going to be a long week. I'll get some pictures up soon!

Let's Dance!

2012-01-20T22:25:00.001-07:00

We had a great day today! Kameron and Kennedy's school puts on an annual dance, and since I signed up to help at events with the PTA, they asked me to help... then they asked me to be in charge! I was a little nervous since I've never been to one of these before, but I had lots of help and it turned out GREAT! We did a Welcome to Paradise theme and we decorated the gym and cafeteria in a Hawaiian theme. There were probably 500-600 people there... I tried to count a couple times but... everyone kept moving! LOL

Kameron took off with his friends... I saw them running around a few times and they stopped by for goofy pictures; and Kennedy ran off with her friends too. I was in charge of taking family and friend pictures, and Kennedy showed up in my line several times with different kids... some of them were a lot older than her! Haha! She's obviously very well loved. :o) Keeghan loved the dancing and was super excited to see his teacher there, turns out that she has a daughter at their school, too. Frank hung out with me while I took pictures and kept track of the kids as much as possible.

Kellsey was not feeling so hot, so she stayed home with Kassidy, who wasn't interested in going anyway. I think she just has a little head cold, but we thought we better not take her out in the cold if we could help it. Hopefully she'll be feeling better in the morning.

Tomorrow we will be getting up bright and early to take Kennedy to her first dance competition in Denver! We are all so excited to see her on the big stage, and she can't wait to get out there and dance. She's been practicing hard with her group and they're looking good. :o)

I have some pictures from the dance tonight and I'll have pictures from the competition tomorrow, I'm sure, but for now, I am beat and I'm going to bed so I can wake up early! ;o) Hope you all had a nice Friday!

Homework

2012-01-19T19:20:00.001-07:00

Remember last week when I talked about Kennedy and how well she's doing in school? Well, this week she's decided that she doesn't want my help with homework anymore. "I can do it myself!" she said.

Awesome. Go for it.

I have to admit I was a little afraid of what would turn out... the girl can be distracted by a fly! But, she worked hard, stopping only to tell me, "I'm NOT finished!" about 20 times. I DO still have to help her with math, that requires extra concentration and some prompting from me, but she's catching on quickly... maybe at some point she'll be doing all her homework totally by herself! :o)

Here's some pictures of her homework from this week... look how far her writing has come along since the beginning of the year! All those right side up e's. :o)

Carefully writing...

All by herself!!

I did help her with the spelling on her sentences... she chose what she wanted to write, though

and chose the correct punctuation mark for the end.

More working...

And some math... the dominoes are her favorite! Easy and fun!

I love my girl... even if she IS kicking me out of homework time! haha

All About Keeghan

2012-01-17T20:15:00.002-07:00

I feel like I've talked about Kennedy and Kellsey a lot lately, so this post is all about Keeghan! :o) First, a Keeghan quiz... it should be pretty easy for you long time readers. ;o)

1. What is Keeghan's favorite animal?
2. What is Keeghan's favorite color?
3. What does Keeghan want to be when he grows up?
4. What does Keeghan want to name his first daughter? (Bonus points to the person who gets this one!)
5. What is Keeghan's favorite food?

First, here's a picture that Keeghan drew tonight... Do you know what it is?

This is Keeghan's lemonade stand. Keeghan says, the top row, in order, is Keeghan, Kennedy, me and Frank (he gets to hold all the cups) and below are Kassidy, Kameron and Kellsey... they are buying the lemonade... which Keeghan insists is tea! haha Only $1.00 a glass, what a bargain! :o)

And here's a video from tonight... Keeghan brought down this key that he got awhile ago and told us this great story about Keeghan the Monkey King. I tried to get him to retell it on camera, but it will never be as good as the original. He is still flipping cute though!

Hope you enjoyed this tiny bit of my little guy! Good luck on the quiz! ;o)

Stained Glass Windows

2012-01-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

In the last decade or so, Frank and I have made a lot of friends who are musicians... some of these friends started out with us in our college choir, others we've met along our journey through different towns, different churches, and many different venues. If you were to look at our CD collection (yes, we still have CDs! HA) you would quickly find that we know over half of the artists personally. Their friendship, and their music have been gifts to our lives... and we feel so blessed to know the stories behind many of their songs. We were there... praying for them, rejoicing with them, sometimes crying tears of heartache with them as we waited to see how the Lord would use the trial they were facing for His glory.

Our friend Daniel Doss used to be the worship pastor at our church in Tennessee. I loved it when he was on stage, because I knew that he could really lead us into a heart of worship. I also loved when he performed with his band because... well... he's awesome! Mostly, I loved getting to know him and his wife Emily... we were in our adoption processes at the same time... going in two very different directions... yet we'd eagerly update each other and pray for each other...

When Daniel and Emily moved to Indiana to plant a new church, we were sad to lose our friends, but everyone in Clarksville rejoiced when they finally got their baby boy after a long road of heartache. I have been constantly inspired by Daniel and Emily's faith, their openness about their journey, and their perseverance.

Next week, Daniel's song "Stained Glass Windows" is going to be released on the radio. This song talks about shattered dreams, hope, faith and love. Before you listen to the song, listen to Daniel and Emily's story in Daniel's words... It's a true happily ever after story. Then go listen to his song... you can buy his album on his website or on iTunes (you can even order a CD!) ;) Thank you, Daniel and Emily, for always being a shining light in our lives. :o)

Q&A #229

2012-01-16T11:00:00.001-07:00

I think you said once that you don't cook. What do your kid's eat for dinner then? And if Frank cooks, what do you do when he's deployed ? Takeout?
Hmm, I believe I said that I do not LIKE cooking, not that I DON'T cook. Frank cooks sometimes, I cook sometimes, sometimes we just do a "choose your own meal from the pantry or freezer" night and I'll get it made. We eat a lot of meals from Schwan's. LOVE them... quick and easy, especially for school nights. On Thursdays it's dance/tae kwon do night and we get Chic-Fil-A, and we go out for lunch on Sundays. Not really sure what that post had to do with my cooking though. ;)

Ok, dumb question, but what is a para? I assume that's short for para-something. Too early in the morning for my brain or maybe it's a new term I'm not familiar with. :)
Sorry! It's short for paraprofessional and some schools call them educational aides or just aides. :) Basically, someone is with Kennedy during all of her academic times (not lunch, recess or specials) to help keep her from getting distracted (which she does SO easily) and help her with anything she needs help with... this makes sure that her classroom teacher can focus on teaching and Kennedy still gets the extra help she needs to succeed in the inclusive classroom. Typically, kids who needs aides (or paras) have one who stick with them all day. Kennedy has 4 who rotate. I wasn't too sure about this at the beginning, but every one of the ladies who work with her are amazing and they're all so different. They each help Kennedy in different ways and she loves them all!

How long before Frank leaves? Just wondering if you were going to be getting results back before he goes.
Actually he won't be here for any of the results... and that's all I can really say about that.

Not sure if you read Ella Grace with the Pretty Face but she has the same thyroid thing going on and was diagnosed with Graves. You might use Kacey as a resource on that little portion.
Kacey and I have been talking. She's been a huge help. Thank you! :o)

Megoblastic anemia (which causes high mcv) can also cause low white blood cells.Treatment is vitamin b and is pretty easy to fix. It's usually seen in patients with celiac but I am sure if Kelsey is having absorption problems that could be the cause. Prayers that it's nothing!
I've also heard hyperthyroidism can cause a high MCV, so that's encouraging to me! Her Vitamin B levels were normal, that's another thing they tested, so we will see what they say at Endo. She also has a GI appointment on Tuesday and she had mentioned a biopsy for celiac's at her last appointment, so we'll see what she decides to do.

Where did you get all the awesome little Angry Birds out of curiosity?? We have allllllllll the plush toys (in 4 sizes...*sigh*), but I've never seen little plastic ones!
We actually found them on eBay. I did a quick look to see if there are more and didn't see any in the first 100 results or so, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. They're actually like a plaster... they're really hard, but they're all hand painted and so cool!

You should get them the Angry Birds Knock on wood game. Then they can actually send the birds flying and knock things over. Its only like 15 bucks at Target.
I saw that when we were Christmas shopping, but I wasn't sure if they'd get the same thrill out of playing Angry Birds when it wasn't on their iPods... obviously I was mistaken! haha That might be a good Valentine's Day present! :)

When I was hyperthyroidism I had heart palpitations and lost weight is she having any of those issues?
Well, it's hard to say with her heart, because she has a heart defect anyway, so her heart never beats correctly. She has not lost weight, in fact, since her g-tube was put in in October, she has gained about 11 pounds. But I don't know if the G-tube would... override the weight loss that usually happens with hyperthyroidism?? I don't know... just wondering. Before her g-tube was in, she had a really hard time gaining weight, but she also didn't eat well... so it's hard to say all the way around.

Hyperthyroid can cause weight loss, tremors, nervousness, fatigue and trouble sleeping. One of the most annoying things about thyroid issues is that they can often be overlooked or run concurrent with other things and it can be so hard to tell what is the thyroid and what is something else.
She has been having tremors. They actually asked about that when I called to make the appointment. And you're so right, because we were thinking the shaking was related to whatever neurological issues she has going on, but maybe not... She definitely has trouble sleeping which is really how this whole thing started. We just need to figure out what is what!

Also do not know if you had heard that Aaron Shust wife delivered a baby boy at 37 weeks in NICU diagnosed with Down Syndrome and AV defect waiting on surgery.
I did hear that!! We have been praying for Michael as he gets ready for surgery. You can see his sweet picture here and read his birth story. He's beautiful!

Quality of Life

2012-01-14T11:00:00.003-07:00

That's a strange phrase for some to hear. "Quality of Life." Yet, it's one that has passed my lips several times in the last 3 or 4 years. Quality of Life. Who decides, exactly, what that means? Certainly not the Ukrainian hospital, who 5 years ago told two very scared parents that their newborn baby girl would have "no quality of life". Because of their words, those parents left that baby... alone. In a hospital. A month later, she was moved to an orphanage... and her parents never saw her again.

The director of the orphanage again said, "no quality of life" and on her 4th or 5th birthday, that baby would be moved out of her baby home and sent to an institution. It would be dark, and cold, and dirty. She would not receive medical care or much food or water. She would be left tied to her bed, not allowed to run outside, like most 5 year olds love to do. There... in that institution... she would then truly have had no "quality of life".

Thankfully, God spoke to our hearts and told us, "Go get your baby. She needs you." And two years ago, we did just that. But there are small children in other countries all over the world who are suffering the fate of an institution, just because they have a physical or mental handicap. They are robbing these children of their "quality of life".

Then there's Amelia Rivera. She has Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. If she doesn't get a kidney transplant, she will die. Plain and simple. But unlike all the children I spoke of earlier, Amelia lives here, in the United States. She lives in a country where children with disabilities thrive. The most diverse country in the world. You see handicapped parking spots at every store. Almost every school has accommodations for children with Special Needs. There are programs and developmental doctors and therapies to help them thrive in every area of their lives. How lucky for Amelia that she was born here! Right?

Wrong.

You see, Amelia's doctor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has decided that Amelia Rivera does not qualify for a kidney transplant. This is not because she's too sick and wouldn't survive - she would. This is not because she doesn't have health insurance - she does. Her doctor's reason for denying Amelia this life saving surgery is because HE believes that Amelia has "no quality of life".

Amelia Rivera

Imagine how her parents felt, sitting in a room at the hospital hearing a doctor tell them that their daughter shouldn't be alive. She's not worthy of "saving". She's better off dead.

And when her parents said they would fight for their child, they said, "I have been warned about you. About how involved you and your family are with Amelia."

Warned. About parents who are TOO involved with their child. Warned about parents who want their little girl to live. Warned about parents who want the same medical care for their child as any other child in the United States.

Shame. On. Him.

When doctors get to decide whether or not a child is "worth" a donated organ, when they can look a parent in the face and tell them to just let her die, we are NO better than Ukraine or Russia or Serbia or any of the other countries who lock children with SN away and let them die. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia should not be able to get away with this, and this is my plea to help the Rivera family in the only way I know how.

