funk

So lately as some of you know I've been in a funk. No, I don't want to talk about it and I'm not doing okay. And it's not just because Dylan still is sick. The antibiotics didn't work well so I need to call his pediatrician again since the pulmonologist is on vacation and have him be seen again. We have a LVN coming this afternoon who was suppose to come on Friday night and didn't show up, but left a message on my cell which I didn't hear for hours after our missed appointment, saying she was not going to make it because she got off late from her shift somewhere else and was hungry. I spent Saturday shopping with my mom. I really didn't need anything since I'm almost done Christmas shopping. Just last minute things. I'm glad I got most of it done the day after Thanksgiving. Brianna is sure to be bored the next few weeks without preschool. any ideas on fun activities for kids that aren't too messy. I'm thinking that I need to schedule a few play dates for her. Maybe it's weird but I really am enjoying the rain. Not the cold but the rain. It's very peaceful. The one thing that I dislike about this weather is that it makes it hard to run with or without the kids.

I've been reading a good book about "Leading a Compassionate Life and the unexpected benefits of kindness". It's been interesting. I can't say I believe all of the theological stuff the author talks about but it definitely has some good points.

So how many of you have to travel east down Folsom Blvd. Since construction is going on Folsom and Watt is a nightmare. Well on Saturday I got flipped off by this chick who must not live in the area because she must not know about the crappy lane change job the construction workers did. I can't believe how many accidents that I, family or friends have almost been in, because of the poor markings on the road. I've been trying to figure out who I can contact to put in a complaint in the hopes that the road will be marked better.......

Anyhow...off to another Monday...some stuff just a different day!

Think good thoughts

Dylan has pneumonia. Kalen took him to the doctor for me on Saturday. He is on an antibotic and has a follow up appointment on Monday. Hopefully we will see a change in his xray, since the one on Sat. was pretty bad.... Just think good thoughts for us. I"m sacred that we are going to have a repeat like we did last year. Is RSV next??? Hopefully he will be able to stay out of the hospital...

Before I was a mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put him or her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom..
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Dylan did it!!

I just had a few minutes, but wanted to let everyone know how excited Kalen and I are. Dylan is eating oatmeal again. It's been months since he has eaten a solid food. we were worried that he would lose that skill. We are sticking with oatmeal and feeding tube formula for now, but maybe he will gain all of his eating skills back. I promise I'll post pics, thanksgiving updates, and everything else that's going on. and Emily I really hope to call you this week. Things have just been a little crazy....

did you know I...

Copy the entire list and bold the ones you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (for part of a night)
3. Played in a band (does Rockband count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a Meteor Shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a Mountain (almost to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a Lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (when I was young)
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (does kickball count?)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (family)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (when I 8)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (I even hid friends in my trunk...what was wrong with me)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (it's on my list of things to do before I die)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square (want to someday)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (almost....when I was training for my last marathon)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (something I want to do)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox (1 singel chickenpox..does that count?)
89. Saved someone’s life (I've had to call 911,numerous of times for Dylan, does that count)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I copied this from Christine's blog. Thought is was worth doing... looking forward to seeing in on your blogs:)

what are you doing Thursday morning!!!

A tradition in our family is to participate in the race. I will be running the 5k. It will be fun to participate again this year!!! I hope to improve my PR. That means my personal record. rain or shine we'll be there:) Can't wait!

twilight!

Loved it! enough said:)

It was so much fun going with friends to see the movie. After the movie we went to The Cheesecake Factory. It was Strawberrylicious!!!! that's for you Michelle:) for the rest of the world that has now idea what the heck I'm talking about you just had to be there. Kalen & I are doing to go see it soon. Yes...my husband said he would go see it with me, even though he didn't read the books. Now we need to find a sitter:) Can't wait to see if a second time... any other takers???

