Well it is already August and SOOOOOO very much has happened in the Weatherly family. Since my last post, we have all dealt with the passing of Sally. Jadie every once in a while still talks about it, so I think she is still working things out in her young mind.
We took Ashlyn and Jadie on a 5 night cruise to the Caribbean for Spring Break and we went to Great Wolf Lodge for two nights again. We also received confirmation of our overseas move to Germany (6months), Philippines (1.5years), and Malaysia (2years). Johnathan is currently in Germany preparing for our arrival on Monday, August 6th.
I have pictures to add for our little mini vacations and other just candid shots that I have captured since my last postings. However, our computer is in our Air Freight shipment that is currently in route to Germany...so I will have to post them at a later date.
Please stay tuned for more on our adventures as we explore how others live in the rest of the world. ;)
Friday, August 03, 2012
Saturday, March 03, 2012
My Heart Breaks
Today, I sit here feeling so incredibly guilty!
For at least a year, I've been listening to my family and friends tell me that it's time to put Sally down. I've always fought back with the response..."but she hasn't lost her spirit." Anyone that has ever been around Sally knows that her main drive in life has been People Food. She would attack it if it were in her reach....stealing sandwiches off the counter, or out of your hand was not an uncommon occurance in our home. However, on Thursday...she showed little interest in her dog food. (We have had to switch her to canned for sensitive stomachs because she has hardly any teeth.) And I put a few scraps of my left overs in her bowl...and she turned her nose to them. So I texted Johnathan to call and see what time the vet would be there if we were going to take her in Friday morning.
I've always said I don't want to plan putting her down...as it just seems so wrong to plan death. With every ounce of my being...it seems wrong. Especially since she was just old....not hurting....
He called back saying he made her an appointment at 10 Friday morning. So we sat the girls down and told them what was going to happen in the morning. Ashlyn cried, and Jadie didn't have much reaction except she was glad Sally wouldn't follow her anymore. (Jadie is always walking around the house with food so Sally follows her...and it scares Jadie)
I gave her a bath and loved on her as much as I could Thursday evening, and Friday morning. I felt completely terrible for initiating putting her down....as by late Thursday night her appetite picked back up....she even jumped to get food that I was pouring out of a can into her bowl. So my justification for putting her down had vanished. I asked Johnathan if the vet said it wasn't time....what would we do....He reassured me that it was time. That if Sally puts on a show for the vet...that doesn't mean it isn't time. We live with her everyday, so we see the signs...
She walks crooked,
She falls a lot,
She drags her back leg,
She can't hear anything,
She can barely see,
She is skin and bones,
She can't control her bodily functions,
These are signs she isn't having the quality of life that she deserves....and I know that....but in the same breath...she hadn't lost her spirit. I worked at a vet clinic long enough to know that dogs don't eat when they are hurting...(She was eating still....) and when it's an animals time to be put down...they always let you know.
So....I took her to the vet, where Johnathan was waiting. Johnathan came around and got Sally out of the front seat. She didn't even stand up when he opened the door....she just laid there....(Another sign)
The technician (who I used to work with) took her out of Johnathan's arm's and took her to the back to put a catheter in....
They put Johnathan and I into a room...minutes later, they brought a blanket in, laying it on the table. They put Sally on top of the blanket. She was standing facing me....with basically her head in my stomach as I rubbed her ears. The technician asked me if I wanted to have a few minutes, or to go ahead and send the vet in. We chose to go ahead and ask the doctor to come in. Dr. Hunter (who I also used to work for), came in and said she knew it was time...because Sally didn't even budge when she put the catheter in...(Another sign)
She said she was going to give her a little bit to just relax her...she put the needle in...and not a second later...Sally's head hit the table and she went limp. I so wish....soooooooooo wish....we had a few more minutes with her and I could have gotten her to lay down. She was gone in less than a minute. :(
That truly was the absolute hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Everyone says it's better than finding her dead one day....but I honestly don't think it would have been. This was all on me...my decision to end her life....and I am beating myself up over it. Feeling completely...utterly....guilty.
So for those that read this...I ask that you pray for peace....for me....because I am not sure how to handle these feelings. I can tell myself she was just a dog....but she wasn't to me. :(
For at least a year, I've been listening to my family and friends tell me that it's time to put Sally down. I've always fought back with the response..."but she hasn't lost her spirit." Anyone that has ever been around Sally knows that her main drive in life has been People Food. She would attack it if it were in her reach....stealing sandwiches off the counter, or out of your hand was not an uncommon occurance in our home. However, on Thursday...she showed little interest in her dog food. (We have had to switch her to canned for sensitive stomachs because she has hardly any teeth.) And I put a few scraps of my left overs in her bowl...and she turned her nose to them. So I texted Johnathan to call and see what time the vet would be there if we were going to take her in Friday morning.