There is a petition here that hundreds of parents have signed already. Will you please go sign and let CHOP know this is NOT ok? Will you go to CHOP's Facebook page, and let them know again that this is NOT ok. Ironically, their motto is "Hope Lives Here" apparently only if you're a typically developing child... who will have "quality of life". Let's be loud. Let's stand together for Amelia, and for all children in this country with special needs. And let CHOP know how much quality our kids really have.

God bless you, Rivera family. Thank you for being amazing advocates for your daughter! I hope she has many, many more years here on this earth.

The Road to Alcoholism

2012-01-13T22:10:00.001-07:00

So we've had a busy day running errands, then Kassidy, Kennedy and I went to the movies tonight to see Joyful Noise... GREAT movie! We laughed a lot!! I don't really have much to blog about so I thought I would share this email with you. It made me giggle and I thought you guys might like it, too! ;)

I used to be like this...

Then I met a girl...

She was like this...

Together, we were like this...

I gave her gifts like this...

When she accepted my proposal, I was like this...

I used to talk to her all night like this...

Then at the office I used to do this...

When my friends saw my girlfriend, they stared like this...

And I used to react like this...

But on Valentine's Day she received a rose

from someone else like this...

And she was like this...

And I was like this...

Which later led to this...

And this...

I felt like doing this...

So I started doing this...

NOW look at me...

Darn girls!

Angry Birds

2012-01-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

So, I have to admit, I don't "get" the craze over Angry Birds. That could be because I passed the first 5 levels and then got stuck. Stupid game. Whatever. However, Frank, Kassidy and Kameron love it! They play it all the time! When they bring out new themes or seasons or updates they get all giddy and talk about things that I don't understand. I'm glad they have this game to bond over... crashing birds into poor little piggies. *sniff* LOL

Anyway, in Kameron's stocking he got a bunch of little Angry Birds. He's played with them a lot. Last night after dinner, he and Kassidy disappeared for an hour or so and then Kameron ran upstairs and said, "Come see what we made, Dad!" I couldn't understand why he didn't ask me to come see, too! Usually I'm invited to share in their works of art.

When Frank came back up with these pictures, I understood...

Even though I don't "get" the game, I love my kids' creativity!!! :o)

Kellsey's Blood Work

2012-01-11T18:50:00.001-07:00

So Kellsey's neurologist called today with the results of her blood work that she had done last week. Beyond being very anemic, which we already knew, she also had extremely high thyroid levels. She's had her thyroid tested twice since she's been home with us because kids with Down syndrome are prone to hypothyroidism (low thyroid levels) but it looks like she may have hyperthyroidism or possibly even Grave's Disease. That's pretty rare for a kid with Down syndrome. Just call us the rare family. They're sending her to an endocrinologist for a further workup and treatment plan. I called the one they referred us to today, but hit a machine and they haven't called back yet.

Beyond that, Kellsey's white blood cell count is really low and her MCV level is high. That bought us a one way ticket to the hematology/oncology clinic. *sigh* Sadly, we already have one of those doctors, so there was no recommendation needed. Kennedy's oncologist is out of town and can't get us in until the end of January, but neurology is going to fax over a copy of her blood work so they can look at it before we get there.

Over and above THAT, Kellsey's 24 hour EEG went fairly well. Kellsey did well not taking all the probes off her head. We won't get those results for a few weeks yet. She's been having some strange episodes though, more than usual, that have us really concerned. We caught some on video, as requested by her doctor, and sent them to her neurologist and to her spine surgeon so they are aware.

Lots of stuff... And I'm trying not to worry. We've never dealt with thyroid issues before... we've dealt with oncology stuff of course, but we're praying HARD we never have to go down that road again. I am holding tight to the fact that we don't know what her platelets are, and that was the key with Kennedy when she was diagnosed. For some reason they couldn't find those results, so I'm hoping that's because they were normal!

I am also holding onto the fact that Kellsey had screwy blood work back in October with high sodium and her GI doctor freaked out. There was threat of hospitalization and rare kidney disease and panic ensued and they sent her repeat labs off to Mayo Clinic and in the end everything came back fine. SO she's already proven that her blood does some CRAZY things. In between sending up prayers, taking deep breaths, and trying NOT to think about walking into oncology with another child, I'm reminding myself of that. Crazy, inexplicable blood. That's what it is. Right? Right. If you all could pray for the same thing, I'd really, really appreciate it!

School Days

2012-01-10T22:00:00.001-07:00

Excuse me while I brag for a moment.

I just have to say that Kennedy is doing fabulous in school right now! Before Christmas break, the number one "issue" we had was getting her to line up at recess. She LOVES recess and when she gets out there, she doesn't want to come back in. Every morning, every afternoon, we would talk about it...

"What do you do when the whistle blows at recess, Kennedy?"
"I line up!" Sometimes followed by, "But I already DID!" HA!

Except she didn't! She would pretend she didn't hear that whistle and just keep playing. The rest of her class would go in, and a para would be called to coax Kenn inside. What can I say, recess was my favorite subject, too! ;o)

Finally, one of her paras brought in an American Girl catalog and told Kennedy that if she lined up the first time the whistle blows, that she could look at it for a few minutes at the end of the day. She was speaking straight to my daughter's heart. Kennedy jumped up and down. She got excited. It worked. Sometimes. Recess won out over babies... who would've thought?!

At the end of the semester, her teacher said she had another idea for the beginning of the year... 5 minute warnings to get her prepared for the end of recess and stuff like that. I thought it sounded like a good plan.

Then she went back to school.

I was a little worried... she had almost 3 weeks off from school, and admittedly we did a whole lot of nothing. I worried that she would lose what she's learned this year. I worried she would be SO thrown off schedule that her teacher would call me and say, "Come pick this kid up!" I worried that the new recess plan wouldn't work and they'd just take recess away from Kennedy altogether. (They wouldn't do that for real... I'm pretty sure.)

I worried for nothing.

The first day back, she had a GREAT day. Her teacher bragged that she lined up the first time the whistle blew with no prompts and the special ed teacher tested her for regression and she tested higher in her reading than she ever has before! Go Kennedy!!

Her days since then have been good too. I've had all good reports come home... no problems at recess... and even though she tells me "I got NO homework!" every night, she has been doing it without a fight and maybe *gasp* even having a little bit of fun with it! Her handwriting has come so, so far this semester. I see the progress constantly. No more hand over hand... no more upside down e's... just her, writing words.

Amazing.

Her team at this school has been so good for her. I feel like it's HUGE... there are SO many people involved in Kennedy's education daily... a teacher, a special ed teacher, an OT, an ST and 4 paras who rotate throughout her day. That's a lot of adults involved in her academic day, but they all love her, and she loves them.

And I am loving watching her succeed. Watching her smile about her school day. Listening to her speaking in full complete sentences about what she ate for lunch, who she played with at recess, and what her favorite part of the day was (you know, besides recess!).

She's come so far. And I couldn't be prouder.

All Hooked Up

2012-01-09T20:40:00.001-07:00

After we dropped the rest of the kids off at school this morning, Kellsey and I went over to the hospital and she got all hooked up for her EEG. They glued about 20 electrodes to her head which was interesting... it involved cold glue, an air gun thing that was REALLY loud and she was NOT thrilled with lol, and lots of... sticky! After everything was on and she made sure it was working, they wrapped her up in gauze.

I told them she looks like one of the patients on ER who had a concussion or something! LOL Then they put the machine in a little backpack, let her wear it, and we got to go home! First though we stopped off for lunch... a girl's gotta eat! ;)

So now we wait... the wires are doing their thing, transmitting her brainwaves into the machine, which will be read all night. We have to be back tomorrow around 11 for them to take it off. Then 2 different people (one of them being her neurologist) will read all the stuff from it, and get back to us. It's supposed to take a few weeks.

There was a poster hanging in the EEG office today that listed all the types of seizures and their symptoms and I'm 99% sure that, if anything, she's having Partial Complex Seizures. She has all the symptoms on the list. It was actually kind of crazy seeing it all listed out like that. I guess time will tell.

Anyway, that's about all we did today... and I'm exhausted. I'm going to eat some soup, watch a little TV and then crash for the night and hope that Kellsey will sleep all night long and not pull any wires off.

I can dream, right?! ;)

Q&A #228

2012-01-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

Just wondering if they are considering celiac with Kellsey. It can cause anemia.
I'm not sure... I think they tested her for that at Vandy, but it was just a blood test and I know a definitive test is a biopsy. Her GI doctor mentioned possible testing her for Hirschprung's Disease as well because of her chronic constipation, so they would probably test her for both at once. I THINK the pediasure is gluten free... but I could be wrong about that.

I would like to recommend you take a look the Feingold program. It is basically an elimination program where artificial petroleum based ingredients are removed as well as some fruits/vegetables which may possibly be added back in later (but not the artificials) Ever since we've been following it, my son's sleep issues and asthma have went away. It has helped my daughter's anxiety and shortness of breath issues. It has been amazing how much we've learned about how foods, both artificial and some natural can cause our bodies to react in various way. You can read more about it at www.feingold.org if you haven't heard of it before. Best wishes.
Thanks, I will look into it... there's so much that Kellsey can't eat because of her allergies, and so much that she won't eat because of her sensory issues and the fact that she can't taste food, that it would be hard to restrict her diet any more than it already is. She is 50-90% tube fed right now depending on the day, and we want to encourage her to eat by mouth as much as possible.

This is going to sound strange, but one of my daughters had an iron issue no matter how much she was getting. doc finally decided it was an absorbtion issue and sent us to a dietian. she had me give her peanut butter and jelly sand. with apple juice for lunch three times a week and it worked! to this day (she's 29) every time her iron dips she does this for a month or so and back up it comes . . . weird but it works
That is SO interesting! I think her neuro is thinking it's possibly an absorption issue as well, and if that's the case, even getting her nutrients through her tube isn't helping. I'll be curious to see if the drops even help because it seems like she wouldn't be able to absorb those... either.

Thanks for this post, it always is helpful for similar medical issues. Tommy hasn't been sleeping more than 4 hrs a night even with melatonin so I think ill head back to our pediatrician for a workup maybe with neuro. He had severe sleep apnea but after tonsils and adenoids out the study was good. I do know that anemia in my older son caused night restless leg syndrome and he would wake with night terrors or just sleep horribly. Iron helped but you need to take with orange juice for proper absorption.
That's exactly where Kellsey is. She gets about 3 hours a night and I keep saying that she HAS to be exhausted, but really, that's what she is used to so she's really not... she does take a nap most days too but I'm not sure how often she actually SLEEPS for that either. Her neuro said that deficiencies on several different things, including iron, can cause sleep problems, which is why she went back for a more thorough blood work up. We should get those results soon. I hope they don't say she needs orange juice with her iron though to make it work, because she's allergic. :o/

She is going to be going for a consult for braces too..she is really hoping to get them in the next few months, we will see since she still has quite a few teeth to lose!
Kass has ONE more baby tooth and it's loose but she won't let me pull it. It's driving me crazy! haha

You know, if Kellsey is having some seizures, that would definitely explain not sleeping well. Jax is sleeping horribly now, and he is having tons of seizures. He never sleeps when his seizures are bad. There are a bunch of other things to try for sleep, so don't hesitate to ask for something else if this doesn't work!
I definitely think something is going on. There will be times that she will just space out and we will be talking to her and she's just not... there. Then she'll snap back to reality and act like we scared the wits out of her because we're standing there talking to her and she had no idea we were there.

I am on Gabapentin (Neurotin) myself for my Fibromyalgia. It is similar to Lyrica, but has fewer side affects. I hope you find the right dosage to help her.
Oh that's interesting that it's similar to Lyrica! Kennedy was on Lyrica when she was on chemo for nerve pain. I'm still hoping the Gabapentin will kick in soon and start doing something for Kellsey. :)

Oh boy, sticking with the CH- names will be a challenge if many more American Girl dolls join your home!!
No kidding! LOL Each of the girls have one now though so our little American Girl family may be complete! ;) Kennedy does have her eye on the girl of the year though!