Spotlight Continues

So I slacked on honoring my "friend of the week". It's been on my mind for weeks, and finally have had the time to sit down and do it. So the friend I am choosing to honor this week is.......Stacy Justinich. I have to say which Stacy it is, because for some reason that is the #1 name amongst my friends.
Stacy graduated recently from school. I'm so proud that she was able to finish her goal while living a life that she never thought she would have. Having a child with special needs is very time consuming, and full of ups, downs, and everything in between. Congrats again Stacy! Here she is:

So here's our story.... Stacy was "referred" to me from the teacher Dylan had in the infant program he was in. His teacher asked that I call this mom that was "new" to the program. So we finally were able to touch base one day and spent awhile on the phone one Saturday. During that phone call we found out that we both scrapbooked, had sold the same scrapbooking product, and that our brothers had played soccer together on a team my dad coached. Small world. Never in a million years did I think someone from my past would be raising a child with special needs that knew of me back when I was in junior high. Crazy huh??? Well, our friendship has blossomed during the past 3 years. Her son Evan, was born in October, and as most of you know that is usually when Dylan begins to have more problems that normal, so for the past 3 years we haven't been able to attend her son's b-day party. One year I even responded to the evite that we would be there as long as we weren't in the hospital and guess where we were the day of the party. yup, the hospital for 3 days. I hope that one day we will be able to attend Evan's party. It's one of my goals. It might sound silly, but being able to be there for my friends on their children's birthdays are very important to me. I know for me that every year when it's time for Dylan's birthday it is an extremely challenging time and it helps to be surrounded by family and friends to help us during that time. It's a very hard reminder that another year has gone by and milestones and goals we hoped to achieve may have not been achieved. It's extremely difficult. Stacy brought my dinner when day just because she thought I needed help. What a great friend:) I'm so glad that I called her so many years ago. I don't know how I would have made it through some days the past few years with out her!!!

So here's my reasons why I hold Stacy close to my heart:

1. She listens endlessly to my rants and raves about whatever is going on in my family's life
2. motivates me to scrapbook
3. has offered numerous times to come sit with Dylan and/or Brianna so I can go to the store
4. wants to participate in a book club w/me
5. shares her beliefs with me
6. scrapbooked together (we need to do that again)
7. is extremely thoughtful
8. is non-judgemental:)
9. brought me this tool thingy to get rid of dry skin on my feet, just because she knew I was annoyed with my feet. (I know more than you wanted to know)
10. is a great mom and advocate for her kids
11. is extremely kind to others, even when they aren't to her. (I'm working on being more like her)
12. I have a million more reasons but need to go feed my family dinner.

check back for the next spotlight......

Can't wait!!!!

Scroll to pause music on our blog:)

a few things to catch up on

So a few of you voted on our poll. I thought it was interesting that 66% of those that voted look at blogs and don't leave comments. I'm one of those people sometimes:)

Anyhoo..... So far today I've been able to think clearly. Dylan has been in a SUPER GREAT mood. NO screaming. We changed his feeding tube formula last night per our request to Dylan's GI doctor. I'm so glad that I go to a special needs mom's group. I've learned so much from so many!!! It probably wouldn't have crossed our minds that the formula could be the problem of Dylan's current screaming fits. We still are not completely sure, but I will take peace and quiet so I can THINK, pay bills, blog, talk on the phone, and just sit for the time being.

I want to publicly thank my mom for coming and helping with the kids, the past few days every now and then. I was able to go to the store, take Brianna to school, carry a conversation without criticism and think. MOMS are great!! My mom is the greatest. Having a child with special needs, hasn't only affected our immediate family but has branched out to our extended family as well. I've had to call my mom and dad(can't forget about him too) at the last minute to help us out. My dad has offered on his own to take Brianna to school sometimes. That has saved me(and my back)loading Dylan and his wheelchair 4 times. My dad also will come and just take Brianna to the park or for walks. DADS are fantastic! Plus he'll just go on an outing at the last minute with me when I don't want to go somewhere by myself. Last night we went to Borders so I could stock up on some books. He didn't need anything but he went anyways. How great is that. I am so grateful for my parents. They have helped us so many times and in so many different ways. Kalen & I appreciate all the help they provide our family. We are deeply grateful!!!