I've always said I don't want to plan putting her down...as it just seems so wrong to plan death. With every ounce of my being...it seems wrong. Especially since she was just old....not hurting....
He called back saying he made her an appointment at 10 Friday morning. So we sat the girls down and told them what was going to happen in the morning. Ashlyn cried, and Jadie didn't have much reaction except she was glad Sally wouldn't follow her anymore. (Jadie is always walking around the house with food so Sally follows her...and it scares Jadie)
I gave her a bath and loved on her as much as I could Thursday evening, and Friday morning. I felt completely terrible for initiating putting her down....as by late Thursday night her appetite picked back up....she even jumped to get food that I was pouring out of a can into her bowl. So my justification for putting her down had vanished. I asked Johnathan if the vet said it wasn't time....what would we do....He reassured me that it was time. That if Sally puts on a show for the vet...that doesn't mean it isn't time. We live with her everyday, so we see the signs...
She walks crooked,
She falls a lot,
She drags her back leg,
She can't hear anything,
She can barely see,
She is skin and bones,
She can't control her bodily functions,
These are signs she isn't having the quality of life that she deserves....and I know that....but in the same breath...she hadn't lost her spirit. I worked at a vet clinic long enough to know that dogs don't eat when they are hurting...(She was eating still....) and when it's an animals time to be put down...they always let you know.
So....I took her to the vet, where Johnathan was waiting. Johnathan came around and got Sally out of the front seat. She didn't even stand up when he opened the door....she just laid there....(Another sign)
The technician (who I used to work with) took her out of Johnathan's arm's and took her to the back to put a catheter in....
They put Johnathan and I into a room...minutes later, they brought a blanket in, laying it on the table. They put Sally on top of the blanket. She was standing facing me....with basically her head in my stomach as I rubbed her ears. The technician asked me if I wanted to have a few minutes, or to go ahead and send the vet in. We chose to go ahead and ask the doctor to come in. Dr. Hunter (who I also used to work for), came in and said she knew it was time...because Sally didn't even budge when she put the catheter in...(Another sign)
She said she was going to give her a little bit to just relax her...she put the needle in...and not a second later...Sally's head hit the table and she went limp. I so wish....soooooooooo wish....we had a few more minutes with her and I could have gotten her to lay down. She was gone in less than a minute. :(
That truly was the absolute hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Everyone says it's better than finding her dead one day....but I honestly don't think it would have been. This was all on me...my decision to end her life....and I am beating myself up over it. Feeling completely...utterly....guilty.
So for those that read this...I ask that you pray for peace....for me....because I am not sure how to handle these feelings. I can tell myself she was just a dog....but she wasn't to me. :(
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
February Already!
January came and went with what seemed like illness after illness! I think I was the only one spared through it all. Johnathan is still on antibiotics (second round) for two persistent ear infections.
The biggest event happened on the 20th of January. We celebrated our little Princess's first birthday! She consumed lots of birthday cakes during January as I used her to practice taking indoor "cake smash" pictures that my clients always want for first year pictures. Some turned out really cute!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Wednesday I tooke Jadie in to see Dr. P. he said her lungs sounded good but she still had a lot of fluid in her ears. So he sent her home with another dose of antibiotics and a nasal spray. Hopefully this will get her back too 100%.
After her appointment we went to the grocery store while we were waiting for her prescriptions to be filled. Kynsley threw up all over the place! I didn't have my diaper bag with me so I sent jadie to tell someone and to grab me a thing of wipes. (we happened to be on the baby aisle).
So we took her home instead of getting jadies meds since I didn't even have a change of clothes for her...and I was covered too! We got home and Kynsley was running a fever of 101
The next morning I took Kynsley to the Dr. He listened to her, looked in her ears and said she sounds a little congested but not in her chest. He said her ears look fine as does her throat. So he gave her a decongestant and a dose of antibiotics to start IF her fever got above 102 or her snot turned green. So far we are just treating the fever and her runny nose...
Monday, January 16, 2012
Pneumonia
On Monday I took Jadie in to see Dr. P. since there was absolutely no improvement with 5 doses of amoxicillin. He listened to her chest and immediately sent us to get a chest x-ray. The Radiologist then sent us straight back to Dr. P. due to fluid being seen in her left lung. When we arrived at the doctors office it was confirmed...my fear...that she had pneumonia. He gave her a shot of rosefin (sp) and told us to go home, give her whatever she wants to drink/eat and call and check in in the morning. If her fever is over 102 he wanted her to come in Tuesday morning. Otherwise he wanted to listen to her chest on Wednesday.
