Growing Up With Emma & Tatum

Pictures from Lisa---Disney---some anyway

2011-10-19T10:54:00.001-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

It really has been a while

2011-05-18T21:28:00.012-04:00

I think that posting goes in shifts and maybe the past few years I feel maybe I was in a holding pattern, I guess I am starting the next big shift in my life...not exactly sure but lately I have felt the pull to blog and actually missed it :)

The girls and Chris are doing great....Chris and I had not the best winter but are working through it, we know what is important and what counts just need help to keep focus. I would imagine this happens to the best of us, but the majority of us are not able to admit it. Past is past and moving forward is most important, I would think 10 yrs + may do that to anyone.

Emma is finishing up 2nd grade and for the most part loving it, she has issues staying focused and in her seat at school but what 2nd grader doesn't. We are working with her on her reading, she doesn't like it so much so we know she could be doing better,aside from that she is one of the reasons I want to get up in the morning. :) Finally she is actually starting to pick up, help around the house I never though I would see the day :) most importantly she is an incredible big sister, Tatum could not ask for a better one.

Tatum is now 5 she has been in Pre-K since she turned 3 and in September she is starting Kindergarten...I know I can not believe it either...who let my baby grow up!! Tatum has a full time aid to start Kindergarten with so I am more at ease with the school change then I was a few weeks ago...Initially I wanted Tatum to stay at her current school, I was denied her "out of district" transfer request...the schools in my area are all over crowded so being granted a school change is harder then getting her aids therapy pretty much you name it...I came to the realization that I wanted her to stay at the same school more for me then her...Both are great schools and her home school is most likely what is best for our family....both girls will be there, it is three blocks from our home (current school is only 2m) and she is going to love and thrive with the change...Emma too is pretty excited to have her at her school... Last night she told me "I am glad Tatum passed" lol.. I said, "yeah sorta", lol :)

Tatum is going to be a challenge for Aid and Teachers all I can say is they have there work cut out for them...Maybe I should give her more credit, she totally works us... I just wish I could get her interested in the potty...I am not kidding I think it may be the one thing she is allergic too...:) We were at Hopkins yesterday and everything concerning her heart is still the same...I guess i am dreaming waiting for the day I go and they tell me that her aorta grew and is almost the size it should be...but hey so far so good I am not complaining.:)

As for me I still have the same job, thank God, there are not to many people in the mortgage business that can say they have been at the same company for the last 8 1/2 years...at least operations staff like I am. Anyway we were purchased a little over a year ago by AFS/Embrace Home Loans....It was an adjustment like change always is but as far as jobs go I am grateful. Last June I took over the position of Mid-Atlantic Regional Chair Person for the WSA...It has been pretty fun I just wish I had more time to dedicate towards it.

We had our third Walk this year for WS Awareness the following two link are local articles from the past two years:

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=105409

And from this year: (if you saw the actual paper there was a super cute picture of Tate playing on a swing.)

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=120191

That seems like a lot I just wrote at least for me, LOL and it bearly touched on the past few years :) I got a new computer for my Bday last weekend I am hoping that it helps to bring me back to the blog on a more regular basis....Wellll Seeee :P)

vday

2011-01-26T10:04:00.001-05:00

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I'm Backkkkkk

2010-04-08T22:12:00.003-04:00

Not sure if that is a good thing or not. This has been a tough few months, kinda hit bottom this week. Wow what a week it has been.... I do not even have the energy to get in to it....the good thing is I have gotten through it.

The family is good, Chris is back to wk now since mid Feb...he was laid off in Dec. Girls are both fine getting big.... Tatum has a MRI sch. for May 19 , we have a Williams Syndrome walk planned for May 8 and we had our first ever Ruby Gala in March . This was an event in DC to raise money and WS awareness...of coarse I chaired this event....if my plate is not overflowing it is just not my plate...lol

Anyway, I can promise more posts to come.....

Blog Neglect!

2009-06-21T08:01:00.005-04:00

I have become so bad at blogging, I actually feel bad about it. I have a feeling that my work is going to slow down a ton in the next few weeks so that actually well free up some time, no promises but potentially I could be blogging a ton more by the end of summer :)

We have had a busy few months, shoot who am I kidding we are ALWAYS busy....

In May we had the Walk for Williams, thanks to everyone that came out and supported the event it turned out great! We are planning to make it an annual thing. We raised over 6k for Williams Syndrome and NDHS received an award for there community service. It was truly inspiring and a terrific event for our community.

Emma Turned 6 on Tuesday and it was her last day of school....She has made it to first grade and she is moving forward at level 8 for reading. I can not believe how it all just seemed to click for her one day. Tatum is also learning tons in school, her teachers tell us that she is quit popular at her school. It seems everywhere we go someone knows Tate. She has also been babbling up a storm, she does have some songs and phrases, you can tell she is so close to it all pulling together. It is about time but I have a feeling once she starts talking it's all over for us. July 6 is when Tatum starts back to school for the extended school year so until then she is hanging at KV with Em for there summer program. This summer is going to be huge for Tatum, at least that is my prediction.

Another first for us this year is Emma participation on the swim team. Right now we have only had one swim meet and some practices. Emma is really enjoying it and her attitude toward it is outstanding. Emma is becoming a very caring well behaved little girl, I guess someone did something right with her :).

OOPS how could I forget it is out favorite time over year!!! The Pool is open!!! And Kerry and her family are coming to visit in 2 weeks WOOOO HOOOOO, I love summer!!!!!

Long Time No Post.....

2009-03-29T07:52:00.005-04:00

We we have certainly been blog MIA....I have been way to busy at work yo update and once I get home it seems baths and homework take forever...Another big contributing factor to lack of blog is once I am home from work the computer seem to be the last place I want to be...Anyway we have been busy so let me try and fill everyone in:

In Feb after Tatum's b-day we had a Cardiology apt. It went well her doctor is still not ready to operate...fine by me her thickness is borderline... we are pretty much leaving well enough alone right now

Child find is the pre-k school that Tatum goes to now, it is through the county and is a the pre-k program that follows infant and toddler. Tatum seems to have really come a long way in the month she has been there. There is still a long way to go especially with her speech but we are making slow steady strides. The new added tricks for Tatum include her version of ABC's and if you point and ask who I am she says " Lisa" it is petty cute.

Also in Feb my Mom had her 60th b-day so we went to visit her to celebrate. We also got to see my Aunt's since they were visiting for my Mom's day. Since we do not get to see my Mom's sisters very often if was a nice visit. and it is always cute when Julie, my sister, and I can get our girls together.

Onto Emma:

Emma is not really digging Kindergarten and fearing 1st grade even more...last night she actually said she wanted to stay back...She is having issues with the independent work piece, he teacher says she is not disrupting the class or anything she just doesn't want to work. I guess her teacher has told her that once in first grade she'll have to do this work and if she can not get it done she'll have to do it over... Needless to say Emma did not like that idea to much...he reading is slow but steady...she needs to be at a reading level of 7 by Kindergarten end and right now we are almost at a 6 so i am confident we can meet that mark. It is just crazy Kindergarten s certainly not what it used to be. At this rate Emma's children well be taking the SAT in Kindergarten...

Our big milestone was last night Emma lost her first two teeth at the same time, good thing I made a dentist apt last week. opps and she is allergic to amoxacillen...foud that out the hard way a few weeks ago...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATUM

2009-02-10T18:50:00.003-05:00

I know it has been forever I actually have a post that have started and still need to finish...Today is actually Tatum's third B-day we had a party Sunday for her. The party was a blast my friend Kristin took some great pictures...We even had a visit from Mickey!!!

Our life has been non stop I literally worked 100 hours of overtime last month...We missed our January Cardiology apt...big mix up, anyway we are scheduled for the 19 of this month. Tatum started pre-k today through the county child find program. I think she did OK the teacher did say she fussed some but nothing they could not manage. The transportation piece did not fall into place today but hopefully we got it straightened out today and tomorrow we'll go great.

2009, Can You Believe It!

2009-01-01T10:14:00.011-05:00

I can not believe that I did not post the entire month of December, oops. Between the Fed rate cut, Christmas, and kids I barley had time to breath and well sleep that was totally out of the question. I have even been facebook MIA...

Although there was no post December came and went we had a terrific Christmas attended a few parties and actually cut down out own Christmas Tree. In case anyone is wondering Julie and I did not plan to send out the same Christmas Card I guess there are some big tell tale ways that prove we are sisters LOL. This is a picture Of Tate on Christmas Day, we were at Chris' sisters house and they day after Christmas we went to my Sisters house in Baltimore.

The girls have been great for the most part, Emma is plugging along in school learning something new everyday and Tatum is gearing up for her big move to Child find from Infants and Toddlers. We saw the Geneticist a few weeks ago for her annual visit, seemed to go well he was impressed with her for the most part but a bit concerned with her speech. I know I should be a little more concerned then I am but I have to tell you I have total faith in her we are hearing more words every week. This sounds so bad but I am enjoying the silence, Emma is non stop and I know Tatum well be the same way...who know where they get the gift of gab from, LOL... Tatum say's Thank You now clear as day it is so cute!!!

I have been off work this week so yesterday I had the opportunity to go on a field trip with Emma and her Day care class. It was really cute the kids brought the food the the center collected to the food bank. It was pretty interesting, I have been to a soup kitchen before but I think that may have been my first trip to an actual food bank. The lady that runs the place told us how back in October there was not a single can of food in the entire place...Wow talk about giving you can see from the picture all the extra food they have now.

For New Year we went over to Yvonne and Steve's house. It was nice the kids ran around and the adults just chatted and munched on food. We had planned to play games but that did not really pan out...Oh well we all had a great time anyway. It is funny because the sec we come into Yvonne's house Tatum beelines for the piano, I think she may be getting better. Last night Yvonne actually played a song with her and she loved it.
It was a very nice New Year.

We go to the cardiologist some time this month for a sedated echo and check up, I am sure that is going to be just a hoot. I am always concerned that they won't sedate her because of her chronic nose drip from October to March. Her geneticist suggested a nasal steroid, said the runny nose s very common with WS Kids...anyone???

Tatum has not been the most cooperative child lately, she is VERY clingy and has become a bit of a bully at school, she needs to move up to a more advance class, we working on it but transition really is not much fun. It is tough when the bully is so friendly and cute... She does have a mean bit if you do not believe me check with Emma she has felt the fury...haha

I Hope everyone has a great day, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy Thanksgiving and all That :)

2008-11-29T14:10:00.004-05:00

Well once again we have been up to everything...We had a great visit with the Clayton's when they breezed through town on the way to CHOP. They were allowed in the house to watch football once Chris explained to Noel the the Redskins are from DC LOL, kidding Noel;) Anyway Tatum and I also got to hang downtown and take in a museum with them one day, lots of fun they are a great bunch. The girls really had a great time together.

Emma is rocking and rolling in Kindergarten her first report card was good and she is making some great strides towards reading. Tatum is going to transition to the Child Find program in Feb and also move to the three yr old class at Day care, she is doing awesome. Tate is signing songs finishing sentencing and general making great progression in her learning.

I think our main goal with Tatum is to keep her healthy for her upcoming sedated echo she seems to love to hang on to a cold all winter long and they love to not sedate her...errrr anyway I am about done with Christmas shopping but I have no desire to decorate anyone have a motivators??? I am sure it doesn't help that I have spent the weekend sick, AGAIN.

Fall Fun

2008-11-11T15:34:00.005-05:00

I know it has been a while again, but like always we are super busy. I actually have not been feeling very good and last night I ended up in the ER. Nothing to worry about I got tons of antibiotics ( even an IV full) and I am going to make it.
I had to take a ambulance from work to the hospital, since I work in Montgomery County the ambulance would take me to the hospital closest to my work. That hospital was on a code yellow so traffic was being re routed to a hospital on the other side of Bethesda. I was so not thrilled about that since it is way far from my house, we live North in Frederick Co. I somehow managed to talk the ambulance drivers to take me cross county lines to FMH instead of Suburban...not bad for someone in total pain huh... Anyway that has been the excitement for this week so far and it is only Tuesday.

Friday I meet with the lady from Child Find about transitioning Tatum into pre-school in Feb, I can not believe my baby is turning three. She is really progressing well , she knows Mommy and Daddy and uses our names and she is a terrific when it comes to "Old McDonald had a Farm" we are in one of those new things everyday phases...

Two weekends ago we went to a WS hayride on Saturday and On Sunday I took the girls to Baltimore and had lunch with Autumn , Aspen and Logan before Aspen and Logan caught a plane back home. It was great to see them and the hayride was a blast. I love all these WS events the kids are great and Emma always has a blast meeting new friends. There was a little girl at the hayride and no joke she could have been Tatum's twin just a little older...they were super cute...Next week Noel and her family is stopping through on there way to CHOP...so excited!!!

Month at a glance...

2008-10-27T22:03:00.012-04:00

This has been another one of my fast moving crazy months, I can not wait until Friday there is nothing better then the end of the month coupled with Halloween...sounds like a recipe for nothing but fun :)

Anyway... This month we have had cast removal....yep Emma's foot has healed and she is moving around just like a normal crazy 5 yr old. We also have resumed gymnastics, I think missing that was one of the worst things for Em...... you can see in the pictures from one of our park visits that the cast really slowed her down a bunch...ha-ha. All her teachers were amazed at how well she did.

Last week I broke my toe, yeah fun I know to bad there is nothing I can do about it, other then that we have all been healthy... darn little toe is painful.....

