Playing catch up!

Welcome back!!! I finally was able to get a card reader for my memeory card so it is time for some major catch up! Sadly I'm just now uploading Christmas from my camera!!! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

One of my nurse friends just moved to North Pole, Alaska, and thought it would be fun to write all the kids Santa letters. It was so cool seeing something post marked from there...

Reading her Santa letter.

Here are a few pictures grom Pops and Grammy's house...They got Ava a bike to stay at their house...She LOVES it!

Ava and her new gloves

Penny and her new snuggie!

Someone was a little spoiled with all of those gifts!

Paul in his awesome sweater

Playing with her farm from Grammy and Pops

That afternoon we went to my parents...and did LOTS of jumping on the bed with Addy! (notice the booty crack!!!)

My mom and wonderful Sister in law...and baby!!!

Why buy 2 one year olds toys when they can just have a dog bed?!?! Good thing Bonnie was nice and shared it...They just kept blowing on eachothers tummys and laughing over and over and over again!!!

Addy got some bathtub flutes...David and the girls enjoyed them!

Addy really enjoyed the cheese dip...I think she enjoyed wearing it more than eating it...

Lots more pictures to come...I only uploaded 400 pictures last night!

Well it has been a LONG time!!! I don't even know where to begin. The month of November I was out of town EVERY weekend and most of the week Thanksgiving. Month of December if I was not working we were out of town until last week! It has been a crazy last few months to say the least.

Well this last week was our first week in town and I think everything thing that could of gone wrong did! Whatever lesson that God is teaching David and I we are sooo ready for it to be over. But God is in control and isn't giving us anything we can't handle. Some how we are still living, laughing and yes living in the livingroom haha. David explains it best on his facebook status...

"in the course of 72 hours we have experienced a water damaged shower complete with black mold, a broken dishwasher, a family feud between the landlord and his son, Ava came home sick from daycare and vomited everywhere, our water heater went out 30 mins before company came, the kitchen sink was rotten through and had to be replaced and when the plumber showed up the dog started having two epileptic seizures and is now in the hospital!"
So far everything has gotten fixed...well the shower is being worked on as we speak at 9 pm! (not too happy about that but some how Ava is sleeping)...but hey it is getting done!

Ok now here is what y'all want the pictures...and yes it is mid Jan and I am posting Christmas pictures... I can't find the cord that goes to my camera so all I have are the pictures off of the USB port from my parents camera... Enjoy!!!

Pappy, Addy, and Ava opening Christmas gifts.
I think this might be the only gift Ava was interested in... (she had to take a nap at Grammy's house during gifts)

Great Grandpa came to see Ava and Addy

Part of our christmas was going to see ICE at the Gaylord. We thought Ava would enjoy it...boy were we wrong...it was WAY busy, you couldn't have a stroller, she wanted down but couldn't walk in the huge coat...so she cried the whole time!!!

(Plus it's NEVER good if the handle of her paci is touching her nose...it's her weird thing she does when she is sleepy)

Daddy and Ava Kate

Lisa, Cheryl, Erica, Paul, Michael

The whole gang!

Isn't it amazing that that is all ice!

Everytime we put her down she wanted to lay her poor head on the ice.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures....if I ever find my cord or go buy a new one there will be tons more to come. Hope everyone is having a great new year!!!

HoHoHo

It is slowly begining to look a lot like Christmas! We have had our tree, and all the other stuff up around the house for a while. But the weather has kept it from feeling like Christmas. We have our AC on in our house, and it is 75 degrees outside! I hope it is at least cold for Christmas day!

Well over Thanksgiving break we went back to Bass Pro Shops for our Santa pictures! This year we got a group picture and by themselves...and yes I am aware that I didn't upload the single of Ava...Thats becuase I haven't scanned it in yet...I know I'm a bad momma...

Here is Addy, Jason, Santa, and Ava Kate....I bet you figured this picture out pretty fast...Addy wasn't going to have anything to do with poor Santa. So Jason got to sit in Santa's chair...wasn't that nice of Santa. And Ava could really care less about Santa...not scared and for sure not impressed with the man. (I was impressed how real he looked and how nice he was)




Addy, Jason, and Santa.

If y'all haven't been to Santa's workshop at Bass Pro Shops it is pretty cool. It's free, and there are TONS of free things for the kids to do. It is AWESOME!! Oh and they do santa passes so you don't have to stand in line as long.

We have all but one gift to buy...and it is just a matter of going and getting it! All of them wrapped (well all that are in, we had to order two of them). The bad news is that I don't know if we will make it to Irving with all of them since Ava has carried them all over the house!!!

***Update on Colton. He is feeling better and doing a little better for now. He has been able to lose 34 lbs of fluid (in 2 days! WOW!) and his blood work is looking better. He even got to go "home" to their rented apartment in Houston. (they try to keep transplant patients out of the hospital as much as possible since there is sooo many germs in the hospital). Please continue to pray for him, his family, and Dr.s/nurses. Pray that it was a misdiagonsis! God has been so good in all of this...bringing sooo many to lean and to trust in him. Just keep praying!!!

