Ruidoso, New Mexico!!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Luke Update 7/29/10
On July 18, Luke officially marked ten months...and he is making amazing progress. We've had a flurry of doctor visits, orthotist appointments and therapy sessions so I thought I'd give you a whole lotta updatin'.
PEDIATRICIAN
We were a wee bit late on his 9-month well check. We just made it back in and 'itty-bitty' Lukey now weighs over 14 pounds! We still have a ways to go to get to the 20-pound mark, but all of us will be super happy to see him hit 16 pounds at a year. Here's hoping.
Developmentally, he's finally headed on an upward trend. Praise Jesus.
Eating like a champ.
Sleeping - eh, notsomuch. It's like a Picaso painting. It's a work in progress.
PLAGIO / ORTHOTIST
We moved from weekly visits at the orthotist to every two weeks. His head already looks a little better. We are incredibly thankful that we were able to get him in the helmet. Master Luke was the talk of the clinic last week with his tricked out helmet. Hopefully, we can get a shop here in Austin to start doing it.
GI (Belly Doctor)
First with the good news - she's happy with Luke's progress and doesn't think he needs to go back on any antibiotics unless he has really worrisome symptoms, like distended belly, extreme irritability or feeding intolerance. And, for the really, really good news - we got a four month pass before we come back again!
NEPHROLOGY (Kidney Doctor)
Dr. Simon repeated Luke's ultrasound and it shows growth in his right kidney, but no growth in his left one. He said he doesn't put all his stock in the accuracy of that test because the sonographer could've been off a millimeter on either side and that would account for the discrepancy. He's more focused on Luke's growth, developmental milestones and color. All of which he passed with flying colors. In medical-speak, clinically he looks great. His creatnine levels are at .3, right where they should be. We go back in January and reassess his progress. At some point, if that left kidney doesn't start showing growth, then we'll talk about our options. But we're not there yet. In Dr. Simon's words to Luke, "Dude, you look good." Those words meant even more when Dr. S elaborated and said that it's a miracle that Luke's alive after his last hospital stay in April. That blood reaction he had to the cephalosporins quite nearly shut down his kidneys. In Dr. S's opinion, it's a miracle it didn't.
Boy, this kid is just full of those, isn't he?
ECI (Therapy)
Luke makes great progress between his every two week visits. We are mildly concerned about his feet, one is more pronated (turned in) than the other. Once he starts putting more weight on them and pulling himself to stand, we'll take a closer look at that. For now, though, he hit a huge milestone...HE CAN ROLL BOTH WAYS!! For reals people. That is HUGE! When we put him in the crib for naps and bedtime, he's never in the same spot when we come back. Our next big milestone is crawling.
One baby step at a time.
In August and September, we visit his neurosurgeon and cardiologist. Those are biggies. We're still watching the hole in his heart and the large fontanelle on his head to see if they'll close. My money is on Luke. We'll see if the doctors agree. For now, it's a watch and wait game until age 2, then we talk surgery. *sigh*
With every specialist visit I am reminded that Luke's progress, his precious life, is a complete and total miracle. All kids are, really. But, in Luke I am reminded of it constantly. I am also reminded that life is fragile and to be cherished always. Thank you, God, for giving us this gift.
PEDIATRICIAN
We were a wee bit late on his 9-month well check. We just made it back in and 'itty-bitty' Lukey now weighs over 14 pounds! We still have a ways to go to get to the 20-pound mark, but all of us will be super happy to see him hit 16 pounds at a year. Here's hoping.
Developmentally, he's finally headed on an upward trend. Praise Jesus.
Eating like a champ.
Sleeping - eh, notsomuch. It's like a Picaso painting. It's a work in progress.
PLAGIO / ORTHOTIST
We moved from weekly visits at the orthotist to every two weeks. His head already looks a little better. We are incredibly thankful that we were able to get him in the helmet. Master Luke was the talk of the clinic last week with his tricked out helmet. Hopefully, we can get a shop here in Austin to start doing it.
GI (Belly Doctor)
First with the good news - she's happy with Luke's progress and doesn't think he needs to go back on any antibiotics unless he has really worrisome symptoms, like distended belly, extreme irritability or feeding intolerance. And, for the really, really good news - we got a four month pass before we come back again!
NEPHROLOGY (Kidney Doctor)
Dr. Simon repeated Luke's ultrasound and it shows growth in his right kidney, but no growth in his left one. He said he doesn't put all his stock in the accuracy of that test because the sonographer could've been off a millimeter on either side and that would account for the discrepancy. He's more focused on Luke's growth, developmental milestones and color. All of which he passed with flying colors. In medical-speak, clinically he looks great. His creatnine levels are at .3, right where they should be. We go back in January and reassess his progress. At some point, if that left kidney doesn't start showing growth, then we'll talk about our options. But we're not there yet. In Dr. Simon's words to Luke, "Dude, you look good." Those words meant even more when Dr. S elaborated and said that it's a miracle that Luke's alive after his last hospital stay in April. That blood reaction he had to the cephalosporins quite nearly shut down his kidneys. In Dr. S's opinion, it's a miracle it didn't.
Boy, this kid is just full of those, isn't he?
ECI (Therapy)
Luke makes great progress between his every two week visits. We are mildly concerned about his feet, one is more pronated (turned in) than the other. Once he starts putting more weight on them and pulling himself to stand, we'll take a closer look at that. For now, though, he hit a huge milestone...HE CAN ROLL BOTH WAYS!! For reals people. That is HUGE! When we put him in the crib for naps and bedtime, he's never in the same spot when we come back. Our next big milestone is crawling.
One baby step at a time.
In August and September, we visit his neurosurgeon and cardiologist. Those are biggies. We're still watching the hole in his heart and the large fontanelle on his head to see if they'll close. My money is on Luke. We'll see if the doctors agree. For now, it's a watch and wait game until age 2, then we talk surgery. *sigh*
With every specialist visit I am reminded that Luke's progress, his precious life, is a complete and total miracle. All kids are, really. But, in Luke I am reminded of it constantly. I am also reminded that life is fragile and to be cherished always. Thank you, God, for giving us this gift.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Top Thirteen: Anniversary Trips!
If you logged on last Wednesday, then you learned a bit about our anniversary trips. We don't always get to take them on the actual day, but we try to get close. We got the idea when we were in graduate school and had zero money. I mean it. At the time, we were living in Iowa and we thought, "Hey, let's go somewhere close and try to do as much as we can as inexpensively as possible. Thus, the "anniversary trips" to a different state each year were born. We've seen a lot of country and made three exceptions to travel to Europe. Every year, we get stoked about the trip. Without further ado, here are your...
TOP THIRTEEN: ANNIVERSARY TRIPS!
1. South Dakota (1997). We figured we might as well head west when we lived that close. So, we loaded up the '91 Ford Probe (don't be jealous) and saw some beautiful countryside. We made a quick pit stop at the Corn Palace which was totally not worth the hype. But, we can now say we've been there. Our ultimate destination was Mt. Rushmore, the Black Hills and the Badlands. All I can say is wow. If you call yourself American, this is a must-see. In fact, when we saw it for the first time, we both commented that we'd have to come back someday when we had kids. Someday, we'll get them there. It was awesome.
2. Tennessee (1998). We had just moved to Indiana after graduating with our master's degrees and TN was a pretty short drive. We spent a little time in Memphis, saw Graceland and all things Elvis, Sun Records and even visited my sorority's national headquarters, Chi Omega. In Nashville, we enjoyed driving around Vanderbilt, basking in the history at Ryman Auditorium and popping in at the state capitol to see the governor...really!
3. Ohio (1999). For year three, we started off the trip at King's Island with our church youth group riding roller coasters. That Son of Beast, the old-school wooden roller coaster - was a teeth jiggler. We rode it three times! Then, it was off to Dresden to make some Longaberger baskets and tour the headquarters, then Canton to the Football Hall of Fame and up to Cincinnati where we discovered the sweetest little winery.
4. Italy (2000). We had the opportunity to travel to Italy for two weeks with our church youth group and we decided why not? While we were there we renewed our wedding vows in St. Peter's Square with three other couples from the trip. As I think about that it still brings a tear to my eye. That was an amazing day.
5. California (2001). When I was six months pregnant with Will, we took an early trip to northern California and enjoyed Napa and Sonoma. Actually, Scott enjoyed all that wine, I just sniffed it. When we go back I will not be with child! Our local Indiana mom and pop wine store guy gave us a list of must-do wineries - he didn't miss on a single one. We saw Golden Gate, enjoyed a quiet morning in Muir Woods, rode the trolley, toured Alcatraz and enjoyed some delicious fish sandwiches at Fisherman's Wharf. I have so many good photos from that "babymoon" :)
6. Italy (2002). Again came the opportunity to head back to Italy and we just couldn't resist. Same great priest, same fun youth group, same wedding vow renewal...but this time it was in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica. Awesome!!
