tlu's notes

Nathaniel's birthday....

2009-08-29T21:09:00.007-05:00

Today we celebrated Nathaniel's 3rd birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. As of this year, each of our children has had at least one birthday at CEC. Nate had a great time. He is the only one who was not afraid of the large mouse and even went out to dance with the hosts. He had so much fun playing all the games and running around. He had some great help getting tickets and even came out with some little toys from them. Thank you to those that "donated" their tickets to Nate. We wish we could have had everyone there, but unfortunately it's just not possible. Here are some more pictures for those of you who were absent today. He was "crowned" for his birthday. He kept it on longer than I thought he would and didn't share it with anyone, including his brother. Nathaniel will have another first this year. He will be starting at Kids R Kids for 3 days a week this next week. He is so ready to socialize and play. He started talking into complete sentences very recently. Now instead of telling me "my milk" he will say, "Mom, I want my milk please." His favorite past time is the Wii - he plays a range of sports, Mario cart and play.

The older two kiddos started school this past Monday. I think they were ready although they won't admit it. The first week went great. Stephanie has already had homework and will start volleyball tryouts this next week. Matthew says he really likes his teacher and has had fun at school. Let's hope it continues. Below are pictures of their first day.

Thanks for checking in with us. Please leave us a message.

2009-07-31T08:42:00.008-05:00

Good morning everyone!

Stephanie is now 13! She had a mellow birthday, OK well kind of 3. Her friends couldn't make it on the weekend of her birthday, so we had them for a sleepover early. Then we had a partial family celebration on her birthday. And then the rest on the weekend after. She was able to celebrate her birthday for 3 consecutive weekends. What better way to celebrate 13 than to keep it going?

Most of you already know now....but Chris has a new job. He's still in the insurance business. His office is located by Memorial City Mall (yeah for me when I go eat with him)! =-)

He is the Vice President Controller! He has a great title, doesn't he? Jenny has been calling him a vice president for at least a year now. Now it's officially correct! It's a great move. He will now be out of the day to day work and more supervising, which is what he should have been doing at HCC. Since it's a private company, they don't have the same reporting requirements HCC had, so less mandatory overtime. YEAH!! We will be able to have much more family time - with all of the family - and maybe even vacations now.

We did plan on taking the family to Disney next June, however, since he will not have vacation time available at that time so we may have to move it a little longer.

Now on my dad, Larry! The doctors' have increased his steroids because he was at a point that he was unable to communicate, swallow pills or feed himself. He would sleep most of the day and stare of into space. If he did look at you, it was like he didn't see you or recognize you. After increasing the steroids, he was doing much better. He was able to answer with simple responses, he can eat "finger" foods by himself and give himself a drink with certain cups. He completes his meals every time I'm there - I usually feed him. I don't think it has anything to do with mom....so don't go there mom! I do think maybe he's trying his best for while I'm there. I try to feed him every time I visit since he eats really well for me. Unfortunately we have started seeing a decline since they increased the steroids about 2 weeks ago. He slept most of yesterday while I was there with the kids while mom went a Dr.'s appt. He didn't say much when he was awake. But he did eat a whole 1/3 lb. hamburger.

August will bring another birthday for our little family. Nathaniel turns 3! We have yet to decide what he's doing for his party....hard to decide for the parents. He doesn't really have a set opinion just yet. He talks so much better right now. He's started using sentences and although he doesn't get all of the words right, you understand it.

Thanks for checking in with us. Hope you are enjoying your summer! School starts in 26 days!

I want to say congratulations to Amanda Ireland......she's pregnant with her second baby! She is so excited as are we!

Summer happenings...

2009-06-29T16:30:00.010-05:00

Hello family and friends. Well because I haven't posted in a while (2 months) several things have changed. Dad is now at home and has been since the beginning of June. He's doing pretty good, mom is tired. But he's very happy to be back at home. They have an aide to come every day to help "wash" him down and check on him and a nurse that comes at least once a week to update supplies and check notes.

We went to the zoo on one of Chris' few days of so far. We only stayed a couple of hours in the morning and rode the train before we left. The kids had a great time and so did their parents. The animals were either playful or sleeping, but visible. Steph's favorite so far was the lioness. If you look closely you can see her tongue barely out, but Steph thought she looked "sweet".

Of course, most of you already know that Chris' sister, Karin, got married this month. She was, of course, gorgeous! My family cleaned up really nice also. Stephanie and I were able to go with the girls (bride, bridesmaids & mothers) to get our hair and make-up done before the wedding. It was a great time for us. Chris was with the boys and we met them at the location about an hour before the ceremony. It was awesome. The kids had a great time dancing at the reception. Several of the guests watched and some took videos of the boys dancing. You can see the pictures below of how beautiful they look (my kids)!! The kids have also very much enjoyed the pool, although, now it's too hot for too much time outside.

Happy Birthday to Karin Michelle on the 3rd!!!! Happy Birthday to Jennifer M. on the 6th!! Happy Birthday to Papa and Elgie on the 16th!!! And Happy Birthday to Manda on the 27th!!

