It has been a very busy week. Getting used to the time change again and then heading back to work after a week off and finding out that NOTHING got done while I was gone has kept me busy. Monday my head was in the clouds all day as I was wishing I was still on vacation.
Tuesday I slowly started to come out of it. We took Cody back to the hospital to have another round of blood drawn so they can test his thyroid more. He was funny. As I was talking with him about it he told me that he would do it but wasn't going to be happy. I completely agreed. He doesn't have to be happy about any of it.
Today Tyler went to the doctor for his 3 year physical. He did great. He's right on track and growing up. He weighed 32 lbs and is 35 1/2" tall. For weight he is in the 50th percent tile but for height he's in the 5th. Stop laughing - my kids aren't going to be tall. Only chance of that is if they take after their Uncle Kevin.
The doctor and I also discussed Cody's blood work. It appears that his TSH level has come down from a 9.4 to a 6.something. Which I guess is good but the normal range is 0.4 to 4.0 - so he is still above normal - just not as far. So the doctor said he would talk it over with the pediatric endocrinologist and see what he says. He said they might just recommend re-testing in 6 months. Here is where I have a problem with this all. The TSH is the Thyroid Simulating Hormone that is produced by the pituitary gland. In Cody the gland is having a hard time pushing this hormone. My question is why? Why is Cody having a hard time? Most other 4 year olds don't have this problem. Then why wait 6 months. How about 2 or 3. While I love our pediatricians, this is the same doctor that had me keep Tyler on antibiotics for 3 months while Tyler had constant fluid on his ears - which then has caused him to have severe articulation problems. So - a part of me does not want to wait. And knowing me, I will probably call the endocrinologist and see about getting in to him for a consult. Because in the mean time Cody keeps complaining about being tired all the time. His constant complaint is not normal for his age.
And to top it all off - my poor sister has 2 sick kids. Guess they have the virus hand-foot-mouth. So both Connor and Karly are sick and really not feeling good. Then my mom calls me today and says that Cody is running a fever and is on the couch. Hoping it's not that as it will run through the other 2. Time will tell. (Tash, how is Rae feeling?)
And on all of this - I have been swamped preparing for our Lucky Smiles picnic. OMG - this is like throwing a wedding all over again. I have 400 invitations to stuff tonight. Guess I should probably go do that. The worst part is waiting to hear back from people. The people that have responded the quickest are those that can't come. So I hope the fire department and Shriners get back to me ASAP as my mind is whirling. More to vent on that later - off to stuff!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
More on Vegas
So hard to believe that the weekend is ending and it's back to work tomorrow. I've been unpacking since Friday when we got home and still have things to do. I realized that I never wrote anything about the reason why we went to Las Vegas - and that was for the conference.
The conference was wonderful. So many great speakers. Brett and I were especially interested in dental and one thing we know is every team does the repairs a little different. It was great to talk with dentist in Las Vegas that has the same timeline as our team here. Always reassuring! We got to hear a lady from the CDC talk. While she informed us that they are working on finding what causes a cleft - after her hour long speech they really aren't much closer to finding out why! Sometimes that is the hard part to swallow - why? But you can't live in that. Then we listened to 2 authors speak. Both had a craniofacial condition - one spoke of her journey and the other used his humor to tell his story. The he taught us how to tell our story. They both have published books so I am so anxious to find some free time and get reading. There was a doctor from the University of Florida (first mistake according to Brett) that spoke about VPI. While this doesn't pertain to Cody he was still interesting to listen to. Although he was older and got off topic quickly. Must be a Gator thing! :)
What the conference also brought was time to reconnect with "old" friends and make new ones. Seeing as though we have gone for 2 years everybody was anxious to meet Cody and Dylan. They on the other hand was not so sure about everything. Very overwhelming to 4 year olds to have a lot of strangers come up to them. They warmed up in their own ways. The boys attend Kids Camp while we were in the conference. They cried when we dropped them off but only for a minute. Another Mom went to check on them for us and they were fine. They never fought us about going so I knew it was just that initial separation. They did crafts and played games! They are still talking about it so I know it wasn't all that bad.
I however, thoroughly enjoyed seeing my old friends again. Some of these ladies are more friends than the friends I have. I guess only because we truly understand each other. Debbie, Joyce, Robin, Karen, Gina, and many others. Thank you for a great week! Karen was my god send....she checked on the boys for me, she loaned me some Valtrex for my cold sore that just had to make it's appearance while on the trip. I'm super excited for our family day in August to see Debbie again and for her to meet my family!
We had a great time - Brett ended the conference by spending it with the gang out by the pool until 3 am drinking some cocktails. To bad we only see these people once a year but it certainly doesn't feel like that. It feels like we see them once a month! That is what family is all about and I consider them all our family!!!
I can wonder all I want "why" we were given a child with a facial difference but I know why in my heart!