7. Florida (2003). When my brother graduated from Florida, we attended his graduation and then he and my parents joined us for our anniversary trip. We headed to Daytona Beach - Will's first ocean experience! - and then to the mouse that eats money in Orlando. My favorite picture of Will and Daniel is still the one of them watching the Disney parade with Will perched atop Daniel's shoulders. We made some sweet memories. Crazy to think how much life has changed since then.
8. Indiana (2004). About six months after John Paul was born, we loaded up the car and headed north, back to our former state of residence and stayed with our old neighbors. We had so many late nights, ate so many good meals and saw so many dear friends. It is a divine gift to be in a neighborhood as awesome as Springdale Farms. We finally got that gift again when we moved last summer. Oh, how we loved being 'back home in Indiana' again :)
9. New York (2005). For this anniversary, we left the kids (back then we had 3) with my parents and jet setted up to NYC. Scott's brother, Cory, and his wife, Jennifer, were living and working there. I think I was five or so months pregnant with Anna-Laura. We saw all the big NYC icons, but mostly just enjoyed some couple time with one another. It was fantastic being with people who knew where everything was. By the end of the trip all four of us had spent all our money and we had to pool all we had just to buy bagels on Sunday morning!
10. California (2006). Ok, you caught me. We did double dip in Cali, but hey, it's a big state. This time we went to San Diego over the Christmas break. We watched the Ags run out of time in the Holiday Bowl. Bummer. But, once we got that sadness out of our system, we enjoyed the lovely weather, fantastic eats and even met up with some of my parents' friends who hadn't seen me since I was 5!
11. Texas (2007). Clare's month-early arrival threw us all for a loop. I'm pretty sure this anniversary was our shortest jaunt. It was a lovely dinner at Eddie V's in Austin with a four-week old baby sound asleep in my arms :)
12. Arkansas (2008). Of all the trips we've taken with the kids, I'm going to have to say this one is, hands down, the most memorable. We rented a condo just outside of Hot Springs and had so much fun we could hardly contain ourselves. Fishing, horseback riding, putt-putting, diamond digging, botanical garden touring and seeing old college friends at Camp Ozark made for a really wonderful week. Some may wonder why Arkansas. It was absolutely beautiful. I would totally recommend it for any family vacation! You can read about it here.
13. France / Italy (2009). Scott traveled to Europe on business last spring. We made the most of the opportunity and I joined him on the tail end of his business trip and we had the most romantic, amazing, awesome week in France. How could you not, right? In hindsight, I think God gave us that week to prepare us for the whirlwind of 2009 and 2010. It's the trip we often refer to as the one where we fell in love again. I surely love that man. You can read about the start of the trip here.
14. ??? You'll have to check in on July 31 to see where we're going this year!
TOP THIRTEEN: ANNIVERSARY TRIPS!
1. South Dakota (1997). We figured we might as well head west when we lived that close. So, we loaded up the '91 Ford Probe (don't be jealous) and saw some beautiful countryside. We made a quick pit stop at the Corn Palace which was totally not worth the hype. But, we can now say we've been there. Our ultimate destination was Mt. Rushmore, the Black Hills and the Badlands. All I can say is wow. If you call yourself American, this is a must-see. In fact, when we saw it for the first time, we both commented that we'd have to come back someday when we had kids. Someday, we'll get them there. It was awesome.
2. Tennessee (1998). We had just moved to Indiana after graduating with our master's degrees and TN was a pretty short drive. We spent a little time in Memphis, saw Graceland and all things Elvis, Sun Records and even visited my sorority's national headquarters, Chi Omega. In Nashville, we enjoyed driving around Vanderbilt, basking in the history at Ryman Auditorium and popping in at the state capitol to see the governor...really!
3. Ohio (1999). For year three, we started off the trip at King's Island with our church youth group riding roller coasters. That Son of Beast, the old-school wooden roller coaster - was a teeth jiggler. We rode it three times! Then, it was off to Dresden to make some Longaberger baskets and tour the headquarters, then Canton to the Football Hall of Fame and up to Cincinnati where we discovered the sweetest little winery.
4. Italy (2000). We had the opportunity to travel to Italy for two weeks with our church youth group and we decided why not? While we were there we renewed our wedding vows in St. Peter's Square with three other couples from the trip. As I think about that it still brings a tear to my eye. That was an amazing day.
5. California (2001). When I was six months pregnant with Will, we took an early trip to northern California and enjoyed Napa and Sonoma. Actually, Scott enjoyed all that wine, I just sniffed it. When we go back I will not be with child! Our local Indiana mom and pop wine store guy gave us a list of must-do wineries - he didn't miss on a single one. We saw Golden Gate, enjoyed a quiet morning in Muir Woods, rode the trolley, toured Alcatraz and enjoyed some delicious fish sandwiches at Fisherman's Wharf. I have so many good photos from that "babymoon" :)
6. Italy (2002). Again came the opportunity to head back to Italy and we just couldn't resist. Same great priest, same fun youth group, same wedding vow renewal...but this time it was in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica. Awesome!!
7. Florida (2003). When my brother graduated from Florida, we attended his graduation and then he and my parents joined us for our anniversary trip. We headed to Daytona Beach - Will's first ocean experience! - and then to the mouse that eats money in Orlando. My favorite picture of Will and Daniel is still the one of them watching the Disney parade with Will perched atop Daniel's shoulders. We made some sweet memories. Crazy to think how much life has changed since then.
8. Indiana (2004). About six months after John Paul was born, we loaded up the car and headed north, back to our former state of residence and stayed with our old neighbors. We had so many late nights, ate so many good meals and saw so many dear friends. It is a divine gift to be in a neighborhood as awesome as Springdale Farms. We finally got that gift again when we moved last summer. Oh, how we loved being 'back home in Indiana' again :)
9. New York (2005). For this anniversary, we left the kids (back then we had 3) with my parents and jet setted up to NYC. Scott's brother, Cory, and his wife, Jennifer, were living and working there. I think I was five or so months pregnant with Anna-Laura. We saw all the big NYC icons, but mostly just enjoyed some couple time with one another. It was fantastic being with people who knew where everything was. By the end of the trip all four of us had spent all our money and we had to pool all we had just to buy bagels on Sunday morning!
10. California (2006). Ok, you caught me. We did double dip in Cali, but hey, it's a big state. This time we went to San Diego over the Christmas break. We watched the Ags run out of time in the Holiday Bowl. Bummer. But, once we got that sadness out of our system, we enjoyed the lovely weather, fantastic eats and even met up with some of my parents' friends who hadn't seen me since I was 5!
11. Texas (2007). Clare's month-early arrival threw us all for a loop. I'm pretty sure this anniversary was our shortest jaunt. It was a lovely dinner at Eddie V's in Austin with a four-week old baby sound asleep in my arms :)
12. Arkansas (2008). Of all the trips we've taken with the kids, I'm going to have to say this one is, hands down, the most memorable. We rented a condo just outside of Hot Springs and had so much fun we could hardly contain ourselves. Fishing, horseback riding, putt-putting, diamond digging, botanical garden touring and seeing old college friends at Camp Ozark made for a really wonderful week. Some may wonder why Arkansas. It was absolutely beautiful. I would totally recommend it for any family vacation! You can read about it here.
13. France / Italy (2009). Scott traveled to Europe on business last spring. We made the most of the opportunity and I joined him on the tail end of his business trip and we had the most romantic, amazing, awesome week in France. How could you not, right? In hindsight, I think God gave us that week to prepare us for the whirlwind of 2009 and 2010. It's the trip we often refer to as the one where we fell in love again. I surely love that man. You can read about the start of the trip here.
14. ??? You'll have to check in on July 31 to see where we're going this year!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Happy Anniversary to Us!!
Fourteen years. I don't know about your book, but in mine, that's a reason to celebrate.
On July 27, 1996 at exactly 3:32p.m., we officially got hitched. I don't really even know how to sum up life with Scott these past 14 years. We've certainly laughed a lot, cried a little (ok, maybe more this year), traveled some, had a few babies, lost one, bit our tongues, spoke too soon, hugged alot and strolled on many a quiet street. It's been the most phenomenal years of my life and I know the best is yet to come.
As Winnie the Pooh says, "If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." Awwww.
To the biggest love of my life...happy anniversary!! Shall we stroll down the pictorial memory lane?
On July 27, 1996 at exactly 3:32p.m., we officially got hitched. I don't really even know how to sum up life with Scott these past 14 years. We've certainly laughed a lot, cried a little (ok, maybe more this year), traveled some, had a few babies, lost one, bit our tongues, spoke too soon, hugged alot and strolled on many a quiet street. It's been the most phenomenal years of my life and I know the best is yet to come.
