Easter Pics!

This sums up our Easter!

They are too precious for words!


Julie

Spring Break!

Can it really be the end of March?  It seems like yesterday we were singing Christmas carols in the car and decorating the tree!  (In all fairness the carols were yesterday!  My kids listen to them in the car all year long!)   For Spring Break we decided to go somewhere that we love, a place where we never seem to get enough time...  home!  We are enjoying a "Staycation"  which has been wonderful!  Little projects that have been staring me in the face for month are being accomplished and we have had a ton of time to relax, play as a family, and take it easy!  It is really making me anxious for summer break!

Monday we had a wonderful visit with the "Wish granters" from Make a Wish came and we finished up all of the paper work for Brady to have a wish granted.  He has had tons of ideas from attending a Video Game conference to adopting a brother :)  but he keeps coming back to going to Disney.  The details have not been ironed out, but it is exciting for our whole family.  It will be wonderful to celebrate Brady's health in such a special way!

Here are some of the highlights of the last few months in pictures!

Christmas Pics!

Emelia's 4th Birthday!

 This year we celebrated with a Strawberry Shortcake Cake!  

Lots of Hugs!

They are becoming the best of  friends!  

Pinewood Derby!

 2nd place in SPEED!

 Pink tips!

 Our little diva just had to have them! 

(we used kool-aid to dye her hair-  who knew?  what you can learn from you-tube!)

A Singing Sensation!

 Brady's first grade concert!  He is waving at the camera.. orange shirt...

So blessed!  

Hopefully I will get some Easter pics up before Thanksgiving!  

Julie

Brady's Annual Cardiology Appointment (or my annual anxiety attack!)

So we made it almost a year between Cardiology appointments.  Last year we had a terrible visit- the worst of it being that we were told Brady has a clot in the undeveloped part of his heart.  We had just put him on meds for ADD which (we know now but didn't know then) lower his cumadin level to the point of almost non-existance.  The nurse accused me of not giving him his meds and  the whole visit made me feel like they were saying- "if you just gave your kid the meds we prescribe your kid wouldn't have a clot." and then sent me on my way saying- "Come back in a year!"  Are you kidding me!!!???   The lovely cumadin nurse the next week listened to me cry and was sympathetic and helped me to figure out the source of the problem.  But, that clot- ugh!  I wanted them to get it out immediately-  It has been in my thoughts and prayers every day wishing for it to go or to at least for it to stay where it was and not to give him a stroke.

This year was completely different.  Brady and I plan these days as mommy/Brady days of fun, throwing in a doctor appointment and this day went as well as planned. We had a great visit, the doctor said that the clot was not nearly as bright on the screen as last time. (which means it isn't as big)  The doctor said he thinks that the clot may come and go.  When I asked him how that could happen he was lighthearted and said it was just his theory and told us not to worry about it at all.  He said the clot is stuck in the underdeveloped area which is millemeters and that there is no where that the clot can go.  There was something very reassuring about the whole thing.  He also has a great new nurse that asked lots of good questions and answered very throughly.  I am still no excited about the clot, but I am much better able to deal with it.  These days are so full of anxiety for me, so I cannot even tell you how much relief comes from a great visit. 

 

We have been excitedly preparing for Christmas!

Visiting Santa!

 

 

Following our Elf on the Shelf's antics!

 

Visiting the Christmas Tree Farm

 

Emelia's First Christmas program!

(can you believe I spent more time doing

 her hair than the program lasted! lol

mom bought the adorable dress!)

 

 

These are just the most magical years with the kids!  There are so many fun things to do!!!

 

 

Have a great week!

Julie

 

OOPS! Neglected!

Updating has been on my to do list for-ever!!!  So here is a quick catch up!

 

We went on our first airplane trip as a family! 

I went to a conference in San Diego and brought the family along! 

 

It was beautiful!

 

 

 

We stayed right across from the Bay.  And across from the ship used in the Pirates of The Carribean!

 

We ended our trip with the San Diego Zoo!  Kids LOVE the pandas!