The conference was wonderful. So many great speakers. Brett and I were especially interested in dental and one thing we know is every team does the repairs a little different. It was great to talk with dentist in Las Vegas that has the same timeline as our team here. Always reassuring! We got to hear a lady from the CDC talk. While she informed us that they are working on finding what causes a cleft - after her hour long speech they really aren't much closer to finding out why! Sometimes that is the hard part to swallow - why? But you can't live in that. Then we listened to 2 authors speak. Both had a craniofacial condition - one spoke of her journey and the other used his humor to tell his story. The he taught us how to tell our story. They both have published books so I am so anxious to find some free time and get reading. There was a doctor from the University of Florida (first mistake according to Brett) that spoke about VPI. While this doesn't pertain to Cody he was still interesting to listen to. Although he was older and got off topic quickly. Must be a Gator thing! :)
What the conference also brought was time to reconnect with "old" friends and make new ones. Seeing as though we have gone for 2 years everybody was anxious to meet Cody and Dylan. They on the other hand was not so sure about everything. Very overwhelming to 4 year olds to have a lot of strangers come up to them. They warmed up in their own ways. The boys attend Kids Camp while we were in the conference. They cried when we dropped them off but only for a minute. Another Mom went to check on them for us and they were fine. They never fought us about going so I knew it was just that initial separation. They did crafts and played games! They are still talking about it so I know it wasn't all that bad.
I however, thoroughly enjoyed seeing my old friends again. Some of these ladies are more friends than the friends I have. I guess only because we truly understand each other. Debbie, Joyce, Robin, Karen, Gina, and many others. Thank you for a great week! Karen was my god send....she checked on the boys for me, she loaned me some Valtrex for my cold sore that just had to make it's appearance while on the trip. I'm super excited for our family day in August to see Debbie again and for her to meet my family!
We had a great time - Brett ended the conference by spending it with the gang out by the pool until 3 am drinking some cocktails. To bad we only see these people once a year but it certainly doesn't feel like that. It feels like we see them once a month! That is what family is all about and I consider them all our family!!!
I can wonder all I want "why" we were given a child with a facial difference but I know why in my heart!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
A couple pictures
Just a couple pictures to tide you over till I get all of my pictures downloaded from my camera. These were taken professionally at the shark reef. They aren't real sharks behind us - but the family shot does resemble the tunnel that we walked through. More to come later....
People
It is amazing to come into contact with so many different people. I mean we all do this on a regular day to day basis but this trip seemed so different for us that I couldn't help. I mean we are pretty used to the whole "are they twins"? question and in Las Vegas it was no different. The only time I didn't get that was at the conference as everybody knew we had twins and so nobody asked.
So here are some of my encounters with people on this trip. It starts with the taxi drivers. Some of them speak to you others just find out where you are going and you ride in silence. There are so many different taxi companies in Las Vegas. We found that one in particular asked us to buckle the boys for their safety. As they weren't in car seats. I made them in every taxi but some requested it before I even got in. Which I am thankful for. If you've ever ridden in a taxi in a big city - you know why!
While at the buffet in Mandalay Bay.....well let me first explain that their was a Harley Davidson dealership convention in this hotel, so biker dudes everywhere.....we were in line and 2 Harley couples were in front of us. The boys were um being boys and this couple asked "are they twins"...we said yes and they told us they are expecting twin grand babies. I said congrats! Then they said they were going to observe and not to say a word. We just laughed. Having twins is great - but! :)
My last encounter with "people" was at the airport. We experienced two different types. We were standing up waiting to board. On Southwest you board in 3 different groups - A,B,C. If your boarding pass isn't in the A group and you have kids 4 and under then you board after A and before B. So that was our case. So as we waited for A group to board there were these 2 older ladies that stood next to us. I was standing back about a footstep from Brett and the boys. This lady could do nothing but stare at the boys. First at Dylan then she would lean in to look at Cody. Then I just watched as her eyes stayed fixed on Cody. I was going to say something but didn't. I mean don't stare - it's so rude! Ask a question if you really want to know something. The worst thing for anybody to do is stare. UGH! Thankfully we ended our trip on a positive experience. After our plane landed and people got off (we were waiting to board this same plane), I had the boys in the bathroom. This guy got off and set his bags down by our stuff. After he returned from the rest room he sat down and enjoyed a quick sandwich and waited to board our plane again. He boarded before us. After we got in our seats the stewardess came back to us with a pack of gum and said "the gentlemen that sat next to you at the airport wanted to make sure the boys had a piece of gum for take off". I was so moved. That was soooo nice of him. I wondered how I could thank him but we didn't sit close. So as luck would have it - he had forgotten his wallet on the plane and was coming back on the plane to get it when we were getting off. So I got to say thank you in person. Brett and I talked and we realized this guy reminded us of Brett's Dad. About the same height, age, had clothes on like Jim would wear, this guy was probably a grandfather himself.
So here are some of my encounters with people on this trip. It starts with the taxi drivers. Some of them speak to you others just find out where you are going and you ride in silence. There are so many different taxi companies in Las Vegas. We found that one in particular asked us to buckle the boys for their safety. As they weren't in car seats. I made them in every taxi but some requested it before I even got in. Which I am thankful for. If you've ever ridden in a taxi in a big city - you know why!