The past few weekends we've managed to visit the park, a pumpkin festival, the neighborhood Halloween party and High School Musical 3.
Carol and I took Peyton and Emma Sat. after gymnastics during the rain storm. We got lucky because we went to an early showing so it was not crowded...I heard it was pretty crazy by the 3:00 showing. I loved the movie and would totally recommend it...LOL I love all three of the HSM movies you really have no choice in our house. Chris was pretty broken up he did not get to go see it, you know he is a big fan of Sharpay...lol

The pumpkin patch we visited had old tractors, hayrides, face painting and pumpkin picking of coarse. I think the best part about the place we go to now is that it is free to get in and we paid a dollar for the moon bounce and 2 for face paining. Pretty good deal if you ask me and the pumpkins were not to pricey either.

We went to the hood party with Dagan's and Yvonne's family Saturday evening, the girls had a great time together...I think they are gonna be a pretty funny little group, they are all just looked to cute. After the party the kids carved pumpkins with their Dad's while the ladies went to a haunted house...It was fun to do something different and the ghost tour thing was really pretty cool and interesting...We are officially ready for Friday.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that Emma wants to wear the same thing Friday night. I am not sure if Tatum is going to be feeling that Tinkerbell costume again she was not really feeling it. I do have this Princess dress that Dagan gave me that seem very comfortable that I have on standby ;)

Other happenings...Emma has read her first book, I think it is more from memory then reading but she is really trying, I can not believe how much she has learned since she started school, it is amazing to watch. Tatum is also doing really well she is talking more everyday...She has about 10 words now and finally two of them are Mommy and Dada, Her favorites are Cow and cool... She is a riot.

hopefully....

2008-10-09T16:37:00.000-04:00

the link to Chris racing is fixed :)

Chris' Racing Chronicles...Thanks Kyle :)

2008-10-06T22:03:00.003-04:00

Chris' friend Kyle has faithfully helped Chris out with all his racing last year and this. He has actually put all his pictures from the races together with a write up and posted it to a website. So for all you gear heads geeking to see Tinkerbell ( Tes' Husband) or if your just interested in what exactly it is we do at the track here is the link to Kyle's site.

I think I could have gone my entire life without reading in the post how much money (that we do not have) Chris has tied up in Tink...oh well ,I guess all hobbies are overpriced :)

http://www.carandcaboodle.com/trip-planning-travel-tips/go_racing_with_the_family.html

Something to live by...

2008-10-03T12:50:00.005-04:00

"Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect – and I don't live to be. But before you start pointing fingers… Make sure your hands are clean. "

What a great quote from Bob Marley…

Lately I have really been examining my own life including those people that I have surrounded myself with. It is funny how the one’s who make the most admitted mistakes seem to be the most real. I guess this is a lesson you learn with age and at the ripe ol' age of 33. It is a lesson I am and have been learning for the last few years.

The second question I have been pondering is “Do as I say, not as I do” now I know we all have been here before but is this really a good saying to live by…Do I really want my girls to see me judging/gossiping about people for thier imperfections when we all have them. I want my kids growing up learning that no one is perfect we all make mistakes and you stand by the people you love through thick and thin no matter what.

If I am at home bashing and judging I am only hurting myself and creating a false sense of truth for my children. As they get older they would ask, or at least think to themselves, “Wow, that adult made an admitted mistake but even worse their “friends” are not being supportive but rather judgmental” this is not a good thing to create. I guess my bottom line is we all need to remember as adults we are the example so ask yourself, are you living in a way where the children and teens in our lives see a good example or just a lame excuse for adults doing what they want and getting away with it?

October Already...

2008-10-02T11:21:00.002-04:00

Wow this year is just flying by!!! This is a busy month for us we have Tatum's infant and toddler reviews and we start prepping for her transition into the special pre-school program in February. I guess because November and December are crazy months for the school system we are going to try and get most of her transition meeting squared away early, that is the plan anyway I guess we'll see how it all really pans out.

Emma gets her cast off on the 14 I really can not wait for that day. Actually she has been pretty good about the situation but if she gets an itch look out!!! She is not able to attend gymnastics with her cast so Saturday morning are the hard part right now. Last weekend we went to the library instead of gymnastics and this weekend I think Chris is going to take her to play putt putt. Emma learned to play while we were at the beach a few weeks ago and suddenly it is her new favorite sport...Ahhh kids and putt putt need I say more :)

So as for what we have been up to, well last Sunday Chris raced Tinkerbell he did well, we all went up and watched then went to His Mom's house while Chris cleaned up. It is nice that Terry lives so close to the track it makes it much easier to be there with kids knowing that you can leave. I did get some pictures hopefully I'll be able to post them this evening while watching the great VP debate LOL...

This week has been a nutty one at work, I know it is always a nutty one here but with the elimination of down payment assistance programs as of 10/1 it really put a spin on the loans closing in September using these programs... But now we can look ahead to October and keep our fingers crossed that our economy can pull out of this one... Nothing like market watching all day...:)

I am going to try and get those pictures up tonight, seriously :)

Pretty in Pink

2008-09-22T20:50:00.003-04:00

Today was a little nutty I woke up called the Dr.'s office got the numbers to the orthopedic offices and started calling. The first place I called could fit her in at 7:40 this evening...yeah right!!... the second place could take us at 10:30am, sold, we made an apt with them. Turned out they are a pretty good place so I picked a winner. By this time is was 9, I had to drop off Tatum get the GPS from Chris's work ( I get lost with it too) swing by the hospital to get the films of Emma's foot (that i had asked for oh about 90 times before we even left on Sunday) get coffee and to the apt.

I somehow managed to do this including Starbucks and get to the appointment on time. Best of all I was walking out to the parking lot after picking up the x-rays and even got to plug my so mad at the ER bit...that is a long story and typical ER...errrr. Thanks Nikki for the great directions, she was my phone GPS while driving ;)

So we got to the Doctor and we were in and out in under an hour with a terrific hot pink cast and an appointment to have it removed in three weeks...I love them!!! The prognosis is this she fractured the bone on the top of her foot near the big toe not the small one and it is pretty small.

The Dr. told us it was a small crack but so in your face you just have to cast it. She is able to walk so that is a good thing the shoe from the doctors office was just huge an it was the xs so we cut one of my Crocs to fit it and that is how she walks. Gotta run and get Tatum in bed... she wore her glasses long enough for a pic...

If it is not one thing it is another...

2008-09-21T17:20:00.002-04:00

This has been the most beautiful weekend you can tell fall is in the air. Much cooler then last weekend. We were at the beach and it was pretty warm especially Sunday. We did make it by the WS picnic on our way home but it was much later. Lucky for us there were still a few families around and I got to give Heather a big hug!
We had perfect weather yesterday for our neighborhood garage sale, I do not think it was a busy as the spring one but I did manage to get rid of a good bit of stuff. Chris also took Tatum to pick up her new glasses yesterday, we had gotten to take the summer off from glasses but I think they are now back for a while. To be honest so far she wants nothing to do with them, this should be pretty fun...
Last night we were hanging out playing games with our neighbors and the kids were playing downstairs, sounds pretty typical except this time I guess the kids were jumping down the stairs why who knows but we all did it at one time or another...anyway Em landed bad and broke her foot. That is about all I can tell you about it, we knew last night that she hurt it but were not sure if it was broken. This morning when she woke up and could not walk we decided to get it checked out. I took her to the ER while Chris stayed home with Tatum. Good thing for us we did not really have to wait long, after 3 x-rays the doctor told us it was fractured and showed us where. The fracture is on the bone before the pinkie toe on the top of her foot right where the bone ends and her toe starts. I hope that make sense... She came home in a soft cast and I'll call her doctor in the morning and try and get in to see a orthopaedic...Should make for a great Monday...

3rd Angel Birthday

2008-09-16T17:37:00.004-04:00

As many of you know from reading my Blog my Friend Duffy passed away three years ago today. He was on a transplant list when this happened, it is always hard when you lose someone especially when they are so young.

For the last 3 years Duffy's Mom has been doing all she can to raise awareness for organ donors and to keep Duff's legacy alive. I am so proud of the things that Mary Jo has accomplished and I want to share it with all of you...

This is a email from Mary Jo that was sent out today:

As most of you know I have been working hard since February to accomplish several goals for transplant patients. I wrote a proclamation declaring September 2008 Organ Donation Awareness Month which the Governor signed and I have been busy this month getting the word out. I have spoken to several groups and I will be speaking to the Driver Ed students at high schools in Alamance and Guilford County as well as setting up booths at different locations through the remainder of the year to promote organ donation.

Today, Duffy's 3rd Angel Date, we officially opened the Duffy Collins Organ Transplant Foundation bank account to help defray costs for transplant patients. The Foundation is a non-profit, tax exempt foundation and every penny you give is deductible. We have almost 100,000.00 people on the transplant list and 50% of them will die while waiting for a transplant. My goal has been to bring awareness to the need for organ donors and also to help defray the costs of a transplant. All of you probably have insurance and you know what the insurance company will pay and what you have to pay out of pocket. For transplant patients it is a tremendous amount out of pocket and most families do not have those funds. After a transplant the anti-rejection drugs are as much as $5,000.00 a month and the recipient of the transplant will have to take them for the rest of their life. That is what this foundation is all about. These people need financial help!!

Chris and Jennifer Benkosky, owners of Electrical Technologies, Inc. in Alamance County made the first contribution to this foundation today. Their compassion and caring has officially opened this account with funds. The picture attached is a copy of their check being handed to an employee of MidCarolina Bank for the first deposit to the Foundation. Please give them a hand for their caring and help.

I am asking all of you to tell your friends, neighbors, church, and any other group you might be associated with about this foundation and help us raise money for these patients.

The address for the foundation is as follows:

Duffy Collins Organ Transplant Foundation

P. O. Box 128

Burlington, N. C. 27216

I thank you all for your help and support this year.

In January 2009 my senator will be introducing a bill to make September Organ Donation Awareness Month for North Carolina. A law will keep it on the books and a proclamation has to be renewed every year. Keep on praying that I can get this done.

Way to go MJ, I love you

Welcome Baby Brenan

2008-09-09T09:30:00.002-04:00

I got a text message From Tiffany, Whitney's sister, this morning. The message read "Brenan Macey arrived suddenly ( less then 2 hours of labor, labor that Whitney was aware of anyway ) 7lbs 3oz and 18in. All are doing great!" I'll send a picture or update if I hear anything else.

I spoke to Whitney on Friday and she seemed all ready but not looking forward to labor, like anyone does. She is really missing Blake and still blaming herself for taking him to MI, I tired to give her a little pep talk so hopefully it worked I know it must be so hard for her.

What happend to summer??...

2008-08-31T10:49:00.004-04:00

Well the first week at school seemed to go well for Emma, she loved it. Thursday afternoon I got a call at work to come pick up Tatum, she has pink eye, by the time I got through traffic to get her I could pick both girls up. Emma had just gotten off the bus and was not ready to leave she got mad at me for coming to early. Oh well I gave in and let her stay, Steve picked her up when he got his kids I still had way to much to do to waste time arguing with her.

Anyway Chris is racing Tinkerbell this weekend and I am not going to make it to any races, Emma went to the track with him this morning. He is racing again at the end of September so I think we'll make a weekend out of it then. Tatum is all eye gross a bit congested and super clingy so I decided it would be easier to keep her here, not to mention I have a ton to do around the house. Tomorrow is my day to do NOTHING but enjoy the last day of the pool day so I have alot to get done today. We are also do the neighborhood triathlon tomorrow... I am only doing the bike part and that alone may kill me. LOL

Softball is also over so no more games on the weekends...Kinda sucks I though the last game was the best, or at least my best haha we won 2 games all season, no worries we were the most fun team ;)

Ok well I guess I better get started on my day so far all I have done is a bike ride.... Oh yeah Whitney is supposed to have her little baby girl this Friday.

Kindergarten...Already?

2008-08-26T12:09:00.007-04:00

Well Today was Emma's first day of Kindergarten, wow where did the time go. She was in the kitchen and dressed faster this morning then I had ever seen before, she even brushed that hair. We( Ma. Walt, Dad, Tatum and Me) arrived at day care to see Emma off on the bus...It never stopped so the kids ended up taking the center shuttle over to the school no biggie same thing happened yesterday but it seemed to be fine for the way home... This is a picture of Emma waiting for the bus this morning , and the other is Alex sending her off. The kindergartners here have a staggered start, meaning they all go random day Mon-Wed (IE: Alex went to school yesterday and Em stayed at the new center ) all the kindergartners go together on Thursday.

Emma was so grown up I could to believe it, she did not even want me to come have lunch with her. After following her around all morning with a camera and crying a bit we had to let her go. I am going back when they get out to catch her getting on the bus back to after school care. Other then the bus kinks so far so good the new daycare and school are working well. Until the newness wares off....

So while I wait I am cleaning, working ( brought a little bit home) and trying to put a room together for Tatum. After 2 weeks in her toddler bed she is moving on up to the daybed from the guest room...does that make the guest room a full on computer room/ office now since there is no bed?...

Anyway in order for this to happen I first have to find the daybed under all the clean laundry that needs folded, then take apart the crib and toddler bed that are both currently in Tate's room, at that point...well that is where I am...and I am bloggging instead of finding the vacuum... Anyway I'll have to update more later when I have the after school pictures of Em, and maybe Tatum's room LOL...

We're back....

