Halloween 2012

I can't wait for tonight when the kiddos get to go trick-or-treating.  This year will be the first year they are going to walk the entire night.  Woot!  Woot!

May you and your kiddos get some delicious candy and have a safe night!

Procedure day for Kinsley

Kinsely and I chose to come down last night to the Children's Hospital to prepare for her bronchoscopy procedure this morning.  We have to be at the hospital at 6:45 a.m. and with it being a two hour drive, I did not feel like waking the beast from her sleep to drive in the dark on curvy, hilly roads.  

Please keep her in your thoughts.  I just really hope we get some answers so we can come up with a solution.

Pumpkin Farm 2012

Finding a good pumpkin farm around this place is HARD!!!  We had an awesome pumpkin farm we visited yearly in Georgia, and our hopes were high.  After a lot of research and surveying we finally found a farm (new this year) that was perfect for our three.

Sunday show - end of soccer

It's going to be a bunch of  photo dumps, now that we are nearing the end of yet another month.

End of soccer season (woot - woot!)

He has good form - but was the runt of the group

The runner 

Was obsessed with his hair color - this was the same evening our power was out 

The runt was best at goalie

Medal time!

Performance team

Addyson really enjoys many activities and wants to try them all, and we let her as long as there are no conflicts.

Back in August, I signed her up for dance and was approached about signing her up for performance team as well, which is not competition. Performance team is the younger version of competition and essentially a much smaller group of kids. They learn one routine and will perform it at a variety of events throughout the year.

Well.....soccer season started after dance registration. Practices were each on separate days, so we were all set. But, I wasn't informed that the games would be on different days than practice. Of course games ended up being on the same day as performance team practice and she went to soccer over dance. The main lady in charge of the entire program said she could just join rift back in after soccer ended.

Today was her first day back, and her teacher and the head lady welcomed her and were so excited to see her and even after practice did a private class for her to learn the routine. She has her first performance in just a couple of weeks, and I really thought that she would not be joining this performance with how late she has rejoined, but her instructor was very impressed with how quickly she was picking up the steps and feel at this point she should perform.

We shall see how she does at next week's practice and if I can get her to practice any at home.

Elevator travels

Bedding - kid edition

All three of my kiddos have a quilt, each unique to them.

Addyson has had her quilt since she received her twin bed around 15 months.  It's on it's last leg and needs some updating.

She currently has this one Her decorations in her room match these colors, and she has pink curtains.  It must be girly, it must have some pink, and I would prefer a quilt.  But, I am thinking the quilt hunt is going to be over and I am going to have to settle on a comforter.  Those that have comforters - how long do they last?

A breather

Soccer season is over, and thus my life is slowly coming back.  No longer will we be rushing to and from school, home, practices, and games.  It was exhausting keeping up with practices and games and giving up every single Saturday.  It was our first season, and Addyson and Eligh had a blast and declared they want to play again.  I declare soccer a success.  

From now until spring I will only be toting the girls to and from dance class two times a week.  Addyson will be going twice a week and Kinsley once a week.  Unfortunately, Cody will be heading out for training for six weeks soon and thus, Eligh will have to start tagging along.  I have been spoiled with all Cody's help for quite some time and am really not looking forward to doing it all on my own again.    

For now, though, I am going to enjoy this much needed break from all the running to and from and actually eating dinner at a normal dinner time, versus either an hour early or an hour or so later than normal.  I have even taken advantage of hitting the gym up a couple times a week after dinner.  

Anyone else getting a break from the fall sports?

Talking Tuesday - Hands Edition

Kinsley:  "I need my hands!!!!!"  (She wanted her gloves.)

Eligh:  "Dad, I am awesome, right?"

Daddy:  "Eligh, you and I are going to have a boy's day in Saint Louis on Sunday.  We are going to see THE PACKERS!!!!!"
Eligh:  "Are they live?"

Boys stink

Eligh:  "Daddy, don't you EVER fart in my room AGAIN!!!"
Daddy:  "Why?"
Eligh:  "It makes my nose stink-ed!!!!"

Deja sick

Not even two weeks ago we were dealing with throwing up children, and one who appeared to have all the symptoms of strep (he never actually tested positive).

After a night out with some friends, Kinsley woke up around midnight hacking, gasping to catch her breath, and a fever. Yes, just like that. No previous symptoms indicated another round of sick.