While at the buffet in Mandalay Bay.....well let me first explain that their was a Harley Davidson dealership convention in this hotel, so biker dudes everywhere.....we were in line and 2 Harley couples were in front of us. The boys were um being boys and this couple asked "are they twins"...we said yes and they told us they are expecting twin grand babies. I said congrats! Then they said they were going to observe and not to say a word. We just laughed. Having twins is great - but! :)
My last encounter with "people" was at the airport. We experienced two different types. We were standing up waiting to board. On Southwest you board in 3 different groups - A,B,C. If your boarding pass isn't in the A group and you have kids 4 and under then you board after A and before B. So that was our case. So as we waited for A group to board there were these 2 older ladies that stood next to us. I was standing back about a footstep from Brett and the boys. This lady could do nothing but stare at the boys. First at Dylan then she would lean in to look at Cody. Then I just watched as her eyes stayed fixed on Cody. I was going to say something but didn't. I mean don't stare - it's so rude! Ask a question if you really want to know something. The worst thing for anybody to do is stare. UGH! Thankfully we ended our trip on a positive experience. After our plane landed and people got off (we were waiting to board this same plane), I had the boys in the bathroom. This guy got off and set his bags down by our stuff. After he returned from the rest room he sat down and enjoyed a quick sandwich and waited to board our plane again. He boarded before us. After we got in our seats the stewardess came back to us with a pack of gum and said "the gentlemen that sat next to you at the airport wanted to make sure the boys had a piece of gum for take off". I was so moved. That was soooo nice of him. I wondered how I could thank him but we didn't sit close. So as luck would have it - he had forgotten his wallet on the plane and was coming back on the plane to get it when we were getting off. So I got to say thank you in person. Brett and I talked and we realized this guy reminded us of Brett's Dad. About the same height, age, had clothes on like Jim would wear, this guy was probably a grandfather himself.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Fun on the Strip!
We went to the strip 2 nights. With the conference going until 5 every day and with the time change that meant it was 8 our time the boys were so tired. So we went Monday night for our first time. They tried to walk and take it all in. It was over whelming to them. Heck, it was to us our first time too. These hotels are like mini cities and walking through them isn't quick. So on Monday, we got dropped off at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino. We were quick to find the outside landscape and take in their beautiful fountains and then of course - flamingo's! Once we found our way to Las Vegas Blvd....we quickly walked up 3 casinos to Treasure Island. We waited not long for the Pirate show - and they LOVED it! We had to hold them each on our shoulders which probably ticked the people off behind us but oh well. We asked if they had a viewing area for kids and they said no. So on the shoulders they went. They loved every aspect. The girls on their ship - the guys come from behind the crowd on another pirate ship - they squabble and then the girls sink the guys ship (literally, it goes under water) and the guys swim to the girls ship. Now for the adults enjoyment - the eye candy is fantastic! The girls are all beautiful and in bikini's and the guys are super buff, tan and (gulp) you get the picture! After the show we found our way to the gift shop where the boys got to spend their money and the whole taxi ride home they talked about the show. Once we got back to the hotel it was all pirates!
We went back to the strip on Wednesday night. This time we went straight to Mandalay Bay to see the Shark Reef. Dylan loves sharks - he was a shark for Halloween, he has shark swim shorts and towel, he loves shark week on Discovery channel (which starts Sunday). We tried so hard to show him a shark last year in Niagara Falls but the huge exhibit they spoke of - was um very small. One nice thing was 4 and under were free. We were given what looked like a tv remote and as you came upon the exhibits you punched in the number and it was like a little guided tour. So we saw a yellow alligator - that was cool. Some other fish - then we walked through the tunnel. The first tunnel was filled with smaller sharks and other fish. Then we came into a viewing area and we saw some jellyfish (that was cool as the tank was full of them), a petting area where you could touch a sting ray. So I did - the men of my family were all to chicken! What a cool feeling that was - they are so slimy feeling. Then we got to the next viewing area. It looked like a pirate ship had been sunk and at the front of the ship was nothing but glass and all of these much larger sharks, stingrays, saw sharks, a huge (and I mean huge) turtle. The sharks swam in front of us - and above us. It was awesome! Then we went back into another tunnel (same tank) and they swam around. The boys loved it! We loved it! Worth every penny. We got some good pictures and then of course they take professional pictures of you - and we got those too. I'll have to scan them.
After the shark exhibit we went and ate at a buffet. Las Vegas is known for their fantastic buffets and this one wasn't any different. The food was great and you could get just about anything. It was a little pricey - $26.99 an adult - luckily 4 and under was free. So we did luck out with their age. Glad we did it. We ended up getting a really friendly waiter - his name was Tom - and he was super funny. The boys had a favorite drink for the entire trip (chocolate milk) and he brought them 2 right from the start. Cody found his favorite - pizza, and Dylan enjoyed the meatballs - and then they both got a huge chocolate ice cream cone.
So that was our strip experience. If we had had an entire day to just do the strip it would of been better. We wanted to take them to the Mirage but the volcano was under reconstruction and closed down. So that will have to be for another time. The time change was tough and they were tired early. Next time we'll have to do circus circus but most of the rides are for older kids.
More to come later.............