On Tuesday morning she only had 100.6 and ran that (I was checking it every hour) all day. Then at 5:30 she jumped to 102.8. So first thing Wednesday morning we found ourselves back at the doctors office. Dr.P. still heard stuff in her chest but not as much. So he gave her another shot of rosefin and told me to stop giving her the amoxicillin. He instead prescribed her a zpack. Her fever completely broke around 5:30 and she has been fever free since!!! Yeah!
We go back on Wednesday for a follow up so he can listen to her again.
On Tuesday morning she only had 100.6 and ran that (I was checking it every hour) all day. Then at 5:30 she jumped to 102.8. So first thing Wednesday morning we found ourselves back at the doctors office. Dr.P. still heard stuff in her chest but not as much. So he gave her another shot of rosefin and told me to stop giving her the amoxicillin. He instead prescribed her a zpack. Her fever completely broke around 5:30 and she has been fever free since!!! Yeah!
We go back on Wednesday for a follow up so he can listen to her again.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Fever...Go Away Already
On Monday (New Years Day) Jadie lost her appetite it seemed. She would order food like usual (mind you, we are at Great Wolf Lodge eating out for every meal.). However, when she would get her food she would take a bite and say she was full or her tummy hurt. We originally thought it was because she was drinking her milk/sprite almost all gone before her food arrived. So on Tuesday we limited her drink to only after she got her food. It was a battle to get her tk eat even a fourth of anything she ordered!
We arrived home late Tuesday evening. Jadyn woke up with a low grade fever on Wednesday morning. I thought it was because the water at GWL was colder than I remember and Jadie was shivering at the watermark all day Monday. So I have her Motrin (last 6-8 hours according to bottle). Her fever broke about two hours later. She was fever free for about two hours also and then it started to creep back up. Jadie has no other symptoms besides a cough she developed on Tuesday. She does complain of a headache when she has a fever of 101+. Other than that she says nothing hurts. This fever has been persistent and her cough has gotten worse over the last 24 hours. I tried to make her a doctors appointment for Friday because she not only has stopped eating anything but vanilla yogurt and milk. She won't even drink an over or soda. The doctor was out so I had to make an appointment for Monday. On Saturday however, it had been 4 days of fever...so I took her to Doctors Express and saw a Dr. Weir. She was very nice. She listened to Jadie's chest (front side only, in two spots). She said her chest sounds clear...no pneumonia. YEAH!
She then looked in her ears and said her left was red and she has a swollen lymph node on the left side of her neck. She prescribed amoxicillin and we started taking it at 2pm. It is now Monday morning and she still has a fever. She has that Doctors appointment at 10:15 this morning. I hope they do bloodwork because I doubt it's just an ear infection. But I'm not a doctor...so I pray that I'm wrong!
We arrived home late Tuesday evening. Jadyn woke up with a low grade fever on Wednesday morning. I thought it was because the water at GWL was colder than I remember and Jadie was shivering at the watermark all day Monday. So I have her Motrin (last 6-8 hours according to bottle). Her fever broke about two hours later. She was fever free for about two hours also and then it started to creep back up. Jadie has no other symptoms besides a cough she developed on Tuesday. She does complain of a headache when she has a fever of 101+. Other than that she says nothing hurts. This fever has been persistent and her cough has gotten worse over the last 24 hours. I tried to make her a doctors appointment for Friday because she not only has stopped eating anything but vanilla yogurt and milk. She won't even drink an over or soda. The doctor was out so I had to make an appointment for Monday. On Saturday however, it had been 4 days of fever...so I took her to Doctors Express and saw a Dr. Weir. She was very nice. She listened to Jadie's chest (front side only, in two spots). She said her chest sounds clear...no pneumonia. YEAH!
She then looked in her ears and said her left was red and she has a swollen lymph node on the left side of her neck. She prescribed amoxicillin and we started taking it at 2pm. It is now Monday morning and she still has a fever. She has that Doctors appointment at 10:15 this morning. I hope they do bloodwork because I doubt it's just an ear infection. But I'm not a doctor...so I pray that I'm wrong!
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
11 Months Already!!!
Our Baby Girl is officially only 31 days away from being a year old!!! That to me just seems crazy! It literally feels like yesterday I was finding out I was pregnant with her. On the other hand, it feels as if she has always been with us, and life without her is impossible to imagine.
She is now wearing stage 4 diapers. She weighs about 21 pounds and still has the biggest blue's I've seen. Kynsley is quite serious...sometimes just looking at us as we try to make her smile....like we are crazy! But, oh, when she smiles....she melts your heart! Her eyes just light up!!!
She is quite funny in the fact that she still hums to herself when she eats. She used to hum when she was trying to put herself to sleep as well, however, I haven't heard her do it lately. She is becoming quite mobile and FAST. She is crawling and pulls herself up to walk along things. I even noticed two days ago, her trying to hike a leg up to climb onto the couch. Ugh Oh! The Christmas tree is still up....so we can't have that task mastered until it is put away in the attic!