With the upcoming holiday, Thanksgiving, I am trying to think of things I am thankful for everyday. We have so much to be grateful for. Maybe next week, Kalen & I will do a post for everything we are thankful for. Onto the next post.....

Can you believe this?????

AMONGST EVERYTHING THAT OUR FAMILY HAS TO DEAL WITH, IT'S ALL THE STUPID CRAP THAT OTHERS DO OR DON'T DO. THERE IS CONSTANT FOLLOW UP WITH AGENCIES TO SEE WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG TO GET EQUIPMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR TONS OF THINGS DYLAN NEEDS AND SOME HAVE TAKEN ALMOST A YEAR TO HEAR BACK. AND THAT'S WITH ME FOLLOWING UP EVERY WEEK. THE SQUEAKY WHEEL RIGHT???? WELL IT DOESN'T WORK.

SO I HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE NURSE THAT WE HAD. HAD!!!! SHE IS AN IDIOT!!! BELOW YOU WILL FIND OUR EMAILS.

my email:
"Hi,

I wanted to check in with you and see what happened. I was under the impression that you would be coming on tuesdays and thursdays. You did not come today, Tuesday, November 11th. You said in a past email that you would let me know what days you wouldn't be coming due to the upcoming holidays and have yet to hear back from you. I had plans today that really needed to be done. Will you be coming on Thursday??? If not please let me know so I can make other arrangements for Dylan, since Brianna has a field trip at school.

Francesca
WITH OUR PHONE NUMBER SINCE SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T HAVE IT......"


Here is her response that I just today at 2:28pm.
"Hello Francesca,

I'm sorry that you did not get my email. I understand how frustrated you must have been. I will try to resend it. Just to make sure you get the information .... I will not be able to stay on the case because I need medical and I can't afford to pay for it. The only way to get it is to work for a company. I am not happy about having to make this choice but medical is very expensive."

I NEVER RECEIVED THE EMAIL FROM THIS LADY THAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I AM IN TEARS. WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE??

what is wrong with people

I don't get it. When a nurse is scheduled to work, then she needs to show up. Well guess who didn't today. I understand that it's Veteran's Day, but an email or phone call would have been nice to let me know that she wasn't coming today. I HAVE to go to the grocery store, and I can't do that pushing a wheelchair and shopping cart. Can you imagine seeing that??? we are now on the hunt for a new nurse. What's happened to people and ethics. Or even keeping a verbal or written agreement. I don't understand this....at all. Not sure if today will be better than yesterday or not. Kalen and I were talking last night, and we both agreed that at least we have each other and our kids. That makes life worth it!!!

Couple of bad days

To say the least, things have been pretty eventful at our house. Dylan had been having tons of seizures lately. Some might be saying, what's the big deal. Well let me fill you in on the details. Seizures suck. They mess up everything, from eating, sleeping, emotional and mental well-being for both Dylan and us. His neurologist has been out of town, so we have to wait until she gets back to "adjust" his meds (again???) On Friday, I was getting stuff out of my closet and there was a musty smell.... so are you asking yourself was their carpet wet. Well no, but we can't figure out why the heck the carpet stinks, so my clothes and shoes are spread out between Dylan & Brianna's rooms. Friday night, Dylan was puking and had to sleep in our bed. Try sleeping with someone who is completely rigid in their sleep. I got very little sleep. On Saturday, I went scrapbooking with a dear friend. Thanks Judy!!! i got to escape from our "reality" for a few hours. Then when I got home I was really sick. Dylan and I have been sick...... When will it pass?