Hope all of y'all are doing great, and are enjoying this Christmas season. Most of y'all should be getting a little something from Ava in the mail soon! Enjoy!

I can't sleep...yes I am aware that it is only 10:40 but since David and I did go to bed around 9ish...I have been laying in bed wide awake for a while. My heart is just breaking for Colton and his family. The biopsy came back positive for VOD. One of the best ways it has been explained to me is...before transplant they give really high doses of the chemo to knock out any of his immune system. Because of such high doses it has damaged his veins to his liver. This doesn't allow his liver to work right, and there is no way to fix the damage. It pretty much puts you into liver failure, and the multi organ failure, then death. (from what I have been reading about 30-60 days)

He is only 22!!! He is too young for this! He is engaged to be married! Why does his life have to be cut short? Why does his family have to watch him suffer? He is at MD Anderson, by far the best place for him medically, but yet sooo far from him friends and family...not that he would be allowed to see them anyways since he has no immune system. Praise God his mother has been able to be by his side this whole time. I just even imagine what she is feeling. All I can think of is how I would feel if it was me and Ava was sick.---then I get mad at myself for not saving her cord blood. I just pray that while she is taking care of Colton, that she is taking care of herself...He needs her.

I know God has a plan, I know God has the ability to fix everything, I know God doesn't cause this that he is bigger than this!...but it still sometimes sucks.

All we can do is just give this to God, lift him and his family to God, lift up his Dr's, nurses, and caregivers to God.

Once again I beg all of y'all who read my blog to just stop and pray for him...he needs our prayers!!! Lana needs our prayers!!! Parker 7 (my floor at the hospital) need your prayers!!!

PRAY PRAY PRAY!!! PLEASE PRAY!!!

URGENT PRAYERS REQUEST for one of my patients!!! (Approved by his mom to post). Many of you know Coltoon Manly and the Team Colton t-shirts we wear on Parker 7 at Hendrick Hospital (Cancer floor). He is a 22 year old, engaged young man fighting for his life with Leukemia, and just had a bone marrow transplant and is now having SEVERE life threating complications. There isn't a final diagnosis yet and they are doing a biopsy on monday. His mom is there by his side, his Dad is home sick unable to be there do to the risk for Colton. I know God's perfect plan is in place, but sometimes it is difficult to watch our patient's journey because it is so rocky. Please just pray for this precious amazing family!

Let me just tell you how amazing this family is...this is what Lana (Colton's Mom) posted today while having to watch her son suffer..."I often take a look around this place and immediately feel grateful and fortunate because there are soo many worse off. Just when you think it can't get any worse, look around. Sometimes we can still be lucky in our unluckiness. Bless all these cancer patients and I hope they have as much love and support behind them as we do." Wow!!! I pray she is able to keep her strength up during this time.

Once again please please please pray for them!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

Happy late Thanksgiving!!! We were able to spend Thanksgiving with most of our families this year. David and I drove in after work on wednesday so that we could go with his family to Hilsburrow (sp?) to meet up with his extended family. We all met up at a Blackeye Pea for Thanksmas...Their Thanksgiving and Christmas get together. Of course my camera died after the first picture I took...so these are from Lisa's camera...and waiting of a couple of others.

Here is the kids and the spouses...Michael, Lisa, Granny (Michael's mom) Kay (Michael's sister) and Allen.
All of the grandkids, and greatgrands! Todd, Paul, David, Kalen (sp?) Ava, Granny, Logan, Addison, Ginger

Ava playing with her puzzle she got for thanksmas!

My family did Thanksgiving on Friday. Jason, Shannon and Addy were able to make it in for a super fast trip. I think that Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday (after Easter). I just love that everyone comes together just to be with eachother...not because of gifts. My two uncles, Grandpa and my Cousin Nicole and her husband were able to join us. I hope to have pictures from my family soon. Now I must get back to putting up my Christmas stuff!

Trying to give up control...

Everyone at work has been giving me such a hard time because for the most part I don't let Ava feed herself. I'm having a hard time giving up that control. She will eat her finger foods and the "non" messy (if there is a such thing) stuff by herself. But I have never given her a spoon before...bc you know,...its just going to be super messy. The otherday I gave her mashed potatoes...I figure they are a good spoon food, and they would be a good food to learn how to work it. So here goes nothing...

hmm this spoon thing doesn't work well...I will just use my hands!

mmmm see my hand is works just fine!!!

Why can't I get the food to stay on this end of the spoon...Doesn't the handle go in your mouth?!?!

All done! (this really is her signing all done! She can also sign more, please, and thank you!!! smart baby!!!)

Oh mom...do you really have to take my picture so much??? I'm just smearing food all over my face!