We went back to the strip on Wednesday night. This time we went straight to Mandalay Bay to see the Shark Reef. Dylan loves sharks - he was a shark for Halloween, he has shark swim shorts and towel, he loves shark week on Discovery channel (which starts Sunday). We tried so hard to show him a shark last year in Niagara Falls but the huge exhibit they spoke of - was um very small. One nice thing was 4 and under were free. We were given what looked like a tv remote and as you came upon the exhibits you punched in the number and it was like a little guided tour. So we saw a yellow alligator - that was cool. Some other fish - then we walked through the tunnel. The first tunnel was filled with smaller sharks and other fish. Then we came into a viewing area and we saw some jellyfish (that was cool as the tank was full of them), a petting area where you could touch a sting ray. So I did - the men of my family were all to chicken! What a cool feeling that was - they are so slimy feeling. Then we got to the next viewing area. It looked like a pirate ship had been sunk and at the front of the ship was nothing but glass and all of these much larger sharks, stingrays, saw sharks, a huge (and I mean huge) turtle. The sharks swam in front of us - and above us. It was awesome! Then we went back into another tunnel (same tank) and they swam around. The boys loved it! We loved it! Worth every penny. We got some good pictures and then of course they take professional pictures of you - and we got those too. I'll have to scan them.
After the shark exhibit we went and ate at a buffet. Las Vegas is known for their fantastic buffets and this one wasn't any different. The food was great and you could get just about anything. It was a little pricey - $26.99 an adult - luckily 4 and under was free. So we did luck out with their age. Glad we did it. We ended up getting a really friendly waiter - his name was Tom - and he was super funny. The boys had a favorite drink for the entire trip (chocolate milk) and he brought them 2 right from the start. Cody found his favorite - pizza, and Dylan enjoyed the meatballs - and then they both got a huge chocolate ice cream cone.
So that was our strip experience. If we had had an entire day to just do the strip it would of been better. We wanted to take them to the Mirage but the volcano was under reconstruction and closed down. So that will have to be for another time. The time change was tough and they were tired early. Next time we'll have to do circus circus but most of the rides are for older kids.
More to come later.............
We are Home!
We are home. Got home later this afternoon. We were all super excited to see Tyler. He has been a little love bug all day. I missed him so much! He had a really fun week with my Mom.
So much to share about Vegas! We had a great time - a couple stressful moments - but for the most part a wonderful time!
I have a ton to share! Lots of pictures! I am going to try and break it up though as I could write a book and I am super tired. The time change was hard to adjust to!
So much to share about Vegas! We had a great time - a couple stressful moments - but for the most part a wonderful time!
I have a ton to share! Lots of pictures! I am going to try and break it up though as I could write a book and I am super tired. The time change was hard to adjust to!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
This is it....
My last night on the PC. I work all day tomorrow, will get on the Internet right at 5:10 pm tomorrow and print our boarding passes, come home get my gang and off to Cuba we go. We fly out on Saturday at 5:10 pm - landing in Las Vegas at about 7:30.
I am pretty much all packed. The boys have more than enough stuff. I probably took way to much. The middle bedroom is filled with suitcases. I gathered the boys backpacks and filled those with goodies. Just have to get a couple more snacks tomorrow and we'll be set.
We got the conference lay out today. I am so excited as we are at a new venue this year - the place looks really beautiful, good size rooms, pools, etc. I can not wait to see all our old friends and meet new ones this year. This will be an amazing opportunity for Cody and Dylan. Even though they are 4, this will open their eyes that the world just isn't filled with "beautiful" people. That there are some that look different. Cody looks different. I want my boys to know that the world "beautiful" has many meanings to it and it's not what is on the outside that counts. However - all of these kids are beautiful plus they have an amazing spirit and personality!
So I am enjoying my quite night as I know the next few won't be so quite. Not to mention I will miss Tyler to pieces. It's already hard to think I'm leaving him behind. He will have much fun with my Mom but a part of me still feels bad for leaving him.
So for the next week - be thinking of us in sunny, hot, very hot, Las Vegas! I will have lots to share and many pictures when we return!!!!
I am pretty much all packed. The boys have more than enough stuff. I probably took way to much. The middle bedroom is filled with suitcases. I gathered the boys backpacks and filled those with goodies. Just have to get a couple more snacks tomorrow and we'll be set.
We got the conference lay out today. I am so excited as we are at a new venue this year - the place looks really beautiful, good size rooms, pools, etc. I can not wait to see all our old friends and meet new ones this year. This will be an amazing opportunity for Cody and Dylan. Even though they are 4, this will open their eyes that the world just isn't filled with "beautiful" people. That there are some that look different. Cody looks different. I want my boys to know that the world "beautiful" has many meanings to it and it's not what is on the outside that counts. However - all of these kids are beautiful plus they have an amazing spirit and personality!
So I am enjoying my quite night as I know the next few won't be so quite. Not to mention I will miss Tyler to pieces. It's already hard to think I'm leaving him behind. He will have much fun with my Mom but a part of me still feels bad for leaving him.
So for the next week - be thinking of us in sunny, hot, very hot, Las Vegas! I will have lots to share and many pictures when we return!!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
My K9 Nephew
As many of you know my brother is a K9 officer. We all waited for the day that Kevin brought Tacko home. He was instantly accepted by the other dog members of our family (and human members too). Kristie sent us a link to the PD's newsletter and they had a section titled "Getting to know your K9's". There are 5 of them on the force. Here is Tacko's bio!