Today is a pretty "bad" day. we haven't been very productive, since I'm sick. I've been peeling paint in the hall bath in an attempt to finish that project. it's only taken 2 months. hopefully one of these days it will be done.

we still aren't' sure what is going on with my closet. I've been also busy today planning the cookie swap I do every year. i was pleasantly surprised when I got a phone call from someone asking me if they could bring me dayquil. That was a nice surprise. It reinforced me to think that there are actually people that care about us and want to help us. We usually feel pretty isolated. It's not as easy for us to go to events without a lot of notice. We can't just call anyone to watch the kids, especially Dylan. Our nurse already cancelled on us 1 day last week, so you can see how difficult it is to do things. We don't want to be viewed as "party poopers", but our reality is just different from the typical person that doesn't have a special needs child. when you don't have a special needs child you can pretty much call anyone you want to watch your kids. I can't call the local teenager, because I honestly don't know how they would handle Dylan having a seizure, changing diapers on a 5 year old, giving meds in a feeding tube, just dealing with a feeding tube, Dylan's yodeling, Brianna's fit about Dylan being loud, and a million other things that goes along with watching our kids. anyhow..... I am grateful for my friends that actually stop and think what we might be feeling, and make a sincere effort to "walk in our shoes."

All I hope is that tomorrow will be a better day!!!

what a sight to see

Remember to scroll down to bottom of page and pause the music.

undecided

So we have to make one last effort to plead with you "undecided" voters, to please vote YES on 8. It's not about being discriminatory, but values. Our family believes that marriage is only between a man and a woman. We already know that we will be having to answer questions from our children as to why a child might have two "mommies" or "daddies". We are already not looking forward to that day. We do not "discriminate" against anyone. We have love ones that have chosen the"gay" lifestyle. We don't love them any less than our other relatives. Our country was formed under the inspiration of many great men. I believe that GOD helped with the forming of our country. Our family believes in THE HOLY BIBLE, and it does not support marriage between two women or two men. If PROP 8 does not pass then the government will be forcing our family and future generations to accept something that is so very different, then what our family believes and agrees with. It saddens us that we have been called a "haters". We are standing up for what we believe and will always believe. We could go on all day, but have a family to tend to. Stand up for what you believe and if you are on the fence, then I ask you to please remember to vote YES ON 8!!!!

sorry mom:)

Against my mom's concerns, worrying that someone is going to come "gets us", Kalen & I have decided to stay a "public" blog, so the world can see what our crazy life is like. Thanks for all the responses we got from our avid readers. I didn't realize how many of you actually read our blog. Some I wasn't even aware about. I'm glad to know that there are readers out there who care about us. I know for us, our blog is to keep track of our memories and to use as a "diary". Enjoy the upcoming craziness and memories:) Remember to get out and VOTE on Tuesday, November 4th!

8 things

Thanks Sheila!!

8 TV shows I love to watch (not in any particular order):

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Law & Order SVU
3. CSI
4. CSI:Miami
5. One Tree Hill
6. 90210
7. Privileged
8. Army Wives

8 Things that Happened to me Yesterday:

1. Woke up at 3:30am(thanks to Dylan), laid in bed for a 1/2 hour and decided to get up at 4am to exercise to my Tracy Anderson Method DVD (thanks Stacie!!!, my arms are killing me)

2. Paid bills, checked account balances, checked email

3. Blogged

4. Took Brianna to the Harvest Festival at preschool. Helped at the cookie decorating table. It was that or the cupcake walk....

5. Visited with a friend while going through kids clothes. My garage is getting cleared out!!!

6. Went to Babies R Us with my mom to get gifts for Coo's aka Carolyn (guess it's the other way around since her legal name isn't Coo) Baby shower on Saturday.

7. Talked with Kalen, while he played PS3

8. Went to bed early, knowing I had to get up early today to run.


8 Favorite Places to Eat:

1. Joe's Crab Shack
2. In-N-Out
3. Chevys
4. Olive Garden
5. Red Robin
6. The Elephant Bar
7. BJ's Brewery
8. Amici's

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1. Halloween

2. The Holidays (especially the day after Thanksgiving sales!!!)
3. A nurse (for one day a week for 8 hours)
4. Rain
5. Dylan's meds back to normal
6. Cooler Weather (I'm kinda sick of the warm weather)
7. The TWILIGHT Movie!!!!
8. scrapbooking with my friend Judy for 8 hours:) Haven't scrapbooked in over a year!!!