I am already trying to plan her first birthday party. I am going to request people not send gifts, but instead make a donation to MD Anderson in her name. She is so blessed with so many things her life....she doesn't NEED anything. As all of you know, my mom's life was saved by MD Anderson...therefore, giving back to them seems like the right thing to do. If it helps other Mom's, Dad's, and Grandparent's be able to watch their children/grandchildren grow up....I think it is totally the right thing to do!
I broke my lens therefore, I don't have any current pictures to post. As soon as it comes back from the Nikon Repair center...I will be sure to capture oodles of her and post them!
I'm hoping I don't blink too much these next few years!!! I'd hate for time to continue to fly as fast as it has this year!!!
She is now wearing stage 4 diapers. She weighs about 21 pounds and still has the biggest blue's I've seen. Kynsley is quite serious...sometimes just looking at us as we try to make her smile....like we are crazy! But, oh, when she smiles....she melts your heart! Her eyes just light up!!!
She is quite funny in the fact that she still hums to herself when she eats. She used to hum when she was trying to put herself to sleep as well, however, I haven't heard her do it lately. She is becoming quite mobile and FAST. She is crawling and pulls herself up to walk along things. I even noticed two days ago, her trying to hike a leg up to climb onto the couch. Ugh Oh! The Christmas tree is still up....so we can't have that task mastered until it is put away in the attic!
I am already trying to plan her first birthday party. I am going to request people not send gifts, but instead make a donation to MD Anderson in her name. She is so blessed with so many things her life....she doesn't NEED anything. As all of you know, my mom's life was saved by MD Anderson...therefore, giving back to them seems like the right thing to do. If it helps other Mom's, Dad's, and Grandparent's be able to watch their children/grandchildren grow up....I think it is totally the right thing to do!
I broke my lens therefore, I don't have any current pictures to post. As soon as it comes back from the Nikon Repair center...I will be sure to capture oodles of her and post them!
I'm hoping I don't blink too much these next few years!!! I'd hate for time to continue to fly as fast as it has this year!!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Update
Gosh, I'm 34 already! That is a crazy number! Only 6 years until I'm 40! FORTY!!!!
Jadyn is now 4 and a half and has started to calm down. We went to dinner with her the other night, and we really enjoyed her company. There wasn't the constant need to correct her. I look forward to many more outings as a result! She is becoming a very big help around the house as well! Extra bonus for MOM!!! She still makes me laugh everyday! (With her behavior, her statements, her just overall mannerisms!) She absolutely LOVES dressing up. In fact, I had to ground her for a week from her dress-up stuff after she dumped 2 loads of clean clothes into her dirty clothes hamper. Since then...(about a month ago) her room has been quite tidy!!! Only about once a week do I have to ask her to pick it up, and even then...it maybe a pair of shoes on the floor....nothing major!
Ashlyn is doing great in school. Her lowest grade on her report card all year was a 93. I can't complain about that....as she is doing awesome, learning lots, and is loved by her teacher! She is just as beautiful as always, inside and out. She learned her first cuss word the other day. (Completely my fault!) I had bought a card last year as a joke about being on Santa's "$___" list. Needless to say...she found it, read it, and asked what it meant! Oops.
Kynsley has started giving kisses when you ask for them. I just love them....they are the open mouth face plants that last about 15 seconds each. She is beginning to get picky in what she eats. She loves anything spaghetti flavored as well as peach flavored yogurt melts (it's like a freeze dried yogurt). She still drinks from a bottle about 6 ounces at a time. I've introduced juice to her in a sippy cup. She is okay with it, but still prefers her milk and from a bottle! She doesn't care for the sippy cups!
Kynsley attends Mother's Day Out with Jadyn. She has been going since she was 5 weeks old. She is a teacher favorite. Her teacher's are Ms. Melissa and helper Ms. Neva. Jadyn is in Pre-K with Mrs. Brenda and helper Mrs. Gail. Mrs. Brenda loves Jadie's sense of humor and says she makes her laugh everyday!
Jadyn is now 4 and a half and has started to calm down. We went to dinner with her the other night, and we really enjoyed her company. There wasn't the constant need to correct her. I look forward to many more outings as a result! She is becoming a very big help around the house as well! Extra bonus for MOM!!! She still makes me laugh everyday! (With her behavior, her statements, her just overall mannerisms!) She absolutely LOVES dressing up. In fact, I had to ground her for a week from her dress-up stuff after she dumped 2 loads of clean clothes into her dirty clothes hamper. Since then...(about a month ago) her room has been quite tidy!!! Only about once a week do I have to ask her to pick it up, and even then...it maybe a pair of shoes on the floor....nothing major!