As Winnie the Pooh says, "If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." Awwww.
To the biggest love of my life...happy anniversary!! Shall we stroll down the pictorial memory lane?
First Date, October 1992
Chi Omega Biker Ball (no it's not a real tattoo...or is it?)
July 27, 1996
We look so young!
Rome, Italy (2001)
We renewed our wedding vows here in 2001 and 2003!
Anniversary #12, 2008
photo compliments of Mrs. Shannon Cunningham :)
Anniversary #13, Rome, Italy
Monday, July 26, 2010
Finance 101
A few weeks ago, Scott and I finally found some time to sit at the kitchen table, pull out the yellow tablet and have "the finance talk."
Those are fun, aren't they?
Actually, it was some homework for our counselor and to be quite honest, it was about 18 months overdue. By nature, Scott's a saver and I'm a spender. Shocker, huh? I live in the now, Scott looks to the future. He's all "a penny saved" and I'm like "look at the sale at J.C. Penney!!" At least I'm honest.
With all the craziness in the past year: reroofed two houses, filed four claims on the cars, had seven surgeries, eight hospital stays, three ER visits, did some remodeling, you know the usual...we knew it was time to get a handle on what was coming in and what was going out. It was eye-opening, as it always is. Through the process, though, it reminded me of some important life lessons.
1. People aren't as rich as you think they are. Everytime I get jealous of the Jones', I think of that commercial with the guy on the lawnmower listing off all the things he has and ending with, "...and I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
2. You can't take the money with you. But, it doesn't hurt to be a saver, not a spender.
3. All those little things add up to bad habits in your bank account. Starbucks, Sonic, Janie and Jack, Pottery Barn (that one hurt to type, just a little), the endcap at HEB. You know what I'm talking about.
4. It's ok to say 'no', even though you want to say 'yes.' At the end of the day, you'll be glad you did.
5. Don't forget about naming charities in your will. Scott and I recently did this and it felt really good to do some planned giving. Clearly, we hope those charities won't reap the benefits of that gift for quite some time, but putting our wishes in writing felt really good.
Those all sound fine and dandy, but putting them into action. Yowza. As Scott says, "It's a good thing I married him." Yes it is, honey. Yes it is.
We chuckle at our torn and worn yellow tablet pages. We've done this talk just about every year of our marriage and we've been smart enough to save all those papers. It's a snapshot into our life, by the numbers, so to speak. I got teary looking at some of the early ones.
Really, who does that?? Crying, over their finances because they bring back good memories!! Oh, it was just the epiphany that the crisis of yesteryear always worked itself out and our marriage was stronger because of it.
Perspective. Who knew we'd find it on a torn, yellow piece of paper, dated 2001?
Those are fun, aren't they?
Actually, it was some homework for our counselor and to be quite honest, it was about 18 months overdue. By nature, Scott's a saver and I'm a spender. Shocker, huh? I live in the now, Scott looks to the future. He's all "a penny saved" and I'm like "look at the sale at J.C. Penney!!" At least I'm honest.
With all the craziness in the past year: reroofed two houses, filed four claims on the cars, had seven surgeries, eight hospital stays, three ER visits, did some remodeling, you know the usual...we knew it was time to get a handle on what was coming in and what was going out. It was eye-opening, as it always is. Through the process, though, it reminded me of some important life lessons.
1. People aren't as rich as you think they are. Everytime I get jealous of the Jones', I think of that commercial with the guy on the lawnmower listing off all the things he has and ending with, "...and I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!"
2. You can't take the money with you. But, it doesn't hurt to be a saver, not a spender.
3. All those little things add up to bad habits in your bank account. Starbucks, Sonic, Janie and Jack, Pottery Barn (that one hurt to type, just a little), the endcap at HEB. You know what I'm talking about.
4. It's ok to say 'no', even though you want to say 'yes.' At the end of the day, you'll be glad you did.
5. Don't forget about naming charities in your will. Scott and I recently did this and it felt really good to do some planned giving. Clearly, we hope those charities won't reap the benefits of that gift for quite some time, but putting our wishes in writing felt really good.
Those all sound fine and dandy, but putting them into action. Yowza. As Scott says, "It's a good thing I married him." Yes it is, honey. Yes it is.
We chuckle at our torn and worn yellow tablet pages. We've done this talk just about every year of our marriage and we've been smart enough to save all those papers. It's a snapshot into our life, by the numbers, so to speak. I got teary looking at some of the early ones.
Really, who does that?? Crying, over their finances because they bring back good memories!! Oh, it was just the epiphany that the crisis of yesteryear always worked itself out and our marriage was stronger because of it.
Perspective. Who knew we'd find it on a torn, yellow piece of paper, dated 2001?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Happy Birthday Bro!
Today my little brother gets to enjoy his LAST year of his 20s. I promise, D, the 30s are even better. I'm thankful that these last few years have brought us closer - in geography and in our relationship. He's a great brother, with a sweet wife and the cutest stinkin' daughter ever.
Daniel, make it a great year. I hope it's your best yet.
Daniel, make it a great year. I hope it's your best yet.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Top Ten: Across the USA
Some of you may know that Scott and I visit a different state every year for our anniversary (which is coming up next Tuesday!). We try to do as much in the state as possible. When the kids arrived on the scene, we started including them in the trek. But I'm getting ahead of myself. That's next week's top ten! We've seen some beautiful countryside these last 14 years. But, admittedly, there are a few states I'd like to cross off my bucket list. In no particular order...here goes.
TOP TEN: STATES I MUST VISIT!
1. Hawaii. For reals. Does this really need an explanation as to why? We're thinking it might be our 20-year anniversary trip. I'm excited just thinking about it.
2. Maine. In the summer. Fo shizzle. Some friends recently went fishing and boating up there and their pictures were enough to sway me east.
3. Alaska. My MIL went last summer and it sounded (and looked!) like she had a blast. That may be a big-number anniversary, too.
4. Washington State. Technically, we've set foot in this state, but never spent the night. Now that we have some good friends living in Wenatchee (shout out to the Tuckers) we are totally putting this one on the list sometime very soon.
5. Michigan. Even though we lived just south in Indiana for five years, we never made it to the mit for an anniversary trip. Molly, I'm totally relying on you to guide us to the best of the best in Mich-I-gan, ok?
6. Washington, D.C. This will definitely be a kid trip when they're all old enough to appreciate and remember it. Hey, when your mom is a history teacher you fall in love with this place. I've been there plenty of times, but never with Scott for an anniversary. That's a place rich in so many ways - history, culture, politics.
7. Illinois. It's just a good midwestern state. And I hear there's an American Girl store that might be cool to see in Chi-town :) I'm guessing Scott and the boys will be taking in a Cubs game while I spend all his money.
8. Mississippi. Now that's just southern. The accents, the beautiful coastline. And, we get to sing the "M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-hump back-hump back-I" song all the way there.
9. The Carolinas. We might have to make that a two-fer anniversary. Because, really. You can't see one without enjoying the other.
10. Wyoming. We've been wanting to take the kids to Yellowstone for so many years. Scott is such an outdoor and lover of all things wild. This trip would be heaven for him. I told him we'll make a deal. He can camp at Yellowstone while I camp at the Ritz. Deal.
I'll keep you posted on our progress. Year #14 is quickly approaching and I'm not telling which state we're seeing this year...check back on July 31 for the answer!
TOP TEN: STATES I MUST VISIT!
1. Hawaii. For reals. Does this really need an explanation as to why? We're thinking it might be our 20-year anniversary trip. I'm excited just thinking about it.
2. Maine. In the summer. Fo shizzle. Some friends recently went fishing and boating up there and their pictures were enough to sway me east.
3. Alaska. My MIL went last summer and it sounded (and looked!) like she had a blast. That may be a big-number anniversary, too.
4. Washington State. Technically, we've set foot in this state, but never spent the night. Now that we have some good friends living in Wenatchee (shout out to the Tuckers) we are totally putting this one on the list sometime very soon.
5. Michigan. Even though we lived just south in Indiana for five years, we never made it to the mit for an anniversary trip. Molly, I'm totally relying on you to guide us to the best of the best in Mich-I-gan, ok?
6. Washington, D.C. This will definitely be a kid trip when they're all old enough to appreciate and remember it. Hey, when your mom is a history teacher you fall in love with this place. I've been there plenty of times, but never with Scott for an anniversary. That's a place rich in so many ways - history, culture, politics.
7. Illinois. It's just a good midwestern state. And I hear there's an American Girl store that might be cool to see in Chi-town :) I'm guessing Scott and the boys will be taking in a Cubs game while I spend all his money.
8. Mississippi. Now that's just southern. The accents, the beautiful coastline. And, we get to sing the "M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-hump back-hump back-I" song all the way there.
9. The Carolinas. We might have to make that a two-fer anniversary. Because, really. You can't see one without enjoying the other.