2008-08-14T20:07:00.018-04:00

It took me a while to post since we got home from the beach but it seems I have just hit the ground running.... Our little mini girls vacation was great, the girls LOVE the beach. Tatum was a trip everyone around us must have gotten a kick out of watching her run around and dig in the sand. Both girls love the water also. Wed my Mom and I took the girls to the beach, we meet friends from our neighborhood that were down for the week and hung out with them for the day and on Thursday I took the kids to Bethany for the day. Thursday we meet up with Chris' sister and her family for they day since they were down for the whole week. The girls had a blast playing with their cousins on the beach. thanks to the help of Uncle Joe Joe they dug a great big hole that was great for containing kids. From now on when I go to the beach that is my new first priority... I wonder if Tate would have napped in there if I tried...nahhh who needs a nap at the beach!!!

Friday we hung around in Dover and Saturday morning we headed home, Em was so ready to see her Dad she had been at my Mom's since the previous Sat.

The rest of the weekend we spent just hanging around home Emma had a birthday party on Sat and we hit the pool for a bit on Sunday.
This week has been a bit of a blur, I have had tons to do at work, Emma got her Kindergarten Teacher assignment and Tatum has slept in a bed every night this week ( I do not want to jinx it). I am looking forward to doing nothing but sunning and playing at the pool this week, our softball games were canceled so there is no excuse to not be at the pool....Open invite if anyone wants to join us :)

3 years, always counting

2008-08-05T15:00:00.002-04:00

Chris' Dad passed away three years ago today, seems to always be a sad month around my house... It is not easy when Emma says things like I wish Granddad were here so I could give him a hug...I am so disappointed that I'll never have a picture of him with Tatum, at least Emma has things to look back on and try to remember.

I am off to the beach this evening with the kids for a few days, hope the weather is good :)

sing a happy song

2008-08-01T14:20:00.002-04:00

I am wondering is singing kids music all day a bad thing??? I guess what makes it worse is I am signing show tunes.....Thanks High School Musical 2 :)

3 More Weeks!!!

2008-07-31T14:58:00.002-04:00

This is what Emma informed me last night… “I only have to go to camp for 3 more weeks Mom then I start school” OK I guess someone is keeping track, personally I am still trying to believe my baby starts school!!! Don’t get me wrong I am super excited for it but wow I feel like my life is forever adjusting. Emma is going to be in school for all of 5m before Tatum starts the special ed half-day program at the other elementary school in our neighborhood…I figure by spring I should have a good handle on everything, if I am lucky.

Well we made it through another month at work; next month should be pretty interesting since we have some big upcoming changes. My desk is so centrally located that I have a bird’s eye view for it all I am sure it is all going to work out just fine I am just saying it well be interesting to take it all in.

I am taking the girls to my Mom’s next week for a few days. I figure we can get some school clothes hang at the beach and visit with some of my old friends. It should be a very nice and needed change in scenery and we’ll be back in time for the weekend. We have birthday parties, softball games and pool time that just cannot be missed ha-ha.

Well better get back to work…oh yeah Tatum’s blood screen came back totally normal ( I figured it would) what a relief she is such a trooper you all would not believe how she has matured in the past few months…so not a baby anymore; well she’ll ALWAYS be my baby but you all know what I mean. :)

I Miss Emma

2008-07-22T23:22:00.005-04:00

Well this week Emma is visiting her grandparents ( Chris' Mom and Step dad) they came by and got her on Sunday evening and she is coming back on Friday or sooner if need be ;) Anyway I talked to her today and she seems to be having a great time, of coarse who doesn't have a good time at Grandma's...

Although quiet without Emma, Tatum is keeping us on our toes...

We went to the new pediatrician yesterday for her very late 2 yr old check up. Tate got one shot and we drew blood for the lead test and electrolytes while we were at it. I am curious to see her calcium levels as well as the rest, it has been a long time. We never really had any issues there so I have not bothered to have anything checked, I figured it was only a matter of time before she would have to have blood drawn for something, I also knew that the lead test I had been dogging would eventually catch me.

I was pretty impressed with the new doc she seemed knowledgeable and very up on Tatum's records she was even interested in what I knew. I feel very confident with this new practice I think it was a good and much needed change, I can not stay in Montgomery County forever.

Emma is swimming like a fish and has a parade of birthday parties to hit the next few weeks. Tatum is in a developmental growth spurt and keeping everyone busy, the girls at her daycare just love her she cracks them up, Even her 2 yr old tantrums are pretty funny. These girls are just totally gonna keep us busy.

Where did the week go???

2008-07-17T13:26:00.002-04:00

Well I was reminded on Tuesday night by my friend Nikki that I had not posted since 7/9 so I guess I better get on the ball. Ahhh Nikki you have not posted in almost a yr!!!

This week has been pretty busy, Emma is at Vacation Bible School and Tate is at her daycare. That is all going well the ladies that take care of Tatum say she is doing great and has come so far in just a few short weeks she has been there. She is at such a good age changing everyday. On Wed. morning after I dropped Emma off she said "I love you" to me out of the blue, it totally made my day.

Tuesday after work I took the kids to the carnival that is in town this week, Tatum was a dream she just hung out in her stroller and greeted people, Emma was also very well behaved so it made it easy for me. Emma has turned into the little dare devil I could not believe all the ride she went on. I think that the fun house was her favorite she would come racing down the exit slide yell again and her and her friend Darcy run back in this went on for a good 15 mins.

Last night was the carnival fireworks so when I got home from work we headed over to the pool swam until it closed then caught the fireworks from the hill next to the tennis courts, seems this has become the annual spot to view the display. Today when I get home we are having dinner with our friends Rick and Kyra it well be great to see them and the girls, well Emma, is psyched to swim in there pool, they have a diving board.

Emma has become a good little swimmer in the past few weeks she was even daring enough to jump off the guard stand one night!! What am I going to go with her. We are all so lucky that the girls have such good friends at the pool, I hardly see them when we are there. I think that lifeguard Emma and Zo EEEEE may just keep Tatum, and my Emma has officially decided that she is old enough to play without me. I guess I am lucky that she lets us play with her some of the time because we really have had a good time with the girls this summer.

Everyday Stuff...

2008-07-09T13:48:00.001-04:00

I am really trying to get back into the habit of posting I have decided I just need to make the time for it. There are so many days where the post I want to put up runs through my head and I just do not find the time to get there. So I guess this is my July resolution, LOL.

Today Tatum started with a new OT they were supposed to be at daycare at 8:30, her old OT Ingrid had a baby boy a few weeks ago man well we miss her she was AWESOME!! At this point with Tatum my biggest concern is her speech. I was really noticing acceleration in her speech development but now it seems to have leveled off again. I do not think that is a very good thing it is certainly the area that makes her way behind other kids her age. She pretty much has a 5 word vocabulary she has her staple words “Hi”, “Mama”, “Emma”, “Eat”, and “I Love You” and I am counting I love you because we all know that is what she is trying to say. Lately she has started to blow kisses and if she sneezes and you tell her “God Bless You” she’ll continues to fake sneeze. Oh yes her other big word trick is if you say Zo to her she’ll finish the word with eeeeeeee…this is how she say’s Zoe.

I think the biggest problem with the speech is that I do not feel she clicks with her ST and I am learning that this is an important thing. A friend of mine was working with her privately towards the end of the school year and that was when we noticed a big change but since she has stopped nothing. I am thinking about finding private speech, once a week for 30-40 mins is not cutting it especially when my perfectly normal niece that lives in Baltimore receives more ST then Tatum does, I am not bitter at all, LOL.

News on the Emma front:

I was wondering do 5 year olds every stop being dramatic Emma is driving us nuts! Everything is a argument with that child, the craziest thing is she’ll cry over nothing get all privilege’s and toys taken from her and still have a fit as if we are going to give in. I have never met such a hardheaded child in my life, I guess I can be thankful that she is not disrespectful and when we are not around she is very well behaved. I do need to give her some credit she is getting better but god forbid she is tired…crabbbby…maybe she well finally start going to bed for us.

She did ask for a pet this morning I was preparing myself to tell her no way but she only wants a fish since her old fish died. This is the best part she wants to name her new fish Sneaker…she does make me laugh I have to give that to her.

Day Care Take Two

2008-07-06T09:46:00.004-04:00

The last week of June was the kids first time in Daycare for quite a while. I actually think that the bigger shock was to me considering I was the one that had to get them there. We showed up on Monday only to find out that I was supposed to bring them lunch, OK bad me for assuming but back when the kids were in daycare before lunch was included. I had to run next door to the 7-11 and thank goodness they had lunchables. That was day 1 the next day I got there and realized that I had forgotten Tatum's shoe's so back home I went. I swearer by the time I got to work it was like 10am compiled with the end of the month it made for an exhausting week.

The one good thing that came out of all of it was the decision to find a new daycare center for the fall. We actually just came back from checking out the new facility. The girls are going to be attending a brand new center that is being built less then a mile from our house. It is going to be beautiful I can not wait to see the finished product, another plus to all this is alot of the neighborhood kids are going and they have before and after school care for Emma. I have a very good feeling about this place I think it is going to be great for both Tatum and Emma.

27lbs WOW

2008-07-04T14:18:00.004-04:00

That is Tatum's current weight, I guess someone likes the food I make LOL...ANYWAY...

Well it has been a while the last week of the month work this was a killer. It is so nutty to me how the market can suck the way it does and work has not slowed down. One major contributor to this is we have the same less people now and with all the program changes it is almost like doing something new everyday, not to mention the new thinking outside the box thing ahhhh thanks goodness I ended the week with vacation.
Friday night after I got home we headed up to some friends I have from college that live outside Charlottesville. We got there pretty late on Friday night and stayed until Sunday morning. On Saturday Kee and I took the kids to the pool and her Husband who I also went to college with, and Chris went fishing. If I had to guess the boys had a great time since Chris mentioned that it was better then Disneyland, LOL .
Sunday we headed up to Massanutten to meet my Dad and Bonnie. We stayed up there with them until late Tuesday afternoon then headed home. Tatum had a sedated echo at Hopkins this morning. Massanutten was a lot of fun the weather was not all that great but that did not bother Emma at all she was purely interested in the water park and lucky for her my Dad is a water park fanatic. I could not believe the slides that she was riding the child is fearless. Tatum and I stuck to the lazy river, but I have to admit she is fearless to and falling in pools does not seem to phase her at all...

OK so news from Hopkins:
Dr. Brenner told me that Tatum’s blood pressure is not nearly as worrisome as it was this time last yr but defiantly not normal, I figure I’ll take that news any day. Her sleeping BP was 119/64 in her arm and 98/53 in her leg....her top numbers are our major concern a typical BP for her age weight should be around 80/50-60...her active BP ( I was actually amazed the nurse got it, she was AWESOME) when we arrived was 129/62. This was a bit more concerning but the Dr. feels that meds are not going to solve the issue so we are still not going to bother with them. Her ventricle walls are becoming a little thick but still functioning normal so again we are leaving well enough alone. Her aortic valve is functioning normal and she has a mild SVSD that is a "none issue but a bit interesting"... This is the first time that the Doc had actually gotten to see her calm an not moving a mile a min so he was attributing that to the pheneral pluses sounding normal for once...Wow nothing like a little versed to knock a kid out. I wonder if they sell that stuff over the counter HAHA....
I was please d in all with the visit but I have to tell you I am exhausted, I think I need a Lisa day soon to bad I do not see that happening :) Oh well tomorrow I am hitting the pool with the kids and I can not wait!!!
Happy Fourth .....I have a ton of pics to downloand soon I promise :)

Life Changes :(

2008-06-20T11:34:00.006-04:00

I am happy to be slammed at work but I have to tell you I really miss my kids during the day. I just feel like they are growing up to fast. Tatum has picked about 5 new words in the last few weeks and Emma is just no longer a baby at all.

We stopped by the graveyard to visit Chris’ Dad’s grave with the girls the other night, when we arrived I explained to Em that this is where Granddad is, as innocent as could be she simply asked “ Is this heaven” I thought I was going to cry it amazes me the things she actually pay attention to when we are talking to her.

On a much sadder note, today is Pim’s last day with us. Boy we are going to miss her. I cried the entire way to work. I know well still see her but it just isn’t going to be the same. It is like losing a family member. We certainly wish her the best in all she does. I hope she knows how grateful we are for her dedication and everything she has done for our family over the past year and a half, Tatum and Emma have both come so far. I know you are reading this Pim so I hope you know we love you and you well be missed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA

2008-06-16T11:37:00.006-04:00

WE LOVE YOU EM CHUNK!!!

I can not believe that my baby turns 5 today, I guess she is not my Baby anymore but my big girl, WOW! She has turned into a helpful, wonderful big sister right before our eyes....

Railroad and Farm Pictures/ Cabin John Park pics coming...

2008-06-10T00:01:00.002-04:00

HOT ! HOT ! HOT !

2008-06-09T23:00:00.002-04:00

I managed to get home from work by 5 on Thursday and it was a good thing. As soon as I pulled up I got a call from Laura that they were like 10 mins away, I was so excited. The girls hit it off so quickly, it was great Emma actually slept with Michaela in her own room without Chris or me. Friday Laura and I got to check out town and have a yummy Mom lunch.

When we got home from our no kid outing we were pool bound. I am sure the girls must have bothered Pim all morning about the pool...when we left the house around 10 they already had their suits on. We did eventually get to the pool and I think we were there for about 4 hours. It was nice because we got to hang out with the older girls for a while and them Pim brought Tatum to the pool after her nap. I just love this picture of Tatum and Michaela they were so cute playing together, Tatum just loved her.

By the time we left the kids were ready for Dinner and bed and that was exactly what we did grabbed a pizza feed kids and put them in bed....Laura and I got to go out for a bit on Friday night but I think we were all beat by the sun and knew we had a big day ahead of us...