KELLSEY! She is so animated, so lively! Such a precious little muffin. How's she doing with her medical issues anyway?
You've probably seen it by now, but just in case, there's the whole rundown here.

How long did it take them to fall asleep after that?? LOL
LOL actually they settled down quickly. It may have been that they all crashed from exhaustion though. Thankfully we only do that once a year! ;)

A Letter from a Parent

2012-01-07T10:00:00.002-07:00

This video is so powerful... it's a life that many families with adopted and foster children are living every day. It's a struggle that's hard to talk about for fear of being bashed, even in the adoption community. And that's so sad.

I know a lot of you reading here also read a lot of other adoption blogs. Let me encourage you to be gentle and loving. Be understanding and encouraging. Be praying for these families and be uplifting. If a family DOES open up and post about a struggle, don't bash them. Don't question them. Love them. Love their child. You never know how much good a kind word can do on a dark day.

Thank you to everyone who has always supported us and loved us. We are forever grateful for you.

Medical Update

2012-01-06T19:25:00.002-07:00

I realize I haven't done a medical update on the girls in awhile, so I thought I would take a few minutes to do that now while I have a little bit of down time.

The last I posted, Kennedy and Kellsey both had sleep studies and Kellsey had an MRI of her brain to check for any TBI or anything else that could be going on in there. All 5 kids also had dentist appointments. Not long before that, Kennedy had surgery to have ear tubes put in.

SO both girls' sleep studies came back normal. This was expected for Kennedy. She had her tonsils and adenoids taken out in 2006 for severe sleep apnea, and her post op sleep study showed that her apnea was completely resolved. However, once we moved here, her sleep patterns got all screwy and she started waking up in the middle of the night and playing and then she was exhausted the next day which was hard when she was trying to function at school. SO ENT referred her to the neurologist/sleep doctor who requested another sleep study just to make sure her apnea has not returned. Thankfully it hasn't. Melatonin seems to work well for her to help her sleep and the neurologist says it's fine to keep her on it, so that's our course of action for Kennedy for now.

Now for Kellsey, I was shocked to find out that she had no sleep apnea! She had her tonsils and adenoids removed in February 2011. However, her post op sleep study at Vanderbilt revealed that she has Central AND Obstructive sleep apnea. So why the difference in the two test results?? I asked if the change in altitude could have anything to do with it but her neurologist said that actually the higher altitude here should actually make apnea worse, not better. SO there's really no explanation for it. The good part about these results is that we're not looking at C-Pap or tongue surgery like we were before, BUT we still don't know the reason that she's not sleeping well at all. The one thing that her sleep study DID show is that she slept around 40% of her night, which was no surprise to me. The child never sleeps. Seriously. Unfortunately, Melatonin does not work for her... we've tried.

SO, the next step her neurologist did was to put her on some different medication to try to help her sleep. She put her on Gabapentin which is actually a seizure medication, but I guess is used as a sleep aid as well. She had a scary adverse reaction the first night we gave it to her, so her neuro cut her dose down and so far it's not helping her sleep. I guess we'll see... She also ran some blood work on Kellsey and found that she is VERY anemic, which is strange because she's been on Pediasure through her G-tube since October which is complete nutrition, so she shouldn't be lacking anything. Her neuro agreed and said that she could be having a problem absorbing her nutrients. She then ordered more labs to check for other deficiencies which we had drawn on Monday and don't have the results from yet. She said that some of these things can cause a child not to sleep well, so hopefully once we get her on an iron supplement and fix anything else she's lacking, she will sleep better.

Speaking of her G-Tube, all is going well there... in fact, maybe a little TOO well! She has gained 10 pounds since October now! She officially outweighs Keeghan and is about 3 pounds from outweighing Kennedy! LOL I spoke to her pediatrician on Friday and he agreed that we need to cut back on her pediasure intake just a bit. Right now she's gaining about a pound a week, and he said he wants her gaining about 5 pounds a YEAR. That's quite a difference! The good news with that is that he gave me permission to take her off the night time feedings which means no more pump beeping every 20 minutes all night long because she's tangled herself in it. This means a little more sleep for mama! ;o) I am SO SO glad that we did the G-tube! Best thing we ever did for her!

Kellsey's MRI came back mostly normal. She has no signs of traumatic brain injury or stroke, which is great. However, there were signs of her brain lacking Myelin, which, interestingly enough, can cause speech impairment. Her neurologist wasn't TOO overly concerned about this but did say we'd want to watch it to make sure it didn't get worse in the future.

Both girls went back to ENT on Tuesday and got an "all clear" on their ears. Their tubes are still in place (Kellsey had tubes put in in February when she had her tonsils and adenoids removed) and no fluid to be found. That's great news!! Kellsey needs to go back for another swallow study (still) and since I can't seem to get a hold of anyone in the Springs to get it scheduled, we're just going to do it in Denver. It's just easier.

All the kids' dentist appointments went great! No cavities for all 5 kids! :o) Kameron and Kassidy both go back next month for some work... Kameron is getting sealants on his molars and getting a consult done... he is missing one of his front bottom teeth... the baby tooth was there but there's no adult tooth there. They're not really sure why. Anyway, they need to fit him for a retainer with a fake tooth because now that the baby tooth is gone, the adult teeth next to it will cave in to the hole. Kassidy is getting a consult for braces (fun!) and getting some work done on her back teeth because they are super sensitive and really weak from the antibiotics she had when she was little and had constant ear infections.

On Monday, Kellsey goes in to get hooked up for a 24 hour EEG to test her for seizures. I am glad this is finally being done. We're pretty sure she's having some form of seizures but we're not sure how often or anything, so this will help her neurologist know where to go from here.

AND that is it for now! I will update again when we have results of Kellsey's blood work, swallow study and her EEG. If you read this far and your head is not spinning, you're my hero! :o)

Back to School

2012-01-05T10:00:00.005-07:00

Well, Christmas Break is over, and I have to say, I'm sad about that. I miss my kids when they're not here... I miss laying around the living room and watching movies with Kassidy and Kameron. I miss all the crazy jokes Kameron tells me all the time. (By the way, did you know that Lady Gaga has a sister? Her name is Lady Googoo. Ha!) I miss Kennedy coming in to perform for us and then demanding that we, "CLAP!" I miss Keeghan talking. All. The. Time. (Maybe.) I miss Kellsey drawing on her magnadoodle and then patting me on the leg and saying, "MA!" and showing me her creation with pride... then erasing it and doing it all over again. I miss late bedtimes and late dinner times and late breakfasts and the riveting rendition of "Flat Stanley" that I'm right in the middle of with Kennedy and Keeghan... and watching Kameron play with his Lego ship that he worked so hard on building, and tucking Kennedy into bed in Kassidy's room for a "sleepover", and eating popcorn for dinner if we want, because "who cares, it's vacation!" I miss minimal doctor's appointments and no homework and not packing lunches or laying out school clothes. I miss not thinking about upcoming deployments and having Frank here to run to the store for milk and wrestle with the kids just to make them giggle. I miss taking 100 pictures just because I can because the kids are all here and around me. I miss dishes all over my table, toys all over my living room floor, and I miss noise. Lots and lots of noise.

School is overrated.

Seriously.

Q&A #227

2012-01-04T09:00:00.003-07:00

Disneyland wouldn't allow the wagon. They don't allow any items that are supposed to be pulled instead of pushed. I have seen them turn people away at the gate.
Seriously?! WOW I could have sworn I saw people with wagons in there, but then again, I am SO not observant! haha Well, that's good to know so we don't bother taking ours next time! Thank you!

Who makes your jammies? They are too cute!
I ordered them from a great lady on ETSY! She did a wonderful job! Here's a link to her store... be sure to check her out! Sew Fabulous Boutique

The plate your cookies are on... We totally had that same pattern when I was growing up. In fact, I still have a serving platter with that pattern on it. :)
Too funny! Someone on FB said the same thing! :o) My mom has had those plates forever!

Wow, $500 bucks just in their stockings alone! After the stocking money and the gifts,you guys must spend a fortune on the kids for Christmas! My kids would be so jealous! They just get little stuff in their stockings, haha! Do all your kids still believe in Santa or just the younger ones? Do you guys have college savings funds for each child or do you just plan to save one at a time? Just curious how families do it with many kids!
Actually, the little animals with the money were all from Grandma... it's spending money for the kids for when we go back to California. :o) We figured that would be better used than buying them more "stuff" right now that they really didn't need. We actually don't spend ALL that much on the kids for Christmas... we stockpile all year and shop sales, and a lot of their gifts come from grandparents and great grandparents... NOT that they're deprived! LOL As far as Santa goes... he IS real... right?! ;o) Yes we do have small accounts for each child... whether or not they'll use that for college is up to them... I'm more for using it for their first car! HA!

Where do you find all the cute Hello Kitty stuff???
The headphones and jewelry box came from Hot Topic of all places! Frank found them on a whim and it was all marked 75% off. The jewelry box is super cute, it has little compartments and a mirror inside, and the headphones work great... except for the fact that Kennedy completely tunes us out now! HA!

Okay, so because you're new to this whole 12 year old girl thing, just know they are just weird. I won a penguin diaper for Alyssa (we are cloth diapering her) and Natalie who loves penguins was walking around the house with it, cuddling it, and I swear if I would have let her she would have brought it to bed with her. Now that it has been used she might not be so cuddly with it even if it is clean, but well you get the picture. They are just weird at this age ;).
LOL Yep sounds like what Kass would do if it had ducks on it! haha She's a goofball, but I wouldn't have her any other way! :o)

Wow do people think Keeghan and Kellsey are twins?? They look sooo much alike!
Yep I get asked that often, especially now that Kellsey is filling out more and getting Keeghan's chubby cheeks! :o) She is about 3 pounds from outweighing him now which is just amazing!! It helps that they're only 6 months apart, too... and I love to confuse people when they ask if they're twins by telling them that, especially for the 6 months of the year that they're the same age. It's fun! haha

Was wondering if you and Frank plan to have any more kids whether it be bio or adopting? You're so young still, and are clearly such a loving and devoted mommy! I can so see more K's fitting in!!
Aww thanks! :o) But we are done!! Our baby factory is officially closed and Frank and I plan on just watching our children grow and thrive now and invest our time and love into them. I just know they're going to grow up to be amazing adults, whatever they decide to do (but if Keeghan decides NOT to be a firefighter, I'll be shocked! haha).

Natalie wanted the Kindle Fire, but there was no way she was getting that. Is Kass having any problems with it. My cousin got one for Christmas and it lasted a week and wouldn't turn on. Tech support had her do a hard reset and I guess it's up and running now, but she is a little nervous and I can't say I blame her. A week old item isn't supposed to do that ;).
Yeah it definitely shouldn't do that! My mom got one too about a month or so ago and she was having some problems with hers, but I think it was just problems loading or something, and she was at my grandmother's at the time... I think it's working better now that she's home with a better wi-fi signal. Kass hasn't had any problems with hers so far! Here's hoping!!