8 Things on my wish list:

1. a new refrigerator that's bigger than the one Kalen had in his apartment
2. grass in the backyard
3. peaceful relationships with friends and family
4. a nap
5. vacation to Italy
6. a therapy room for Dylan
7. a play room for Brianna
8. have the energy to run another marathon:)


8 People I Tag:1. Jennifer 2. Stacy J. 3. Michelle Johnson. 4. Christine 5. Nicole 6. Paloma 7. Kelsey 8. Katie

Our update

So here's some pics from September to October. The first pics are the most recent and then they work backwards. It's been another crazy month. We can't believe that it's been a year since a pipe at our house burst and we had to live at my parents. Hopefully the end of this year will go much smoother than last year. It will be nice to be able to be in our home for Christmas. Not that it wasn't at my parents, it just wasn't the same. We appreciate all they did to help us last year while our house was being put back together.

My friend Sheila came over yesterday, and Brianna had a blast playing with Justin. it had been awhile since they played together, but they played "nice":) Sheila, you and your family are welcomed anytime. thanks for all the chatting:)

Brianna and Justin loved being outside playing bubbles and in Brianna's playhouse. they were pretending they were washing dishes. If only she wanted to help inside:)

Brianna had a harvest festival at her preschool yesterday. She decided to stick like glue to me and of course when it was time to go, she had warmed up. She loved playing with the bubbles and decorating cookies. If you couldn't guess, she is going to be a pirate for Halloween.

Kalen and I have started doing traditions in our family this year, and for Halloween we decorated a "haunted cookie house". Brianna loved it. Dylan would have helped but has been having a really hard time the past few weeks. His seizure meds are out of whack and it's causing some issues for him. Brianna loved this activity. We are glad we decided to do it. It was lots of fun watching Brianna enjoy decorating the house. Later today we will be decorating cookies & carving our pumpkins. Dylan and Brianna will be sure to love that. Did you know that decorating cookies can be educational and therapeutic at the same time? Dylan will be able to get lots of sensory input and work on his fine motor skills at the same time, but of course with a lot of help. I know that kids will love it!

She loved the frosting!!!! It was too sugary for mine and Kalen's liking.

Our little decorator. She didn't want to be interrupted by taking a picture. She was busy "frosting" the house:) It's amazing where I found black frosting -- around, under and on the table.

Brianna and Kalen hard at work.

Dylan working on his Halloween project with his teacher. Something was really fun to him. The ghost's hands are cut outs of Dylan's hands. What an awesome idea!!! I totally want to do more arts and crafts with Brianna and Dylan, and I thought this was a great craft idea:) Dylan loves his teacher. We love her too! She is fabulous and really understands Dylan and his needs. It so neat to watch them both interact with each other.

Another tradition we wanted to start is decorating the house for Halloween. Kalen & I had fun with Brianna picking out different things for the house. Dylan would have been with us, but my mom was watching him for a few hours because he was having a really bad day. We got pumpkins lights, light up ghosts, bats & pumpkins, scarecrows, spiderwebs & a spider. We all had lots of fun putting up everything.

Dylan's PT has really been working with Dylan on sitting and getting into a sitting position. He can't sit by himself, but we are so excited that he will help us get him into a sitting position, by bearing weight through his right hand and arm. We and she is so excited. If Dylan uses air braces then he can stay in a sitting position for a few minutes on his own accord, except for when he laughs. Then he falls over. He thinks that is even funnier than whatever made him laugh in the first place.

Dylan went to an orthopedic appointment a few weeks ago. we have established a great "baseline" for Dylan in regards to the x-rays that were taken of this hips and pelvic area. Kids like Dylan normally have huge issues in those areas that require surgery. the good news is, that Dylan right now is looking good, but we have to keep up on all this weight bearing activities. So with that said here is Dylan below in his stander. the toy he is playing with can be turned in a circle. Dylan has now been able to consistently be able to turn it. we've had this toy for 2 years, and he can now move it in a circle. We are so happy!!! Kalen and I just have to remind ourselves that sometimes when it comes to Dylan, that just because something isn't happening at the moment, won't mean it won't ever. It's so huge that he will bear weight through an open hand, while trying to sit up(not independently). Dylan's PT also wants to try a "crawling device", since he will now bear weight through his hands and arms sometimes. he currently has a "gait trainer" that helps with walking. Yes you read that right, walking!!! who knows, maybe one day Dylan will be able to walk. If he doesn't that's find, but if he can, it will be a whole new world for him:) That's what we are ecstatic about:)