And a great big happy birthday to my baby girl, Sissy!! She will be 13 this year! I can't believe this girl is a teenager this year!! It's so hard to realize that she is growing up so fast. I just saw some pictures of her as a baby and I sometimes would love to have that again.

There are a lot of birthdays in July! We love you and enjoy your day!!!

More Easter pics and updates...

2009-05-15T07:42:00.008-05:00

Well, as some of you have heard, my dad, Larry, isn't doing so well. The last radiation treatments didn't make a change in the tumor. We were hoping it shrunk it down, however, it didn't shrink at all. They will be trying a more aggressive radiation treatment, but there's not a lot of hope since the first one didn't make a difference. Please pray for him and my mom.

For mother's day, my brother and I decided she needed to go get a massage sometime...so we bought her an hour. Hopefully she will use it soon and have a little bit of relaxation during this stressful time. It was a great visit since we met at the rehab center to be with dad also. He had a lot of visitors that day. His parents came down to visit and so did some great family friends.

Here are some pictures of our breakfast with the Easter Bunny. The kids enjoyed it so much and were able to pet some smaller mammals. Even Nate pet them with a huge smile on his face. Then we roamed around the zoo to see the other animals.

Easter and new car...

2009-04-13T09:04:00.014-05:00

We had an easy Easter. We didn't go far and are thankful since the weather was horrible. We didn't do an outside egg hunt this year either, but the kids really enjoyed the indoor one they had. We did color eggs outside Friday afternoon with our neighbor, Amanda and her family. We had a great time...luckily we were outside as the smaller kids had a mess going. We ended up stripping them to keep the dye out of their clothes. We colored a total of 30 eggs...who's going to eat them all??

Chris and I also worked out in the yard and made our "garden" look pretty again. It's been a while since we've had the time to put into it and it really needed the face lift. There was so much old mulch in there, I cleared quite a bit out and Chris added new top soil and mulch. The flowers we put in a couple of weeks ago and they are blooming beautifully.

Our new car...since our truck was no longer salvageable, we needed a new car. We planned on replacing the mini-van early this year anyway. It's 10 years old and having some "health" issues that are getting quite expensive. Therefore, we went ahead and replaced the mini-van with our new car. This does mean that Chris is driving the mini-van and while it does the job of getting him to and from work it does hurt his image. Maybe if everything continues to go well, he will be able to have a used truck again before the end of summer or at worst the end of the year. Meanwhile, I am loving my new car...Chevy Traverse. It's a small SUV, however, small is not the word for the inside. There's so much space and we are loving. As those of you with 3(+) kids know, there are times you have to car pool and with 2 smaller ones that always have to tag along...you need multiple chairs. Our car seats 7 total, with leg space. The kids are loving the fact the it has a separate radio in the back for them to listen with headphones to something other than what we listen to. Although, with me having an IPOD now (since Feb.) this car will also play that...I have added a play list just for Nate and Matthew. We will put that on in the car and Nate sings along...so adorable. The kids are really enjoying the sunroofs...there are 2; one in front that opens and one in back that doesn't, but does have a shade for bright days. There's even room in the back for a stroller and baseball bag and a little bit more. It's not as much as we'd hoped for, but enough to keep us very happy. It's very exciting having a new car...I haven't had one since 1999! The truck was Chris' and even though I did get to drive it on occasion it was "his" truck. This one is "mine" and he does drive it anytime we are together...but I have it during the week - I have the kids, remember! =-)

Thanks for checking in with our family. I hope your Easter was a good one and we were sorry not to see you! We hope to change that soon. Lots of love to you all!

Our adventure...and dad updates....

2009-03-24T16:15:00.009-05:00

Last week was spring break. It was pretty good...we took a small trip to Marble Falls to visit my grandparents. It was a great (but short) trip. We ate very well...thanks grandma...and saw a lot of deer. The kids loved that part. We even went to a park during the day for them to play and saw ducks, geese and squirrels.

Well Friday was a bit more eventful than we really wanted. Unfortunately, we were in an accident with the truck. EVERYONE IS FINE. There were only minor things, bruises and "burns" from the air bag for Chris and I. We were stiff and extremely tired. The kids are fine...Matthew hit something and had a very small scratch and bruise on his cheek and Stephanie was leaning against Nathaniel's car seat and was scratched on her shoulder. Nate came out with out a scratch. We were all shaken; as you see the pictures it was a good crash. We got the rental car already and are now "test" driving a Kia Sportage. Today the adjuster called and the truck is totaled, it's gone. It's a very sad thing...but good news is we will be getting a new vehicle very soon. The pictures to the right is from the storage yard they are keeping the truck in. The top is from my seat looking out...the second is obvious.

We did do some yard work this past weekend and cleaned a lot in the house. It was very productive!