Birthday: August 28, 2001
Birth place: Czech Republic
Handler: My brother
Time with PD: 3 years
Certification: Narcotics/Patrol
Hobbies: Swimming, resting in
puddles, lusting for plastic
bottles, being affectionate and
brightening up the Officers,
playing with little sister Feebe
Interesting Fact: Tacko earned
2 International Schutzhund Ring
Titles for his suitability to work
Birth place: Czech Republic
Handler: My brother
Time with PD: 3 years
Certification: Narcotics/Patrol
Hobbies: Swimming, resting in
puddles, lusting for plastic
bottles, being affectionate and
brightening up the Officers,
playing with little sister Feebe
Interesting Fact: Tacko earned
2 International Schutzhund Ring
Titles for his suitability to work
These dogs hold a pretty special place in my heart. They don't get the same life as our "pet" dogs do. Tacko has a job. He goes to work and sometimes works longer hours than humans. He's trained to come into contact with criminals and most importantly he is trained to protect my brother. Officers have partners - Tacko is Kevin's! The bond they share is one you would share with your child.
So next time you see a patrol car marked "K9" stop for a second and remember these dogs help save lives too.
Counting down...
As the ticker to the right says - 3 days till we fly. I did a lot more packing tonight. Most all the boys stuff is done. Their closet and drawers are about empty. Just left the "play" clothes for the next couple of days. Couple last minute stuff for their suitcases and we are good to go. Then I started on mine. I have no idea what I am wearing when. Basically packing everything. I do have my outfit for the dinner so that is good. Brett has to start his. I do think though its going to be so much easier checking our luggage than carrying on. Just carrying on a small bag. My mind is whirling and I have lists all over the place.
So last night I called Southwest to ask a couple questions. I know from our past trips that the only thing we need to board the plane is our boarding passes and ID. Well Cody and Dylan don't have ID's so I was curious if I needed them. Turns out I don't. But the anal me will take their birth certificates anyway just to be safe. I spoke to the nicest agent ever. She told me to "bring the store" meaning all the snacks I wanted. So I got little packs of crackers, chips, gold fish tonight. Will pick up a few more things tomorrow. I also got on the TSA website to see what advice they had for traveling with kids. As most of these agents have no personality and small talk at security is really frowned upon. So.......the website just said to talk with the kids about what they will encounter, metal detector, their bag going on the x-ray machine, etc. Then is said "tell them that saying 'I have a bomb' is a serious matter and even out of the mouths of kids will be taken seriously". Which I understand really - but there is no way in heck I am putting that thought into my 4 year old heads. My luck - we would get up there and one of them would say "hey mom is there a bomb in my bag". Then we would never make the flight.
So last night I called Southwest to ask a couple questions. I know from our past trips that the only thing we need to board the plane is our boarding passes and ID. Well Cody and Dylan don't have ID's so I was curious if I needed them. Turns out I don't. But the anal me will take their birth certificates anyway just to be safe. I spoke to the nicest agent ever. She told me to "bring the store" meaning all the snacks I wanted. So I got little packs of crackers, chips, gold fish tonight. Will pick up a few more things tomorrow. I also got on the TSA website to see what advice they had for traveling with kids. As most of these agents have no personality and small talk at security is really frowned upon. So.......the website just said to talk with the kids about what they will encounter, metal detector, their bag going on the x-ray machine, etc. Then is said "tell them that saying 'I have a bomb' is a serious matter and even out of the mouths of kids will be taken seriously". Which I understand really - but there is no way in heck I am putting that thought into my 4 year old heads. My luck - we would get up there and one of them would say "hey mom is there a bomb in my bag". Then we would never make the flight.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Packing
I started the grueling task of packing tonight. I will most likely pack everything but the kitchen sink. I'm not so much worried about our stuff but I am about the boys. I just want to make sure I have enough outfits packed in case they go through 2 a day. Which they probably won't as I see the swim suit on for a while and anytime in the hotel they will probably be in their undies but with not having a washer and dryer handy......I hope we make it. Plus I have to remember that we actually have to carry (or pull) these suit cases through the airports. I am also hoping I have enough stuff to keep the boys busy for the ride. I've gotten a couple small surprises to pull out in flight, we are taking the portable DVD player so that should help. Not to mention I am really hoping they sleep. Especially going to Vegas as we land at 7:30 Vegas time, 10:30 our time.
Let's just say this trip is going to be an experience.
Not to mention on my plate besides this trip is our Lucky Smiles family picnic. I feel like I am behind the 8 ball on this one. So much more work planning a picnic for lots of people. I really wanted invites out in the mail before we go but tomorrow is Wednesday and that doesn't look like it's happening. I'm hoping though because we already sent the save the date cards that if the invites go out the last week of July then we should still be fine. That is probably going to have to be my next goal.
A short little funny: I am a girl - I'll admit it. My dad calls and wants me to take measurements of our cradle as he is starting to build baby Flower a cradle. So I head to our attic and it's a 100 degrees up there. He is asking me all sorts of measurements and I suck at that. I just hope the cradle doesn't turn out big enough for a giant! ha,ha.....
Oh and another funny - the boys wanted to know if I had a pee-pee? Um.....how do you explain that. Tyler asked if it was "cut off". No not exactly. I just told em I pee sitting down. Seemed to keep them quite for a while. Where is their Dad when I need him!