10. Wyoming. We've been wanting to take the kids to Yellowstone for so many years. Scott is such an outdoor and lover of all things wild. This trip would be heaven for him. I told him we'll make a deal. He can camp at Yellowstone while I camp at the Ritz. Deal.
I'll keep you posted on our progress. Year #14 is quickly approaching and I'm not telling which state we're seeing this year...check back on July 31 for the answer!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
It's a Wrap
If you tuned in last Friday, you know that we ventured to Dallas for the day. We have had that date on the calendar for so long...since June 2 actually! The day we got home from the plagio clinic and found out Luke was a helmet candidate, I started doing my research on decorating it. Hey, I figured if you have to wear it 23 hours a day, you might as well do it in style. I wore a back brace 23 hours a day for 5 1/2 years for my scoliosis - I know how much it stinks to have people stare and make fun of you. So, I was all about making this fun for us and for Luke.
Fortunately, we were led to 360wraps, a company in Dallas, by a college friend of ours, Tommy Tanner. His son, Will, wore a helmet and sported the first-ever Aggie design. It was awesome!! We went online and requested a time for them to wrap Luke's helment. We were thrilled to get an email about a week later saying that we were all set for July 16. And the best part? It was 100% free.
We arrived a little early so they could measure Luke's helmet and get his wrap designed and printed. Usually, parents go in three days before and do this, but they were nice enough to let us out-of-towners come just before the party. To be perfectly honest, we had no idea what to expect. And, even though I had read the "about us" section at wrapbuddies.com, the non-profit associated with 360wraps, I didn't fully appreciate the generosity of Tommy and his co-workers at 360 until we arrived.
One by one, parents entered the rooms with their cute babies with slightly mishapen heads. There was a set of twins, two Dallas Cowboy fans, us and a nearly walking 11-month-old - all boys! Everybody's stories were a little different. It was incredibly reasurring and non-stressful to be in a room with people who had the same headgear as our son. No one stared at us funny or asked completely inappropriate questions. Around noon, the party started, we enjoyed a little potluck food, chatted with the other parents and met the owner, Tommy Strader. He carefully applied those big stickers, crafting and adjusting it just *so*. That's a mighty fine looking Aggie helmet if you ask me.
As Tommy started wrapping the first helmet, he began to tell us the story of how wrapbuddies was born. It was his witness and his easy-going candor that left the room speechless, sprinkled with some laughter. The short story of his philanthropy goes something like this.
A dad calls Tommy to see if he will wrap his son's helmet. Tommy has no clue what the guy's talking about, but says, "Sure, I'll see what we can do." Tommy has one step-daughter and never had a baby with plagiocephaly. He thinks, "I have no idea what this guy is talking about, but how hard can it be?"
Tommy starts wrapping this helmet, thinking, "Dang, this is a lot of work!" It took two hours to design and forever to apply the wrap. Dad requests a Hulk theme and when Tommy asks why, Dad replies, "Because his older brother makes fun of him all the time. But, he's a huge fan of the Hulk and I want him to be jealous!"
Dad offers to pay. Tommy says no. Dad offers again. Tommy tells him his motorcycle helmets run $800-$1,200. Dad takes him up on the "free" offer. Happy Dad and son leave.
Then the calls and visits start coming. Word gets out. He starts wrapping so much, he can't get his work done. Implements a system. Instead of just wrapping four helmets in 12 hours he manages to get a system working and can do 15 helmets once a month in just 4 hours. Wrapbuddies.com is born. He writes an article in his trade journal, encouraging other shops around the country to follow suit. So far, 10 have taken on the task with inquiries every week about how to get it started. His only request? They have to be free.
I'd like to say the story ends there...but his outreach goes further. A kid with a prosthetic leg calls. Then a girl with a back brace. And that's when I started to cry. I could feel those tears burning my eyes as he told us her story. She hated being made fun of...she wanted to be the envy of the school. Would he help her? Absolutely. I so wanted to go hug that man and tell him that what he's doing is changing kids' lives. And for these babies, it's changing parents' lives. Some may say it's just a decoration. But when you're the one wearing the orthosis, when it's you people stare at, well...it's life-changing. You go from being "that" kid to "that really cool kid with the awesome design".
Now he has plans to wrap walls and floors at Shriner's Hospital. He wants to wrap the world - all in the name of kids!
That man is awesome.
We took group pictures, exchanged emails, shook some hands and said a prayer of thanksgiving for a man who, as Scott says, is one of the most philanthropic-minded individuals he's ever met.
And, that, my friends...is a wrap!
Fortunately, we were led to 360wraps, a company in Dallas, by a college friend of ours, Tommy Tanner. His son, Will, wore a helmet and sported the first-ever Aggie design. It was awesome!! We went online and requested a time for them to wrap Luke's helment. We were thrilled to get an email about a week later saying that we were all set for July 16. And the best part? It was 100% free.
We arrived a little early so they could measure Luke's helmet and get his wrap designed and printed. Usually, parents go in three days before and do this, but they were nice enough to let us out-of-towners come just before the party. To be perfectly honest, we had no idea what to expect. And, even though I had read the "about us" section at wrapbuddies.com, the non-profit associated with 360wraps, I didn't fully appreciate the generosity of Tommy and his co-workers at 360 until we arrived.
One by one, parents entered the rooms with their cute babies with slightly mishapen heads. There was a set of twins, two Dallas Cowboy fans, us and a nearly walking 11-month-old - all boys! Everybody's stories were a little different. It was incredibly reasurring and non-stressful to be in a room with people who had the same headgear as our son. No one stared at us funny or asked completely inappropriate questions. Around noon, the party started, we enjoyed a little potluck food, chatted with the other parents and met the owner, Tommy Strader. He carefully applied those big stickers, crafting and adjusting it just *so*. That's a mighty fine looking Aggie helmet if you ask me.
A dad calls Tommy to see if he will wrap his son's helmet. Tommy has no clue what the guy's talking about, but says, "Sure, I'll see what we can do." Tommy has one step-daughter and never had a baby with plagiocephaly. He thinks, "I have no idea what this guy is talking about, but how hard can it be?"
Tommy starts wrapping this helmet, thinking, "Dang, this is a lot of work!" It took two hours to design and forever to apply the wrap. Dad requests a Hulk theme and when Tommy asks why, Dad replies, "Because his older brother makes fun of him all the time. But, he's a huge fan of the Hulk and I want him to be jealous!"
Dad offers to pay. Tommy says no. Dad offers again. Tommy tells him his motorcycle helmets run $800-$1,200. Dad takes him up on the "free" offer. Happy Dad and son leave.
Then the calls and visits start coming. Word gets out. He starts wrapping so much, he can't get his work done. Implements a system. Instead of just wrapping four helmets in 12 hours he manages to get a system working and can do 15 helmets once a month in just 4 hours. Wrapbuddies.com is born. He writes an article in his trade journal, encouraging other shops around the country to follow suit. So far, 10 have taken on the task with inquiries every week about how to get it started. His only request? They have to be free.
I'd like to say the story ends there...but his outreach goes further. A kid with a prosthetic leg calls. Then a girl with a back brace. And that's when I started to cry. I could feel those tears burning my eyes as he told us her story. She hated being made fun of...she wanted to be the envy of the school. Would he help her? Absolutely. I so wanted to go hug that man and tell him that what he's doing is changing kids' lives. And for these babies, it's changing parents' lives. Some may say it's just a decoration. But when you're the one wearing the orthosis, when it's you people stare at, well...it's life-changing. You go from being "that" kid to "that really cool kid with the awesome design".
Now he has plans to wrap walls and floors at Shriner's Hospital. He wants to wrap the world - all in the name of kids!
That man is awesome.
We took group pictures, exchanged emails, shook some hands and said a prayer of thanksgiving for a man who, as Scott says, is one of the most philanthropic-minded individuals he's ever met.
And, that, my friends...is a wrap!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Fun Weekend
Our weekend started a little early as Scott took the day off and we headed to Dallas for three big events: to get Luke's new helmet wrapped, to celebrate Granny's 65th birthday and to spend some time with Uncle Cory, Aunt Jennifer and nephew Alex.
I'll have photos and the story up tomorrow about Luke's helmet experience. See this post :( We borrowed my brother's camera so we're a little slower than usual about getting photos downloaded, then uploaded. Hang tight.
One of the best things about the weekend is that we left almost half of Team Whitaker with super aunt and uncle. They were on girl duty and I'm not sure how quiet it was at their house, but with all boys here in A-town, it was incredibly quiet. In fact, Will's comment was, "Boy, I sure don't miss the girls' screaming, Mom."