Life never slows down...

2008-06-05T12:21:00.002-04:00

I am so sorry that I have not had a chance to blog… We went to the WS picnic at Cabin John Park on Sunday and had a blast! I have pictures to Download but have blown all the USB ports on my work computer and trying to get anything done at home these days is a lost cause. I saw a ton of familiar faces and some new one’s. We meet the cutest little boy named Nicholas he is about Tatum’s age and he and is family live very close to us. I am really looking forward to hanging with them this summer.

Monday I had a Doctor apt for me, nothing to worry about just a check up and I had to get up early and register Emma for before and after school care. Good thing I got in line so early it was totally filled up by noon. By the time I got to work I just had to hit the ground running.

Tuesday I took the girls to their new pediatrician, she was great! We were running late so instead of seeing both girls they could only see Emma, they rescheduled Tate for the 24. Any who it was more important for them to see Emma since I have to register her for kindergarten on Friday morning, I can not believe my baby is going to school. Emma was in the 50% for height and weight can hear perfect and somehow managed to get a Hannah Montana Barbie for be good while getting her shots. Glad to see she has not lost her ability to sucker Mom. Tatum is also scheduled for a sedated echo on July 2, lucky for me I am on vacation that day so I do not have to miss any work.

Yesterday was CRAZY we had one of those Crazy storms from CO blow up our way knocking out power and tree’s, some places still do not have power. Our office building lost power around 3pm then at about 4:30 when we were all trying to leave the generator in the parking garage caught fire…That was just great we all had to wait around in order to get our cars. Once I had my car I must have stopped at 3 times looking for a working gas station so I could get home. Finally I found one made it home only to get a call from Autumn, she was stuck apparently the trains had gone haywire with the power outage so she was a little stuck. Autumn caught a bus as far north as she could and I went down and picked her up. Lucky for us there was an open bar right at the bus stop LOL…Anyway I would say by about 9pm everyone was home safe and sound…

Well that brings us to today I have a ton to do to prepare to not be at work tomorrow.
Laura and Michaela are arriving later this evening, we are all pretty excited and I took off tomorrow so we can enjoy a nice Mom only morning/lunch then hit the pool with the kids. Should be a fun packed weekend. I promise to fill everyone in with details and pictures in a realistic time frame… Sorry for the blogging slack but we are alive and well just super busy. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

A great break in the rain...

2008-05-27T21:49:00.003-04:00

This was a great weekend we could not have asked for better weather, a great way to kick off the pool season.

Although I managed to stay out of the gated baby pool area I was pretty much confined to the shallow end. Emma is on the verge of being all over the pool, she did great in the water and really had fun playing with other kids. I was impressed with her interaction's with others she is just growing up so fast, she has even learned how to use the snack bar alone, lucky me. Thank goodness all my friends have the greatest kids, They totally keep an extra look out when Em is doing everything "by myself Mom", lol... She even sun bath's I can not believe it!!

Tatum LOVED the water and seeing all her lifeguard friends again. Emma (the LG) played with her in the water during adult swim and Zoe hung with her in the pool too. I think Tatum was in heaven with all the attention she was just hugs and smiles all day, even without a nap. I think that Tatum's favorite thing at the pool is the bucket's...Tatum loved to sit on the edge with her feet in the pool watching the buckets dump water...I am sure I'll have a picture soon enough if I do not have one from last summer...

Anyway.... We are going to a WS picnic on Sunday, I am excited it is only like 25 mins away! oh yeah and Sat. is another Softball game in the evening...I am predicting evening thunder storms, it seems to be the team's luck :( I would actually like to have the game it sounds like a great time so keep your fingers crossed for another awesome weekend...

somehow I lost a week ;)

2008-05-19T13:42:00.010-04:00

So I guess my poor blog is becoming weekly for the time being, at least until my life slows down, does that happen before the kids grow up and move out??… Anyway Mother’s Day was nice, we hiked around Sugarloaf MT and got to spend time together as a family. Last weeks appointments went great, well sort of great. Emma does not need glasses and Tatum does not need a doctor that is what she thinks anyway.

Yep you guessed it the apt for Tatum on Thursday did not go well, she blew her last chance at the satellite office. From now on we have to go to Hopkins to get sedated for her echoes she would not let anyone touch her. Since Chris took her to the appointment I am not exactly sure how it went down just the end result. What I do know is that they did not try to do the echo first like I asked because Chris did not remind them so who knows if my plan would work or not. They both have a mind of their own. What a good birthday gift she gave me…future stress, LOVE IT!

On Saturday Yvonne and I took the girls to Deep Creek for the weekend. We arrived in the afternoon had lunch and played at the “Honi Honi” the rest of the afternoon, had a blast hanging out there the rest of the day then went back to our cabin. There were so many kids on the playground tons of 2 year olds it seemed like and although they were climbing better then Tate and talking better then Tate I can honestly say no one had hair or smile as great. I'll take cute hair and a great smile over talking any day LOL.

Sunday turned out to be a total washout so we headed back mid morning. It was nice to get away but a little disappointing because we did not get to do any of the fun stuff we had planned for Sunday.

At least the rain cleared up at home late afternoon so we could enjoy some of the day and the girls did get new Crocs, even Tatum. I love watching the girls play together, it is very sweet. Emma certainly does love her little sister she is awesome with her. Tatum is finally getting to the point where she can actually play.

Now I just have to get through this crazy almost last week of the month…. Holiday’s make it even worse since we miss a day, errrrr. Wow can you believe June is right around the corner…The pool opens this weekend yippee, I wonder if I can swim in my jeans and a long sleeve tee-shirt, it is going to be a scary bathing suit season!!!

Spring has Sprung

2008-05-09T12:22:00.009-04:00

Well I guess with the weather comes a major lack of time for posting. I am exhausted by the time I get home from work eat dinner and play with the kids outside. It seems as the days get nicer we somehow end up outside later and later. My goal is to have everyone in by 8:45 so we can maintain somewhat of a bed time and bath schedule. We'll see how that goes.

On Sunday we went to Dover to visit we got to meet Bonnie's family and we all had our pictures done at my Dad and Bonnie's house. It was alot of fun, Usually there is just my kids and Molly this time there were 6 kids under 5 and 1 that was 9ish give or take. Emma had a blast playing with her.

Yesterday was Chris' b-day the big 38 for him ha ha and next Thursday is mine only 33 for me hehehe. We really do not have any plans. We were planning to go out of town but Chris has decided that he wants to stay home, so I guess that is out the window...I do not feel like going alone and everyone I know seems busy. I guess I can go bet on Big brown again and hope for the best. I actually won 59 dollars from the Kentucky Derby....Gas money for the civic!!

Monday I stayed home with the kids since Pim was out of town. We had a great time the weather was beautiful and the girls could not have been any better behaved we had a great time playing outside cooking out for dinner and i even got to play with my camera taking pictures of Emma while Tatum was napping. Emma is really something she just posed away, I think Americana's Next top model is training my kid. What a Ham, we are in trouble I know... I did manage to get a few of Tatum when she woke up but not nearly as many. The photographer on Sunday actually took one of my all time fav pictures of Tatum and good pictures of the rest of us too.

Is it just my kids or are every ones kids most happy with a phone in there hand???

This weekend we are having B-day/ Mothers Day dinner on Saturday and we have a softball game on Sunday. Hopefully we have a much better game then the last one. That one was bad 47-1 hey at least it was not a shutout right???

Next week should be a bit busier since my organization skills faltered big time. Emma has an eye Doctor appointment, her very first one, at 11:15 in Rockville then Tatum has a cardiologist appointment 1:45. All on my B-day, sounds like fun huh. At least Tatum's is at the Hopkins satellite office, they are giving us one more chance before we have to have them all at the actual hospital. I convinced them that if we did the echo first before they started messing with her she would cooperate. Usually by the time we get to the echo she is so ticked off from the BP and the EKG that we really get nothing done. Keep your fingers crossed that she goes with the flow. On top of all that Pim has an appointment so I can not get her to help me...As of Now I am planning to take Emma to work with me in the morning then to her appointment hopefully Chris can get to Tatum's and I can show up a bit late, it should be quite interesting. I have had both appointments forever so cancelling one is totally out of the question. Guess I am learning a big lesson on organization.

I'll let you all know how the appointments turn out and Happy Mothers Day to all the Mom's reading this...Have a great weekend!

End of april ALREADY!!!

2008-04-29T13:03:00.008-04:00

I cannot believe it is the end of the month already, they just keep flying by… The monsoon has finally stopped and it appears that the sun is finally going to make an appearance today, but what does that mean it is just supposed to start raining again. Saturday was beautiful we played our first softball game got our butts kicked but still fun. I am not actually playing Chris is but we went and cheered, it is a co-ed league so we have friends all playing.

With the weather so nice the last two Saturdays I have been able to get stuff done around the house. We planted flowers out front ,but it still looks lame, and we were able to clean the roof terrace and the back yard. All we need is a new outdoor rug for the terrace and we are set. The shelf life on the outdoor rugs is about three years. I was good the first yr and put it in the garage for the summer but slack the last two and now it is just falling apart at the touch. What can you do it is pretty faded anyway.

The girls are doing great! Emma’s new thing is to ask how to spell just about everything you say. It is sort of a pain in the butt as well as very cute. We have recently had to start labeling everything in the house so she knows how to spell the words. Whatever works right… Tatum is still not really talking but the babble is loud and out of hand. She has some words that I think only we can understand them. For example if you say I love you to her she babbles the same thing back every time, if you ask for a kiss she turns her head and leans her cheek toward you with a big smile. Her hair is simply out of hand but I love it. She is doing much better walking around inside and out especially on different textures. She really loves it outside although her allegories are killing her, I feel so bad poor kid, and I think she gets them from me. I did find a natural allegory suppressant at the organic market on Sunday so hopefully that’ll help….

I guess I better stop slacking….I am glad everyone had great weather and turn out for the WS walks last weekend ;) Oh yeah here is one more picture of Tatum and Peyton from the weekend we were in VA. When the two little ones did play together they were super cute!!!

Whoah...

2008-04-22T22:32:00.003-04:00

That has pretty much sums up my past week...I am just wondering when it is going to stop...

If I do not have Emma in my bed it is Tatum on top of last week in month and my Anniversary (yeah an excuse to go out with just Chris)I need a good 5 extra hours a day.
So far this week we have knocked them all out. Emma in our bed on Monday night Tate in the bed last night, well early this morning, don't worry it was way after we got home from our anniversary date ;).
This evening I even came home from work and went on a walk with the girls. I figured since I was so sore from gardening on Saturday STILL I may as well keep exercising...right, makes sense...:) The older the kids get the busier I get....trying to blog at 11:20 is sad....I started this like an hour ago but I had to go give Em "snuggles", again. At least she is in her bed for now anyway. So now I have totally lost whatever it was I started blogging about...I'll have to finish in the morning, hopefully I should have time since I am planing on waking up early to run ( walk fast and run a little) Whatever get you up and moving right.....

Well I have been awake since 5 but did not get to run :( Tatum has been awake with me yippee, actually she has been pretty pleasant and very cute. I am going to have to get my jog stroller down so next time I can just take her with me. Well I have some extra time this morning so I think I'll make Tate and I some eggs for breakfast :) Have a good day.

Everyone loves Adam Sandler...or DanaCarvey lol

2008-04-16T09:44:00.005-04:00

I am starting to realize that I am never going to catch a break in my house. Between Emma and Chris I do not know what I am going to do except maybe die laughing. The two of them are just two peas in a pod right down to the TV shows they watch. Thank god Tatum and I just go with the flow or we would really be in trouble.

The other day I overheard Emma singing....cute I know.... I asked her to repeat her song because surly my ears were mistaken me.... nope they were right my almost 5 yr old was sitting at her table in the kitchen singing Adam Sandlers song "chopping broccoli". She was doing this with all the bells and whistles..."I'm chopping it chopping it chopping it ". I was dying it was just to funny. I guess we do not watch reruns in our house. Apparently her and Chris sign this together. Oh what am I going to do with those two.

There's a lady I know
If I didn't know her
She'd be the lady I didn't know.

And my lady, she went downtown
She bought some broccoli
She brought it home.

She's chopping broccoli
Chopping broccoli
Chopping broccoli
Chopping broccoli

She's chopping broccoli
She's chopping broccoli
She's chop.. ooh!
She's chopping broccola-ah-ie!

So happy for spring we have our first softball game this weekend and I love playing with the kids outside!!!!!

Happy Birthday Taylor

2008-04-07T17:13:00.006-04:00

This weekend we all headed to VA Beach to visit my friend Heather and her family. Heather is also a dentist so I was lucky enough to get her to fix my tooth that I broke in December. This particular weekend was picked so we could also enjoy Taylor's 3 birthday . It was also a long over due visit to check out there not so new anymore house but still new to me, it is AWESOME, I think we may have to vacation there this summer LOL.

I would imagine we'll be enjoying many more with him since Emma proposed to him last night. I guess after playing all weekend going swimming and taking a bath and nap together she was hooked. Not to mention that he and his baby brother are two of the most beautiful boys ever. Tatum was her happy little self but seemed to enjoy the dog and eating then anything else, she did hang with Payton some but only when the big kids were away...Who knows we may have a budding romance there too LOL. I'll have to get the pictures of the babies playing together from Heather, I downloaded them to her computer and then forgot to save them :(

Life Changing...