Ashlyn is doing great in school. Her lowest grade on her report card all year was a 93. I can't complain about that....as she is doing awesome, learning lots, and is loved by her teacher! She is just as beautiful as always, inside and out. She learned her first cuss word the other day. (Completely my fault!) I had bought a card last year as a joke about being on Santa's "$___" list. Needless to say...she found it, read it, and asked what it meant! Oops.
Kynsley has started giving kisses when you ask for them. I just love them....they are the open mouth face plants that last about 15 seconds each. She is beginning to get picky in what she eats. She loves anything spaghetti flavored as well as peach flavored yogurt melts (it's like a freeze dried yogurt). She still drinks from a bottle about 6 ounces at a time. I've introduced juice to her in a sippy cup. She is okay with it, but still prefers her milk and from a bottle! She doesn't care for the sippy cups!
Kynsley attends Mother's Day Out with Jadyn. She has been going since she was 5 weeks old. She is a teacher favorite. Her teacher's are Ms. Melissa and helper Ms. Neva. Jadyn is in Pre-K with Mrs. Brenda and helper Mrs. Gail. Mrs. Brenda loves Jadie's sense of humor and says she makes her laugh everyday!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Surprise Girls....We're going to Disney World.
Monday was Halloween. During the day, my Mom came over to get Kynsley for the week. The girls thought she was coming to get her just for the night so that we (John and I) could take the big girls trick or treating and not have to worry about getting Kynsley home for bed.
We took the girls Trick or Treating with some neighbor friends who have a 7 year old named Emily. The girls rode in the bucket attachment on the golf cart as we went around. Both Ashlyn and Jadyn were jaguar cats. When we returned home at 7, we told the girls to get dressed in black leggings and a long sleeve shirt. I went ahead and put Ashlyn's hair in a pony tail so that I wouldn't have to wake her up in the morning. We told the girls we had to wake up super early to take Daddy to a meeting in Houston. While we were there, Grandma was going to meet us for Breakfast and give us Kynsley. The real story was we were leaving the house at 4 am to make a 7:35 flight in Houston to Orlando. We were headed to Disney World. We had planned on surprising the girls at a Shipley's close to the airport, but we drove past it and didn't have extra time to turn around. So we had to tell them in the parking lot of the Parking Spot.
We got the girls out of the car, told them I wanted to take their picture with Daddy. (I was recording) I said okay...one two three.....We're going to DISNEY!!! Ashlyn was so confused but smiling the whole time. Looking at both John and me trying to figure it all out! And Jadie was clueless, I don't think she knew what Disney was! She was upset because her leggings were falling down and she wanted Daddy to fix them.
We stayed at Disney 6 days!!! It was a perfect amount of time. It was fast and furious and crammed pack with excitement. We all were in need of a day long nap upon our return home!!! It was an awesome adventure and we can't wait until Kynsley is 4 years old and we can take her with us!!!
Tumbling Cheerleading and Ballet
Jadie declined playing soccer this year, and instead chose tumbling and ballet. I'm a little apprehensive about tumbling since there are 15 kids in there and only 1 instructor. It just seems like a lot of 3-4 year olds to handle and teach a skill at the same time. She loves it though...so we are sticking with it. She is in ballet as well with about 8 other girls. Her teacher is Mrs. Roberta. She is about 70 years old, and is so good with the little girls. She is 100% ballerina, and Jadie just eats it up! She wants to have a bun for every class just like Mrs. Roberta. I can't wait to see her perform, in May. The way this dance academy works: no parents are allowed to watch during instruction. So I have no idea how she is doing? what she is learning? and if she is behaving?
Soccer
Ashlyn played Soccer again this Fall. She is really getting pretty good. She really has a knowledge of the game and anticipates plays that most kids her age....don't see coming! She plays Puma or Rhino most often. Puma is up front and has the ability to go all over the field. Rhino is our last line of defense since there are no goalies at this age. She isn't supposed to score as a rhino, although she does sometimes! ;)
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Kynsley is Officially Crawling
No more army crawling and scooting...she is figured it out just minutes ago! It was so neat watching her. You could see the concentration in her face as she slowly placed each hand in front of the other one. Then sat up and smiled, threw her arms up and down and squealed in delight! She sure is proud of herself...and so is her Mama!!!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Second Grade....SECOND GRADE!!!!
I am still in shock that Ashlyn is in the second grade this year. This age is the same age that I used to teach!!! I can't believe she is already there!!! Crazy. Truly my advice for parents out there of young children....DON'T blink and take lots and lots of video!!!!
Best of luck to you Ashlyn for a successful year!!!
Best of luck to you Ashlyn for a successful year!!!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Friday, August 05, 2011
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Nursing
I'm still nursing Kynsley. However, she has been weened to just one feeding in the middle of the night. My heart hurts to know that I'm losing my supply and won't be able to share these moments with her anymore. I'm also excited about the potential full nights sleep I could get as a result.