Where did you get the Anger Management book and who is the author? My daughter could use something like this.
That's actually just an Angry Birds notebook... just blank pages inside for Kameron to write in or draw in or whatever he chooses. It has a little spin wheel on the front with birds from the game. It came from Claire's. :)

You all have such a happy family and it was fun.. and one more thing on kellsy.. is she getting some weight on?? Her little cheeks look like it.. You must be thrilled..
She is! She is up 9 pounds now since she got her G-tube put in. I'm hoping she will hit a growth spurt in height soon too so she can even back out a bit... she is definitely turning into a chunk quickly! We (Kellsey and us!) are extremely happy not to have the battle over food anymore. :o)

Where did you get the matching robes? We have Bitty Baby and got Kanani this year. My daughter is obsessed with dressing like her dolls. Also on a side note...American Girl is really missing the boat, they should make matching Big Girl, doll, and Bitty Baby clothes!!
I agree!! The robes came from Totsy or one of those sites but they are actually the Dollie and Me brand. I can't get their official site to load, but you can find their stuff on Amazon (super cute Valentine's robe on there right now) and eBay. Also check Sears and Dillards. :o)

Love Kellsey and her new doll!! But shouldn't Christie be spelled Kristie? To match the special K's?
WELL, it all started with Kennedy... she got her American Girl and immediately decided that her name would be Charlie (because her favorite TV show is Good Luck Charlie) and so when Kassidy got her American Girl SHE decided that she would name her doll Chloe so it would stick with the CH beginning and the long e sound on the end. Then we had Kellsey's doll and of course Kellsey is not talking enough to really name her, but Kassidy said that we needed to continue with the CH theme. (See, I'm not the only OCD namer around here! haha) Kass wanted to name her Chelsea but I thought that was WAY too close to Kellsey and Kennedy calls these dolls by their names! SO Frank came up with Christie and it stuck. Aren't you sorry you asked now?! LOL

Am I right in guessing that she and Kennedy were break dancing with LMFAO on TV? I love it!
YEP! LOL Kennedy is notorious for seeing dance moves on TV and copying them and I guess Kellsey decided to copy Kennedy. I was watching her closely though because I worry about her neck. Thankfully she doesn't know how to do a somersault yet... as far as I know anyway! ;o)

I hope they slept till something like about noon the next day!!!
HA! I wish!! I have a household of early risers around here... except for me. And Kellsey. The rest of them need to learn to sleep in!

Our New Years

2012-01-03T09:00:00.003-07:00

We had a pretty low key New Years, which seems to be normal around here. :o) We spent the day at a mall in Denver where Kameron exchanged the Lego set we got him for Christmas for a different one, then he disappeared into his room for hours starting to put his new ship together.

When evening hit, we popped some popcorn, put on a movie and hung out waiting for midnight to hit. I have to admit, I didn't think Kellsey would make it until midnight. She is notorious for falling asleep during movies. But she hung in there with the rest of us! Around 11:30 we stopped the movie, pulled out our sparkling cider and got ready to watch the ball drop... first though, daddy made sure the kids were all WIDE awake...

Daddy's got my feet!

Quit tickling me, dad!

Charlie made it until midnight too! HA!

CHEESE!

Kass proving that she is WIDE awake!

I'm awake too! haha

Yes, I'm looking at the camera!

Hmmm... I'm thinking Kellsey is singing shock rock!

Everyone pull daddy off Kellsey!

They're funny...

Is it midnight yet?

Here's Dora!

Is it midnight YET?!

This is the best smile you're getting from me!

Is it MIDNIGHT yet?!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THEN before we went to bed, we had to DANCE...

Thanks for sharing our New Years with us! :)

Christmas Pictures Part 6

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last post of our Christmas morning... as you can see, there were a few wardrobe changes. ;o)

This is a pretty ring!

Aww cute snowman!

Let me sing for you

I'm jammin!

Playing Angry Birds... in real time!

Awww they match so well! ;)

I'm a cool chick!

Do you like your new robe, Charlie?

Yep. She likes it!

Meet Christie... she and Kellsey are twins!

I love my footed pajamas... AND my Kindle!

What's with the funny face?! LOL

Do you see the pretty beads in my hair??

Cheese!

Monkey boy

I got more new jammies too, from my great grandma! I LOVE Dora!

These are awesome... and GREEN!

And that's all folks!! Thanks for spending Christmas morning with us!

Christmas Pictures Part 5

2012-01-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

More more more...

What's this??

WOW! Look at all these shoes for Charlie! I love it!

This box is so big!

This will keep me busy for HOURS!

Opening their present from Grandpa... a Soda Stream! Make your own soda... fun!

Oh wow, these clocks from Grandma are great!

What's in there, Kellsey?!

Ohhh! This is exciting!

I love Fancy Nancy! Thanks, Grandma!

This box is heavy!

It's a BABY! Just for me!

There's lots of stuff in my stocking!

What else is in here?

A cute little snowman!

Oooh! Headphones!

Angry Birds Gummies!

ONE more post tomorrow! ;)

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year to all our friends and family!!

May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.

Christmas Pictures Part 4

2011-12-31T09:00:00.001-07:00

MORE pictures!! Are you bored yet?! ;o)

hehehehe Enough Said!

These pants are upside down!

WOW! Monkey headphones!!

A new robe?! No way!

Are you trying to imply something?!

I love, love, love these!

Angry Birds headphones. COOL!

This is so exciting!

WOW Robots!

This is just what I wanted! Thanks Dad and Mom!!

It's mine! All mine!

This! Is the most awesome book ever!

A new board! Woohoo!

I wonder what's in here?!

Cool! A REAL firefighters book!

Yes, yes, there are still more... and they're great so don't go away!

Christmas Pictures Part 3

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

More pictures from Christmas Morning...

Kellsey's behind there somewhere...

Oh my geez!

I can't believe I got Hello Kitty headphones!!

I got my footed pajamas!!! YES!

This is just what I wanted!

Uhhh Kassidy? Why are you hugging pajamas?!

Whatcha got there, Keeghan?

For me and Charlie!!

I'm sensing a theme here...

Open open open!!

Cool! Bacon popcorn!! (Why are all the girls saying it's gross?!)

I love it!

I'm very excited!!

WOW! A jewelry box!

I'm going to paint my own duck!

Part 4 tomorrow!

Christmas Pictures Part 2

2011-12-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures of the kids' Christmas... These are in the order of which they were taken and there will be a few posts so keep checking back! :)

Santa's treats... we decided he gets enough milk... he probably needs a little caffeine!

Apparently he liked it! And he left the kids a note!

A pile of presents

Gee, I wonder who that's for?!

Stockings, presents from Grandma and a house for Charlie...

I think it's time for the kids to come down!

Uhhh... Kennedy? That's Charlie's house!

Which Angry Bird did YOU get?!

I think they like them. ;o)

Footed pajamas!! I'm so excited!

New clothes... oh joy. ;o)

Hurry, Keeghan! Rip it open!

A Theodore!!

OOOOH! What's this?!

This is totally awesome!

Look, an Angry Bird ornament!

They match!

More tomorrow! :o)

Christmas Pictures Part 1

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Making Jesus' Birthday Cake...

This is one of our annual traditions... we always make the same kind of cake on Christmas Eve for Jesus' Birthday and then we eat it Christmas Day for dessert. I love this tradition. I love making sure that the kids know that Christmas is more than just Santa and presents... it's a birthday party for Jesus! The most important day of the year! This year Keeghan had lots of questions wondering how Jesus was going to come down and eat his cake! haha I told him we would have to eat it for Him, but that Jesus would definitely be there with us. Someday, we'll all get to sit down to a meal with Jesus in Heaven, and I'm sure it will be just as delicious as the cake my kids make! :o)

Pouring in the cake mix...

Measuring the oil...

Cracking the eggs (look at Kameron's face! LOL)

He's ready for his turn!

Kassidy helped Keeghan pour in the eggs

Time to stir...

And stir...

A little more stirring...

And then I got distracted and forgot to take a picture of the final product! haha We actually made cupcakes this year instead of a regular cake. They are easier for the kids to eat and still oh so delicious! Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

More pictures soon!

Q&A #226

2011-12-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

I checked out the wagon on the KMart website and it looks really great. I was wondering if you took it to Disneyland too? We are going to Disney World in the spring and I know that would be a great size for the children I am traveling with that are in between stroller and walking all the time. I just wasn't sure if that is something they would allow in the parks. I am sure it is no bigger than some double strollers. I also haven't had a chance to ask you if you rode the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland with the Christmas overlay? I got to go last year and even though I don't care for the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas", the ride was amazing!! I can't believe that they can change a whole ride like that for a season.
We did not... but only because we didn't have it yet. We went to Disney on Tuesday and Frank bought it on Friday, but if we would have had it, we absolutely would have taken it with us. Kennedy does pretty well walking along now but Keeghan wears out after awhile (and who can blame him?). They will allow it in the park for sure and it would be great to hold souvenirs and stuff too... though I always worry about stuff getting stolen while we're on a ride or something... it's never happened, but I think about it every time! LOL We didn't go on the Haunted Mansion. :( We didn't even get to that side of the park. The day just flew by. AND Pirates was closed which bummed Kameron out. So glad we get to go back again!

Since Kellsey has an immune system of steel I'm guessing if anyone it's going to be you or Frank which really should make a drive to TN interesting. Hopefully it has completely run its course though and the rest of you miss it or it doesn't cycle back to the kids. Did you end up missing Keeghan's appointment with the specialist because he got sick? Was that supposed to be for his leg pain?
I am guessing you are right ;o). I would be shocked if Kellsey got this bug.... but I won't say it too loudly or she'll try to prove me wrong! hehe Yes, we did miss Keeghan's appointment dang it. It was with the pediatric rheumotologist that we have been trying to see forever. They were able to reschedule him... in February! *sigh*

I just donated towards Hunter's adoption and would like to also send a toy care package for the kids Christmas. What are their ages and interests? Also if you have their clothing sizes, I can buy them some outfits too. Let me know! This is so heartbreaking!

I made the cookies today...good stuff and so easy. My 11 year old was able to do most of the work..that's how easy they were. Thanks for sharing the reciple.
Glad they turned out so well! I'm really wanting to try the other ones since I haven't done those yet. I just need the TIME to do it!

re: the article about Alabama gift laws: It must be a southern thing, because I've heard of a *LOT* of teacher gifts, but I've never heard of a teacher receiving a ham or turkey from a student. haha!
I know, right?! I've never heard of it either! LOL And never once have I thought, "I think I'll buy them a turkey!" Too funny!

Oh no, that's the worst! Are you still using the Oscillo remedy? Keep up with it, I swear it works!
I actually forgot all about that! We started using it again after you commented. Funny thing is, just a few weeks ago I was telling someone else to use it! HA! I'm a dork!

If someone does happen to puke in the car, specifically in the car door speaker, the vacuum at the car wash works wonders getting it out of all those tiny holes ;) Happy travelling.
Hmm... you're not speaking from experience, are you?! LOL

Wow! When do the kids go back to school? Our kids have two weeks off, but their hols don't start until basically Christmas Eve. Yep, they're in school right up to the 23rd, but then they don't go back until Jan 9. It's crazy.
They go back January 5th... nice long break!! I love it!!

Okay I'm confused. I knew about Charlie but who is the other Special C? She looks new! Who does she belong to?
That would be Chloe! She belongs to Kassidy. Kass bought her in September on a whim... it's been interesting since then watching Kass try to keep Chloe away from Kennedy who is, "Just borrowing her." hahaha

Home Again!

2011-12-27T14:25:00.001-07:00

We are home once again!! :) This has been our most adventurous road trip we've ever taken, that's for sure! We decided to drive the 40 to TN to avoid driving through Kansas... because there's NOTHING there. However, on the 40 we hit a bunch of construction and I may or may not have received a speeding ticket. *ahem* If you know any cops in Arkansas, you can let them know I helped fulfill their December quota. Merry Christmas to me!

I wasn't feeling so hot on that trip so Frank did most of the driving (which makes my ticket all that more painful), but he got us there safe and sound. Thanks, babe!

We had a great trip! We spent lots of time with my mom of course, got to visit our old church, saw a few friends, enjoyed some food places we've missed, did a little shopping, went to the movies, and of course got ready for Christmas!! I think the kids all had a really great day! :) I have lots of pictures to share, but I need to go through them all still.

Yesterday morning we headed out from TN and decided that maybe it was worth it to drive through Kansas... there's something to be said about having nothing around... no cops! HA! However, this time Frank wasn't feeling well, so I got to return the favor by driving. We headed out and were making really good time until we were in the middle of ~~nowhere~~, Abilene, Kansas and the car started acting funny. I thought it was windy out at first because the van was kind of swerving. I woke Frank up and he said to pull off at the next exit, but we didn't make it that far and our back tire blew. Frank says we've had a flat tire before, but I don't remember... this tire however, shredded into a million pieces. Crazy!