My dear friend, Christine, had been anxiously waiting the arrival of her little girl. I was asked to watch her daughter, Emma, who is 18months. It was such a pleasure. Brianna was unsure at first and then wanted to act like an 18month old.(that was fun) We had lots of fun and enjoyed Emma here. she is welcomed anytime!!!

Emma and Brianna hanging out on the couch.

Some random pics of the kids....................

Our friend Emma

notice the bib on Brianna.......she wanted to be like Emma.

MaryEllen was playing over at Grandma Faulconer's and asked if she could come over and play with Brianna. Kalen put on a movie and made them popcorn(they each got their own little bowl, it was so sweet!) they loved hanging out on our bed and being "big girls". They keep us busy when they are around each other, but it's so worth them being close or at least learning to be close. we figure at least this way, they will hopefully be close for the rest of their lives.

Brianna got her first Barbie a few weeks ago. She loves it. She calls it her doll. If anyone is dressed up she tells them they look like her princess doll. she is so sweet. we sure do love her. She is such a funny girl! Barbie sure have changed since I played with them. They are much more realistic now. body image wise.....

Kalen took some time off to go with Brianna on her field trip to the pumpkin farm with her class. They had so much fun. Brianna was so happy her daddy was able to take her. She still talks about going with daddy to the pumpkin farm. Here are some pics of their day:)

Brianna and her friend Mia and her brother Jace.

Brianna is really into princesses right now. So when I bought her the Sleeping Beauty DVD, I got her a sleeping beauty dress. She loves dressing up in it. It's a little bit too big since she is so petite, but loves it anyways.

Look at her hand on her hip......

We went to the beach for the first time ever with the kids. Some of you might be thinking, first time ever......well we learned a few things. Wheelchairs don't work on the beach, bring a change of clothes, a plastic bag for wet clothes, a change of clothes and a few other things. The thought crossed our minds that the wheelchair probably wouldn't go far on the sand and that was confirmed. We were in such a hurry to make it to Dylan's doctor appointment, that we forgot to grab the extra things. Oh well. There is always next time:)

Here's come pics from that day.

The is one of my favorite pics of Kalen & Dylan.

Don't those faces make you smile. Glad I get to wake up to them everyday.

Kalen found these cat ears for $0.49. What a great find! She's really been in love with cats ever since we came back from our trip to Washington. Kalen's parents have 2 cats, and Brianna still talks about them today. She reminds me of how much fun and the great memories we made when we went to visit family up in Washington.

This is our hall bath. Since we have a new vanity and countertop we decided we want to switch out the lighting and medicine cabinet and mirror. well......the light fixutre went up without a problem, but..... when Kalen took the old medicine cabinet down, paint came off the wall as well. So I have been peeling paint for the past few weeks. Kalen and I are going to be retexturing the walls, then prime the walls, paint, and then finally put up the medicine cabinet. In the process of this we got a few bids on what it would cost to take out the shower/tub combo and put in a new tub, tile surround, and tile floor. Keep in mind we just had to redo the master bathroom this past march so we had a good idea what a reasonable bid would be. We got a huge bid. we were disappointed because we really liked the guy. So on that note, Kalen and I will be doing most of the work and then hiring someone to come redo the plumbing, install the tub, and then put in tile. Next on our list in windows, crown moulding, a new front door, a new screen door, french doors into our office/therapy room, a new roof, and.....I think that's it. one thing at a time we keep telling ourselves. That's all we can do. So anyone know of a good tile guy????

I found out why the paint just peels off the wall. Some nimrod painted latex paint over oil based paint and never primed it. Who does that?????