 

We spent the rest of the summer with visits from family,  pooltime, playing outside,

 and of course our weekly ice cream truck visit!

 

Then {way to soon} we had the first day of first grade:

 

and the first day of preschool!

 

 

We have replaced the busy summer with the busy life of the school year.  Now we are excitedly getting ready for the fun of Thanksgiving and Christmas!

 

More to come...

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Julie

 

Basements, Garage Sales and Summer Break (really? this is a break?)

It is 2 weeks and a couple days past the countdowns and goodbyes of the end of the school year.  Since spring break I kept saying- it will get better after May.  Which, in all fairness. it did.  I love that I can make dinner with the windows open and listen to the kids playing happily in the yard, I have been awake before the alarm every day, and we have added picnics and walks by the lake to our weekly agenda. 

Picnicing at the gazebo...

Then come the projects-  first up- community garage sale.  We do it at my house, I have a nice big garage, it is a good excuse to clean it up, and everyone comes over which is fun. My kids loved having time to spend with "Auntie Pam", my good friend from college.   But, garage sales are totally time consuming!  Plus our dryer decided that this was the week it should catch on fire!  So we had to add a few trips to the laundrymat because I like to wash my kids stuff before I sell it.  (I know that is crazy, but I think they sell better- plus I get really nice compliments every year! and I prefer to buy garage sale clothes that are fluffy and clean! Totally worth it in my opinion.)  Also adding to the stress is that one year a local morning show filmed for a few minutes in my garage for the whole Rockford area to see. So now I feel that my garage sale has to look "TV ready" just in case! :)   But that was a week ago, so now- done!

Next up-  my basement.  or the dump underneath my house.  I have other phrases to describe it, but I like to keep my posts rated PG so I will keep them to myself.   It is where my dog has been sleeping at night, curled up in an old chair or a big box with a comfy old comforter in it.  So it smells like dog and musty basement.   I took pictures, which thankfully, don't include the smell. However, I will not be sharing them until I am finished and have an after photo I can be proud of!  So my project this week has been to eliminate the smell and paint the basement floor.  I have gotten rid of a huge pile of garbage and have another one ready to go.  ICK, but so far so good! My goal is to turn it into a room that I can send the kids to play where they can  run around and play with those huge toys we don't have room for upstairs.  Someday, I want to finish it, but until then I found a little money in the budget to put into it- so I am working on getting it decent for a couple hundred bucks.  Good Luck to me!!!!!     

So that is my "break".  (and working on a Common Core Curriculum team a few days a week)  Hopefully I will get this all behind me soon and really get more relaxing time in!  :)

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!
Julie

A Role-Reversal!

So this past week, I got to do the little role-reversal and be the PARENT at my son's school for Muffin's with Mom!  I am finding out for the first time how much these little things, as difficult and time consuming pains they may be, mean to the child and to the parent.  It was so sweet to see my kid up there singing his heart out and proudly handing over his little booklets he had made.  I needed kleenex that is for sure!!!    What a wonderful Mother's Day!

Here are a couple of my treasures:

I love the dotted letters in "I love..."  That is apparently me.  :)

and what mother would not just adore a lovely Star Wars picture for Mother's Day!  :)   I am not sure what the pirate at the top is doing there!

Hope your day was lovely!

Julie

18 days, but whose counting???

This pretty much sums up my life right now!  May has been CUH--RAY--ZEEE!  I am really looking forward to spending some time relaxing with my two!  But I just have to make it through the next 18 school days...  I can do that...  right???  Hope so!

My adorable niece-  I just love her so much!  She made this super cute video of Emmie and herself in the backseat of my parent's car on the way to the circus during spring break!  I think it is wonderful-  My judgement may be a bit imparied because of the subjects of it, but whatever...  I am sharing it anyway!

They are just too cute! 

So I probably need to head to bed-  the others have a few hours of sleep already and will be up in 6 hours.  Hopefully I can get my Sunday nap!  :)   Have a great week!

Julie