Let's just say this trip is going to be an experience.
Not to mention on my plate besides this trip is our Lucky Smiles family picnic. I feel like I am behind the 8 ball on this one. So much more work planning a picnic for lots of people. I really wanted invites out in the mail before we go but tomorrow is Wednesday and that doesn't look like it's happening. I'm hoping though because we already sent the save the date cards that if the invites go out the last week of July then we should still be fine. That is probably going to have to be my next goal.
A short little funny: I am a girl - I'll admit it. My dad calls and wants me to take measurements of our cradle as he is starting to build baby Flower a cradle. So I head to our attic and it's a 100 degrees up there. He is asking me all sorts of measurements and I suck at that. I just hope the cradle doesn't turn out big enough for a giant! ha,ha.....
Oh and another funny - the boys wanted to know if I had a pee-pee? Um.....how do you explain that. Tyler asked if it was "cut off". No not exactly. I just told em I pee sitting down. Seemed to keep them quite for a while. Where is their Dad when I need him!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Pictures from the party
Party Pictures!!!
Two of my T-Birds!!! They looked so darn cute in their white T's!
The Pink Lady! Her poodle skirt cover up was speciality made for her!
The Pink Lady! Her poodle skirt cover up was speciality made for her! 
Team Luckey racing their car across the finish line!!!
The Cake!!! This design was taken from the napkin. The cake lady is amazing
My dear husband cooking! Note his apron - he was wearing that because anybody that knows Brett knows that he can't wear a white shirt without getting something on him. Cheesy face was an extra!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The party is over
Phew........30 kids is A LOT of kids! Karly had her 7th birthday party today and we had a blast. She has so many friends between school and dance and daycare that we had lots of kids but everyone got along fabulous and they had so much fun! Her Grease / 50's theme turned out so darn cute. We had the pink ladies, the t-birds and lots of 50's music to dance to. Then we did hula hoop contests, bubble gum blowing contest and a race car competition. The race car was the best. As the adults got involved. We used straws and had to blow our matchbox across the finish line. We had a beautiful day (sunny and very warm). She got lots of great gifts and I don't even think one duplicate. I have pictures to post but am to tired tonight. Still can't believe she is 7! They grow to quick.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Karly's Birthday
Happy Birthday Karly! Can't believe she turned 7 today. Seems like yesterday my sister called me in North Carolina and tole me she was pregnant. I was so excited that I probably screamed. That's when I new we had to be closer to family. Not that we weren't close to family in NC (and we do miss them) but I needed to be around my niece. We moved to NY 1 month before she was born and I've been around for everything ever since. As I've watched Karly grow and mature over the years I am watching a bright young lady develop. She's your typical 7 year old though - she's lost almost all of her baby teeth, is sassy, loves her cousins, athletic, a huge help taking care of her brother, never forgets to kiss me by, thoughtful, ....... I am very proud of her and am looking forward to watching her develop into a tween, and then a teenager and before I know it we'll be having a graduation party.
She's 7! So hard to believe she's not a little girl anymore.
We went up tonight for dinner and cake. Well cheese cake (her favorite and mine too) and brownies. Tanya made brownies for her nephews because Dylan expressed his dis-like with the cheese cake. :) We gave her present tonight - she's big into Hannah Montana. Her party is Saturday and I think there are about 28 kids coming! OMG! I think I'll need a drink by the end. She's having a 50's theme party - after the movie Grease (another favorite). She's got a pink poodle skirt to wear, the boys are all wearing T-Bird shirts, we will have bubble blowing contest, hula hoop contests..........I'll updated after Sat.
Happy Birthday Karly!
Her new Hannah Montana dolls!
She's 7! So hard to believe she's not a little girl anymore.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The 4th, Family, Friends and Fun!
Hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July! We did! As I mentioned we went to Cubatown and had great weather and great company. We got home around 1ish and Dylan was in the pool about 10 minutes later. He was itching to get swimming. The kid swam ALL WEEKEND LONG! And then crashed at night. On the 4th we went to a Holden family picnic at Aunt Joyce's. Always a good time and good food. The kids had fun and you guessed it Dylan swam some more. He really loved the fact that he could 'jump in' these pools and say "cannon ball " as he is going under. It was nice to see some family we haven't seen in a little bit. We left there late and headed to Olean to see the fireworks. It was just the 5 of us, so we went to the mall and sat on the bank and watched from a far. Actually it's not that far and you could still hear every boom (which Cody hated). It was actually nice too because this is the same place that Brett has watched almost all of his fireworks as a child. So he thought it was fun to take his kids to the same place.
Tyler riding the trike at Aunt J's.
Cody really loved sitting in these high back chairs.
My 4th of July boys! 
One pretty firework going off!
Saturday Brett went golfing with his Dad. The boys were up and at'em and in the pool. I did make them wait till almost lunch time so the water could warm up. After that - it was pool all day. We had so much fun. Sat. night we met up with some friends. We went to the Fry's and hung out with Brian and Gina and Mike G. It was so nice to see them as we haven't seen them in a long time and they too have twins so know our life very well.
My swimming boys!!!