SO we called AAA (thanks, Mom!) and the guy came out and helped Frank put our spare on. Unfortunately, at 11:00 at night there wasn't anywhere open to get a new tire so we weighed our options... find a room in Kansas and wait until morning or try to make it home on the spare. The tow truck guy said he would keep going... so we did.

Frank slept most of the way, and I took a 1am catnap at a rest stop and then called my mom for company around 4:30 and we finally made it home around 5:30 this morning. Hallelujah!!

Frank has to sign back in to work by 11:59 tonight, so he's going to get my new tire put on today and we plan on being LAZY for the rest of our break... you know... after we unpack and do laundry and put new Christmas presents away and go to a couple scheduled doctor's appointments... but besides THAT, totally lazy! ;o)

I hope you all had a great Christmas with your loved ones!!

Merry Christmas Eve...

2011-12-24T20:20:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Jesus,
I'm so glad it's Christmas.
All the tinsel and lights,
and the presents are nice,
But the real Gift is You.

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas.
All the carols and bells,
Make the holiday swell,
And it's all about you.
Happy Birthday Jesus
Jesus, I Love You!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T13:05:00.002-07:00

Sorry I haven't been around much, we have been enjoying our time together, going to the movies, being lazy, watching TV, and just spending time together. I hope you all are enjoying time together as a family as Christmas draws near. I will be back soon with lots of pictures of our Christmas morning, but until then, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Never forget the Reason for the Season... the birth of our Lord!

Thank you all for a fabulous 2011!

Thirteen Years

2011-12-19T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today, Frank and I have been married for thirteen years. Seems like just yesterday we were walking down the aisle and saying, "I Do" in front of 300 of our closest family and friends. We have been through ups and downs, good years and bad years, but I'm so glad he's been here to walk with me every step of the way.

"Newlyweds become oldyweds, and oldyweds are the reasons that families work."

Happy Anniversary, Babe!! I love you so much! Here's to another amazing 13 years... and counting!

Tennessee Bound!

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the kid's last day of school before Christmas Break!! Kameron and Kennedy are looking forward to their parties... Kameron is decked out in awesome Spiderman pajamas (complete with Santa hat), ready to watch the Polar Express, and everyone is healthy . I didn't want to say that too loudly. The stomach bug might hear me and come attack someone else. Kassidy was the latest victim when she got hit again yesterday! UGH!

Last night Frank and I stayed up late and packed up part of the kids' Christmas presents. The other part are already at my mom's house. The dilemma may be getting it all home, but Frank's an amazing packer, so he'll figure it out, I'm sure. (No pressure, babe!) ;o)

I have most of our suitcases packed... I just need to do last minute stuff that's in the dryer, and then Frank will clean out the guinea pig cage today and get stuff organized around here while I go to the kids' Christmas parties and then when school is over we plan on loading up and hitting the road! We are going the Southern route again because the drive through Kansas ~~is boring~~ might be icy, so we figured it's safer to go South. *ahem*

Anyway, please pray for safe travels and that no one pukes in the car. We figure we should be to TN sometime Saturday afternoon. Makes me yawn just thinking about it!

Happy Friday everyone!

The Stomach Bug

2011-12-14T14:00:00.001-07:00

Some crazy stomach virus has invaded Colorado Springs. It hit Kameron first, weekend before last. He woke up, said his stomach hurt, and proceeded to throw up the rest of the day. By that night he was fine and I held my breath waiting for the next child to get it.

And for 3 days all was well.

Then Kassidy called from school and said she wasn't feeling well, and sure enough, she was out for two days. I was getting really nervous as we inched closer and closer to Kennedy's dance recital.

We washed hands. We Cloroxed. We sanitized. We isolated.

And for 2 two days all was well.

Then on Thursday morning, Keeghan woke up complaining of a stomachache. He had a doctor's appointment that day with a specialist that we've been waiting to see since August. I tried to convince him that he didn't have a stomachache.

It didn't work.

And in true Keeghan style, when he gets sick, he does a good job of it.

We finally got him on the mend...

And for two days all was well.

Then last night at dinner, Kennedy started whining, "My tummy hurts."

Hmm. No fever. So we finished up dinner, I read her a story, put her to bed,

And a few minutes later...

She threw up all the way down our stairs.

Awesome.

And so as Kennedy and I spent all night awake, her throwing up and me holding her head for her, I just thought, "Well... at least we made it through recital."

This afternoon she's feeling a bit better...

There are 3 more people in our family who have not been affected by this awful bug.

And in 2 days we drive to Tennessee.

Will all be well?

Here's hoping.

Being a Military Family

2011-12-13T11:00:00.005-07:00

I feel like I don't say a whole lot about being a military family on this blog. I touch on it from time to time, especially when Frank is heading out for deployment or coming home, but really, the military is a big part of our lives. It's more than just a job for Frank. He loves being in the military. We have made some wonderful friends who are spread across the world, and we have been so thankful for the outpouring of love and support we have received from his battalion and our friends.

On the other side of the feel good sense of community and support, there's the part about being a military family that is not so warm and fuzzy... as a military spouse, there's always a little thought in the back of your mind, wondering if this will be the time your husband won't return from his mission. As you kiss him goodbye and watch him board that plane for Afghanistan, a tiny voice in your head whispers to you that just possibly, that could have been your last kiss. That just maybe when you sit and watch the 11:00 news reports and hear of casualties in Iraq, that this time it will be followed up by that dreaded knock on the door. And you pray.

Because what else can you do? Your man is a Soldier. And you know that it's more than a job. And even if you've never received that knock on the door, chances are, you know someone who has. And that's when you see the military community rally. That's when you see us pull together and hold one of our own.

Yesterday afternoon someone on facebook posted this photographer's blog post... it's beautiful and heartbreaking... a reality for so many military spouses...

Heaven Was Needing a Hero

As I looked at the pictures, chills went down my spine, and I said a little prayer for my own husband, just a month or so away from his fifth deployment...

Then.

This morning.

It happened.

A helicopter crash in Washington State.

I heard about it in passing, and I thought, "how sad." I said a little prayer for the families involved and took my children to school.

Then I got home and Facebook hit me with the devastating news.

This time it hit someone we care about.

My friend and I connected about a year ago through a mutual friend. We are both military wives, but she was also in the beginning stages of an adoption of a child with special needs. We both have lots of kids. ;o) We joked about the fact that both our husbands have the same name and she was green with envy when we got orders for Ft. Carson as they had once lived here and loved it. She gave me lots of tips of what to see and do when we got here. I helped her with her adoption where I could, and we became friends.

Just 13 days ago, their adoption of their new son was finalized.

And now her husband is gone.

And I am in shock.

My heart is just breaking for my friend who is now left with 4 young children and a long way to go to pay off her son's adoption. I just want to burst into tears when I think about the fact that she has to break the news to her sweet babies today that daddy is not here anymore. She wrote on her Facebook page this morning:

God is on His throne and I know where Frank is, I'm so thankful he knew Jesus and I will rest in that knowledge when the grief is too much to bear. We have amazing friends and family and I am feeling your prayers. Please pray for my kids, we aren't telling them until later today.

How do you tell your children something like that? Are they wondering why they're not in school? Are they wondering why their mom is teary-eyed and hugging them more than usual? How? Why?

In an effort to DO something to help this family, my friend Dena and I are trying to get some care packages together for them... we'd like to shower the kids with cards... Christmas is right around the corner... and it's going to be a hard one. And we'd like to help her get this adoption paid off. This is one worry she doesn't need right now. If you'd like to help, you can mail cards to:

Dena Stanley Att. K. B.
1855 Memorial Drive
Clarksville TN 37043

If you'd like to just make a monetary donation, there is an account set up at USAA under the name Patricia Humble and the account number is 135130034 and the routing number (for non USAA members) is 314074269. You can also make a tax deductible donation online right here through Project Hopeful! I know that anything will be so appreciated by the whole family.

Most of all, please please please be praying for all of them... They are going to need it so badly right now...

Kennedy Dances...

2011-12-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Here is video of Kennedy's 2 dances today at her recital. It's not the best video and didn't get her whole class, but you get the basic idea! In the first song she is on the right in the back and in the second, she's on the left in the back next to Jaemen (cute little boy in the tux!). The kids all did a fabulous job and had a great time! I may re-post this later if I get a copy of the professional video that was done. :)

It's Recital Day!!

2011-12-11T10:30:00.002-07:00

Today is recital day for Kennedy! This is one of her favorite days! She gets to dress up in a cute costume, she gets to wear makeup, she gets to get on a big stage and dance, which is something she loves more than anything else, and she gets to hear everyone clap for her! Then, at the end, she gets to bow, which I must say she does very well! haha

Here are some pictures I took of her after dress rehearsal yesterday. We're going to try to get video of her two dances today... and hopefully I'll be able to post them. They are both SO cute!!

More pictures later, I'm sure!!

Christmas Shopping for Teachers

2011-12-10T12:00:00.003-07:00

The last little bit of shopping I have to do is for the kids' teachers... and I need your input... first, if you're a TEACHER, what type of gifts do you LOVE getting and what do you get too much of? (I've heard in the past, no more knickknacks!)

Also, this is our first year in middle school... so for those of you with middle schoolers, do you buy for ALL your kids teachers? Kass has a lot of teachers this year! I was thinking about baking something... (stop laughing, I can bake!). Without Kass' teachers, I have 5 teachers, 3 aides, and 2 therapists on my list.

Did you parents have any gifts that your kids gave to teachers that went over really, really well???

I'm glad we don't live in Alabama... they're limited as to what they can buy their teachers... So silly. Talk about sucking the spirit of giving out of Christmas! Anyway, I look forward to hearing your suggestions!!

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

2011-12-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is awesome! Apparently it's been around for 2 years, but I've never seen it before. Take the 5 minutes to watch.... it will get you into the Christmas spirit... or at least make you smile! :o)

Top 10 Reasons You Might Be A Military Spouse At Christmas...

2011-12-09T09:45:00.002-07:00

Today is the last day of the Wives of Faith Christmas Blog Carnival. It's been a fun week to look back at memories, and old posts and pictures. I hope you have enjoyed looking back with me!! Today's theme is "You Might Be a Military Spouse at Christmas if...", so I tried to come up with the top 10 reasons... not sure how good they are, but here you have it! As we get closer and closer to deployment number 5, this is becoming all too real for us again.

10. You know the best place to find camo wrapping paper.

9. You know the very last date to drop off a package at the post office for it to arrive in Afghanistan by Christmas Day.

8. You leave Christmas dinner with your family early so the kids can skype with daddy.

7. You always know what time it is in Iraq and Afghanistan and don't mind the middle of the night phone calls.

6. Your 4 year old asks Santa for no presents, just daddy to come home.

5. Your 10 year old knows that daddy is only home for Christmas every other year.

4. Instead of wrapping presents, you're wrapping care packages.

3. You've stayed up all night Christmas Eve setting up presents... by yourself.

2. You've celebrated Christmas early or late to fit into R&R or Homecoming.

And the number one reason you might be a military spouse at Christmas is...

1. You've been able to see your children's faces light up when daddy surprised them 2 days before Christmas making it the best day ever!

Thanks, Wives of Faith, for a fun week of blogging!

Best Non-Material Christmas Gift Ever!

2011-12-08T12:20:00.002-07:00

For the 4th day of the Wives of Faith Blog Carnival, we are supposed to talk about our best non-material Christmas gift ever. December has been a very important month in our lives in the last decade or so. Even over and above Christmas, we have had lots of things to celebrate on different years.

In 1998 Frank and I got married on December 19th, just a few days before Christmas. Of course this was a great gift! We were vowing to spend the rest of our lives together, beginning our journey as husband and wife, and even though we had absolutely NO idea what that meant or what the HECK we were doing, 13 years later (almost), we are still together and still going strong! :o) It hasn't been without our fair share of troubles, but I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him... always learning, always growing, and watching our children grow up and go out in the world and start their own families. *sniff*

Frank and me on our wedding day

Us today

In 2003 on December 19th, I was pregnant with our 3rd child. We already had one boy and one girl. Frank was away at tech school for the Army and so, to celebrate our Anniversary, I went in for our ultrasound to find out if baby number 3 was a boy or a girl... we were elated to find out SHE was a SHE! Kassidy was excited that she was going to have a sister and it made that Christmas oh so happy!! :o)

In 2006 on December 19th (are you sensing a theme here?! haha), I was pregnant with our 4th child and our due date was the day after Kennedy's birthday so I scheduled our ultrasound on our anniversary once again. The kids couldn't wait to find out if our last baby would even out our boys and girls or put the girls in the lead! Kameron was thrilled to find out that he was getting a little brother!!