2008-04-07T17:01:00.005-04:00

I was ready to leave for my friends house on Sat. morning when I got a call from her. Heather was calling to tell me that Benny, a High School friend of ours passed away. News like this certainly puts the problems and issues you have in perspective.
My friend Jen was married to Benny, Chris and I attended their wedding when I was preg. with Tatum. Last Saturday I was unable to attend her baby shower but sent a gift with my Mom. Jen and Benny's first baby is due on my birthday, I am so sad for her and her family. I have no idea what she must be going through. I know that my friend Jen is a very strong woman but no one should ever have to go through something like this and at 8m preg I have no clue how she is holding it together, Most definitely a life suck big time moment.
This is my 5 funeral since I became preg with Tatum and only Nana was an older person. I have attended more funerals in the last 2.5 yrs then some in a lifetime.

A Poem From The List Serve

2008-04-04T10:26:00.003-04:00

I do not read many list serve email because there is just not enough time in the day but yesterday someone posted a poem they wrote and i wanted to share it:

Angelic faces with upturned smiles
Voices that carry through to every ear
You might not see their beautiful Wings
Although invisible, they are always there.

Hearts of gold and eyes so bright
The most Loving of the earthly plane
Most blessed are we with their empathy
And their truthful tears that fall like rain.

These Children of God who are treasured by some
And by others cast away
If you could take one look inside their souls
You would see innocence beaming in rays.

They may seem slow upon the earth
Or fumble, stumble and fall
But you see, their wings are for higher places
Where difference is not different at all.

If you happen upon a little pixie
Or a one who has grown into their wings
Remember to hold them as tight as you can
And lovingly let them sing.

This is for all of you on the board. I wrote this regardless if I have
William's or not because I know what it is like to be different and
also to love those who are "Special"

Another week down...Almost

2008-04-03T13:07:00.002-04:00

Well Today is My sisters Birthday my friend Dana's b-day Tyler's B-day (I think). On top of all the birthdays my friend Michelle is have a heart cath and maybe a patch put on. She is participating in a blind research study. The Doctors that are doing the cath are actually Tatum's old group from Fairfax. Thank god she got he one we like there:)
I have to tell ya I hate caths no matter who is having them just talking about it freaks me out. I am sure she is fine I just can not wait to hear from her or someone just so I know all went well....

This weekend we are going to Tyler's b-day party yeah I am very psyched I have not seen Heather's not so new anymore house, it should be fun I think the kids well have a blast. On Monday I am getting my tooth fixed oh so glad this thing is killing me. I have never had anything wrong with my teeth so the though of a possible root canal kinda wigs me out. At this point whatever stops the pain is good for me.

Well I am sure well have some fun pictures to share after the weekend. I just love taking pictures in the spring!!!

OH yeah one more thing...I sent my money in for the Strasburg Railroad trip so its official we are going, keep your fingers crossed no sick kids this yr.!

PANIC ROCKED

2008-04-02T12:48:00.002-04:00

I Think Chris is gonna try and make it down there tonight, I hope he does anyway. Nothing like a good WSP show to put you in a great mood!!!

4/1/08
Warner Theatre
Washington, DC

SET 1:
WALK ON THE FLOOD
ANGELS ON HIGH
DRIVING SONG>
THREE CANDLES >
A OF D >
DRIVING SONG
MACHINE
BARSTOOLS>
DRIVING SONG
DARK DAY PROGRAM
ALL TIME LOW

SET 2:
BOOM BOOM BOOM
PUSHERMAN>
DRUMS>
HER DANCE NEEDS NOBODY>
PIGEONS
FREE SOMEHOW
ALREADY FRIED
GRETA>
UP ALL NIGHT
FLICKER
FISHWATER

ENCORE:
TICKLE THE TRUTH
AINT LIFE GRAND

April Showers bring May Flowers

2008-04-01T11:38:00.003-04:00

But really the rain could stop at anytime.....

Sorry I have been big time MIA but the trusty end of the month always gets me with work.....

Anyway today is supposed to be Tatum's Annual review with Infant and toddlers but I cancelled, I have a terrible tooth ached and do not think that I can actually pay attention to anything important while messing with my tooth at he same time. Does that make any kind of sense? Not to mention I am going to see Widespread Panic with my friends at 7 this evening....So between both excuses I just can not make it to the IFSP meeting or whatever they call it. I think we'll make it another month.....

I have finally decided on daycare for the kids, they are YMCA bound. It seems like a good deal I can use flex spending and the summer camps for Emma look fun. Best of all I can send her to VBS without have to pay for two daycare's that week. I know we are really going to miss Pim but it is just time she has to start back to school and medically with Tatum we are in a much better place. Anyway I am about done answering the phones and now back to my desk. Hope everyone has a great day.

Spring is coming...

2008-03-24T11:57:00.011-04:00

Easter, what can I say with Easter comes our second Williams Syndrome DX anniversary, it souled be worse…at least it was warmer then last year. You know Since Williams is what it is and such a part of our life's now I think I am done with remembering anniversary's in reference to it, I mean really why bother, it is not like I really knew Tate all that well pre Dx she was super little. :) Anyway.....

We had a pretty full weekend again Saturday I took the girls to our church’s “Easter Eggxtravaganza” it was a bit chilly but lots of fun. We actually had to call Chris and have him bring us some hats and gloves LOL. Emma brought a friend with her and I have to tell you the two girls were adorable they did two egg hunts, dug in a sand box for toys and oh yeas we hit the moon bounce about three times. It is so nice to see Emma grow up and interact with her different friends I just can not believe she’s my 1 baby. I guess I have to get used to the fact that she is my big girl.

Sunday was a lot warmer outside, the weekend turned out a lot nicer then predicted we got up and went to Angie and Joe’s for our annual Easter egg hunt and yummy breakfast then over to Baltimore for an early dinner at my sisters house. The girls all had fun looking for the eggs, even Tatum got into it. I think the picture I have posted may be my favorite of all the girls together.Autumn joined us for dinner this year that was a nice extra. Poor Chris was total the chauffeur since we all sat in the back seats to watch Enchanted on the DVD, super cute movie.

The kids all had a good time playing, at one time I looked in the living room and they were all playing very nice just not at all together, too funny. Julie had a fantastic dinner like always and I even got to go home with some stuff from her closet. Got to love that!!!

Always on the go....

2008-03-16T21:09:00.004-04:00

Well another weekend over!! The older I get the faster they go. I got to have lunch with Whitney and her sister on Friday afternoon and Whitney came back to my house with me. I do not think that Emma is ever going to stop talking about her. Whitney played the littlest pet shop with her and read her a million books. They were really cute.

Saturday morning Emma went to the movie with one of her friends and I had to take Whitney back to her Sisters, they had spa appointments at 11. After I dropped Whitney off and picked up some Easter stuff at the mall I drove into Baltimore to check out our friends new store grand opening. The store was adorable it is called Bediboo, this is the website... http://www.bediboo.com/

So anyway, after that Tatum and I stopped by Dana and Scott's house to play for a little bit. Tatum had a blast playing with Jason, although she was a dirt ball by the time we left it was totally a beautiful day.
Once we got home we headed out for a cook out with Chris' co workers. It was fun to meet them and we actually ran into an old friend we had not seen in like 4 years. Kinda random and funny all at once.

Sunday was a bit colder then Saturday but we still managed to get alot done. Chris went to Costco while I ran around with the girls. We had dinner at Angie and Joe's house to celebrate Chris' Mom 's b-day. It was nice to see everyone and Emma had a great time playing. I was psyched because I finally got to see what Gautier Hero is, I know lame but I had never seen it played before. I can not wait to see what the video games are like by the time we are actually buying them for the girls...

Needless to say it was a busy weekend. Wow I can not believe it is time to go back to work already....Got to get these kids in bed. Hope you all had a great weekend can you believe it is almost Easter...

DST already....

2008-03-10T11:31:00.002-04:00

Well hopefully you all feel better then me today....I love and hate daylight savings time all at once. I love it because it means SPRING...I hate it because it steals sleep and although only an hour I may as well have gone on vacation in Hawaii and taken a red eye to get to work... At least the kids seemed to handle it well...

It was pretty cold all weekend so we really did not do much. Chris took Emma to the pool on Saturday to work on her swimming skills. I think by the time summer starts she'll be very close if not swimming alone. Not so sure we'll make the swim team this year but who knows, I guess we'll just have to see how she does. Tatum should be pretty funny this summer too, I am sure she'll love the pool as long as I am right there with her. I can not believe how stuck to Mom she is...I guess I should enjoy it since she is so darn cute.

We saw the genetics Doctor on Thursday and he was also concerned about her speech, I am not as worried about it as everyone else I know she'll talk eventually. I am going to attend some of her speech therapy for the next few months to see what I can do to help her along, I think we'll have her saying more in no time. Compared to other Williams kids she is not that behind in speech right?

I have to start getting Emma's forms together to register her for kindergarten, wow I can not believe she is going to school this yr. it seems like just yesterday that she was born. I am also thinking about putting in Tatum in a more structured Daycare, I think it would really help her out with her communication skills. The YMCA where Emma goes to pre-school seems to have a really great program for children Tatum's age too. I am thinking that she'll get much more out of that then just being at home one on one with a sitter. Thoughts anyone?

Anyway I have work to get done...I'll try and get some pictures up soon and post more this week. Whitney is coming out to visit her sister on Thursday so hopefully I'll get to catch up with them this weekend. Happy Monday :)

What a week...last week

2008-03-05T14:00:00.003-05:00

Well I have to admit last week was just exhausting and emotional. I went to KY over the weekend, was able to have Tatum evaluated by Dr. Mervis and her fabulous team as well as attend the services for Blake. They are in IN about 30mins from Louisville.

This was the first time I attended a funeral for a child and I can promise you the next one I go to is to soon. In spite of everything Whitney looked great, she is even starting to show. I got to have lunch with Troy, Whitney, Brandon one of the cousins...I forget his name but he and Brandon were just to cute. It was really nice to spend time with them away from everything. I am so excited because Whitney is coming to MD when her sisters Baby is born, that is like anytime now, so I am totally getting to see her again soon.

Dr. Mervis thought Tatum was doing really well with the exception of her comprehension and speech but we are working on that. Her fine motor skills are terrific. She was awesome on the plane and everywhere we went actually I do not think she cried but maybe three times all weekend and two of the time were because she wanted me. Yes it is true I have a Williams Kid that is major clingy, it is sweet, I guess :) not so common from what I understand.

Anyway you would all be happy to know that when we returned home there were locks on the kitchen cabinets ( the lower ones) and yep a gate at the top of the stairs. Way to go Chris, all it took was a trip to the ER and last Wed. night he had to do the Heimlich to get the change out of her that she was chocking on, I think I forgot to mention that last week.... Well anyway that is behind us moving forward we are Tatum proofed :)

Happy Hump Day Everyone !!!

From Whitney's sister Tiffany...

2008-02-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

Lisa,

I finally got details, I will post them below:

Blake Matthew Hill
July 6, 2007 - Feb. 26, 2007

My sister will be posting later on her site, I'm not sure when, but I wanted to get the information out to all of you lovely people who have supported her and Blake throughout.

Visitation and services will be at:
Gehlbach and Royse funeral home
318 E. Chestnut St.
Corydon, IN 47112
(812)738-4131

Visitation:
Friday, Feb 29 12 noon - 8 p.m.
Saturday, Mar 1 9 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Service starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Expressions of sympathy can be sent to the funeral home or donations made to the Lili Claire Foundation.

July 7, 2007 - February 26, 2008

2008-02-27T11:43:00.005-05:00

You'll Always be in our hearts Baby Blake...We all Love You...

We've had happier days

2008-02-26T21:19:00.003-05:00

I spoke to Whitney briefly she mentioned that they would maybe have to let Blake go this evening. The MRI results showed little to no brain activity....Please email me or one of the other WS Mommy's if you would like an address or more details, I just do not have it in me to post.

God Bless Baby Blake he has been through so much in his little life and so have his parents...I feel so honored to have been given the opportunity to at least hold him once.

Not a bad Mom???

2008-02-25T19:37:00.005-05:00

I feel so honored Chris sent is very first Text Message today and it was to me saying I was still a good Mom...he knows how terrible I still feel since technically that tumble happened on my watch...anyway the Doctor said she was fine and not to worry her 20m old did the exact same thing, not that it really made me feel any better....so here are the terrible stairs and poor Tate's head, I guess it does not really look that bad today, I just hope she doesn't get black eye's from it. Told ya they are pretty steep... Nice purple bump huh, can you see it in the middle of her for head??? Sorry Tate I love you ;)

Never a Dull Moment

2008-02-24T23:16:00.007-05:00

This has been an exhausting weekend, we helped Autumn move in her new place on Saturday and today I went through all the girls clothes, I am not even done totally and I spent a good 5 hours between the two rooms...I am ready to have a huge garage sale come spring. Our neighborhood has one planned for 5/4...this may actually be the first year I am prepared.

Anyway I am just hanging out listening to Tate scream herself to sleep like she does every night. Normally I do not listen but tonight I am thinking it is a good idea since she fell head over heel down 14 wooden stairs, yep the front staircase of coarse that would be our luck no need to fall down the carpeted stairs...I knew that no baby gates would get us eventually and today it did. Now maybe Chris well put up the gate we have and buy so more for the rest of the stairs ( we only have three flights all no less then 13 stairs and only the bottom flight has carpet, not even a runner on the others ) I guess if he won't listen to me about gates before today maybe he'll listen to the paramedic that was in our living room around 6:30 this evening. I' d take a picture of the staircase to show you but It would just be embarrassing. Those who have been here know how I must have been freaking... Chris had to keep his cool because Emma and I were both a mess along with Tatum those are some pretty steep stairs.