On Friday, just before we left, we celebrated my MIL's birthday in style at Maggiano's. That was some good eats. I don't think Carla stopped smiling all night :)
Because we were down two kids, we made a fun day of Saturday and took the boys to Homeslice. Oh my heavens. Why, oh why, has it taken us so long to eat here? Holy smokes folks, that is some authentic New York pizza. Our waiter was a real character and when the boys all abandoned me to head to the car, he was sweet enough to bring me a complimentary cookie so I could "prolong my happiness" and enjoy the peace and quiet. Yeah, he got a nice tip. After eating a slice of heaven, we headed across the street and enjoyed a little candy, compliments of Big Top. If you're into sugar, you might like this place. My boys lit up like light bulbs when we walked in the door. Or, as Will said, "This is the greatest day of my life."
I love kids. They put it all into perspective, don't they?
We met up with girls and Uncle C and Aunt J in Waco on Sunday and did the kid exchange. It was super fun to see them. We can't wait until their visit next month!
I'll have photos and the story up tomorrow about Luke's helmet experience. See this post :( We borrowed my brother's camera so we're a little slower than usual about getting photos downloaded, then uploaded. Hang tight.
One of the best things about the weekend is that we left almost half of Team Whitaker with super aunt and uncle. They were on girl duty and I'm not sure how quiet it was at their house, but with all boys here in A-town, it was incredibly quiet. In fact, Will's comment was, "Boy, I sure don't miss the girls' screaming, Mom."
On Friday, just before we left, we celebrated my MIL's birthday in style at Maggiano's. That was some good eats. I don't think Carla stopped smiling all night :)
Because we were down two kids, we made a fun day of Saturday and took the boys to Homeslice. Oh my heavens. Why, oh why, has it taken us so long to eat here? Holy smokes folks, that is some authentic New York pizza. Our waiter was a real character and when the boys all abandoned me to head to the car, he was sweet enough to bring me a complimentary cookie so I could "prolong my happiness" and enjoy the peace and quiet. Yeah, he got a nice tip. After eating a slice of heaven, we headed across the street and enjoyed a little candy, compliments of Big Top. If you're into sugar, you might like this place. My boys lit up like light bulbs when we walked in the door. Or, as Will said, "This is the greatest day of my life."
I love kids. They put it all into perspective, don't they?
We met up with girls and Uncle C and Aunt J in Waco on Sunday and did the kid exchange. It was super fun to see them. We can't wait until their visit next month!
Friday, July 16, 2010
QOTW Interrupted!
If you're wondering why our usual, incredibly witty and funny quotes are not here this week, it's because we're in Dallas (hooray!) doing this.
Some college friends of ours (hat tip to Dawn and Tommy) had their son's doc band wrapped here. After some internet googling and searching, we found that they're the only place in the country that does something similar...and we're just three hours away! And it's 100% free!! We feel very blessed.
I'll post pics and have more stories when we return. Make it a great weekend!
Some college friends of ours (hat tip to Dawn and Tommy) had their son's doc band wrapped here. After some internet googling and searching, we found that they're the only place in the country that does something similar...and we're just three hours away! And it's 100% free!! We feel very blessed.
I'll post pics and have more stories when we return. Make it a great weekend!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Happy Birthday Granny!
I just love this photo of Scott, Granny and Luke. Carla, we hope you had a great day and we look forward to celebrating your 29th birthday, in person, tomorrow!
Hills and Valleys
Those three words pretty much sum up life for us the past year. It's been a series of really big hills and extraordinarily low valleys. With each passing month, I'm noticing the valleys aren't as low and it's a shorter distance to those hills. But, living through those valleys has been the toughest journey of my life.
Sometimes when I hear another mom complain about an early morning with her baby or rushing said baby to the doctor for a little fever. Or an expectant mom complaining about being too big, having back pain or lamenting the "surprise" pregnancy. Sometimes, I have to hold myself back from shouting out, "You've got to be freaking kidding me." It's hard for me not to want to get all up in their face and beg and plead and tell them that what they are experiencing is a blessing. Yeah, that's usually about the time I see the plank in my own eye.
I was reading an article today. Completely random, because I usually scroll through my news apps on my iPhone when I sit down for lunch - that is, if five kids aren't all in my face. Like I said, rare. I picked up the Knights of Columbus magazine "Columbia" only because it had a picture of one of my favorite-people-whom-I-never-met-but-would've-loved-to...Blessed Mother Teresa. I'll just throw this out there, no matter your religious background, I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who a) had never heard of her and b) didn't respect her devotion to serving the poor.
The article began by analyzing the recent press about her "crisis of faith." I mean, you know, heaven forbid that a person of faith (or none for that matter) has questions and perhaps struggles in their relationship with God. I think it gives other people hope that you don't have to have an, "Oh, I love God more than anything and He will make it all better" kind of attitude. Not that there's anything wrong with that :) It's just not me either. You go MT.
So, as I'm reading the article about her, I was struck by something the author said, "...it is important to note that Mother Teresa did not have a crisis of faith - that is, a real existential or intellectual question, as if on an intellectual or volitional level she entertained the possibility that God really did not exisit. Instead, Mother Teresa experienced a trial of faith and, even more, a trial of love."
My valleys - and yours too - are trials of love. As Scott and I agonized over what was wrong after listening to Luke scream last night for way too damn long, I realize now we are not experiencing a trial of faith, it is a trial of love. I do not doubt God's existence or His presence in my life. Ever. Sometimes, however, I doubt His love.
Uh-oh. Step aside. I think lightning may strike.
I wonder if as Luke is crying, laying in his crib, peering around his room through tear-filled eyes, if he doubts our love. That seems crazy, I know. The bambino is only 9 months old. But, just hang with me for a sec.
If our life here on Earth is just a blip in our eternity with God, then I think it's fair to say we, too, are infants of faith. Innocently looking around trying desperately to see signs that we're loved. Then...the door opens and God walks in and makes it all better. He scoops us up, holds us for a moment, reasurring us of His love, His compassion and His pain in knowing that sometimes we have to help ourselves. Then, He lays us down and steps aside until the next time we cry out.
Last week, on my way to girls' night out, I was listening to my FAVORITE show on the Catholic Channel, XM 117, "The Busted Halo Show with Fr. Dave Dwyer." (BH also happens to be one of my clients - they're pretty much awesome). The guest that night shared a quote from Quincy Adams that I think is worth repeating, "You do the best you can and then let God walk through the room."
Oh my. Just a sec, had to grab a Kleenex. Sheez, you know it's bad when I'm crying!
We're just doing the best we can. At being Luke, Clare, Anna-Laura, John Paul and Will's parents. At being a good wife and husband to one another. At decipering all the medical diagnoses and the litany of unknowns. At trusting in God. At remembering to get the oil changed, hineys wiped, checkbook balanced and yard mowed.
And when our best is given and we're all tapped out, we let God walk through the room. I can't say there's always peace, but I can say that there is faith. Like all of you, we have doubts and fears. But I've stopped letting them control me 24/7 like the Kathryn of yester-year.
Sometimes when I hear another mom complain about an early morning with her baby or rushing said baby to the doctor for a little fever. Or an expectant mom complaining about being too big, having back pain or lamenting the "surprise" pregnancy. Sometimes, I have to hold myself back from shouting out, "You've got to be freaking kidding me." It's hard for me not to want to get all up in their face and beg and plead and tell them that what they are experiencing is a blessing. Yeah, that's usually about the time I see the plank in my own eye.
I was reading an article today. Completely random, because I usually scroll through my news apps on my iPhone when I sit down for lunch - that is, if five kids aren't all in my face. Like I said, rare. I picked up the Knights of Columbus magazine "Columbia" only because it had a picture of one of my favorite-people-whom-I-never-met-but-would've-loved-to...Blessed Mother Teresa. I'll just throw this out there, no matter your religious background, I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who a) had never heard of her and b) didn't respect her devotion to serving the poor.
The article began by analyzing the recent press about her "crisis of faith." I mean, you know, heaven forbid that a person of faith (or none for that matter) has questions and perhaps struggles in their relationship with God. I think it gives other people hope that you don't have to have an, "Oh, I love God more than anything and He will make it all better" kind of attitude. Not that there's anything wrong with that :) It's just not me either. You go MT.
So, as I'm reading the article about her, I was struck by something the author said, "...it is important to note that Mother Teresa did not have a crisis of faith - that is, a real existential or intellectual question, as if on an intellectual or volitional level she entertained the possibility that God really did not exisit. Instead, Mother Teresa experienced a trial of faith and, even more, a trial of love."
My valleys - and yours too - are trials of love. As Scott and I agonized over what was wrong after listening to Luke scream last night for way too damn long, I realize now we are not experiencing a trial of faith, it is a trial of love. I do not doubt God's existence or His presence in my life. Ever. Sometimes, however, I doubt His love.
Uh-oh. Step aside. I think lightning may strike.