We ended our holiday weekend at my Mom's house - you guess it - swimming some more. Plus we got to see the Smith's as they are back from vacation. They brought up a hermit crab and the boys have named him "Lightning".
Now it's back to the grind tomorrow. But I'm looking forward to it - two weeks till Vegas!
Video of Dylan jumping in the pool! He is my fish!
Tyler riding the trike at Aunt J's.
Cody really loved sitting in these high back chairs.My 4th of July boys! One pretty firework going off!Saturday Brett went golfing with his Dad. The boys were up and at'em and in the pool. I did make them wait till almost lunch time so the water could warm up. After that - it was pool all day. We had so much fun. Sat. night we met up with some friends. We went to the Fry's and hung out with Brian and Gina and Mike G. It was so nice to see them as we haven't seen them in a long time and they too have twins so know our life very well.
My swimming boys!!!
We ended our holiday weekend at my Mom's house - you guess it - swimming some more. Plus we got to see the Smith's as they are back from vacation. They brought up a hermit crab and the boys have named him "Lightning".
Now it's back to the grind tomorrow. But I'm looking forward to it - two weeks till Vegas!
Video of Dylan jumping in the pool! He is my fish!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
4th of July weekend!
At the last minute we have decided to pack up and head to Cuba for the weekend. Brett's dad is home and it's his birthday this weekend and the boys are itching to get back there for some fun outside. Dylan already has plans to jump off Grandma's deck into the pool. He'll probably live in the pool this weekend. Hopefully we have nice weather. It will be nice too to see other family as well.
So I ran around tonight like a chicken with her head cut off going to a few stores to pay some bills - in the pouring rain with 3 kids! Yeah, that was fun. The boys had a blast and thought it was super cool. I didn't mind - it's just water. Thankfully there are still some nice people in this world. I had to go to Fashion Bug. Didn't even browse! There was one person at the register and 2 people in line. The boys love this store - clothes heaven and they think they should go in and out of every rack around. My stress level rises 1000 times when we enter. Then Dylan figured out his shoe is wet enough to squeak it. All I had to do was pay the bill and thankfully this lady standing there said "you can go ahead of me". That was just so nice. I mean she only had like 2 things but I really appreciated that. She said she was a school teacher and knows what it's like. Then into Walmart we went. Had to get a couple things to take home - so we cash out and this guy behind me was practically crawling up my butt. So I was rushing and the boys were begging for my mountain dew and OMG......so I forgot a bag. Thankfully a manager came by at the same time and she followed us out to the parking lot and gave it to me. I would of been ticked off had I left it behind.
So we got home and did packing. Almost done! This is probably the best listening Dylan has done in a long time. He's even asked to help. We need to travel more. Cody is even agreeing to hair cuts in the morning. Anybody seen my kids???? LOL. Have a safe and happy 4th!
So I ran around tonight like a chicken with her head cut off going to a few stores to pay some bills - in the pouring rain with 3 kids! Yeah, that was fun. The boys had a blast and thought it was super cool. I didn't mind - it's just water. Thankfully there are still some nice people in this world. I had to go to Fashion Bug. Didn't even browse! There was one person at the register and 2 people in line. The boys love this store - clothes heaven and they think they should go in and out of every rack around. My stress level rises 1000 times when we enter. Then Dylan figured out his shoe is wet enough to squeak it. All I had to do was pay the bill and thankfully this lady standing there said "you can go ahead of me". That was just so nice. I mean she only had like 2 things but I really appreciated that. She said she was a school teacher and knows what it's like. Then into Walmart we went. Had to get a couple things to take home - so we cash out and this guy behind me was practically crawling up my butt. So I was rushing and the boys were begging for my mountain dew and OMG......so I forgot a bag. Thankfully a manager came by at the same time and she followed us out to the parking lot and gave it to me. I would of been ticked off had I left it behind.
So we got home and did packing. Almost done! This is probably the best listening Dylan has done in a long time. He's even asked to help. We need to travel more. Cody is even agreeing to hair cuts in the morning. Anybody seen my kids???? LOL. Have a safe and happy 4th!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Cody's Team Evaluation
Today has been an extremely long day. We were up bright and early and heading to Syracuse for Cody's team evaluation. Appointment was at 9:30 - had to be there 15 minutes before to register. Not sure what good any of that did as we didn't get home until 3! Thank goodness we ate some breakfast and convinced Cody to eat something because he would of been starving.
Let's see - this is how the day broke down:
We first were seen by a dental assistant who took a mold of Cody's mouth. He did fantastic considering it did not look comfortable at all. He started to cry a little but Brett and I talked him through it and he held up. He did great!
Then he was weighed. The kid only weighs 40lbs. He gained 1 pound since January. I only wish I could figure out how he does it. 1 pound in 6 months - UGH! Then they took a bunch of x-rays - panoramic and another. The equipment though doesn't go down far enough for his age so they brought in re-enforcements (a chair). Surprisingly he did wonderful again and stood perfectly still while this x-ray machine was going around his head. I think most kids would of wanted to follow it but he did great.