Chris thinks we are one step away from social services being called since the cop that answered the 911 call was the same one that was here last weekend for Emma's 911 hang up call.... I think she was testing how it worked because we had no clue she even called until they called us back to let us know they dispatched an officer....great huh. Anyway...

Tatum has a huge black and blue bump on the front of her forehead that took all of 4 mins to show up and had a bloody noise, she was absolutely hysterical ( which is actually a good thing for the situation) so the medics recommended that we take her to the ER instead of traumatising her more with a ambulance ride she was responsive and never lost consciousness or threw up so they thought she would be fine if we took her to instead of them.

Needless to say we spent he remainder of our evening there. The Dr. thinks she is fine by the time he saw her she was pretty much her normal self but did recommend that I take her into the pediatrician's office in the morning. To be honest think I was as shook up as she was. I think she is going to be just fine she had no trouble throwing down a happy meal around 9:30 when we got home, poor kids got a very late dinner since that was where we were headed when all this happened.

The two funny thing we learned from this is that our local hospital has a Dr. Pepper..no joke we heard him paged, Emma got a kick out of that, and Tatum totally knows what a hospital and a Dr. is and she is not so fond of them or anything that they do. She ripped that little red O2 reader off her foot just has fast as they put it on and wanted no parts of an ID bracelet...Awe the ID bracelet another one fore the collection...

I feel so bad when she cries herself to sleep but I really have no choice if I let her sleep with me she just moves around usually falls off the bed and finally falls asleep after like 2 hours...Once she is asleep she is out but getting her to go to sleep has never been easy for us.

At least she wakes up happy..... We actually had to wake her up on her birthday so she could open her presents before my Mom and sister had to leave, look happiest little thing ever...

Anyway here are a few of the pictures from her b-day...Like the Ghetto candles, what can you do I forgot to buy some..good thing she was only turning two, just imagine if I forget for Emma and have to put five candle sticks in there...HA HA that would be one holey cake!!! Welp she is finally asleep and all is well, I can hear her breathing and no vomit... I hope her head doesn't look worse in the morning...I'll try and get a picture of it...trust me it is not pretty, my poor little princess...

Not so good...

2008-02-20T21:56:00.003-05:00

Well I spoke to Kim and Ava seems to be doing better, they just are not sure what is wrong with her. She should be able to head home in a few days so if anyone wants to send anything just email me and I can give you an address...

Our little baby Blake on the other hand is really not doing so well. Just keep praying for him and the family I know this has to be a hard time for all of them, I bet the hardest thus far. My emotions have gotten the best of me so there is not much more to say...Good night everyone...

Life Keeps Moving

2008-02-19T11:36:00.001-05:00

Wow…so I wrote a post last night about my families last two weeks, Nemo on ice that we all went to see on Sunday afternoon and tons of pictures. I am sure this post is going to make it on the blog at some point this week so yeah we have a guaranteed two-post week.

Instead I am taking a moment to tell you all how brave each and every one of you are in your own way with each very different DX in the best way we know how. I imagine that this is taking a toll on all of just as much as it takes a toll on me.

I have recently decided that I should spend more time at home do my best to avoid drama (I swear sometimes I feel like I am living a HS nightmare) and eliminate the relationships in my life that are not easy. I can’t handle the grief in my life and my fiends that need me as well as grief from relationships that should just be thoughtless. So now that I have that off my mind, I have some Williams baby updates…

Blake is still hanging in there no real change…they are having a very hard time weaning him off any of his meds, if anything he is requiring more. Whitney’s Mom is up there with her for a few days. Not such good new but yesterday Ava was transferred up there as well. Kim called last night for Whitney’s number. Ava is also not doing so great she can’t eat anything and is just wasting away. Her organs are also showing signs of shutting down, Kim has promised to keep me posted but she is just not up for blogging. Hopefully Laura, Ava’s Mom and Whitney well be able to find so comfort with each other up there. It is always easier when you have a friend; please keep these babies and there very young Mom’s in your thoughts and prayers…. I am trying to get an address so we can decorate their rooms with love.

Iced over and Sick.....

2008-02-13T08:02:00.003-05:00

Sorry long time no post but we have been attacked by the flu bug. The girls and Chris were sick most of the weekend. By the time Sunday rolled around Tatum was much better and even Emma seemed fine. Around 3am Monday morning the flu bug got Emma and she is still sick. I can not get her fever to break to save my life. Her cough has gotten much better but that fever is going no where fast.

We did not really do much for Tatum's birthday, My sister and Molly came by ( Molly is now sick too) my Mom Chris' Mom and Walt and a few friends braved the germs. Sharon stopped by and Dana and her family. It was nice very low key, it was great to actually get to hang out with Dana, Scott and there boys.

Pim had a interview with a School yesterday so Chris' Mom came down on Monday to help with the girls, she may get to go home sometime today if the weather cooperates but we don't mind keeping her, the girls love it.

I got a message from Whitney and spoke to her quickly Blake's lungs are a little wet from better blood flow. I have pictures to post but the kids are up and I need to get ready for work so maybe I can download some this evening when I get home :) Have a good day all and be careful driving!!!

hmmmmm my spell check is not working anyone else having that problem?

Don't be jealous...LOL

2008-02-08T09:42:00.000-05:00

I am so busy at work so I only have a quick second....No news from Whitney I hope everything is OK there......I am blog slacking sorry to all I peek but have not commented in forever but I am checking at least once a week :)

We are doing something small for Tatum on Sunday since it is her b-day and tonight I have a date with Emma, Alex, Yvonne and Fiona...Yes Hannah Montana in 3-D....What are we getting ourself into HA-HA...

Have a great day!!!

Lisa

Baby Blake

2008-02-06T19:55:00.000-05:00

I spoke to Whitney around 10am today Blake's saturation level had dropped to like 68 and they bagged him but he was still breathing on his own. They were just grabbing something to eat. I think Amy was going to try and visit her. I wish I could I just want to give her a big hug. If I can catch her again I'll be sure to let you all know....May I can get her to text me a picture... Keep saying extra special prayers.

Where does the time go...

2008-02-05T20:37:00.000-05:00

How anyone with a full time job has time to blog is beyond me. I mean do not get me wrong I used to be able to find the time but now between chasing two kids down from the moment I get home and just a tiny bit of down time for my self I am just not seeing it.
I mean right now I have a second between American Idol, calls from loan officers that are still at work, and Emma's in the tube. The colored water should entertain her for awhile or until Chris brings Tatum to me... By the way have I mentioned that Emma wants to sing Annie on AM...she is nuts!!!

We finally have Autumn back we found this kick ass Apt close to me in cute little downtown frederick...Yip ehh we finally got her back!!!!! I told her if she did not rent the place we found I was. It is adorable right in the middle of downtown and walking distance to all the fun spots best of all I have a parking spot now when the girls and I go walk around on nice days...haha at least I have an unloading spot right :)

Well Business has certainly picked up although it has not helped us out a bit financially as of yet but soon right I have my fingers crossed!!! Tomorrow morning I am taking Tatum to the eye doctor. I have given up on routine visits at Wilmer I mean I love them but I just can not waste the day there for one anointment so we are going back o the original eye doctor at least for general eye checkups...if in the future eye surgery comes up again back to Dr. Cameron we go.

I can not believe my little baby is turning 2 on Sunday it is just beyond me...I feel like 2 down 3 to go since the doctors said we want to get to 5 before any major surgery's...something is keeping her going strong and I am not going to question it just ride it out ya know.

Sorry to hear about everyone’s bad weather ours as been sporadic but for the most part good 50-60 over the weekend and supposed to be nice tomorrow Chris actually took Emma swimming this weekend. We have to get her little butt swimming across the pool by summer alone in order for her to swim on the summer team. Personally I think she looks more like Rocky then a swimmer but you knw Em she had to wear my sweat shirt LOL......

ok-ok I got to get these prunes out of the tube...Tatum joined Emma a little big ago...4 yr olds the biggest undercover blessing you'll ever meet!!!

Blake update...

2008-02-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

I spoke to Whitney and Blake has gone in HF 2 times but seems to be doing a bit better now....I think all the prayers he can get are going to help our little fellow. Whitney is hanging in there but she is literally sick to her stomache over it all. She thinks that Blake just needs a bit more time to get it together. Email me if you need her number.

SHE SPEAKS

2008-01-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

I guess it is only fair since Emma said "Dada" first that Tatum would say "Mama" first....

She had been babbling sounds for a while like dadadada or babababa you know stuff like that but she has finally got Mama down and is actually referring to me. I LOVE IT.....I kept telling Chris that she was MY baby :) LOL

By the way Thanks Kerry I LOVE THIS PHOTO!!!

GO NFC EAST!!!

A little clarification....

2008-01-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to clear up something from my last post.....We have no intentions of moving from our current home. When I said leave the hood I meant just to get out and have some fun....I think I 'll be living in that house forever :) That is not such a bad thing :)

And Tara if you can figure anything out about the gas prices let me know 3.10 for the cheapest is killing me....I remember when I was first driving it was .99-.97 a gallon :)

Recession

2008-01-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

I know I know if you were to ask the President if we are in a recession he'll tell you "no" but I would imagine that is because it is not effecting him directly.... Where I live and in my business it is killing everyone. I guess it is something most people go through at one point or another during there lifetime so I do not know why I thought it would never effect me....Let me tell you all it SUCKS!

This is just a total vent post just because...
...I hate that my kids can not do extra activities or go anyplace over the weekend, I hate that Tatum is not going to have a party for her 2 Birthday (which by the way is in 3 weeks), I hate that Emma has to choose who she wants to go see Disney on Ice with since we can not afford for the entire family to go and worse then that I hate that she picked Chris...LOL

The worst part is the strain that financial crap put on relationships....I guess you do learn one thing from it and that is how not worth it is to live above your means. Hopefully by summer we can have it mostly worked out so that maybe we can leave the neighborhood. On the plus side there is tons to do in the hood so it won't be so bad, and beside once I sell my car who wants to go anywhere crammed in a 2 door civic.....Oh well such is life I guess, it well be nice not to have a car payment just have to keep our fingers crossed that our little civic well run forever it already has 150k on the original clutch, hehehe.

I guess we'll all look pretty cute sporting around in my little red car....who needs four doors anyway :) Just bigger incentive to perfect that walk to the pool.

OK, I am done complaining and now that I am laughing at myself I feel much better. Happy Monday :)

Growing up...

2008-01-19T08:36:00.000-05:00

I have begun to realize over the last month how grown up Emma is becoming. Her newest thing is showering all by herself, she actually does a good job. It snowed here on Thursday and it amazed me how she is actually old enough to play and sled like a regular kid. I mean she has always been a regular kid but it is like overnight she is no longer a baby. Although I miss my baby this new little girl she has become is a lot of fun. To bad she would rather have fun with Dad but I am working on that one.

Tatum is growing up also she is all over the house and into EVERYTHING. I guess you all were right the more she steadies her walking the more she talks to us even if no one understands what she is saying the sounds are pretty cute. I spoke to Lisa her ST the other morning and she also feels that after she m,asters walking she'll start talking. She says kids usually focus on one thing at a time and the big thing that I have noticed with Tatum is she is no good at multitasking. I guess she has realized at the ripe young age of 1 that it is way overrated!!

Well I hope everyone has a good weekend my consists of cleaning up after 3 kids and Pim who trash the house during the week :) I guess it could be worse...I am actually going to check out an apartment with Autumn this afternoon, yeah she is finally moving back to MD.

From My Hometown...

2008-01-17T10:06:00.001-05:00

OK so I have my AI favorite!!! He is from Dover DE and adorable, he can sing too :) Looks like the video clip is gone now you have to watch :)

My Hero...

2008-01-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

You are my hero, Dad
You're my secure foundation.
When I think of you, I'm filled with love
And fond appreciation.

You make me feel protected;
I'm sheltered by your care.
You're always my true friend;
When I need you, you're always there.

You have a place of honor
Deep within my heart.
You've been my superhero, Dad,
Right from the very start.

By Joanna Fuchs

Thanks Dad for taking care of me even though I am a grown up now. I love you and not just when you are helping me out but always...XOXO The girls have are so lucky to have you as a part of their lives and so are Chris and I :)

"Just Another Manic Monday"...

2008-01-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

...Not really, but I so did not want to get out of bed this morning.

I think it is the rain that is killing me! I am so ready to get up and start running in the morning but the weather is just not working with me. If I am going to start running again I can't start on a nasty morning not that dedicated , hopefully I'll get there but not yet. The plan for now is Chris and I alternate mornings, it sounds good we just have to see how it pans out. As you can see in a totally different life we were quite the athletes. Chris way better then me....These are pictures from the 2nd iron man that he did. I have very few pictures from races I did since we were both doing them together, I was a spectator at this IM(Lake Placid). I never did a iron man with him but I did a 1/2 IM and other races. For now all I want is to run again and I'll be happy. Hopefully it well give me lots of energy, and if my kids keep boycotting sleep they are going to run too HA-HA.

It is nothing for Tatum to scream for a good hour every night and my goodness is she clingy to Mommy these days I just don't get it. She has issues sleeping at night but has no problem taking a two hour nap in a bowling alley, does that even make sense?

Honestly I am sure I'll regret saying this someday because once she starts I know she won't stop, but I just want her to talk already. I do not think asking for a Mama is really to much do you. OK enough poor me!!!