In December 2008, Christmas came a little bit early when daddy came home from Afghanistan JUST in time for Christmas and surprised the kids. Tears all around!

December 2008 was also when we announced that we had committed to adopt this sweet girl from Ukraine...

In December 2009, we REALLY completed our family when Frank walked off a plane in Nashville with our little Ukrainian Princess Kellsey... home just in time for her first Christmas ever. We were so thankful they made it!!

I think that we have made December pretty special around here, over and above the presents and the stockings, we love spending time together as a family, making memories and celebrating the birth of Jesus. I love Christmastime!

Q&A #225

2011-12-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Would Pinks happen to be in West Hollywood? Spent a few days there when Hannah won a contest...let's just say we didn't go out much!
Hmmm... I'm not sure. We were only a couple miles from the Walk of Fame, but I guess we could have "crossed the line". It was daylight so all was safe! :)

Lookin' at the pics and the one of Keaghan and the fire truck? Looks like he's got a halo!
HA! He really does! Too bad it's crooked most of the time! LOL

Tell Kennedy that Charlies needs some flip flops like her, grin. I love when they match!!! Their hats are so cute!
Actually, Kennedy was more excited to get home where she could wear her boots that matched Charlie's! haha The girl loves her boots!

Looks like Kennedy really enjoyed the princess....of course she would be comfortable with them since she is one herself :) Does she still say "sincess"?
She does! That's one of her few words that she had her own way of saying that hasn't changed... most of the rest she now says correctly... and sometimes that makes me a little sad! haha If she ever stops saying "sincess" I might cry! ;o)

Love these! I was so disappointed both times we've taken the kids to Disney World, we saw barely any characters. They didn't even walk around. They would come and stand behind a rope, then you'd have to stand in line to see them.
That's how it was at Disneyland, too. The 4 princesses at the end were all in this cove (or something, I forgot what they called it) and the little 3 and I stood in line for an hour to see them. It was really ridiculous, but Kennedy REALLY wanted to see Belle and that was the only way. Frank took the big kids and my cousin's kids on Space Mountain so it all worked out. Kennedy just happened to catch Sleeping Beauty walking to her "spot" so she took Kennedy's hand and walked with her so she'd be first in line which was nice... especially since Kennedy was about to run the poor girl down! hahaha

When you go back, I suggest downloading an ap for your smartphone if you have one. My husband used one at Disney World, and it planned out our day so that we could see as much of the park as possible. It also notified of us of wait times at each ride. It was really cool, especially since we only had one day.
I think he actually DID use an app... he was doing something with his phone... :o)

You do know that Disney has the matching Belle dress for the American Girl Doll :) I purchased it a few years ago for my daughter but haven't given it to her yet because we have been using the Minnie Mouse one right now. But they are so cute and your daughter would love it for the summer trip to Disneyland. Glad to see the girls had such a great time.
You know, I remember that a few years ago, because we have the minnie mouse one, too. However, we looked and looked for clothes for Charlie there and found nothing! Maybe they've been discontinued??

Poor Keeghan! :( But maybe he likes to see if they are all the same or if in each different city/state they are different?? LOL
That must be it!! LOL Hopefully when we go back to TN for Christmas he will remember what all the doctor's offices look like there and not give me a reason to go to one! ;o)

And that wagon that Kennedy and Keeghan are in is too cool! It's not plastic like most are is it? It looks different...
It is SO cool! We spotted it on Thanksgiving night when my cousin was going through the Black Friday sales papers. It completely folds up like a stroller! Friday morning I was sleeping in and when I woke up, it was sitting in my grandmother's living room. haha Frank couldn't sleep, so he braved the crowds and went and got it. I think it will be great for the zoo and parks and stuff! He got it from KMart, but it's not on sale anymore of course. I would watch for it though or maybe check eBay or Amazon, I also heard Sam's Club has them, too! It is very cool and Keeghan and Kennedy were willing to sit in it without feeling like a "baby".

I hope his ears are okay...?
Yep, he's fine now... he used to get a TON of ear infections when he was a baby, but with the help of ear tubes they finally went away. This is the first one he's had in a long time. Thankful for antibiotics that work quickly!!

We did these cute turkeys too!!! The cookie breaking was a problem we so, we tried again with triple stuffed oreos. That worked!
Thanks!! I will try that next time! We used Double Stuffed, but the darn things kept breaking!

Christmas story. I was spouting off about daisy red rider carbine action range modle air rifles with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time since I was pretty little. It's a family tradition, too. Nobody leaves the Christmas Day celebration till they've sat through at least one showing (do they loop it constantly for 24 hours in Tennessee?)
Ohhh yes! TBS plays it continuously in TN. I'm assuming CO does the same... but we'll be in TN so it doesn't matter! HA!

The other thing that I have fallen in love with this year is Russian Tea (not really tea but a yummy hot drink that kind of taste like Wassail)If you want that really easy recipe let me know.
Sure I'd love the recipe!! We're always looking for ways to keep warm around here! :)

Favorite Childhood Christmas Memory

2011-12-07T09:00:00.008-07:00

I love Christmas... there are many traditions that we had when I was a child that Frank and I have now carried over to our children. And we have added more of our own traditions. I can't wait to see which traditions, if any, that they will carry on to their own children.

Today is day three of the Wives of Faith Christmas Blog Carnival and we are supposed to talk about our favorite childhood Christmas memory. Truth be told, I have lots! But one of my favorites had to be when I was 12... that was the year I learned how to ride a bicycle. I know, I know, I was a late bloomer. But I spent most of my life at the skating rink, spinning and twirling and... falling... but that's another story for another time. ;o)

So, when I was 12 and my skates were hung up for good, I decided it was finally time for me to learn how to ride a bike. My neighbor, Holly, who was several years younger than me, helped teach me how to ride on her bike... which was way too small for me! haha But eventually I got the hang of it and was off and riding... and so, for Christmas I asked for my own bicycle.

Christmas morning soon arrived and my brother and I woke up early as always and ran out to the tree to see all our presents. We tore into box after box and before we knew it we were done and we were surrounded by shreds of wrapping paper. As we poured over all our new gifts, my mom asked me to go to the kitchen and get her the scissors so she could open a package.

I walked into the kitchen and saw...

I jumped up and down. I screamed. "My bike! I got my bike!"

And all my mom said was, "I don't really need the scissors." HA!

That was the last time that I remember getting really, really excited over a present before, you know, I became a teenager and was too cool to show any little kid emotion. *Ahem*

And now I get to see the excitement and anticipation on the faces of my children as Christmas draws near each year. I love it. I hope that they will always remember their favorite gifts, the time we spent together, and the good memories, even when they're "too cool" to jump up and down and get all excited.

Thanks Mom and Dad for my bike... just in case my jumping up and down wasn't proof enough, I really loved it! :)

An Apology From Your Child's Former Teacher

2011-12-06T15:30:00.002-07:00

I just finished reading this blog post and it literally sent chills down my spine. I feel like I have spent years talking, talking, talking. Telling MY side of things, explaining my children and their needs, grabbing onto ANY bit of information from their school day that I can possibly get, because they can't come home and tell me themselves about the details of their day. I have cried buckets of tears trying to get the "powers that be" to just listen. To understand. To communicate. To NOT shut me out as a very important member of, not only my girls' lives, but their academic path as well. I have screamed (sometimes in my head and sometimes out loud), "Listen to me! I know this child better than you ever will! I can tell you what works and what doesn't!" And I've lost friends over it. Because they just. didn't. understand. And maybe they never will.

I guess until you HAVE a child with special needs, until you have to advocate for them, and sit in an IEP meeting where you want to beat your head against the wall as they tell you how they've "always done things" or how they went to training for kids with Autism so that should more than cover your child with Down syndrome, or listen to them tell you how THEY, not you, are the experts regarding a child they've just met, they'll never get it. Not even the BEST of the best teachers will understand.

And so I read this blog post with tears stinging my eyes, because this teacher/mother finally GETS it. She is about to embark on her own journey, with her own child with special needs, and this time she'll be on the other side of the table. I wish everyone understood that I will always fight for my girls. At all costs. And I'm learning as I go... I'm not a perfect mother, or a perfect advocate. I will make mistakes. I will say things more harshly than I intend to in the heat of the moment. I will cry. But I will always be their number one cheerleader and I will always be looking out for the very best for them. And believe it or not, despite any college degree or years of teaching experience you have, you have never come across a child like mine. She is unique and has needs different from anyone you've ever taught before. And I know what those needs are. So as I beg you to listen, beg you to communicate, beg you to keep me informed about her day, remember that it's because I want her to be successful... just as you do.

Her letter is beautiful... I just wish everyone "got it".

My Favorite Christmas Dessert

2011-12-06T09:00:00.002-07:00

Today is day number 2 of the Wives of Faith Christmas Blog Carnival and I'm supposed to share my favorite Christmas dessert with recipe. Now me having a recipe would mean that I bake. Stop laughing! BUT I do have a very favorite Christmas candy, and if you've been reading here long enough, you know what that is...

Yummmm! I have about five bags of these babies in my pantry right now! And so a couple years ago I DID try making these...

Here's the recipe for anyone who wants to try them...

Skill Level:: Beginner
Prep Time:: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Red or green sugar crystals, granulated sugar or powdered sugar

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.
2 Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.
3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Now, in my search for a picture of these cookies, I stumbled across THIS gem which I think I may have to try this year... or maybe I'll pass the recipe along to my mom and see if she'll make it for me! haha

chocolate peppermint bark cookies

Yield: 36 pieces

Prep Time: 30 min + chill time

Cook Time: 30 min

Best Christmas treat I tried in 2009, and it's been on my holiday cookie tray every year since...

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (or use chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses (or use crumbled candy canes)
2 ounces white chocolate

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.

2. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

4. Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped candy cane kisses over (or candy canes).

5. Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. If it's too tough and thick to stir, add a tiny drizzle of vegetable oil or 1/2 teaspoon of shortening to thin it out. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

6. Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces.

Do those not sound yummy?!
Or... you know... you could just pop open a bag and eat them.

All.

In one sitting.

Not that I've ever done that.

Much.

For more great recipes, be sure to check out the Wives of Faith Blog Carnival! Tis the season to eat good food! :)

Sleep Studies

2011-12-05T20:30:00.001-07:00

Last night Kennedy and Kellsey both had sleep studies in Denver. I believe that this is the third one for each of them. They were able to fit both girls in on the same night which meant less time off work for Frank, so I jumped at the chance knowing that both girls handled their sleep studies well before.

They started hooking the girls up around 8:30 and were done a little after 9:00... there was lots of laughing and goofing around involved... mostly on the tech's parts! haha They were great with them. Then they asked when the girls would want to head to bed and I said, "Uhhh about an hour and a half ago!" LOL So they settled them in their beds so they could watch them for the night.

They of course couldn't give me results or anything, they said it would be 7-10 days, but the tech that was in charge of Kellsey was amazed by how much she was awake during the night. I said, "Yep, that's why we're here!" By 6am they had both girls unhooked, I got them dressed and we made the drive back to Colorado Springs. We had quite a scary drive in last night... LOTS of snow falling, hard to see in the dark... we drove slow, slow, slow. Today the roads were pretty clear, but it was COLD. They even had a 2 hour delay for school which the big kids were thrilled about!

Anyway, I'm still a little sleep deprived so I am heading to bed soon. Here are a couple pictures of the girls last night...