On a different note....my dad, Larry. Ok, it's been awhile since I've updated you which means Larry has been doing really well. He's gained about 5 lbs. back from the 30 he lost while in the hospital and is working hard at walking by himself. He is also beginning to center himself in the bed, which he hasn't been able to do since the before the tumor was diagnosed. That means that the tumor is shrinking enough to remove pressure from that side of his brain.
However, the platlets are still very low (down now to 38) and that is causing seizures to start up again. These are small, 10 second seizures and they started last night. My macho, macho guy didn't ring for the nurse to let them know what was going on so when I got there this morning, I informed them. Blood work will be taking each day to monitor the platlets plus the dilatin level to make sure there are no big changes. I'll talk to the doctor to see what needs to be done to bring the platlets back up to normal. The low platlets are part of the radiation, but maybe something (like a transfusion) can be done to bring it back up. Other than that, he's still doing good. Trying hard to walk on his own; now able to feed himself with the right hand most of the time; able to do suduko again.

Well, as some of you know, Larry completed his radiation treatments today and "rang the bell.", which is what you do when you have successfully completed all the treatments. The radiation will continue to work for the next 2 - 4 weeks after treatment and then in 6 weeks, he will have another MRI done to see how much of the tumor has been reduced.
Steven took off at 11 am to be there; Nate and I were there along with Sandy and mom were there for his last treatment. We took pictures and generally told Larry how proud of him we all are. He was able to ring this bell 3 times. It's a milestone and they gave him a "certification" of completion and a pin. It was awesome and momentous.

Thanks for checking on us and the prayers for my dad. Keep checking with us...I will keep updating. Love to you all!

Spring 2009!

2009-03-12T10:43:00.005-05:00

Spring is here, although this week's weather isn't proof. Matthew had a fantastic time at his birthday party. Thank you to those who came to celebrate with him and those who thought of him. His baseball season has started - if you would like to his schedule, email me and I will send it to you. He's actually pretty good this season and would be super excited for any visitors to come see him.

Stephanie is great. She has been super helpful to us lately. She must be getting close to wanting something...just kidding. She is trying to spend plenty of times with her friends. She is definitely trying out her own style. Luckily, she has some friends with the same tastes, or lack of...whichever your opinion sways.

Spring break for us will be somewhat mellow this year. If you'd like to see us, let us know or come spend some time with us. We will be going to the Rodeo at once over spring break, which the kids will love because we plan to go see the animals and spend the day there.

For those of you interested, my dad, Larry is doing well. He is able to feed himself for the most part. It's still really slow going for him being mobile...but he is doing better. He did call to wish me a happy birthday and spoke clearly. I was very happy to hear it.

We are trying to potty train Nathaniel. This has actually been going on for a while now...he just won't tell us when he has to go. We are working on that, but not much progress. He will go most of the time we take him and he will get a candy heart and/or sticker, which he loves both prizes. I've even tried the underwear with the "plastic" pants over them and he doesn't care when their wet or dirty. If you have any suggestions to help, please send them!

Thanks for keeping up with us and hope to hear from you soon.

Dad updates and kids pictures

2009-02-18T09:52:00.006-06:00

Ok, the update on my dad is not good news. After the pathologist reports came back the doctors came in with some changes. His tumor is a grade 4 (very bad) and the cancer is glio-blastoma multi-form, a very aggressive cancer. This form of cancer is terminal. Even if they can shrink the cancer with treatment now, it is very likely that it will return with the same fierceness. They started radiation right after the results came back. He will have a total of 33 treatments 5 days a week for 20 minutes a day. He has also been moved to a full service nursing home close to the hospital. They have both physical and occupational therapy at this facility. Larry says the food is much better at the nursing home so he's eating very well. We're hoping that he will only be there for short term which is hopefully a couple of months, maybe up to 3.

Even with the above bad news, we do have some good news. He is speaking much clearer and able to move around (in the bed) much better. There is such a difference between how he was when he went into the hospital and how he is now. Even the smallest bit of sunshine is enough to brighten the whole month for us.

Thank you for all of the prayers, they have helped so much already. Please keep saying them for him and my mom.

Stephanie went to her first school dance on Friday the 13th. She went with 2 friends who came to our house to get ready and ride together. Then they all came back and spent the night. Doesn't she look beautiful?? She's even wearing make-up - I applied it. Here's also a picture of her friends she went with.

Matthew has started baseball practice and his games start the first weekend in March. This year, his team is the Reds and he's already impressing his coach. Nathaniel is hanging around and being the cutest baby he can be. We are working on potty training, but it's little slow going. The pajamas that Nate is wearing has been through several kids. First they were my brother's , Steven and handed down to Stephanie one night when she slept over at Grandma's house. They haven't been returned obviously. When she out grew them, Matthew got the shirt and loved that they were his uncles. They were laying in the clean clothes pile and Chris put them on Nate after a bath one night. It was too cute, so we let him sleep with them.

Matthew made this gingerbread house at school right before the holiday. He's so proud of it, can you tell?

Thanks for looking at our blog. I hope all is well with you and your families.

Congratulations to our friends Kevin and Amanda on having their second child, a son, Anderson Reid.