We are postponing our KY trip until early spring, hopefully we well have the money to go then right now I do not even have enough to pretend like we can afford it LOL. Besides who knows by then she could be talking more, I think maybe a new speech teacher is in order....Amy K says I should just hold tight till she really gets the walking thing, she may not be up for multi tasking right yet...who knows, crazy kids :)

Hmmmm maybe lunch well wake me up today ....

One Terrific Weekend

2008-01-06T18:53:00.000-05:00

Kerry and her family got to our home about 9:00 or so on Friday night. It was weird because it certainly did not seem like the first time we had meet. Tom and Chris got along great and the kids had a great time together, Brady and Michael are both just the cutest. I could not believe how light Brady was compared to Tatum, it was like night and day.

Saturday morning we all woke up had some good ole Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and started our day.The kids played so well together all weekend and shared toys nicely.
By the time we were all ready to leave the house we decided that it was just to late in the day to go downtown ( DC) and be back by 4:30 to see the Skins playoff game, so we check out downtown Frederick instead...It was actually a beautiful day to walk around outside.

We got home in time to watch the football game ohhh what a sad day for football unless you are a Patriot fan then apparently there is never a bad day. Kerry and her family are just die hard Pat fans, thank god they had a week off, I think Michael taunted Chris enough just because he is a skins fan, who can blame him the Skins are pretty bad.

For the 2nd game, which was also lost by the team I was cheering for :(, Kerry and I left the kids with the guys and headed out to JP's for a few drinks. We made the guys a gourmet meal including pasta and a chicken sandwich before we left so they were fine HA HA. It was really nice to get to go out with Kerry and have her meet my friends. The weekend went by way to fast, I think it is a safe bet to say we'll all get together again.

Maybe we can visit them this time. Although I am not sure if Tom is ready for that Tatum may eat them out of house and home. He kept saying that girl does not stop eating LOL. We all really did have a great time. The went home Sunday after brunch, Michael wanted to be home in time for the amazing race... Emma just wants then to come back, me too, sooner then later I hope :)

They'll be coming around the Mountian...

2008-01-04T09:46:00.000-05:00

or I guess I should say BELTWAY when they come.... Yep it is finally here Kerry is rolling up to our house with her family this evening sometime, I would guess later then soon but that fine :) I can not wait. They are stopping by for the weekend on there way home from Louisville. I can not wait to get the kids together they are going to have a blast together!! I promise to take tons of pictures.

I have actually been very lucky in the amount of Williams parents I have actually gotten to meet face to face and even the parents that I have not actually meet I feel like I have. Like we have all said a million times what an incredible support system we have created. I hope everyone is having a great 08 so far.....I think this is our yr to win the lottery, at least that is what Chris thinks, then again he also thinks the Redskins are going to the super bowl HAHAHA!!!!

update

2008-01-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

I talked to Whitney briefly yesterday... They were discharged from the hospital but in the Dr.'s office due to low O2 levels... I am thinking Whitney has some pretty big decisions to make. I should speak to her sometime today so I'll update soon.

HAPPY NEW YR. ALL :)

Wraping up 2007... Bringing in 2008

2007-12-29T12:12:00.000-05:00

I started this before Christmas and I am finishing up late sorry... so This is the scoop with us since Christmas...sorry in Advance for babble....HAPPY NEW YR!!!

I have to say I think that this yr has flown by, I guess that is is true the older you get the faster times passes... It certainly helps that I am in a much better place this year then last. The girls are getting so big it is just crazy. My baby Emma is a big girl and Tatum is well on her way. We stoped by my Dads in Dover on Sunday and that was when I really notice how big the girls were getting. We also had a chance to visit a good friend and see there new baby...He is really not that new any more but the big kids had fun playing and visiting :) Even if it was a very quick stop :) Longer next time I promise :)

Christmas dinner turned out to be pretty good. I actually cooked something, with a little help. The day after Christmas I had to take Tatum to get new shoes and her glasses fixed. What a great way to drop 200.00 in a matter of 5 mins. I do think the bigger shoes are helping and I think life without scratched glasses must be good LOL

I noticed from reading some of the other blogs that your WS kids were not so big on there toys. Tatum was not really into opening gift but she did get this chair end table thing tat she just loves...I totally recommend it. I guess the good thing about Tatum not caring we all had extra gifts to open...I have to tell you even after a week the chair toy is still a hit, we actually travel with it to Yvonne's on Christmas eve...Lucky it was a gift from Dover. As always went together Alex and Emma were cute as every...Santa was good to both of them even though they look like furture trouble together.

News Years went great we all stayed home the girls were in rare form and Chris and I had no energy to deal...it turned out to be a very nice evening and we all slept in till 10....I can not remember the last time that happened, everyone in their own beds!!! What a way to start the new yr. maybe it is a sign...

Well today entail football and cleaning, The Kerry count down is on!!!!

Baby Blake Update

2007-12-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

I spoke to Whitney this morning and honestly she was not having that great of one. The nurses are driving her crazy the Doctors are not much better and Blake has not slept in three days. They finally gave him a bit of benadryl and it was seeming to do the trick for now anyway.

The Dr.'s in KY want to cath him to "buy some time" and then do open heart surgery this summer after RSV season. Right now he has a virus so they have to wait before they can do anything. The Dr. In MI that Whitney has been speaking with thinks the cath would be pointless and really make no change ( just like the last cath was pointless) and do the surgery now. She really does not know what to do I am sure any advice from you all is welcomed. She did not know the address but is going to find it out for us and if you want to send me an email I can give you her cell number. Gotta get to Work, XOXO Lisa

Whoa....Whitney called...

2007-12-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

Well Christmas was goo back to work tomorrow. I'll post more ten I really promise. Whitney
called today just as I was getting a haircut....any way...wait till ya see it...LOVE IT... sorry sidetrack...

On a way more serious note Blake went into heart failure on the 24th and was taken to the ER. Per Whitney he has been on track to at some pt have heart failure but in the last few weeks it seems he has been headed there fast. Blake is set to have a Cath 1-9 he may be in the hospital till then or they may move the cath date to sooner... I'll talk to Whitney on my way to work tomorrow and also get a number and hospital address for us... Night guys...

praying for Baby Blake, Family and Maybe a little extra for my girl Whitney, who by the way is a hero of mine.

I'll keep you posted.

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

2007-12-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had or is having a terrific day....I post more pictures and write about it later but wanted to share our best gift....I think we can now honestly say Tatum is walking...still loving the bear crawl but definitely walking as well... XOXO Merry Christmas :)

Never Ending

2007-12-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

GO GO GO I feel like that is all I do!!! Especially this time of yr. Don't you all worry though, you know me and I always leave time for fun. Seriously though between GO GO and FUN FUN I am exhausted. I just got a call from the kids doctor I forgot to schedule Tatum's synergis shot...oops looks like we are getting it tomorrow morning... I can not wait, there is nothing better then a doctor's office in December...yeah right!

I am about done Christmas shopping I guess I should be since it is less then a week away, but still not completely done. I did finished up a bunch last night so that is a little stress lifted... The Christmas tree is up and decorated now if only I could get one of those invisible dog fences around it we would be good. I think whoever invented Christmas trees did not have small children or maybe just ornaments that didn't break... so far nothing is broken almost a few little fingers but that does not count right???

We are having Christmas dinner at our house this yr, that is exciting I get to use my Christmas dishes...One problem we have no clue what to prepare...I am open for suggestions anyone???

I am really looking forward to having time off next week I was thinking that i had to work on Christmas eve but we were just given the day off and I took off on the 26 this yr...wow what am I going to do with myself???? Oh wait I know CLEAN, LOL

Anyway I am still waiting on my second batch of Christmas cards to come in the mail so if you have not received one I have not forgotten just kidding myself on the initial number of cards I need to buy...I have been saying this all week but hopefully they are in my mailbox when I get home today.

Before you know it Kerry's and her clan are going to be at my house!!!! They are stopping through on the way back from KY...
I can not wait!!!! Do you think the guys well mind when we leave them with the kids? HAHA hmmm I think I'll wait to spring that on um....

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season...Merry Christmas :) XOXO

Pretty Lame

2007-12-11T17:24:00.000-05:00

So the photo contest thing is pretty lame and I know I am not going win anyway so vote if you want but trust me I am not going to hurt...you have to go through some dumb spam thing to vote...who knows give it a whirl if you want....

Finally I think Chris and Emma are off to get a tree this evening... It always goes up late and stays up to long...I am constant losing the Christmas tree battle I just want a fake one!!!!!

Help Tatum win $2,500 in the Great American Photo Contest!

2007-12-11T11:07:00.001-05:00

I just entered Tatum in the Great American Photo Contest. The baby with most votes this month wins $2,500 (that could be a nice amount to put away now for college!!). Please do me a big favor and click on this https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?
referid=EmailFriends&p=253875&x=.JPG and vote for Tatum. It takes a minute. I really appreciate it, and so does Tatum . Thanks in advance.

p.s. Tell your friends to tell their friends!

I know I am a Dork LOL!!

Husle bustle..

2007-12-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

This was a jammed packed weekend and since it was super wet we never made it out to get a Christmas tree..Oh well maybe tomorrow... The later we get it the less mess in the house, I guess that is one way to look at it. I am sure we'll get one this week because now Emma has gotten involved and she thinks we need one NOW!!!

The brunch was awesome and the kids adorable.... Autumn meet me there, that was nice I was guaranteed to know at least one person.
Tatum made some new friends,and as long as there were joining her near the food table she was ready to hang out...What a little piggie I have ;) The little baby in the above photo was at the picnic we attended over the summer, he has grown so much and really looks terrific!!! Such a cutie.
I tried to get at least a pic of all the kids but they really did not want to stay out for to long so it was a bit hard but I really love this picture for some reason... Isn't it beautiful, so deep in thought.
The best part about watching these kids together was they were so excited to be together and truly just loved one another.

To bad I am horrible with names but I did have a great time and hopefully I'll get together with this little group again soon. It was much closer to my house then I had thought it would be :) Wow maybe I could even do a brunch or something one of these day's. From talking to the different families I here there are going to be quite a bit of people heading out to Louisville at the beginning of the yr. To bad not the same time as me but Jan and early Feb I bet are packed :)

After the brunch I went Christmas shopping....YUCK !!!! I actually think I am about done, but damn if I thought we were poor before it is much worse now HAHA...I am laughing but really it sucks ;) to think three hours in a ghetto mall was all it took...The Macy's was trashed the Lord and Taylor over priced, Children's Place packed and Bombay Company totally picked over...Wow the things you do just to hit a mall with a Disney Store.

Hopefully this week I can get my house together I feel like I have a never ending mess and it is slowing stressing me out big time.... Oh yeah one more thing Tatum took about five steps two different times today, I think walking may be right around the corner for us.... now if I can only catch her on video...

Maybe it well stop raining tonight and dry up so tree shopping well be easier for us tomorrow :) I guess I can say at least the snow stopped...

Dear Samanthaclause.....LOL

2007-12-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

Wow I gotta tell you this yr and last yr this time are about COMPLETE 360'S....This time last yr I was lost a bit still, starting to get it that whole WS thing but not really ya know. If I could tell you how much I have grown/changed it would just be crazy...

I love that when I get a chance to blog there are a ton more to read it is so different every time....I can only hope that blogging is/has helped everyone as much as me, it's feeling a part of something....Kinda like "Cheers" here in blogland...

I do not think it matters where you find it or how but support of any kind certainly does make a huge difference. I could not even tell you where I would be today without cyberspace...Thanks all you guys rock!!!

Tatum is on the verge of really walking maybe she is saving it for Christmas. In the mean time I am enjoying my last few weeks of calm before I have two nuts running around my house, hmm and I thought just Emma was a handful. I think I am going to have my work cut out for me, actually I know!!!

Anyway work is crazy our new favorite word is declining market...don't worry we all live in one and if not now shortly :)

Saturday I was invited to a WS brunch in VA. It starts at 10am so I can only count on Tatum going with me. Although I do think I have talked Autumn into going, I'll know one person...We are planning on getting a Christmas Tree and maybe even a breakfast with Santa so the weekend may be busy, like they all aren't busy...

On Wed. morning Emma woke up to snow falling, she asked if Santa was coming...I had to explain yes but not today...aren't kids cute!!! She is to funny I wish I could actually show you all but not even a video would do her justice...raising kids has to be the most rewarding thing ever...Have a terrific weekend everyone. XOXO oh yeah and her new favorite cartoon is "Peanuts" you gotta love it...To bad I never knew how funny it really was until this yr. Isn't being a parent great :)

So this is what goes on at my house during the day...

2007-11-30T14:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1120067564

Baby Blake

2007-11-30T12:24:00.000-05:00

Whitney called last night on my home from wk to let me know they had to rush Blake to the hospital....His O2 levels had dropped. They admitted him an was scheduled a cath first thing this morning but then bumped him back to a later time due to a baby in worse shape.

I spoke to Whitney again this morning and as you can imagine she is just a bundle of nerves. Try to keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers today as little Blake returns to the cath lab for the second time..... I would imagine he is there now or on the way. Whitney is supposed to call and update me later this afternoon.

HUMP DAY

2007-11-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through God who strengthens
me.

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a
loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called
Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs.
But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called
Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Jesus, you will
make it to a place called Success.

Enjoy your day...

Nice to be off for a few days

2007-11-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

Well I hope everyone had a good Holiday we sure did...We had Thanksgiving in WV with Terry and Walt( Chris’ Mom and Stepdad ) a few of their neighbors and Terry’s brother Tom. This was my first time getting to meet Tom so that was cool. He was really nice and the girls, well mostly Tatum, loved him. I have to give Terry credit, I am not the biggest turkey fan and I can honestly say that it was the best turkey I have ever had.