My Favorite Christmas Movie

2011-12-05T09:00:00.003-07:00

I have decided to participate in the Wives of Faith Christmas Blog Carnival. I haven't done one of these for a long time, but this one looks fun, so I thought I would give it a try! :) If you are a blogger and a military wife, you should definitely go check it out and participate as well. You can meet other bloggers, win some prizes, and talk about Christmas! What is better than that?! :)

Today's topic is "My Favorite Christmas Movie". I have A LOT of favorites. I love watching them! In fact, my DVR box is filling up as we speak with movies from Hallmark and Lifetime... some classics, some new... some cheesy and some that make me cry (which Frank would probably ALSO say are cheesy! ha!). I think the thing I love best about Christmas movies is that my kids love them too and we can snuggle up by the fire with popcorn or some other treat and watch movie after movie. It never gets old!

SO since this blog isn't all about ME *ahem*, I decided to tell you not only MY favorite Christmas movie, but everyone else's in the house as well!

First is mine since this blog post really IS supposed to be about me! haha Now I wanted to think of some touching, heartwarming, inspirational movie that I could tell you is my favorite, but well... that would be a LIE! HA! So I confess, my all-time favorite Christmas movie that we have to watch EVERY year is...

Yep. A Christmas Story. I love it. Thankfully my husband and big kids love it too. I will never be able to see my kids in snowsuits and big winter coats without whining, "Wahhh, I can't put my arms down!" :o)

OK onto Frank... I have to admit, I do not like his favorite Christmas movie. It takes A LOT for me to ~~tolerate it~~ watch it with him. But he loves it... and so do Kass and Kam. *sigh*

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. They love it. But it stresses. Me. Out!

Kassidy's favorite Christmas movie (and really one of Kameron's too) is quickly becoming a tradition around here. How could anyone not love the smelly, green, mean...

Mr. Grinch! Yes, how the Grinch Stole Christmas... Come take a trip to Whoville with us!

Kameron's favorite Christmas movie is my favorite cartoon Christmas movie. I love, love, love this one and can't wait to watch it this season!

Do you still hear the bells??

Kennedy's favorite Christmas movie is a brand new one this year, and when I asked her, her answer was no surprise.

Good Luck, Charlie! One of her favorite shows now has a Christmas special. Her eyes were glued to the screen the entire time... except for when she ran out of popcorn! HA!

Keeghan said that everyone else already picked his favorite movies! HA! He likes pretty much everything animated or with kids... or animals. :)

And Kellsey... well... she pretty much likes anything as long as she has popcorn, although she is partial to Dora. Maybe we'll need to find this to record...

Twenty Days until Christmas and so many movies left to watch! I can't WAIT!

SO... what's YOUR favorite Christmas movie?!

Santa Monica Pier

2011-12-04T15:00:00.003-07:00

Friday we went to Santa Monica Pier. The kids wanted to see the ocean really badly. Actually, they wanted to swim in the ocean, but we quickly explained to them that swimming in the Pacific ocean in California in November is usually not the best idea. ;o) That didn't stop lots of other ~~crazy~~ people from swimming though! BRRR!

We all had a great time wandering around the pier, browsing the shops, eating good seafood, and feeling the ocean breeze. I do miss the ocean being only an hour away!

Keeghan may have had a little too much ocean air because he woke up around 3am crying with ear pain. I took him to an urgent care later Saturday morning and sure enough he had a double ear infection and both his ear drums were bulging! They put him on antibiotics and we got him some motrin and he was feeling better in a couple days. Keeghan seems to like to explore urgent cares and ERs when we're on vacation for some reason! *sigh*

I have a few more pictures to post from our trip, but they're going to have to wait for another day... Kennedy and Kellsey have a sleep study tonight in Denver, so I should probably get a bag packed for us! Until tomorrow!

Making Turkeys

2011-12-03T22:05:00.004-07:00

On Thursday we went up to my Aunt and Uncle's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. I actually didn't get a whole lot of pictures because the day was a little chaotic. I did get some pictures of the kids making a craft/dessert before dinner though... I saw these on Facebook a few weeks ago so Frank ran to the store and bought all the stuff for our kids and my cousin's kids to do while the turkey was cooking. Unfortunately, Kellsey was in a Benadryl induced sleep because she got a hold of a strawberry (though I will say that there was definitely a benefit to getting that Benadryl in through her g-tube! Worked much faster!), so she missed the fun, but I'm sure she was having good dreams... of pink elephants, as my grandmother would say. :o)

The cookies kept breaking... this greatly disturbed Keeghan! LOL

Kass making her tail feathers

Applying massive amounts of frosting

She really wants to eat it! haha

Kylie

Jayden

Kennedy watching daddy squeezing the frosting

Cheese!

It's almost finished!

Jayden helping Keeghan with the eyes

I think Frank and the turkey are having a staring contest

Oh no! He broke!

Ta-Da! A Turkey!!

I'm not sure how great they turned out, but they were fun to make with the kids and they had a great time eating those poor turkeys after dinner! :o) Maybe for Christmas we'll try snowmen... those have to be easier... right?! :o)

Stocking Stuffer Idea!

2011-12-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

One of Kennedy's favorite things to do is play with her American Girl, Charlie (but you all probably knew this by now!). She loves changing her clothes multiple times a day... and thankfully, she's learned how to do this herself in the last several months because Frank, Kassidy and I were getting tired of changing Charlie! haha

I think Kennedy likes getting new clothes for Charlie just as much as she does for herself, and so while I've been wrapping up my Christmas shopping this week for the kids, I have been looking for some little outfits for Charlie to put in Kennedy's stocking.

My friend Deborah sent us the cutest handmade dress for Charlie to wear for Thanksgiving... see?

And she has several more outfits up on her ETSY shop. SO if you have a little girl who loves her American Girl (or other 18 inch doll) like mine does, be sure to go check her out, it would make a great stocking stuffer! She has a Facebook Page, too with some great deals!! :) Thanks, Deborah!!

Disneyland - Part 2

2011-12-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

Every Girl Can Be A Princess!

Take a walk with me...

Chatting with Sleeping Beauty

Telling Snow White all about her Charlie

Kennedy is letting Ariel know that she is Ariel... in case she didn't know. LOL

Kellsey is checking Ariel out haha

Oh my GOSH! We MATCH!!

"I've been waiting to meet you all day!"

Think she was examining her makeup?! LOL

Bye bye!!

Disneyland - Part 1

2011-12-01T11:00:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday morning we all woke up early and loaded some very excited children into the van and headed off to Anaheim for a magical day at Disneyland!! We rode some rides, saw some characters, watched the parade and an amazing light and water show and ate some yummy food. There was still lots we didn't get to do... even after spending 14 hours between the two parks, and we can't wait to go back again this Summer when Frank is on R&R and use the last two days of our passes! Keeghan's already making a list of things he wants to do first! haha

Here are some pictures of our day...

On the tram headed to the park...

Daddy and Kellsey on the tram

Checking out the maps to see where they wanted to go first

Keeghan found a fire truck

It's my first time!!

Main Street!

It's a Small World after all...

Who's taking the picture here anyway?!

Sweet boy!

Sisters!

Ready to ride!

Meeting Mickey Mouse

M-I-C-K-E-Y...

And of course Minnie!!

We're gonna spin fast!

Mom and Kameron spinning faster and faster!

A very happy un-Birthday to you!

Whee!!!

It all started with a mouse...

My friend Tammy and her son Anthony met us for awhile... Tammy and I have been friends since we were pregnant with Kass and Anthony in 1999!

It all started with us...

Making a wish...

Every wish will come true...

I wonder what he wished for?

My Aunt met us with my cousin's kids Kylie and Jayden. We had fun watching the parade with them and going on more rides! :)

Little Princes

Tired out after a long day!

More tomorrow!!!

Q&A #224

2011-11-30T19:00:00.002-07:00

Did I miss pictures of Kelsey and her kitchen??

Yep! :) There are a few right here. And since then her room has been covered in food. Thankfully, it's all plastic! HA!

So glad to hear Kellsey is opening up more. How strange that a move would do that. Maybe it's just everyone experiencing all the new together. Like an adventure for everyone. Somehow made her feel more a part of the family or something.

My theory (and I could be wrong!) is that it's really really really REALLY helped her to have her own space to play and retreat to when she wants to be alone. Kennedy and Keeghan will play in her room with her but she makes it VERY known when she doesn't want them in there. We have to be careful not to always let her be in her room (because she'd stay in there all day if we let her), but I think it's been good for her to know she has HER room and HER stuff and a place where she can go when she just needs to BE. And really, Kameron is like that too. He has been since he was very little. He will spend lots of time in his room making lego creations or drawing or whatever, especially if we're doing something loud (like watching a loud movie or playing a loud game) that overwhelms his senses. They (Kameron and Kellsey) are both very sensory. We have learned on Kellsey's hard days to, when we're able, let her be. That's not always possible if we're on the go, but she's learning that sometimes she doesn't get her way and we're learning to read her better and give her space whenever possible.

I'm really impressed that she will play with that kitchen. We have the same exact toy problem with Oksana. Tons of toys that never get touched. She'd much rather play with a ball or balloon and to tell you the truth, even more than those she loves to just walk around the house talking to her imaginary friends. I'm stumped for Christmas. How many balls and balloons can I hold in my house?! I've got a couple of other ideas but I honestly don't know if they will ever get played with.
Yep, Kellsey and her magna doodles! We seriously have like 8 in our house! haha We have an idea for her for Christmas, but I'm REALLY doubtful on whether it's going to be a hit or not. Then again, I'm having the same problem with Kassidy this year... she's 12... not really playing with toys this year, not into clothes, not sure WHAT to get her! Guess we better get cracking, huh?! :o)

I was wondering does she talk at all and/or understand English? What is her level of comprehension since she also has DS in addition to her language barrier?? It must be hard to learn a new language as well as deal with DS. Is she on a level of a 1 yr old or 2 yr old now?
Good question! She does speak a VERY few words... "hi, bye, play, stop, up, baby, ball, book, ma" and a few others. Some of those are approximations (ex: book is actually "boo" and stop is actually "top"). However, she understands A LOT and follows directions well (when she so chooses). The one thing that she doesn't do is answer yes and no questions correctly... you can ask her if she wants to eat, wants a puppy, wants to jump off a cliff, wants to drive the car, ask her if she's hot then turn around and ask if she's cold or whatever, and she'll nod her head yes to everything (those are just examples). However, if you ask her if she wants to go on time out she will absolutely tell you NO! haha When her speech therapist evaluated her, she said that her expressive language was on a 6-9 month old level and her receptive (comprehension) was on an 18-24 month level. I feel that's pretty accurate. I don't know if we can contribute her delays to language barrier anymore though since she's been here so long. I'm pretty sure if someone spoke Russian or Ukrainian to her, she wouldn't remember. We can contribute it to the fact that she was not worked with and had no therapy or intervention until she was 3 though... that definitely makes a difference!! We're still hoping that one day something will unlock in her brain and the words will start pouring out... and then we can tell her to be quiet like we do to Keeghan! LOL

Love that girl!! She's starting to look more and more like a school-ager instead of a little, little girl!
I agree!!! I was just thinking the same thing the other day. I think maybe it's the glasses? I wasn't thrilled with her glasses at first, but the more she wears them, I think they really suit her :).

So...just what CAN Kameron do with that card?
Well, not much really! LOL Since we don't live on post he won't have a whole lot of opportunities to use it. When we DO go to post, he'll have to show it to get on and then if we go shopping he'll get to show it if he pays for anything. I know whenever we went shopping at Ft. Campbell and Kass was with us, we'd let her pay just so she could show her card! haha Still, the military requires all military dependents over the age of 10 to have an ID card... and some younger kids have them too for various reasons. It's just kind a cool thing to have and makes the kids feel grown. :)

In case you care (I'm weird, so I did..lol), you can ask them to give you Kassidy's photo from her very first ID card when you turn it in. I wanted Jakob's because he'd changed SO much it seemed. Plus, I thought it'd be a nice keepsake. So, the lady cut the photo out of the card and gave it to me :)
Ohhh that's a great idea! I will have to do that! They still haven't made it back there to renew hers yet.