Prayers for Larry

2009-01-26T11:03:00.005-06:00

For those of you who don't know my dad, Larry, here's a picture. Yes, I have 2 dads and VERY LUCKY!! He's had some horrible luck and some serious medical problems. It started with kidney failure and having to have dialysis. Then he tore a whole in his esophagus (4 years ago). This was the start of the worse downfall. He then had a stroke while still in the hospital for the above, 6 weeks actually. The stroke then brought on seizures, which he had to be put on medicine to not have them. He did have a bit of luck when they found a kidney match and the transplant was successful. Well, now we are fighting a malignant brain tumor and because of the location (in the middle of the brain touching both the right and left) it is inoperable. They grade tumors from 1 being the best to have and 4 being the worst. He has a grade 2, however, the cancer is the "bad" one to have (I can't remember the name). They start treatment today with chemo or radiation, can't remember which they said they would do first. With radiation they have to make a mask to fit tightly on his face to protect the eyes, nose and mouth. Obviously with all of these types of problems, he is not the same as he once was. His speech was affected by the stroke and he had to learn his numbers and alphabet again. He loves doing sudoku, however, now that is very difficult for him.

Some of the medicine he has to take gives him tremors, right now they are really bad. He can't feed himself and doesn't sit still. The tumor has made it impossible for his muscles/movements to "listen". Therefore, he was falling a lot and is now unable to walk as he has no strength and coordination.

I know I have sent emails out asking for prayers. We really need all we can get so I will keep asking. My mom is at the hospital with him every day, for the majority of the day. She sometimes takes an hour or so to walk and get a break and she leaves after he eats dinner and is settled. My brother works full time and visits afterwards, but he works in Clear Lake area and I always have Nate with me as well as the kids' schedules. I do go visit when I can and everyone is well. The kids have drawn pictures for him and we have taken pictures of the family up there for him to see.

His birthday is on Friday, the 30th. Please say a little prayer and wish him a happy birthday. He's emotional now and depressed. He does realize how serious this is and we need to keep him as upbeat as we can.

Thank you for your prayers and God bless you!

2009-01-03T08:32:00.007-06:00

Happy New Year! Wow it's 2009! Can you believe it? I hope your holidays were relaxing and fun. For the family we didn't see we thought about you and missed you. For the ones we did get to spend time with we enjoyed our time very much.

I have attached some of our pictures of the kids to show how happy they were have been . I do believe they are ready for school again since they can't seem to stop fighting while here at home together.

Nathaniel loves his car that Santa brought to him. He rode it inside the house while we allowed it. And Matthew followed him with his remote control car. Stephanie has enjoyed her room so much more...she stays in there as much as possible, and no she is not grounded or in trouble. She received a stereo for Christmas and she's enjoying it. Matthew received a radio/boombox also. He is so happy he uses it during his bathtime and at night. He has several cds from gifts this year and some from his sister that she no longer listens to. It looks just like Frenzy from the movie Transformers (on the plane).

New Year's was calm for us. We shot a few fireworks but didn't stay outside until midnight. The kids were in bed by 10:30 - all were exhausted. And Chris and I watched a movie and fell asleep around 12:30. So at least we made it until midnight to wish each other a Happy New Year!

Our most exciting moment this holiday was meeting our newest nephew, West. He is adorable and so cuddly. As Aunt Lisa loves to do the cuddling, Uncle Chris liked to sing with him. They sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider". We were so sad to have to give him up so Jenny, Michael and the kids could go back home. Nolan didn't want to leave his Matthew either. The three boys, Matthew, Nolan and Nate, played so well together. It's great to see them all together. They rode the cars outside and played ball and just ran around.

I hope your 2009 is happier and better than 2008. Thanks for looking at our blog!

Getting ready for the holidays

2008-12-16T08:38:00.008-06:00

I hope this finds each of you in good health and happy spirits. We are wishing each of you the best of holidays. As much as we would love to spend Christmas with everyone we know it's not easy to mesh every one's schedule to get together. For those of you we won't see we love and miss you. Here are some pictures that we have taken for our holiday/annual pictures this year. Personally, I think they are some of the best we have ever had taken and our photographer, also my friend, Christa caught the kids' personalities so well. I can't put all of them on the blog, but trust me, they made so several of our family members smile and they had a difficult time picking their favorites.

Chris and I haven't had "professional" pictures taken together in so long we decided this was the year. I love this picture...

As for our kids...they did very well. This was the hardest year to keep Nate happily "posed". He was everywhere and as you can see the pond behind us - he enjoyed throwing rocks and sticks into it. I was scared out of my mind that he would go swimming...and one of us would have to go in after him. Chris kept laughing at me since I was so uptight. He, of course, was not and would stand back, relaxed. We did have luck in getting him to sit still for a few shots and smile really big.

Matthew kept having the fake smile, glassy eyed look. So Christa started messing with him and he gave her his "mean" look with his brows pulled down and face down, fists clenched. The he started laughing so hard he couldn't stop. The results were fun and captured our Matthew perfectly. For those of you who haven't seen him lately...he's pretty much toothless in the top front. They are growing in, but it makes for an adorable picture.

It's so hard to see these pictures of Stephanie. She's not my little girl anymore. She so close to being a teen (7 months) it's I don't want her to be one yet. She is taking on more of Tlucek characteristics in her facial features. I know that each of you see either one of us in her, or did when she was younger. However, she is looking more and more like her daddy and aunts than she used to, absolutely beautiful.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year's. We will be staying close to home this year trying to spend time with as much family as we can. If you will be close to us or just want to come visit, let us know and we will make sure to be home for you to come.