Kynsley now has her two bottom teeth so that is another HUGE reason to stop. She bit me a couple of times while she was cutting them, but hasn't since they broke through. I know it's just a matter of time though since her mouth has a lot more teeth waiting to pop up!!!
Kynsley now has her two bottom teeth so that is another HUGE reason to stop. She bit me a couple of times while she was cutting them, but hasn't since they broke through. I know it's just a matter of time though since her mouth has a lot more teeth waiting to pop up!!!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Kynsley's Results and First Solid Food Pictures from Earlier
The X-Rays came back normal!!!! YEAH!!!!
Here are a couple pictures of Kynsley eating her first Solid Food. Cereal. Back in early July.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Kynsley's X-rays
Saturday, johnathan gave Kynsley a bath and afterwards, he brought her to me and says "I found something wrong with Kynsley". He showed me that her butt crack turned about an inch from the top to the right. We kinda chuckled and didn't think much about it. On Monday, while hosting a swim day at our house, I got to thinking about it again so I asked my other "moms" that were visiting. They said I should google it. So....I did and immediately got terrified when I read that there is a good change that she has a form of spina bifida. So I of course became a wreck. Needless to say she had a scheduled appointment today. Dr Prause sent us to get her an xray to figure out whatever say.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Happy 34th Johnathan
For John's birthday we took the girls to Moody Gardens.
We left early Sunday morning and headed to Galveston. When we arrived at our hotel, our room wasn't ready so we changed clothes and headed out to the pool. Johnathan got the older two sunscreened up while I got myself and Kynsley ready to swim. John and the girls were the first in the pool. I gave Kynsley to Johnathan once she was all prepared and went back to the chairs to finish lathering on the sunscreen. I finally finished and headed over to the pool. I sat down...put my little toe in...and said NO WAY! It was freezing in there. That's when I look over at Jadie's lips and they are purple and she is just a chattering away! So....everyone got out of the pool and we walked over to Palm Beach at Moody Gardens. Johnathan took Ashlyn and Jadyn with him to do the water slides and the lazy river, while Kynsley and I stayed on the beach side and relaxed.
Kynsley even took a power nap in the stroller.
It wasn't long before I received a message saying our room was now available. So we headed up to our room to get showered up and ready for our big Birthday Surprise for Johnathan. (The girls and I had talked and Ashlyn wanted to take Johnathan to the Rainforest Cafe to get dessert. It's a flaming volcano. Basically it is a brownie with icecream and they put sparklers in it.) They were giddy with excitement. We drove over to the Rainforest Cafe to learn that it was a 2-2.5 hour wait! Since it was 6:00 there was no way we were going to be able to keep Ashlyn and Jadyn entertained and AWAKE for 2.5 hours while waiting for a table. So we went to a Chili's down the road. The girls still ordered their Daddy a dessert. It was their molten lava cake. The funny thing is...between Ashlyn, Jadie, and me...Johnathan didn't get but a bite!
The next day we woke up and Johnathan took the older two to Schliterbahn and Kynsley and I slept in late and went to all the attractions at Moody Gardens. Kynsley was such a trooper...not once did she fuss or cry. We went to the Dino's Alive, Rainforest, Discovery Center, and the Aquarium. From what I heard when the girls' got back to the room...they had a blast! We were supposed to go see a 9pm showing for IMAX of Rio, and it wasn't until very last minute that we decided to go. It was a decision well made...the movie was great and the girls were actually quite well behaved considering they were beyond exhausted! (The two pictures below are a before and after! The girls' kept fighting and kept fighting so I told them to put their noses together and stay there for 5 minutes. They of course protested so I said if they stay together for 30 seconds they could be done. So I started counting. I made it to about 5 before I started laughing! I could see Ashlyn completely mortified that she had to do this and Jadie started looking guilty and I imagined her trying to stick her tongue out to lick Ashlyn just to annoy her! Thank goodness Johnathan was there to step in and continue the counting!)
The last day of our stay we packed, loaded up the car, then headed to IHOP for breakfast. After eating we headed back to the hotel to park in the garage before our key card expired and wouldn't allow us access. John and I took the girls to the rest of the attractions at Moody Gardens. (The ones I did with just Kynsley the day before.) They were scared at Dino's Alive. They liked the aquarium and the rainforest the best. They even got to see a 3 toed sloth at the rainforest and hold a beautiful butterfly also.)
It was about 5pm when we loaded into the car and headed back to Fannett. The girls were all passed out from exhaustion before we even made it past the seawall. It was a perfect family vacation!