It all is coming at the wrong time. Cody is about to head out for some training and he has been working many weekends. Of course someone had to get sick when daddy is actually home for the weekend and we could have potentially had some fun.

Some day I will have time to blog regularly again and about something besides sick children.

Talking Tuesday - "That's what he said"

Addyson:  "Daddy lost his hair on a bus."
Mommy:  "No, he didn't."
Addyson:  "That's what he said."

Week and -end from ????

It's been a very trying week:

Kinsley's appointment, two of three children threw up, all three minions had fevers and throat aches, one trip to the ER, daddy worked Saturday, and throw in a fall carnival.

But....I know it can always be worse and there are people very dear to my heart who are dealing with much worse. As much as I want scream and cry with exhaustion and simply being overwhelmed, I will not. Instead, I will trudge on knowing there are others who need relief before me.

To make matters worse

On the long two hour home from the doctor on Monday, just as we are half way there Kinsley threw up an insane amount.  We "assumed" it was simply motion sickness, but we all know what happens when you assume.

Yesterday morning Kinsley was her normal rambunctious self, so again I assumed the throw up the day before was simply motion sickness and continued with my tasks of running a couple errands.  About five minutes from reaching home, Kinsley threw up all over the place.  My assumption was clearly wrong.  On my race towards home Eligh declares he has to go potty.  I tell him to hold it as we will be there shortly.

He is shouting in the back, "I am squeezing it really hard!!!"

I get home, unlock the door tell Eligh to sprint to the bathroom and have Kinsley waddle up to the bathroom.  Upon getting upstairs to undress the throw up child, Eligh has obviously not made it in time for the bathroom (a first in probably two years).  Now, I have two baths to give.

Upon finishing baths, I get Kinsley situated on some towels and bucket nearby, feed Eligh some lunch, get him up for a bath and check on Kinsley who is passed out.  103.7 fever - just like that.

She broke her fever, it came back mid afternoon, broke the fever, and came back again around 11 last night along with more vomit which she was gasping to breath and get out.

I am waving my flag on all bad news.  I need a break to digest all that is going on, because it is seriously all too much right now.

First visit to pulmonologist

Yesterday, Cody, Eligh, Kinsley and I made the long two hour drive to the pulmonologist.  I already had it in my head that I would leave that doctor completely pissed off for wasting our time.  I truly felt as if my continuous complaints to their regular pediatrician were simply in my head.  Her breathing is fine and we are just paranoid.  But, that is not at all how it actually went.

The hospital is a children's hospital which is of course amazing in so many ways, while also completely depressing at the same time.  Upon checking in, we waited about five minutes before being called back to meet the nurse.  A few questions later and we were in the room waiting for the doctor.  First, though, we saw a medical student(cue again the anger) who asked us a packet worth of questions, because this packet did not arrive in time to be filled out at home.  But, when the doctor actually came in, it was a whole other ball game.  Our concerns with Kinsley's constant need to rest upon doing any exercise and always sounding winded were not at all in our head.  The doctor sent Kinsley and I for an X-ray, which she did great (she has had quite a few of her chest in the past year).  We came back upstairs and the doctor was back in our room a few minutes later.  Upon pulling up her X-ray, the doctor explained and showed that Kinsley's lungs are at their fullest capacity of air, which is actually pushing on her chest and even causing her back to curve due to all the added air in her lungs.  Her lungs were so full they are close to actually touching.  Basically, she cannot get all the air out of her lungs and it is trapped, causing her to have all the breathing problems she is having.  This is when I felt an odd sense of relief that all my concerns were true and that there is a reason for her actions.

Now what???

The doctor sent the nurse in to evaluate how she actually uses her inhaler on a regular basis, who then reported to the doctor.  The doctor came back in and said that based on her age, she is doing the best she possibly can with the inhaler and should be getting in all the meds as needed (and has been for a year or more).  If she wasn't getting all of the meds in then we could simply work on how she is breathing them in and come back in a month or so.  The doctor ordered a CT (which they could not get her in that day, he tried), so we have to go back Monday.  She is also on a more aggressive inhaler and has a follow up appointment to see if the meds are helping before the end of the month.

Now, we have to hope that on Monday she cooperates and does not have to be sedated for the CT (freaking out about the thought of that).