The boy who eats nothing ate a jalapeño dog?! Lol!
I know, right?! I think the Mexican side of him is coming out... thanks to Frank, Kameron loves his spicy foods!! Now, try to get him to eat a green vegetable, and you'd think we were strangling him! HA!

Lived in SoCal for 23 years and never heard of Pinks...how did that happen?!
I have no idea! It's been there since 1939! LOL Supposedly all the famous people go there for hot dogs, but we didn't see anyone... except a couple cross dressers. *ahem*

You were at Disneyland for 14 HOURS!!!??? WOW!!! Did you get to see everything?
NO! :o( So glad we're going back this Summer for more!!

Awesome pictures! You always do such a great job of matching everyone! Where do you find everyone's clothes? I have such a hard time!
Thanks! :) We got the kids outfits at Crazy 8. I love that store! They always have matching/coordinating stuff for kids of all sizes. They have fantastic sales too if you watch for them. Frank and I got our sweaters at JCPenney once the kids were squared away. :) The problem we're having now is finding color combos that we haven't already done! Thankfully we only do family pics every 2 years so I don't have to think about it again for awhile! haha

And... is that a HUGE step that Kellsey WANTED to go stand by Elmo, or am I imagining that? :)
YES! Huge!!! That is officially her first character picture outside of the safety of her stroller. While she was in the hospital for her surgery they had different people coming to visit the kids and one day a fox from a local radio station came in. She had seen this same fox in August right before our Buddy Walk and freaked out, but this time he eased up to her in the safety of her hospital bed and she was ok with him. So, when she put her arms up to get out of the stroller when she saw Elmo we were like, "Absolutely!" And she ran right over! I think she was just waiting for Disneyland which we did the next day... it made the day so much more fun for her!!

Is Kelsey's face swollen or is she on steroids by any chance? My son's face gets that way when he is on steroids, so I noticed it. So sorry if I'm wrong!
Nope, no steroids... she's just gaining weight and filling out from being on the g-tube and getting an adequate number of calories every day. She's gained 5 pounds since her tube went in a month ago.

Judy Garland AND Jeanne Cooper? Yep, if we ever live in the same town/state, we'll have at least a couple things in common. :)
Good, I'll be waiting for you! :o)

Los Angeles (Part 2)

2011-11-30T11:00:00.001-07:00

Here are more pictures from the Walk of Fame and other stuff in LA. Enjoy! :o)

The Theater

Drew Barrymore

Bruce Willis

Julie Andrews

Michael Jackson

The Muppets were in town...

I was interviewed for some show on the Travel Channel. I don't remember what it's called and they were asking me questions about China... a country I know NOTHING about. I seriously doubt they'll use the footage, unless they use it in the blooper section since they asked me to say a phrase in Chinese and I'm pretty sure I botched it! LOL

John Travolta

Jeanne Cooper

The Doors

Judy Garland

The Kodak Theater

Arnold... no last name needed. haha

Charles Schulz

Jay Leno

I really wanted to wish to be "Big", but we all know how that worked out for Tom Hanks!

After we were done there we headed over to Pink's for infamous hot dogs...

Waiting to eat...

This is awesome!

Kennedy wanted to pose with something too... guess the water bottle won! haha

Keeghan and his new monkey... which he lost in a store later that day. :( So sad!

Pretty smile!

That's all! Up next, pics from Disneyland!! :o)

Los Angeles (Part 1)

2011-11-29T15:20:00.002-07:00

Since Kass and Kam are older now, they were excited to do some real touristy stuff while we were in California. One of the things they wanted to do was see the Hollywood Sign (which we did from a distance) and then they wanted to go see all the stars on the Walk of Fame. So last Monday we loaded up in the van, grabbed our cameras and took off to Los Angeles. They had a great time reading all the stars and finding people they "know"... and asking "who is THAT?!" for lots of others! haha

Walt Disney...

Dolly Parton

Donald Duck

Winnie the Pooh

Tinkerbell

Silly Monkey!

Bumblebee

What's Kameron looking at?!

Keeghan did NOT like being picked up! LOL

Superman LOVED Kennedy! LOL He wanted to make sure she stood in Donald Duck's footprints

Steven Spielberg... Kam was so excited about this one!

Ryan Seacrest... They were all excited about him! haha

George Lopez...

Kermit the Frog...

Journey - Don't Stop Believin'

Keeghan saw Elmo while we were in a store and RAN out as fast as he could to chase him down, which made me chase Keeghan down. Crazy tourists!

Tink again... Kam refused to be in this pic! haha

Disneyland!!

Tim Allen... even though Kam doesn't look it, he was really excited about this one, too!

Elmo joined Cookie Monster and Kellsey decided she wanted to get in on the hugs!

Whose star is THAT?! Kennedy saw her name and said, "No way!" :o)

Mickey Mouse

Bugs Bunny...

Big Bird

Kam with Jack Sparrow

Keeghan joined in as well

Meeting Santa at the Grove

In front of a HUGE tree!!

Part two tomorrow... more stars that Frank and I were excited to see... and other stuff! :)

Family Photos...

2011-11-28T17:25:00.006-07:00

Eventually I will be sharing all the pictures that Frank and I took this week, but there are over 500, so I need to weed through them first, and that's going to take awhile... and more sleep! HA!

In the meantime, here's some I CAN share with you, no editing (on my part anyway) required! Last Wednesday we drove down to Long Beach to see our best friends from college, Moi and Lori-Lynn. It was awesome to see them and hang out... both our families have changed a lot since we were last all together... there are just a couple (ok a lot!) more kids, and life has been crazy (but exciting!) for all of us, but once we were back together again, it was just like old times. We hung out and watched TV and laughed about dumb stuff just like when we were in college and not married yet! Hard to believe we've been friends for 14 years! Our children all had a great time together too... I'm pretty sure they made a big mess, but they had a great time, and that's what matters. :o)

When we first got to Long Beach, Lori-Lynn took us down to Ports O' Call and took our family pictures for us. It was a fun little spot with some great backgrounds. I think we have more kids than her typical photo shoot, but she did a great job... and we taught her that to make boys laugh for pictures, you have to say things like, "fart". HA!

If you live in Southern California (or Northern California, she's up there a lot, and she's also in the Vegas area a lot!) and are looking for a great family photographer, be sure to check out Lori-Lynn's photography page and book a session. You won't be disappointed!

Thanks, Lori-Lynn!! We love them!!

30 Miles

2011-11-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

We are about 30 miles away from Colorado Springs right now and there is no place like home. I apologize for my lack of blogging the last few days but we have been busy with family, friends, ear infections and tooth fairy visits!

I have so many pictures to share with you all from our week, but that will have to wait until after a good night's (morning's?) sleep, a little bit of unpacking and regrouping. I think I need a vacation from my vacation! Ha!

The kids have all been fabulous on our drive home and we've discovered we like traveling through the bottom of the country much better than through Utah. It's much... Flatter and straighter! ;)

Anyway, back to 6,000 ft elevation, cold weather, and... Home! Ahhh!

Still Here...

2011-11-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

We are still here! We are hanging out with friends today and had our family pictures done this morning. It's been nice to just hang out with old friends and relax after a busy couple days. Tomorrow will be filled with family and of course, food!

We wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving full of memories with your loved ones! I'll check in tomorrow night.

Disneyland!

2011-11-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

It is just after 11:00 and we are just leaving Disneyland after 14 fun filled hours. I expect the kids will be asleep before we hit the freeway. ;) Details and pictures later... For now I'm going to rub my sore feet and think about my pillow. :)

Fun Day!

2011-11-21T22:36:00.001-07:00

Today was a fun day! Kass and Kam wanted to see parts of California that Frank and I haven't seen in over a decade! So we put on our tourist hats and headed to Los Angeles. We hit up Olvera Street first where we browsed a little and then headed to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The kids loved looking at the stars and looking for people the "know". There were also several characters there walking the streets which was fun. :) The best part was that Kellsey saw Elmo and got REALLY excited and actually went up to him! That was a first for her!

After that we headed to Pink's for a world famous hot dog. Kameron was very excited about his super long jalapeno dog! Ha! Then we went to The Grove where Kennedy was thrilled to see an American Girl Store and Keeghan was super excited to find Santa's Workshop. The kids all got to meet Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Kassidy said she wanted a sled to which Santa replied, "Uhh I think you need snow for that!" Kass told him that we live in Colorado and he said, "Well that should work then!" It was so funny! We took lots of pics that I will share with you later.

Tomorrow we are going to get up early and head to Disneyland. The kids are so excited they can hardly stand it! It looks like beautiful weather tomorrow, so hopefully it will be a great day!

More tomorrow!

Oops!

2011-11-20T23:06:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to post today!! We are still here! Just been busy doing stuff. It's been rainy and cold here in CA today. No fun! It's supposed to warm up tomorrow though, thank goodness. I am exhausted so I'm about to go to bed... And the auto-correct on my phone is drivinge nuts! Haha! So more tomorrow! Hope you all had a blessed Sunday!

Hanging Out

2011-11-19T22:23:00.001-07:00

We are still here, hanging out :). Today we went to lunch with one of my friends from high school and then came back to my grandmother's house and the kids played all evening. Now they are all in bed so we can get a good nights sleep before church tomorrow.

I am battling a bad headache today... Not sure if it's the altitude change or what, but it's taking a toll. Hopefully it will be gone by Tuesday when we go to Disneyland!

Anyway, that's about it... No pictures today since I'm blogging from my phone. I'll try to get online tomorrow.

Goodnight blogland! :)

California!

2011-11-18T18:55:00.001-07:00

We made it safely to California around 8:00 this morning. The kids were awesome on the drive! They slept, watched movies, listened to music and slept more. They were all awake to see the sun rise just after Vegas and thought it was pretty neat. They also pointed out about 10 places on the Vegas strip that we HAVE to go! Ha!

Once we got to my grandmother's house, the kids all stretched their legs, got acquainted and reacquainted with their Nonnie, and then around 9:30 we all laid down for a nap and slept hard for several hours.

When we woke up, Frank went to get lunch... Here of course...

And it was delicious! Our tummies were happy!

Right now we are on our way to a friend's house for dinner, and then back to Nonnie's for more sleep! By tomorrow we should be all caught up and ready for fun!

Anyway, just wanted to check in... More tomorrow. :)

And We're Off!

2011-11-17T16:00:00.001-07:00

Our bags are packed, and by the time you read this, we should all be in the car heading to California! Our goal is to drive all night and make it there early tomorrow morning. This will be a new drive for us, so we're kind of excited to see what the journey brings!

We have a few fun things planned while we're in California... the older 3 kids want to see the ocean. I think it's too cold to get in right now, but at least we can see it. We will also be seeing friends, and of course family, and a certain famous mouse and his gang ;o). We'll also be getting family pics taken by one of our best friends out there, so that will be great too before Frank deploys. It's been two years since our last one... most of the kids have changed just a bit! ;o)

Anyway, I'm going to finish the last of our packing and shut down my computer. It doesn't sound like my grandmother's house has wi-fi, but I can still blog from my phone. You'll be hearing from me one way or another!! ;)

A Rite of Passage

2011-11-16T12:00:00.001-07:00

Kameron's TEN and when you're a military kid, turning ten is very exciting! That means it's time to get your first military ID card. It seems just like yesterday that Frank was taking Kassidy to get her card, and now here we are with Kameron's. In the blink of an eye, Kennedy will have hers, too! *sniff*

After the kids' dentist appointments yesterday, Frank picked Kassidy and Kameron up and took them to the DEERS office on post where they issue ID cards. Kassidy was supposed to get a new one too because hers expires next month, but she forgot to bring her current one to turn in, so they wouldn't let her do it. Oh well! She can get it over Christmas break.

Here are some pictures of Kameron getting his very first ID card! :)

We're walking...

We're walking... almost there...

I'm the 66th person in line!

And Kassidy doesn't get one today. Ha Ha!

They're taking my picture... I have to hold still...

I'm one cool dude! Now let's go see what this baby can DO! :o)

I see many trips to post to shop at the PX in our future just so the kids can use their cards! haha