I wonder if as Luke is crying, laying in his crib, peering around his room through tear-filled eyes, if he doubts our love. That seems crazy, I know. The bambino is only 9 months old. But, just hang with me for a sec.
If our life here on Earth is just a blip in our eternity with God, then I think it's fair to say we, too, are infants of faith. Innocently looking around trying desperately to see signs that we're loved. Then...the door opens and God walks in and makes it all better. He scoops us up, holds us for a moment, reasurring us of His love, His compassion and His pain in knowing that sometimes we have to help ourselves. Then, He lays us down and steps aside until the next time we cry out.
Last week, on my way to girls' night out, I was listening to my FAVORITE show on the Catholic Channel, XM 117, "The Busted Halo Show with Fr. Dave Dwyer." (BH also happens to be one of my clients - they're pretty much awesome). The guest that night shared a quote from Quincy Adams that I think is worth repeating, "You do the best you can and then let God walk through the room."
Oh my. Just a sec, had to grab a Kleenex. Sheez, you know it's bad when I'm crying!
We're just doing the best we can. At being Luke, Clare, Anna-Laura, John Paul and Will's parents. At being a good wife and husband to one another. At decipering all the medical diagnoses and the litany of unknowns. At trusting in God. At remembering to get the oil changed, hineys wiped, checkbook balanced and yard mowed.
And when our best is given and we're all tapped out, we let God walk through the room. I can't say there's always peace, but I can say that there is faith. Like all of you, we have doubts and fears. But I've stopped letting them control me 24/7 like the Kathryn of yester-year.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Top Ten: Ain't Gonna Happen
Sorry to fail you, yet again :( In the next couple of weeks, Luke has six, count 'em SIX, doctor visits and one "procedure". Don't worry, it's just a non-invasive ultrasound. Whew.
We've got swim lessons for the boys.
A day trip to Dallas.
A free weekend with the hubby and Luke sans kids (I can hardly contain my excitement - more on that on Friday!!)
Three client projects to get out the door before next Friday.
And a whole host of other housekeeping things here at the house keeping me busy.
You'll get it next week. Cross my heart. Any requests?
We've got swim lessons for the boys.
A day trip to Dallas.
A free weekend with the hubby and Luke sans kids (I can hardly contain my excitement - more on that on Friday!!)
Three client projects to get out the door before next Friday.
And a whole host of other housekeeping things here at the house keeping me busy.
You'll get it next week. Cross my heart. Any requests?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Dental Adventure
For the last three years running, I've made it a habit to schedule the family dentist visits all at the same time. It's really just about practicality. For one, I have zero brain cells left. So, to remember six (soon to be seven) visits would be insane. Well, I might remember them, but I would never get us all there on time, that's for sure.
When I go, I don't just schedule six months in advance. Nope, I schedule a year out, too. It ensures we get the time we want and all kids can be seen at the same time. Hey, it only took me a few years to figure that out!
Our biggest hurdle was getting Will prepared for the first dentist visit and x-ray. After that, we've always had a sibling to "look up to" so to speak, and it's been easy breezy ever since. I love our dentist. She has the cutest stinkin' office around. Dr. Kelsey knows who we are (hard to forget the family with five kids, right?) and always remembers what went on with our family since the last visit. The hygenists are incredibly patient and kind and way too complimentary of my kids' behavior. To be honest, I'll be sad when my kids outgrow the flatscreens on the ceiling, the special toy for good behavior and the t-shirt after two visits of good scores on brushing and flossing. It's definitely kid-friendly. But, the folks that work there actually enjoy working there. Hooray for that perk.
You know you've found a winner when you announce at the breakfast table that it's dentist day and the kids erupt in applause and screams of joy.
Another visit with the dentist down...only 136 more to go!
When I go, I don't just schedule six months in advance. Nope, I schedule a year out, too. It ensures we get the time we want and all kids can be seen at the same time. Hey, it only took me a few years to figure that out!
Our biggest hurdle was getting Will prepared for the first dentist visit and x-ray. After that, we've always had a sibling to "look up to" so to speak, and it's been easy breezy ever since. I love our dentist. She has the cutest stinkin' office around. Dr. Kelsey knows who we are (hard to forget the family with five kids, right?) and always remembers what went on with our family since the last visit. The hygenists are incredibly patient and kind and way too complimentary of my kids' behavior. To be honest, I'll be sad when my kids outgrow the flatscreens on the ceiling, the special toy for good behavior and the t-shirt after two visits of good scores on brushing and flossing. It's definitely kid-friendly. But, the folks that work there actually enjoy working there. Hooray for that perk.
You know you've found a winner when you announce at the breakfast table that it's dentist day and the kids erupt in applause and screams of joy.
Another visit with the dentist down...only 136 more to go!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Stupid camera
You may have noticed we haven't had too many "super fancy" photos on the blog lately. That's because about a month ago said "super fancy" camera got an error that even the Precision camera guy hadn't seen before.
No Canon jokes please.
So, it's been sent off to the camera fix it place and I'm leaving messages daily to find out when we get it back. It's killing me!! And, we leave for vacay soon and if we don't have it then, I'll be crying in a dark corner somewhere.
Big week on tap here at Casa Crazy. Dentist appointments (wish me luck as I take four kids in on Tuesday morning!), swim lessons, two doctor visits and a trip to the Big D for a very special occasion. Tisk. Tisk. I 'ain't spilling the beans just yet. You have to check back in this week to read all about it.
No Canon jokes please.
So, it's been sent off to the camera fix it place and I'm leaving messages daily to find out when we get it back. It's killing me!! And, we leave for vacay soon and if we don't have it then, I'll be crying in a dark corner somewhere.
Big week on tap here at Casa Crazy. Dentist appointments (wish me luck as I take four kids in on Tuesday morning!), swim lessons, two doctor visits and a trip to the Big D for a very special occasion. Tisk. Tisk. I 'ain't spilling the beans just yet. You have to check back in this week to read all about it.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Happy 39th Anniversary Mom and Dad!
39 years - wow. This day, back in 1971, my parents tied the knot. Although, as dad sometimes says, he didn't "really" marry my mom. Why, you ask? Well, when the preacher pronounced them man and wife, he blurted out, "Bill and Diane." Details.
There are lots of things to love about my parents. Mom is a super party planner, a great pancake maker, a fantastic direction giver and I enjoy the relationship we share as a mother and a daughter. She didn't really have that growing up and I'm grateful that we get along so well (at least when we're not planning a wedding, right Mom?!) My dad never met a stranger, has the funniest "Billisms" around (that's a post unto it's own), loves doing little things for the people he loves and cooks a pretty mean beef tenderloin. As his only daughter, I think you know who's tied around my pinky. It's a real gift that they live so close and that we see them once a week or more. For seven years, our family was scattered around the country, and now we all live within 45 minutes of one another. In today's world, that is a blessing.
To Bill and Debbie - the two greatest parents around - here's to 39 more years. And, may this year be your best yet. Love you...to the moon and back.
There are lots of things to love about my parents. Mom is a super party planner, a great pancake maker, a fantastic direction giver and I enjoy the relationship we share as a mother and a daughter. She didn't really have that growing up and I'm grateful that we get along so well (at least when we're not planning a wedding, right Mom?!) My dad never met a stranger, has the funniest "Billisms" around (that's a post unto it's own), loves doing little things for the people he loves and cooks a pretty mean beef tenderloin. As his only daughter, I think you know who's tied around my pinky. It's a real gift that they live so close and that we see them once a week or more. For seven years, our family was scattered around the country, and now we all live within 45 minutes of one another. In today's world, that is a blessing.
Friday, July 9, 2010
QOTW: July 9, 2010
To quote my #1 daughter, "That surgery was easy-peasy." It's about time!!
Luke is home, playing like usual, eating like usual and being his normal happy self. We are thankful and amazed and relieved. Your prayers were heard and we are grateful for you taking time out of your day to offer up some for our sweet Luke.
Make it a great weekend. We plan on doing some things around the house, doing some homework for our counselor and spending time together as a family. That sounds like a good time to me :)
Luke is home, playing like usual, eating like usual and being his normal happy self. We are thankful and amazed and relieved. Your prayers were heard and we are grateful for you taking time out of your day to offer up some for our sweet Luke.
Make it a great weekend. We plan on doing some things around the house, doing some homework for our counselor and spending time together as a family. That sounds like a good time to me :)
Surgery Day...Again :(
Yes, you read correctly. We're heading BACK to Dell Children's this morning for Luke's fifth - and I am oh-so-hopeful it's the final - surgery. This time, it's for his ears. Luke hasn't had a ton of ear infections, but two of them have come after ear infection season. Complicating matters is that he can't take the meds to treat them effectively because he's allergic to those pesky cephalosporins. And, the meds he CAN take irritate his belly. Which, if you remember all the fun we've had with that little organ, presents a problem.
Fantastic.