Congratulations to my sister-in-law, Jenny, who just had her 3rd baby. Westley made his appearance on December 10th. We will be visiting him and his family very soon.

Love to you all....

Old McDonald's Farm

2008-11-19T08:51:00.007-06:00

We visited Old McDonald's Farm on Saturday with our local MOMS Club. We have never been and decided we needed to take the kids. It's an absolutely incredible place. They have animals that the kids can feed, pet and interact with. There were sheep, goats, rabbits, calves, donkeys, llamas and a full grown cow. Oh, and deer running around. We were able to feed an Axis and Falo deer...Nate and Matthew loved it. I took the opportunity to pet them while the kids were feeding them. They also had horse rides that the boys went on, however, Stephanie was too heavy. Although she couldn't ride the horses they had out, there were many more behind a fence you could pet or feed if they came to the fence. And they came a' running. She talked to them and pet them while the boys were riding and then we joined her. The horses were so soft and "fuzzy" since their winter coats came in. I think this was her favorite part of the farm.

We came back to the tables for our "picnic" and enjoyed a delicious potluck meal. The also have toys for the kids to play and climb on. It was great.

I highly recommend for those of you who haven't been...we'd love to go back and spend some more time. It was one fee to get into the farm and you could do everything they had. There was even a train that went around the farm. Chris and Nate went while the older two were playing and then they went. All loved it.

Even Chris and I had a good time "rolling in the hay". See the picture before you make comments...it's a family place, guys!!

Be sure to leave us comments so we know you visited! We love to hear from you and know all is good with you also.

activities...

2008-11-07T21:32:00.009-06:00

We have had some great fun. Halloween was pretty easy this year, but also fun. Stephanie had a birthday/costume party on Halloween next door. The boys went trick-or-treating and received more candy than we thought they would get. We didn't hit very many houses. Here's what they went as...

It was a rough start as you can see, but they perked up and had a lot of fun.

The next day, we went to the Renaissance Festival. It was Pirates weekend and since we are huge for Pirates of the Caribbean I thought the kids would enjoy seeing the sights. Stephanie and I dressed along with our neighbor who followed us up there. Stephanie wore her Halloween costume and I wore one of the newer dresses I have. We had a great time there also.

It's been pretty calm after last weekend. We do have some busy weekends coming up with some happenings. This weekend is a birthday and a benefit for a friend of the family who was in a very serious motorcycle accident. He hit a deer on his bike and severed it in two - causing very devastating injuries to himself as well. On the 15th we will be Old McDonald's Farm for Fall Family Picnic with MOMS Club.

Nathaniel has yet again decided to challenge us. He was diagnosed today with Herpangina. It's a viral infection in the throat/mouth area. He's not eating much right now and I now know why. It looks horrible. I was able to take a peak as his pediatrician was trying to clear out his ear wax - he was screaming and she shined the light into his mouth so she could see quickly. Since it's viral, there's nothing we can give him other than Tylenol and Benedryl. He should have soft, easy things to eat with low sodium.

I will keep you informed. I hope you enjoyed our pictures and updates. We have some great holidays coming up. Love to you all. Thanks for checking in, again.

October

2008-10-16T07:18:00.003-05:00

This month has been pretty busy for all of us so far. With Stephanie going to many volleyball games and tournaments to help keep stats and Matthew's baseball games, our weekends have been hectic. This last weekend we celebrated 3 friends/family birthdays for the kids. Our kids got to dress up in costume for one of them and had a blast.

This weekend we have a baseball game, volleyball tournament and Matthew's school carnival all on Saturday. We went last year and it was great fun. So we expect to have just as much fun this year if not more.

Matthew has lost yet another tooth. He's missing his 2 front top ones. It's kind of funny to see him eat and now say some things. But he is now ready for Christmas and knows what he wants! =-)

I started taking Nathaniel to the potty every day at least 4-5 times a day, but trying for every hour about 3 weeks ago. He's doing incredible with it and going every time. Last night we put him on before his bath and he pooped in the potty! He was so surprised and excited. I hope this continues and he keeps going as well as he has been. I know it greatly depends on Chris and I to continue our diligence in taking him and continue rewarding him. He does enjoy going and unless he just woke up, he won't fight about it either. We are very excited. Since he is my first one to do all by myself - as in no daycare help - I am trying to be very consistent about it. There are days that make it very difficult, but we take him even if we are out running errands. We may have some underwear in our stocking this year if we keep going like this.

I've mentioned before that I was doing Nutrisystem now and still jazzercise, of course. Well I wanted to give everyone an update. I have lost 15+ pounds and many inches. I'm really excited about this since I wasn't having much luck before with Weight Watchers and the holidays are coming around. In fact, there's such a difference that pretty soon I am going to have to go shopping for some new pants just so they don't hang on me. Here's a picture in one my great deals from Coldwater Creek.

Thanks for checking in with us and hope all is well with each of you and your families. Lots of love...

After Ike...