Next we met with the geneticist. I didn't really need to but whatever. Like it's been said before, Cody's cleft appears to be isolated and not part of any syndrome. He said if we were to have more children (which I quickly assured him that was not happening) then they would follow us closer. (Which they did with Tyler). He said when/if Cody father's a child they have a 3-5% chance of having a baby with a cleft. Dylan and Tyler have about a 1-2% chance. We know now though that it's obviously in a gene somewhere for Cody to have this so the boys will grow up knowing they need to always be prepared. It could skip them and not happen to their grandchild. What's hard is because we know nothing of Brett's family history and if a cleft runs in his family.
Then came audiology. It appears that Cody has a lot of wax built up. At first glance he was super concerned. Then he did the hearing test and Cody passed with flying colors. So the wax is not affecting his hearing. Which is great. At this point in the day as I had already teared up a few other times (watching him get those x-rays) I realized that he is actually becoming the patient. Gone are the days that we had to sit with him on our lap while he is "not happy" and letting everyone know it. Brett and I just 'stood back' and watched as he listened to the doctors and followed direction. What a great feeling.
Second to last we met with speech. Eileen conducted a couple quick 'tests' with him that he did quickly and perfect. She is a great lady that at first I never knew how to take her. Almost like you had to win her approval. She complemented me and Tish on a great job well done for following through with Cody and his speech. The rest of the short visit with her was spent discussing a few other families and what Lucky Smiles provides to so many others. While there they gave out 2 of our brochures and she told me that we provide a better service to families than they can. So I thought that was super nice of her and I really do appreciate all of their efforts to help spread the word. Eileen also wants Cody to come back up to see their photographer as they would like to use him in their clinic brochure. So we will see.
And last but not least.....we met with Dr. Tatum. He peaked in his mouth, ears, up his nose - made a couple notes to his students that were watching but that was about it. He showed Cody his mold of his teeth which Cody thought was pretty cool. He was concerned about the wax in his ears until he saw that he is hearing fine and then he said we could just watch it. He wants us to talk with our dentist about putting a device on Cody bottom teeth to help correct his cross bite. He feels that this would solve the cross bite issue and prevent us from having to have the jaw surgery later when Cody is a teenager. So I will make some calls and see. If she doesn't then we are going to Syracuse to see their dentist for the device. He feels it is something we should pursue.
Cody was a trooper and I am super proud of him. I will of course follow this up with our written report we get.
Let's see - this is how the day broke down:
We first were seen by a dental assistant who took a mold of Cody's mouth. He did fantastic considering it did not look comfortable at all. He started to cry a little but Brett and I talked him through it and he held up. He did great!
Then he was weighed. The kid only weighs 40lbs. He gained 1 pound since January. I only wish I could figure out how he does it. 1 pound in 6 months - UGH! Then they took a bunch of x-rays - panoramic and another. The equipment though doesn't go down far enough for his age so they brought in re-enforcements (a chair). Surprisingly he did wonderful again and stood perfectly still while this x-ray machine was going around his head. I think most kids would of wanted to follow it but he did great.
Next we met with the geneticist. I didn't really need to but whatever. Like it's been said before, Cody's cleft appears to be isolated and not part of any syndrome. He said if we were to have more children (which I quickly assured him that was not happening) then they would follow us closer. (Which they did with Tyler). He said when/if Cody father's a child they have a 3-5% chance of having a baby with a cleft. Dylan and Tyler have about a 1-2% chance. We know now though that it's obviously in a gene somewhere for Cody to have this so the boys will grow up knowing they need to always be prepared. It could skip them and not happen to their grandchild. What's hard is because we know nothing of Brett's family history and if a cleft runs in his family.
Then came audiology. It appears that Cody has a lot of wax built up. At first glance he was super concerned. Then he did the hearing test and Cody passed with flying colors. So the wax is not affecting his hearing. Which is great. At this point in the day as I had already teared up a few other times (watching him get those x-rays) I realized that he is actually becoming the patient. Gone are the days that we had to sit with him on our lap while he is "not happy" and letting everyone know it. Brett and I just 'stood back' and watched as he listened to the doctors and followed direction. What a great feeling.
Second to last we met with speech. Eileen conducted a couple quick 'tests' with him that he did quickly and perfect. She is a great lady that at first I never knew how to take her. Almost like you had to win her approval. She complemented me and Tish on a great job well done for following through with Cody and his speech. The rest of the short visit with her was spent discussing a few other families and what Lucky Smiles provides to so many others. While there they gave out 2 of our brochures and she told me that we provide a better service to families than they can. So I thought that was super nice of her and I really do appreciate all of their efforts to help spread the word. Eileen also wants Cody to come back up to see their photographer as they would like to use him in their clinic brochure. So we will see.
And last but not least.....we met with Dr. Tatum. He peaked in his mouth, ears, up his nose - made a couple notes to his students that were watching but that was about it. He showed Cody his mold of his teeth which Cody thought was pretty cool. He was concerned about the wax in his ears until he saw that he is hearing fine and then he said we could just watch it. He wants us to talk with our dentist about putting a device on Cody bottom teeth to help correct his cross bite. He feels that this would solve the cross bite issue and prevent us from having to have the jaw surgery later when Cody is a teenager. So I will make some calls and see. If she doesn't then we are going to Syracuse to see their dentist for the device. He feels it is something we should pursue.
Cody was a trooper and I am super proud of him. I will of course follow this up with our written report we get.
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