Dr. Connolly, our fabulous ENT, recently commented, "Hey, so Luke's a little complicated." Ya think? But, he did reassure us that Luke is finally having a problem that normal babies have. Actually, his exact words were, "Not to be a smart a**, but this is a normal kid problem." You see why we get along so well?
At 7:30am this morning, we'll arrive at Dell. Surgery is slated for 9am. It should only take about 10-15 minutes and then the rest is up to Master Luke and how well he recovers. I dare to say we might be home around lunchtime. Then again, I shouldn't dare with Luke. Let's just say we better not be spending the night in that joint. I'm not a fan of their beds :)
So, offer up what you've got this morning - for Luke, his doctor, the nurses and a very scared mom and dad. Our track record at Dell with surgeries isn't in the Hall of Fame.
I'll keep everyone posted via FB and Twitter. Until then...
Fantastic.
Dr. Connolly, our fabulous ENT, recently commented, "Hey, so Luke's a little complicated." Ya think? But, he did reassure us that Luke is finally having a problem that normal babies have. Actually, his exact words were, "Not to be a smart a**, but this is a normal kid problem." You see why we get along so well?
At 7:30am this morning, we'll arrive at Dell. Surgery is slated for 9am. It should only take about 10-15 minutes and then the rest is up to Master Luke and how well he recovers. I dare to say we might be home around lunchtime. Then again, I shouldn't dare with Luke. Let's just say we better not be spending the night in that joint. I'm not a fan of their beds :)
So, offer up what you've got this morning - for Luke, his doctor, the nurses and a very scared mom and dad. Our track record at Dell with surgeries isn't in the Hall of Fame.
I'll keep everyone posted via FB and Twitter. Until then...
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Top Ten: Family Reunion!
The last time I saw all the fam together on my dad's side I was {ahem} WILL'S AGE!! We cannot wait to do this again. Oh my. Lots of laughs, lots of hugs, lots of smiles, lots of pictures, lots of stories. Teeny bit of tears. In honor of a really great weekend, here is this week's...
TOP TEN: FAMILY REUNION MEMORIES
(All these fantastic photos are compliments of our reunion photographer, Amber Overton!)
1. Having Lori and Lukas crash at our pad. Lori and I are just a few months apart in age and we had a blast when we were together. I believe it was at "Camp Lou's" (my Aunt Mary Lou's weeklong cousin's camp) that we first decided it would be a good idea to shave our legs. Without our mom's permission. I just remember MLou saying, "If you think your mom's are ok with it, I am. Just remember, though, once you start shaving you can never stop." So, if you're 11, what we heard was: "Shave away!! You'll never get in trouble." Now that I've taken you down memory lane, it was great to catch up with Lori and her amazingly smart (for reals, people, like genius smart) 10-year-old. The kid understands quantum physics. Anyhoodle, the boys had a blast breaking Lukas into 'sibling rivalry' and his mom and I had a grand time reminiscing about the good 'ol days. Poor Scott :)
2. Seeing my dad and his siblings together. For one, they all look alike. Scary. Two, my dad and his younger brother are scary identical - in looks, laughs and mannerisms. It's like looking in a mirror with those two. Only one sister was missing - my Aunt Judy Kay died 12 years ago (way too young). But, we were blessed to have both her girls and their families there to join us. Each sibling has a wonderful life story and I'm honored to call them aunts and uncle. A mighty fine looking bunch.
3. Looking around my living room on Friday night (the party got started here - oh yeah) and seeing just about every family member I love in one place. It was a pretty incredible sight.
4. Meeting relatives I don't remember. My grandfather had a brother and a sister and my grandmother had a sister - almost all of those cousins were here, too. Wow.
5. The family auction. My Aunt Ava Jo and her husband's family do this at their annual reunion to help offset the cost. I don't think any of us realized how funny and touching that hour of bidding would be. My brother was the auctioneer - heelarious. All the items auctioned off were a smattering of family heirlooms, something made, something bought, new stuff, old stuff and everything in between.
6. Will's life lesson. Along with the fun auction, the kids got into the spirit, too. Will, perhaps a little too much. There was this pink, plastic, blow-up crayon (see picture above) that started out at like $5 bucks. Final bid? $27. WHAT?? When I looked up I realized it was my number one son holding the winning ticket. We came home, cracked open his piggy bank and painfully pulled out $27. That's what we call buyer's remorse :( We talked about all the things he could've done with $27 - a movie with friends, books at Barnes & Noble (that one hurt)... We're all about the teachable moment.
7. My new "brother." On Friday night, one of those relatives we'd never met walked in the door and gave my dad a big hug. When my Uncle Dee walked up, she commented, "Oh, and this must be your son." Oops. We laughed non-stop for five minutes.
8. Games of chickenfoot. This domino game was a crowd pleaser and the kids totally kicked our tails.
9. Watching all the "greats" play with one another. In all, there are ten - 5 girls and 5 boys. My Granny Mary only met 5. Surely, as she looked down from heaven she was all smiles watching them play together.
10. The family history. My grandfather was a jeweler by trade and became a master watchmaker. Yes, in our family, instead of "Seiko" or "Timex", our watches all proudly proclaim our family name: "Farnum." My uncle took over the family business and moved from Pecos to El Paso. He and my Aunt Betty do stunning work. You know, so if you're ever in need of an engagement ring, some cufflinks or that one-of-a-kind jewelry piece, they're on it. The creativity, tenacity and smarts in our family is pretty awesome to witness.
The idea for this "reunion" was born shortly after my Granny Mary died in January. When many of the family gathered in Pecos for her memorial service, they decided we needed to get together. And gather we did. Oh man. There were many moments throughout the weekend when I thought, "Granny would've loved this."
Thanks for the memories...until we meet again in 2012!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Switcharoo
You'll get your top ten tomorrow - pinky swear. Today, you get a reflection. Lucky you!
Many of you regularstalkers, oops *readers* know that Scott and I have been going to counseling for the past several months. We're gaining so much and learning about one another more than I ever dreamed. I mean, we're going on 14 years of marriage and 18 years of knowing each other. That's a long time.
I'm not really sure what I expected. For reals, you hear about counseling and I think dark room, long couch and someone across the way muttering, 'Mmm, hmm. And, so how does that make you feel?' A bazillion dollars later you leave wondering what got solved. Our experience has been nothing like that. Well...there is the couch :) Our counselor/therapist is helping Scott and I tweak the little things, process all that's gone on with Luke and helping us to become better, more patient parents. What's not to like about that setup?
I guess I just worried that maybe we were making something out of nothing that big. Only people with elephant-sized problems see a therapist, right? Or, those that are seriously out of whack with reality. Perhaps we're both and I'm in denial. Either way, I've learned that just about everybody and their brother's second cousin twice removed can benefit from a neutral third party. At least that's the story I'm sticking to these days.
It's taught Scott and I how to process all these life events together and do so constructively. I'm loving what we're learning and I'm learning to love Scott even more. Who knew THAT was possible? He had me at 'hello', fo shizzle.
Many of you regular
I'm not really sure what I expected. For reals, you hear about counseling and I think dark room, long couch and someone across the way muttering, 'Mmm, hmm. And, so how does that make you feel?' A bazillion dollars later you leave wondering what got solved. Our experience has been nothing like that. Well...there is the couch :) Our counselor/therapist is helping Scott and I tweak the little things, process all that's gone on with Luke and helping us to become better, more patient parents. What's not to like about that setup?
I guess I just worried that maybe we were making something out of nothing that big. Only people with elephant-sized problems see a therapist, right? Or, those that are seriously out of whack with reality. Perhaps we're both and I'm in denial. Either way, I've learned that just about everybody and their brother's second cousin twice removed can benefit from a neutral third party. At least that's the story I'm sticking to these days.
It's taught Scott and I how to process all these life events together and do so constructively. I'm loving what we're learning and I'm learning to love Scott even more. Who knew THAT was possible? He had me at 'hello', fo shizzle.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy 234th Birthday America!
Sing with me now, "God bless America, land that I love..." From our house to yours, Happy 4th of July!
We started our morning with Mass, had lunch at our favorite BBQ place and now we're off to the pool to celebrate with the neighbors. What's more American than that?!
Will took those last two and did a pretty darn good job.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Doctor's orders
About a month ago, our counselor encouraged Scott and I to find time to "get away." We both snorted loudly at the prospect of that happening anytime soon.
But, as providence would have it, we had a family reunion last weekend and after it was over my AWESOME Aunt Mary Lou offered to watch the older four kiddos for us while we got out of Dodge. Couple that sweet offer with a free two-night stay coupon, compliments of my mom, at a great hotel on the Riverwalk and we were sold.
To be honest, we didn't do much. As Scott said, this was an "eating and sleeping" kind of getaway. Me like. We ate at all our favorite restaurants and enjoyed some time alone - well sort of alone :) Luke didn't sleep great, but he didn't complain about what he wore, where we ate or how long we were in the car, so he was forgiven.