2008-09-16T12:06:00.004-05:00

We are fine and there is minimal damage that we have already seen to. Some of our family has not been as fortunate as us, and we pray each day they get the things they need. Everyone is fine, just some structural damage - trees down, no power and such. There are many who are in much worse situations. We are very thankful for the cool front that came in, it certainly helps those staying where they are with no power. The kids were afraid during the hurricane. The older 2 slept in our bed with me (on & off all night). Nate was in his bed as here was no worry if a tree would fall on his side, however, he did wake up after we lost power for good and slept on daddy's chest a little longer.

I would like to thank Chris' sister, Jenny, very much! She did help us get a generator through her brother-in-law on Michael's side. We went to pick it up and came back in the same day.

Before all of this, we did have a birthday to celebrate! Nate turned 2! It was a great birthday for him and he's getting so big. He's growing and gaining weight more and more.

He had to blow several times in order for the candle to go out, but he did it. As usual, he was spoiled rotten with gifts. He's had so much fun playing with all the new toys and reading the new books.

The other two are doing well also. Stephanie did not make the volleyball team, however, she is a manager and loving it. Matthew's baseball was to start this past weekend - obviously delayed. But he also enjoys his sport. We bought him a new batting helmet while Mimi and Boobear found the new bat needed. He wasn't allowed to use his t-ball bat and the others we could find were too heavy or way too expensive.

We hope all is well with each of you. Thanks for checking in.

Love to you all.....

Getting ready for...

2008-08-19T21:50:00.005-05:00

As school's first day approaches there are so many things to do and complete to get ready. Stephanie isn't as ready to return as Matthew is. Personally, I think she's a little nervous starting junior high...new campus, new schedule, new teachers, just new. She's decided not to continue with band, however, is going to play volleyball and she's still thinking about what to do for the spring. Matthew is just ready to return. He can't wait to meet his teacher, he asks everyday if "today is the day" and each time we have to tell him it's Friday.

Nathaniel maybe also be starting a "school" in September. I've looked at 2 daycares for their Mother's Day Out programs and will be looking at 3 more before final decision is made. The 2 I did look at are incredible. Both with cirriculums for his age, one introduces music and art already. We went to his nutritionist appointment yesterday and he's gained one whole pound in two months. She was happy with the results and said that unless we felt the need we did not have to continue with the appoinments. She said we know what we are doing (or at least have her fooled). He is eating much better for the most part anyway. We did get the results of his endoscopy and he's clear. The only thing she (GI) saw was a small/slight case of acid reflux and gave us a presription. I, personally, haven't noticed a change in his eating habits since being on the medicine. But he's asking for "bite" and still pointing to his mouth signing hungry. Those are both good signs. He will say "eat" as well if you aren't paying enough attention.

We are getting ready to celebrate his 2nd birthday next weekend. Looking forward to that - a lot. We've decided since there aren't any cute monkey decorations, we would go with who he yelled for in Party City. You will have to wait to be surprised, however, if you've been to our house for a meal you will already know who he asked for.

I've been on Nutrisystem for just over a month and have lost 10 pounds. It's very noticable since I've lost inches also. I am loving this system and am looking forward to the future. I also contribute the inches gone to jazzercise that I absolutely love to do...if you need a fun workout - do Jazzercise. It's great!!

Below is a current picture of the family from a cousins wedding....don't we make a pretty family? Yes, I'm biased as it is my own family...but my kids are beautiful!!

Good news!

2008-07-19T21:22:00.004-05:00

The results are in from Nathaniel's endoscopy. He does NOT have Celiac disease - HOORAY!!! It does appear that he may have a light case of acid reflux, or as the doctor's call silent acid reflux. Meaning he doesn't complain a lot and doesn't show regular symptoms. There have been times where he's been fussy and we couldn't figure out why, this might be the reason. The GI did call in a prescription for him to start taking on daily basis in the mornings. We are to try this for two months and follow up with her to see if his eating habits, weight and "fussiness" has improved. We still have really good days and bad days. He just doesn't show an interest in wanting to eat or consume much on the bad ones.

We've finished all the painting with the exception of one room...boys' bathroom. We needed a small break in paint fumes and with our arms. We will have it finished before Nate's birthday for sure. Here are two pictures of our completed bedroom. We love the combination and it looks fantastic.

I've also started something new...I was not getting the results I wanted out of Weight Watchers, especially since Nate was on the high fat/calorie diet. He constantly ate off my plate or shared his...we had to take turns eating a bite and he wouldn't continue until I had my turn. So now Chris is the one at the table "sharing" while I wait until they are done eating or sneak my dinner in before hand. I am trying NutriSystem. During the short period Nate and I shared, or I had to cook pretty much all of it to suit his needs, I gained 5-7 pounds. It was very upsetting for me since I was not as successful as the past two times being on Weight Watchers. So my neighbor, her mother and I decided to try something else to see if we could get better results. It's a slow process right now, but the food is delicious and filling. You still have to supply many things as they give the entrees and desserts/snacks. You still have to buy the fruit, veggies, dairy and etc for yourself. Wish me luck...

I will say that Stephanie and Matthew are loving Nate's diet right now...they get to eat a lot of things we haven't had in a long time.

I hope all is well with you and your families.