We left early Sunday morning and headed to Galveston. When we arrived at our hotel, our room wasn't ready so we changed clothes and headed out to the pool. Johnathan got the older two sunscreened up while I got myself and Kynsley ready to swim. John and the girls were the first in the pool. I gave Kynsley to Johnathan once she was all prepared and went back to the chairs to finish lathering on the sunscreen. I finally finished and headed over to the pool. I sat down...put my little toe in...and said NO WAY! It was freezing in there. That's when I look over at Jadie's lips and they are purple and she is just a chattering away! So....everyone got out of the pool and we walked over to Palm Beach at Moody Gardens. Johnathan took Ashlyn and Jadyn with him to do the water slides and the lazy river, while Kynsley and I stayed on the beach side and relaxed.
It wasn't long before I received a message saying our room was now available. So we headed up to our room to get showered up and ready for our big Birthday Surprise for Johnathan. (The girls and I had talked and Ashlyn wanted to take Johnathan to the Rainforest Cafe to get dessert. It's a flaming volcano. Basically it is a brownie with icecream and they put sparklers in it.) They were giddy with excitement. We drove over to the Rainforest Cafe to learn that it was a 2-2.5 hour wait! Since it was 6:00 there was no way we were going to be able to keep Ashlyn and Jadyn entertained and AWAKE for 2.5 hours while waiting for a table. So we went to a Chili's down the road. The girls still ordered their Daddy a dessert. It was their molten lava cake. The funny thing is...between Ashlyn, Jadie, and me...Johnathan didn't get but a bite!
The next day we woke up and Johnathan took the older two to Schliterbahn and Kynsley and I slept in late and went to all the attractions at Moody Gardens. Kynsley was such a trooper...not once did she fuss or cry. We went to the Dino's Alive, Rainforest, Discovery Center, and the Aquarium. From what I heard when the girls' got back to the room...they had a blast! We were supposed to go see a 9pm showing for IMAX of Rio, and it wasn't until very last minute that we decided to go. It was a decision well made...the movie was great and the girls were actually quite well behaved considering they were beyond exhausted! (The two pictures below are a before and after! The girls' kept fighting and kept fighting so I told them to put their noses together and stay there for 5 minutes. They of course protested so I said if they stay together for 30 seconds they could be done. So I started counting. I made it to about 5 before I started laughing! I could see Ashlyn completely mortified that she had to do this and Jadie started looking guilty and I imagined her trying to stick her tongue out to lick Ashlyn just to annoy her! Thank goodness Johnathan was there to step in and continue the counting!)
The last day of our stay we packed, loaded up the car, then headed to IHOP for breakfast. After eating we headed back to the hotel to park in the garage before our key card expired and wouldn't allow us access. John and I took the girls to the rest of the attractions at Moody Gardens. (The ones I did with just Kynsley the day before.) They were scared at Dino's Alive. They liked the aquarium and the rainforest the best. They even got to see a 3 toed sloth at the rainforest and hold a beautiful butterfly also.)
Kynsley is now eating three meals a day. She has added squash to her diet. Next I plan on adding the fruits, starting with prunes. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and long eyelashes. She has another tooth that is trying to come in also. She even said "Mama" for the first time while at our friend's house. I heard her say it again the very next morning!
She is sitting up all by herself better now, however, she still face plants every 30 seconds or so. She is starting to figure out how to move around in the walker as well! She loves the sound of a water bottle and the wipey bags. She absolutely adores Ashlyn who spends hours carrying her around!
Kynsley is starting to find her voice as well! She loves to make the "indian" sound where I put my hand in front of her mouth as she is "awwww" ing and move it quickly. If I pull my hand away...she will pull it back and try to do it by herself.
She is now taking a bath in the sink sitting up in the bath seat. She isn't as excited in the water as her big sisters were at her age...but she doesn't mind getting a bath.
I am still nursing her freely during the night, however, only have the chance to nurse her a couple of times during the day. Typically she is too distracted to benefit from it, so I usually just give her a bottle to top her off. She has started taking naps in her crib, and pack and play since she has outgrown her swing!
She is sitting up all by herself better now, however, she still face plants every 30 seconds or so. She is starting to figure out how to move around in the walker as well! She loves the sound of a water bottle and the wipey bags. She absolutely adores Ashlyn who spends hours carrying her around!
Kynsley is starting to find her voice as well! She loves to make the "indian" sound where I put my hand in front of her mouth as she is "awwww" ing and move it quickly. If I pull my hand away...she will pull it back and try to do it by herself.
She is now taking a bath in the sink sitting up in the bath seat. She isn't as excited in the water as her big sisters were at her age...but she doesn't mind getting a bath.
I am still nursing her freely during the night, however, only have the chance to nurse her a couple of times during the day. Typically she is too distracted to benefit from it, so I usually just give her a bottle to top her off. She has started taking naps in her crib, and pack and play since she has outgrown her swing!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Six Months
Kynsley is now sitting well assisted and can sit independently for about 10 seconds before face planting or falling like a tree to the ground.