But, as providence would have it, we had a family reunion last weekend and after it was over my AWESOME Aunt Mary Lou offered to watch the older four kiddos for us while we got out of Dodge. Couple that sweet offer with a free two-night stay coupon, compliments of my mom, at a great hotel on the Riverwalk and we were sold.
Our room's balcony!
To be honest, we didn't do much. As Scott said, this was an "eating and sleeping" kind of getaway. Me like. We ate at all our favorite restaurants and enjoyed some time alone - well sort of alone :) Luke didn't sleep great, but he didn't complain about what he wore, where we ate or how long we were in the car, so he was forgiven.
The last time we were in San Antonio, I looked like this!
I don't know what it is about sweet San Antone that we love so much, but love, love we do. Thanks MLou for your precious gift - we really needed the time away. Mom, thanks for giving up the best room on the Riverwalk. And, Scott, thanks for some lovely time together. I love you!
Friday, July 2, 2010
My daughter is my hero!
Last Thursday, we trekked up to the outpatient surgery building, near Dell Children's, for yet another surgery. Same anxiety, different child.
We've had some speech concerns about Anna-Laura and after a consult with an ENT and a speech pathologist, we decided that a tongue clipping was in order. It was relatively minor surgery but it meant that we had to put another child in the hands of a surgeon.
Hold on a sec, let me get out my soapbox.
I don't care what kind of surgery your child is having, it is hard to hand over your child to the surgeon. Albeit, Luke's first surgery was a HUGE leap of faith. Call it PTSD, but having to do that again stirred up all sorts of stuff in my brain and in my heart.
Ok, I'm done.
At 5:45am, I awoke, nursed Luke and he amazingly went back to sleep in Scott's arms. ALG and I loaded in the car and arrived at 6:45 on the nose. Scott and I had briefly mentioned to her that she would be going to the doctor and would take a little sleep and when she awoke her tongue would be all better. We didn't make a huge deal of it, but we also didn't hide the procedure details from her either. For her, that was just enough. Never once did she wig out. She smiled the ENTIRE time and even waved to me from her bed as the nurses wheeled her into surgery.
Unbelievable.
I did chuckle a little. The pre-op nurse was all, "Ok, sugar, I'm not going to stick you" and "This thing is just going to hug your arm a little." I wanted to interject that my kids have seen the insides of more hospitals, watch their brother get poked and prodded and seen way more than kids their age should see - a blood pressure cuff was not going to send them into outer orbit. But then I had to remind myself that those things do freak some kids out. I'm just thankful that Anna-Laura was a-ok with all the hospital stuff. She put on her gown, giggled over the hospital socks, hopped on the bed, gave me kisses and then waved me off.
Then I promptly let some tears leak from my eyes.
Fortunately, I had packed the big girl undies, so after whipping those out and texting Scott that all was a 'go', I was ushered to post-op to wait for her. Ten minutes later (that is no lie), the ENT walked in, said she did great. Wow. That easy, huh?
One thing I forgot to mention that got quite a few chuckles was the additional "procedure" on her chart. If you remember our *fun* ER visit a couple of weeks ago, she still had three staples in the back of her head. I asked if they could just remove those while she was under general anesthesia instead of us having to go back to the ER. Hey, I'm all about multi-tasking and saving a trip somewhere. They obliged a tired momma and pulled them out.
When she arrived in post-op, the nurse commented, "Wow, I wish all my patients woke up as happy and content as her. She just opened her eyes, smiled and nodded when I asked if she wanted Tylenol."
That's my girl. Nex ttime I'll tell her to score some hydrocodone for her momma.
After 45 minutes of popsicle eating, juice drinking and Dora the Explorer watching, we were getting her dressed and walking out the door. Time was 8:55am. She was stoked about the ice cream, popsicle, applesauce and mac & cheese diet for the next 24-48 hours. We even hosted friends from Indiana (shout out to Jeff, Barb and Ernie) for lunch at our house shortly after we arrived home. I am telling you...no one believed me when I told them she had just had surgery. What a trooper.
After a visit with Luke's ENT, looks like we'll be back at the hospital on July 9 :( Always hopping around these parts. I was a total slacker in the blogging department this week. It was part surgery, part family reunion, part mini-vacay, part exhaustion. I'll be back at it this weekend. Be sure to check in on Sunday! Make it a great weekend.
We've had some speech concerns about Anna-Laura and after a consult with an ENT and a speech pathologist, we decided that a tongue clipping was in order. It was relatively minor surgery but it meant that we had to put another child in the hands of a surgeon.
Hold on a sec, let me get out my soapbox.
I don't care what kind of surgery your child is having, it is hard to hand over your child to the surgeon. Albeit, Luke's first surgery was a HUGE leap of faith. Call it PTSD, but having to do that again stirred up all sorts of stuff in my brain and in my heart.
Ok, I'm done.
At 5:45am, I awoke, nursed Luke and he amazingly went back to sleep in Scott's arms. ALG and I loaded in the car and arrived at 6:45 on the nose. Scott and I had briefly mentioned to her that she would be going to the doctor and would take a little sleep and when she awoke her tongue would be all better. We didn't make a huge deal of it, but we also didn't hide the procedure details from her either. For her, that was just enough. Never once did she wig out. She smiled the ENTIRE time and even waved to me from her bed as the nurses wheeled her into surgery.
Unbelievable.
I did chuckle a little. The pre-op nurse was all, "Ok, sugar, I'm not going to stick you" and "This thing is just going to hug your arm a little." I wanted to interject that my kids have seen the insides of more hospitals, watch their brother get poked and prodded and seen way more than kids their age should see - a blood pressure cuff was not going to send them into outer orbit. But then I had to remind myself that those things do freak some kids out. I'm just thankful that Anna-Laura was a-ok with all the hospital stuff. She put on her gown, giggled over the hospital socks, hopped on the bed, gave me kisses and then waved me off.
Then I promptly let some tears leak from my eyes.
Fortunately, I had packed the big girl undies, so after whipping those out and texting Scott that all was a 'go', I was ushered to post-op to wait for her. Ten minutes later (that is no lie), the ENT walked in, said she did great. Wow. That easy, huh?
One thing I forgot to mention that got quite a few chuckles was the additional "procedure" on her chart. If you remember our *fun* ER visit a couple of weeks ago, she still had three staples in the back of her head. I asked if they could just remove those while she was under general anesthesia instead of us having to go back to the ER. Hey, I'm all about multi-tasking and saving a trip somewhere. They obliged a tired momma and pulled them out.
When she arrived in post-op, the nurse commented, "Wow, I wish all my patients woke up as happy and content as her. She just opened her eyes, smiled and nodded when I asked if she wanted Tylenol."
That's my girl. Nex ttime I'll tell her to score some hydrocodone for her momma.
After 45 minutes of popsicle eating, juice drinking and Dora the Explorer watching, we were getting her dressed and walking out the door. Time was 8:55am. She was stoked about the ice cream, popsicle, applesauce and mac & cheese diet for the next 24-48 hours. We even hosted friends from Indiana (shout out to Jeff, Barb and Ernie) for lunch at our house shortly after we arrived home. I am telling you...no one believed me when I told them she had just had surgery. What a trooper.
After a visit with Luke's ENT, looks like we'll be back at the hospital on July 9 :( Always hopping around these parts. I was a total slacker in the blogging department this week. It was part surgery, part family reunion, part mini-vacay, part exhaustion. I'll be back at it this weekend. Be sure to check in on Sunday! Make it a great weekend.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Van / Table Talk
Here lately, the kids have been cracking - me - up with their conversations amongst themselves. Just last week, here's how one went between the two boys.
JP: Will, what's that stuff that we used in Art Camp?
W: The white stuff?
JP: Yeah, the stuff that looks like milk.
W: Oh, that's paper meche.
JP: Well, it might look like milk, but don't drink it. That's what our teacher said. I wonder what would happen if you drank it. You'd probably die.
W: Yeah, your veins would fill up with it.
JP: What are veins?
W: They are those purple things on your arms. You have arteries, too. I bet it would fill those up too.
JP: Yeah, and then you'd die. Guess I better not drink it.
Boys. Who woulda thunk it?
JP: Will, what's that stuff that we used in Art Camp?
W: The white stuff?
JP: Yeah, the stuff that looks like milk.
W: Oh, that's paper meche.
JP: Well, it might look like milk, but don't drink it. That's what our teacher said. I wonder what would happen if you drank it. You'd probably die.
W: Yeah, your veins would fill up with it.
JP: What are veins?
W: They are those purple things on your arms. You have arteries, too. I bet it would fill those up too.
JP: Yeah, and then you'd die. Guess I better not drink it.
Boys. Who woulda thunk it?
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