2008-06-28T18:12:00.006-05:00

Now that our vacation is over and we have returned to what is our normal life...it's been back to work, schedules or whatever else we have. Chris and I have managed to keep up the painting and have finished both of Steph's bedroom and bath. Matthew's is also completed, however, we need a little more time for Nate's. His is harder since he takes naps and won't sleep in any other room. We have already retrieved all we need for the boys' bathroom...paint for water and sky and Nemo wall stick ups. We have also managed to work on our master bathroom...which turned out incredible. There are still a few things we'd like to do, but need to find our choice of "uprades". I have attached pictures of the finished rooms and one of the beginning of our master bedroom. We have our accent wall finished (it's darker than this picture), we just need to color match a color for the other 3 walls.

Nate did go to the GI specialist again before we left for vacation. He had not gained any weight, although I gained about 5 pounds just trying to get him to eat. We did go down to Texas Children's on Monday and did his sweat test...it was negative! On July 15th he will be going back down to Texas Children's for a endoscopy of his intestines. They will be taking a biopsy to make sure he doesn't have Celiac disease. We have been able to make a few changes to his diet that he has accepted. He now drinks half and half with each cup of whole milk (3 times a day). His ice cream is to be from Haagen Dazs or Ben and Jerry's, they use real cream and is much higher in calories and fat. We also add extra butter to his rice, pasta and vegetables. We add oil to his soups (chicken noodle) and feed him lots of meats. We'll see if this makes a difference in his weight.

Other than that we are all healthy and enjoying our summer! Hope you are doing the same and talk to you soon. Stephanie will be 12 in two weeks from today!!

new changes...

2008-05-31T19:59:00.009-05:00

We've made some great changes the past couple of weeks. The biggest change right now is to Matthew's room. We've painted it and put in chair railing. There's a sneak peak below. It looks great! Nathaniel's room will be done the same way...just a different theme and extras.

Stephanie also has a new color. Her's is a "brighter" change, but she really likes the color and it matches what Mimi, Aunt Jenny & Aunt Karin (Karebear) has put together for her room. She would also like to rearrange her furniture...so ladies, if you'd like to come help with that, let me know! She has one more year until she gets all new furniture with a bigger bed. She also wanted to have her bathroom painted as well. It's not done, but you can see a difference. What do you think???

Although these are the first ones I mentioned, Chris did an incredible job painting our 1/2 bath which was our first painting project. We've been doing all of these ourselves in our "free" time...ok, there's no such thing for a family of 5 closing in on summer. Although, one of us paints while the other entertains and we have taken turns. Stephanie has also been very helpful with Nate so that we can both work for a little while to get so much painted. The picture hanging in our 1/2 bath was painted by Chris grandmother, isn't it fabulous??

Finally, the last picture is what happens when Sissy is distracted...luckily it wasn't all over the carpet or unpainted walls...especially as messy as it was!

happenings...

2008-05-15T14:05:00.006-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted what's going on with us. I have managed to survive through both kids' sport activities. Stephanie was in volleyball and Matthew in teeball. There were several weekends were the games overlapped or were right behind each other. It was fun (see pics below), but I am very glad for the break.

School is ending in less than 3 weeks. Summertime....Stephanie will be in two "sports" camps for the first two weeks of summer. She will be going to basketball first and then volleyball. She's very excited and hopefully she will learn lots of new things. The 3rd week, we will be trying our spring break vacation again, of course, without the complications. I've managed to re-book our dinner with Shamu and two guided tours. I will have lots of pictures to share with you. To end our school year this year, Stephanie took her Gates Test which gives her a reading level. In August, she was at an 8.3 (beg. to middle 8th grade) and after her test, she is at a PHS (post high school)! Incredible!!

Now for Nate's update.....we went to see a GI specialist (gastroenterology) yesterday. She said that we have to put Nate on a high fat diet - which we've been trying to do. He is also to drink 2 Pediasures a day, very hard to convince him of that. We are to meet with a dietician (appt. is in Aug.) to discuss how to increase his fat intake. The Dr. suggested adding butter/oil to pasta, rice, veggies for starters. She's ordered several tests to be done to rule out any medical reason, including cystic fibrosis. He had a blood test done yesterday, however, I still need to get a urine sample and sweat test done. She also wants for us to see a Speech Therapist. He's a little slower to talk, therefore, she wants to help him out. I've talked with our pediatrician and she agrees with all of the requests. This morning he woke up running a 100 fever. So we went to see our favorite pediatrician....and he has a double ear infection! BTW, he was just on two rounds of antibiotics ending last week for an upper respiratory infection. Don't worry, I have a call into our ENT, Dr. Roark to see what he would like to do and to let him know we have another infection.

This is us to date! Thanks for keeping up with us and lots of you to you all.

plans change...