Kynsley has been eating vegetables for a week now. We started her with green beans mixed with cereal which she did okay with. Then we added peas and she liked those a lot. Two nights ago, Johnathan gave her carrots which she loved!!!
She is now rolling around to get to things that she wants. She also wants my attention and it's like I break her heart if I walk by and don't pick her up.
Today I noticed that Kynsley has a tooth!!!!
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Stefany Brings the Kids
Stefany came over and brought Carey, Richard Glyn, and Conway for the night. When they arrived we piled in the cars and headed to Gator Country. The kiddos even got the opportunity to swim with alligators!!! I was proud to say my girl's got in the water with a 3.5 footer...but neither of them actually had the guts to catch any of them. On the other hand, Richard Glyn was all about it! He was so stinkin cute. He would swim over them, and go underwater and try to pick them up. He managed to catch one all by himself. The other one he had to have help from the staff because it kept moving away from him and it was in deeper water. All in all...it was only $5 for each kid to swim. Talk about the best $20 bucks I've spent in a long time!!!!
Independence Day
I tried to get Kynsley to take some pictures...she wasn't having it! I hope to have the opportunity again later this week.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Let the solids begin
Today I decided to try to put a little bit of Rice Cereal into Kynsley's evening bottle. So far she seems to be handling it and doesn't mind the change in taste too much. I'm not going to give her anything else or add anymore Cereal to her diet until I get the okay from her pediatrician. She is really growing fast and has started reaching for things. She has also started smiling a LOT more!!!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Pictures Taken During June
Happy Father's Day Johnathan!
This is how you will find Kynsley after a day in the sun! I pull the pack and play outside along with the swing. While she is awake she is lounging in the pool with me, or hanging out in her swing. Here she had fallen asleep while the girl's and I were swimming. 
The next two pictures were taken on June 11th at BASF's company Family Fun Day. The kids had a blast! I love that they do this for their employees. I even got to go on the Race Cars and hit some balls in the batting cages. 
We took Ashlyn to Gator Country so she could check out the creatures they had there and show Johnathan which animals she saw at the Family Resource Center camp I took her to one day this month. 
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Friday, June 03, 2011
Last day of school
Today was Ashlyn's last day as a First Grader. I'd say she did remarkably well. Finishing with almost 100's across the board. If my memory serves me correct, her lowest report card grade all year was a 96. We recommended her for GT testing. As of yet, we have not heard whether or not she qualified.
Ashlyn was quite bored throughout the year. She even began to say she didn't want to go to school anymore before Christmas because she was bored. We challenged her from then on with reading for pay. We paid her $1 for each Accelerated Reading test which she received a 100 on. She did such a great job and was even recognized last week as the top reader in Mrs. Murphy's first grade class.
John's surgery
It's official. God has provided us with 3 healthy, happy, gorgeous girls! If we are to have anymore...it truly will have to be an act of God.
Dear Heavenly Father, let me be strong enough to protect them with my every breath,
And please watch over them and keep them safe when I can not.
Girls, my prayer for you is that the amazing, unique and awe-inspiring glow that lights each of you from within
Will continue to shine brightly and warm the hearts of your friends and family;
That each of you will greet each new sunrise with eagerness to meet the new day,
And that you sleep each night with peace of mind and spirit.
I pray that as you make your place in this world,
You all continue to value honesty, integrity and loyalty above superficial relationships;
And that each of you build your future on the foundations of our Christian belief.
I pray that as you confront the often harsh realities that come with maturity
You can still appreciate the daily miracles that make each day a gift;
And that when you face life's challenges and obstacles,
Your faith in yourself and in God will see you through and give you comfort.
I pray that each of you find someone who will love you without reservation,
Who will stand with you, empower you and defend you with every fiber of his being;
And that you one day experience the fierce joy that fills your soul when you have a child of your own,
So that you can finally understand how our pride in you girls will never waver, and our love for each of you can never end.
So today, I pray that God will always keep you in His sight and in His care,
And that Daddy and I may always stand by your side.
4 month check up
Kynsley is now 4 months old. When I took her to see Dr. Prause he said she weighed 13.12 pounds and measured 26.5 inches. This put her in the 50% percentile on weight and off the charts on height. I said when we got home from our cruise...that she looked like she had grown a LOT....I guess Mama knows best! She is now wearing 9-12 month clothes. She rolls over from front to back and coos a lot. She has found her feet and plays with them a LOT! She is drinking about 6 ounces at a time when she is bottle fed. I still nurse her during the day and all through the night. I would predict she gets between 6-16 ounces of formula a day depending on how busy I am.
She is such a happy baby. She still fusses really only when she is hungry and when she wants to be left alone to go to sleep. Her smile melts my heart and she gets sooooooo excited when I talk to her and sometimes when I just walk by her legs and arms start going a million miles an hour.
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