2008-03-19T19:05:00.002-05:00

We had a great vacation planned for spring break...we were going to Sea World, San Antonio. We reserved 2 guided tours and dinner with Shamu, had a coupon for the 2 day passes and were more than half way there. We stopped in Yoakum to celebrate our niece's 1st birthday. It was great, had a lot of fun. The kids fed huge catfish at the Armstrong's pond and rode a 4 wheeler to and from the house. They played in the back on some toys/hammocks and climbed a tree. Then we got ready for bed...that's when it started. Matthew said he didn't feel great, and about 10 minutes later...threw up. Poor Jenny, I'm so sorry. She threw away the top blanket and I proceeded to wash the rest of their pallet. We got him all nestled back into bed, he did it again. After washing those blankets and moving him into our room, he and I stayed up most of the night with his ailness. I felt so bad for him. He was a trooper. The next morning I called and cancelled everything we planned for the week and we started home. Nate ran 104 temp. Sunday night, took him to the doctor and he has an ear infection. Matthew did so much better and played, thought he was done. Bright and early Tuesday morning, we start again. Called several offices and couldn't get him in until today...ear infection. Now both boys are on antibiotics and will hopefully start feeling better. It's definitely not the spring break we planned, but we are all together for the week and that is a rare treat for us. Stephanie did get a break from the sickly bubbas, she went to see where Aunt Karin will be getting married in Austin! She was very excited to be a part of the "girl" trip. Since the boys were starting to feel better, we did do a bit of planting/outside time today...see the pictures below. It was great.
Our wonderfully planned vacation will not be forgotten, Chris will take another week off in June and we will try again! It will be warmer (ok, scorching) but we will be at a water park!
Hope your spring break is great and everyone is healthy!!

2008-03-08T21:35:00.003-06:00

Matthew had his second game today and since I got a brand new digital camera for my birthday this last week, I got several pictures. Also, I have a couple of Stephanie's last basketball game today as well. Thankfully, our kids will not have any more games starting when one ends or ending when one starts...for this season. Enjoy the pictures.

Also for any of you who have not heard, Nathaniel had his 3rd trip to ER Friday night. Nathaniel hit his head on the tile by the stairs/front door. We don't know how or what happened. I heard him scream and went running. He was laying on his back when I got to him, I immediately picked him up. He started to go limp and his eyes rolled into the back of his head (twice)! I screamed for Chris as he was upstairs attempting to get a box for Lori's gift and he came running. I kept him conscience/awake and put him up to my shoulder where he tried to lay his down and close his eyes again. We then left to go the nearest ER center, just down 249 about 1/4 mile. They looked at him right away and took all his vitals and did a scan, which I have a cd of. They said he was fine, no fracture or bleeding.
Just in case you talk to Stephanie, I didn't do as well with this little emergency. I had a harder time trying to keep calm and not cry. It was very difficult holding him and having him just go limp...I still have a hard time with it. I scared Stephanie really badly. She's used to Mommy taking care of the crisis/emergency and in control. As I said before, he's fine and doing great. He's been playing, laughing and climbing up today. I guess since the other two were so good as babies, Nathaniel had to show us what we were missing. He has a bruise on the right temple and a scratch on his chin...no one saw what happened.

Speical day...

2008-03-03T15:45:00.003-06:00

Nathaniel finally had his first hair cut. For those of you who said thank goodness, he still has lots of curls in back. We only trimmed the sides and top. So Chris is happy and so am I. I will have pictures up soon of his haircut.
This past weekend I had a taste of what the parents were saying when they had two or more kids and more than one game at the same time or right after the other. Thank goodness Chris was able to help this weekend and not work. Matthew had his first teeball game and Stephanie had a basketball game starting at the end of Matthew's. Next weekend is our last basketball game, so we can concentrate on Matthew. If any of you would like to see his games, give me a call and I will let you know the schedule.
We took Nathaniel to the doctor today...he's been coughing and last night running a fever. He has a double ear infection with fever as high as 102. We will go back on Wednesday to see if the ears are any better and if they can do his 18 month checkup. At least his chest is clear and we don't have to start the breathing treatments at this time.
Thank you for checking in with us. Love to you all.

Nate's update

2008-01-17T12:31:00.000-06:00

We went to the doctor today for his 15 month check up. He received 2 shots, ouch! He did weigh in at 19.2 lbs, still not on the chart, however his height of 32" is in the 50%. He also has an ear infection, again with some sinus problems. He will be starting on yet another antibiotic for the next 10 days. The pediatrician is happy he's gaining weight, we just need it a little faster and several pounds heavier.
Everyone else is doing fantastic. We just signed Matthew up for t-ball again this spring. He starts in March for about 10 games. Stephanie is currently playing basketball through a church league with one of her friends. If anyone would like to come see either one play, let me know and I will send you their schedules.

something new for us...

2008-01-03T22:01:00.000-06:00

Ok, I am trying this instead of the website. Jenny, I may be asking for help to insert all the cool things you have.
So far this year has been pretty good. Nate is back on breathing treatments and next we may have to do asthma testing if his wheezing isn't under control. He doesn't fight the treatments too much anymore. we do have our moments, but he's getting used to it and accepting them. If Matthew is around and he's fighting, Matthew will stop whatever he's doing and come sing to him. Could you ask for a better big brother?
Stephanie is doing great. She's been a fabulous help over this holiday.
Chris has returned to work, unfortunately. Now is the time for him to work more hours in the next months than he gets in the rest of the year. Don't expect too many visits from him until after March starts. We may actually get a mini vacation during spring break.