The rest of the weekend was pack full with Amy's B-day on Wed. ,Thanksgiving, cleaning the house, laundry , Tidal Waves for Tatum was Sat. afternoon, and Sunday after church we went to see Enchanted. Oh yeah and tonight it is my footballs team to face the Patriots. I guess some ones has to do it... Tim is a huge Pats fan so we are watching the game with them; there is a 98% chance that there may be a upset, LOL. The Redskins choked today, ASU lost on Thanksgiving Day so I figure it is our (well mine anyway) turn to get a win!!! GO EAGLES!!!!-----I wrote this in WP prior to the game it may get posted after------

The Swim-A-Thon went well, I think ( or by the end anyway) that enough money has be raise to pay for Tatum’s and my trip to Louisville in February. That is super helpful it is a big expense right after Christmas that I am not going to have the money for....I am going to put together a slide show so everyone can see the pictures. I think it was a pretty good Sr. project for Sam.

To wrap up the weekend we took Tatum to her first movie hmmmmm....It went a bit like this...I saw the part up to when the princess ended up in NY..then saw two other scenes they were they were actually the only other big song and dance scenes after the move left animation. I guess that was good. I did get a new pair of pants for Yvonne’s “Gluwein” part on Sat. night....Anyway...

Going to see Tatum’s Doctor on Tuesday, hopefully we’ll be able to figure something out. I love her regular doctor but when she is not around I feel a real problem with the competence of those left in charge as far as Tatum’s concerned....Dr. DeSuza did agree with me that I should be a bit upset over what happened Wed. she also wanted to see us ASAP....I spoke to her Sat afternoon, and right now weather I change doctor’s or not Tatum needs to be seen for this cold. I did check out two other practices over the vacation I guess time well tell...

OMG are you all watching this Football Game...KERRY :)

Dr. Dumb Ass

2007-11-21T10:47:00.001-05:00

Get this!!! Today Tatum went to the doctor she has been super congested and all snotty, her cold has gone beyond Dr. Mom so I figured it would be best to have her seen...

After today my worst fear has been confirmed I must find a new pediatrician...Tatum has not had a flu shot not had synergis and was never even sent notification about it when the cards went out for the high risk kids....OK so mistakes happen I can over look that...

Not this one Pim took Tate to the Dr. for me and called Me when they left. Dr. Roseman From Children's Pediatricians and Associates sent them home with a RX for Zyrtec!!!! Funny if you Google Zyrtec this is the first thing it says:

Avoid Zyrtec if you have severe high blood pressure, severe heart disease, high pressure in the eye, glaucoma, or difficulty urinating. Zyrtec is not to be combined with any drug classified as an MAO inhibitor. This would include antidepressants such as Nardil and Parnate.
Use Zyrtec sparingly in cases of high blood pressure or heart disease. Be very cautious, too if you have diabetes, or a tendency to increased pressure in the eyes, glaucoma, or using Zyrtec with overactive thyroid gland, or an enlarged prostate gland. Patients with kidney or liver problems should make sure your doctor is aware of it. The dosage of Zyrtec may have to be reduced.

I do not think I'll be giving this to Tatum and I am also thinking that it is the last straw...Anyone know a good pediatrician....What a pain!!!! Thank god Pim did not just fill it and give it to her.
Do you think I am over reacting???

Oh yeah Happy Thanksgiving all :)

To Little Time

2007-11-21T00:57:00.000-05:00

The weekend went well I have some great pictures to share and visited alot of Family...

End of the month Blues because wk is busy and on top of the end of the month busy there isa holiday... Tomorrow is my Friend Amy's b-day so thursday I should have time to catch up on blogs and give you all a good update...sorry to keep you waiting...

OK OK, a little photo tease Emma's new best friend is our cousin Ali...too cute!!! And as always Tatum stole the show with her Tatumness :)

One last Hurrah...

2007-11-14T21:35:00.000-05:00

My Mom called this morning to let me know that my Grandma (Nana) passed away. I had been expecting this call for almost a month now, Nana had been suffering from Alziemers for sometime now. Recently it had gotten pretty bad so it is good to know she is finally at peace.

When someone dies you have such mixed emotions the thing that made me most sad today is the fact that I bet I don't see my cousins again for a long time...Grandparents kinda link that all together... Although we have a funeral to attend I know this weekend is going to still be fun...Remember and reminiscing with everyone is also going to be fun. The last time we were all together at one time was October of 04 when Pap pap ,Nana's husband, passed away. We all we sorta together in Aug when Nana turned 90 but James and Ali could not make it. They are missing from the above picture.

It is also pretty weird to think that this is going to be our last trip to Wheeling...The very last chance to catch the "Wheeling Feeling" I almost feel like the time of yr gives closure..
Christmas is Wheeling best side and the lights at Oglebay are the tops. It has been forever since we have all gone to see the light festival together. Maybe we can even hit the Wheeling Island race track once more, that would be fun...

All the great memories we have to look back on, It makes me smile...

I'll sure miss Nana and everything about having grandparents. How blessed I was by all of them...

Sedated Echo...nahhhh not for us :)

2007-11-12T17:21:00.000-05:00

Tatum and I got up bright and early and headed down to Hopkins for the highly anticipated sedated echo. We arrived there signed in and waited. Tatum played in the waiting room like a champ, certainly not like a 21m old who was starving :)... That thought last about two mins. after they called us into and exam room, Tate wanted no part of the EKG stickers or the blood pressure cuff. In her defence it was about 10:45 and she was still awake and still no food. After the nurse gave up we went back to the waiting room so she could play while we waited for a room to see the doctor. When they called us in a different nurse informed us that she was to congested to be put under and we should feed her, it was now 11:00. My friend Jodi even commented that she had not seen a kid eat a banana that fast in her life. Needless to say little piggy Tatum was tired and very Hungry... The nurse then as asked if we wanted to just go home and reschedule. Ahhh no was she crazy!!! When I looked at like she was from mars she decided to get the doctor.

but it seemed forever I picked her up put the Dr. Brenner's fellow( or whatever she is) came in to see Tatum first and T was not cooperative. In between the time the other doctor was out and Dr. Brenner cam in Tatum calmed down...I gave her my IPOD to listen too, she LOVES Bob Marley, how funny is that. She was an angle for Dr. Brenner, too funny. She was also super tired by this time so Dr. Brenner suggested that we take off her dress ( he got us some blankets) and walk her around. After a ton of walking maybe 15mins, we returned back to the exam room for so cuddling and rocking. I gave her my IPOD back in her and she was out in two songs.

We quickly took her to the echo room not wast any time and she laid there asleep and letting the tech have a field day taking all the pictures needed, we even squeezed a EKG out of her. By the time we were finished talking with Dr. Brenner it was close to 3...Wow that was a long day. He wasted to compare the pictures to old echos' but at first glance he told us there was no real change. Her left ventricle had moderate thickness but not serious enough for intervention. Unless I notice something or we have a good reason we do not have to go back until May.

I view this as a very good sign hopefully her Aorta well fix itself and if not there is not reason to continue looking at the exact same thing unless it is making her sick...Right now she is just fine :)

Bringing you up to speed...I know 2 in a row WOW

2007-11-05T20:38:00.001-05:00

This was a pretty good weekend for the most part, the weather is finally becoming season appropriate. The girls and I went shopping on Sat to find Jason a birthday gift and we checked out a few other stores. Jason, Tatum's pool buddy, my friend Dana's baby turned one. He was adorable and we could not have had a better time at his party. The crazy thing these days is that kid parties and just being around little kids in general just get me thinking, Tatum is going to be 2 in 4 months ans she seems more like the kid turning one. I do not want to complain she is cute as a button and a terrific baby but if would be awesome to get some animal sounds without her mimicking us or a few steps without the support of a toy...I don't know I should be grateful that Tate is doing as well as she is but it sometimes does get to you, ya know.

Tatum has her first sedated echo on Monday, Veteran's Day. I am grateful that we have made it this far in her life with having to do a sedated one but as this one fast approached I can not help but be a tiny bit stressed. She also hasn't had an echo since April, she was scheduled for one over the summer but was not a very cooperative little girl. I have this pit in my stomach that the news is not going to be good. I guess if I prepare for the worst the news can only be good, kind of a funny way to look at it huh.

Other then all this life in MD has been pretty much the same ole' same ole'...
Chris and I have actually gone out together two weekends in a row so that has been nice and the swim-a-thon for Tatum has been coming along nice. My Dad told me today he is stopping by on Sunday when he passes through town, he ordered the tee shirts for us, I can not wait to see how they came out.
I do need to catch up with Sam ( It's his project) about it to go over everything but all in all it is coming along great.

Remember to keep Tatum and I in your thoughts this week, hopefully I can hold off my anxiety attack until Monday...or maybe even avoid it all together...:)

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T20:20:00.001-04:00

I am psyched I finally got my lab top working again, amazing all it took was 15 Min's on telephone with Comcast...Unfortunately the adapter I bought to download pictures from my camera is not the right type so no Halloween pictures...sorry. Emma was Jasmine, Bell and Sleeping Beauty. I know it sounds funny but she seriously put on three different outfits, when I got home from work she had on Jasmine, then she changed into Bell and ended the evening in Sleeping Beauty. Tatum was Little Red Ridding Hood. They both were super cute, and luck for us we have enough candy to last a year.

Here are a few of the pictures that we took, sorry it has taken so long to post...As you can see I started this post with good intentions and with all my procrastination you do get to see Halloween pics...yeah :)

We also stopped over at one of my co-workers house after trick or treating to check out there crazy decorations....They had an amazing spider web, we missed seeing the human spider but I think that was a good thing the girls would have freaked out. You can see how big the spider web was from the pic of Yvonne and the girls...crazy eh :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-31T10:07:00.000-04:00

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave

with the intention of arriving safely
in an attractive and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways,
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out
and screaming ~ WOO HOO what a ride!

Thomas Hamlett

More to come :)

2007-10-28T20:06:00.001-04:00

The Halloween Party was a Blast!!! It's amazing how grown up everyone actually was, not talking about people like in past years just good ole fun...It's about time!! The Eagles won too WOAH!!! LOL. What a great weekend!!! I'll write more when I have time.

My Girls...

2007-10-25T20:01:00.000-04:00

OK so here are the pictures I promised....I still need a new cord to download to my lab top but given the lack of time I quickly used the sick computer......anyway her they are, the girls had fun with my Mom and Brent and we all had a blast with them :)

Well we all know that I can not denying Emma she looks like a mini me and Chris....Tatum on the other hand does not really look like either one of us...I know she is mine because her limited vocabulary consists of about four words...Yes we all know she says Emma but the new words are Yes, Eat and Dadee....I know no Mommy yet but at least she does not say no. LOL

My friend Jody's kids have to dress up in old School clothes for school tomorrow. So they came to raid my closet for cool shirts to go with there stretch pants...I am sending Claire home with a super cool Madonna tee-shirt from the Virgin Tour in 86 and some big red earrings and Zoe got a big pink polo oxford with a tie and streamer clips with beads on the end....Remember those!!! They look great!!! I hope Jody takes a picture in the morning.

This weekend is the big Halloween party at Jody's ,it should be terrific! Tomorrow night I am making a pinacolada jello brain so fun!!!!

Tons-O-Fun

2007-10-21T20:14:00.000-04:00

This was a terrific weekend, you could not have asked for better weather and the girls were very well behaved. I feel liked I crammed alot into only two days but it really worked out. Today was a bit hot, the Eagles lost and I still can't find black leggings, but all in all a great day. The girls and I walked around downtown had lunch and went in a few shops. I can not believe I had on shorts and a tee shirt this late in October, talk about global warming...
I even carved a pumpkin today, its actually one of my better ones...LOL too bad that is not saying much but it is fine when your only impressing a 4yr old.

Yesterday my Mom and Brent visited and spent the night ,woo-hoo Chris and I got to go out.
In the afternoon we all headed to a pumpkin patch. We gave up on our usually spot because it has become so pricey and checked out a new farm. Welp new farm wins and we are hooked!

Emma got her face painted hit the pumpkin head moon bounce and we all took a ride in the tractor thing out to the pumpkin patch...it was super fun.

When we first arrived there we were waiting to get tickets and I started talking to this lady and her little boy...I could tell the baby had just started walking and was much older then he looked. After talking to his Mom for a while I found out this little guy had nunens syndrome. I do not know anything about this syndrome except They tested Tatum for it and she did not have it. Some of the medical issues mirror Williams...Pulmonary stenosis eye issues late development and SUPER CUTE :)
Alex and Tatum share the same Cardiologist and both go to Wilmer for there eyes...small world. He is having a Cath and Angeo very soon so he'll defiantly be in our thoughts. It was so cool to meet someone out randomly that is walking the same path and has a very similar attitude. Hopefully Mary, Alex's Mom, and I well be able to get in touch with each other again soon.

I started this post last night and finished today so sorry for the days being all mixed up from top to bottom....Our desk top at home is possessed again...it started blaring music at 1:30 in the morning and I had to shut it off...I think it needs a total redo of the system meaning we are going ot lose everything....I was afraid to even put new pictures in there, hopefully at lunch today I'll be able to get out and find the proper cord to load pictures from my camera to my wk computer or lab top...Until then no pics :( I really have some good ones too...

Anyway....Yesterday in Church I left with a good question from the pastor in my head...It was what is your purpose here... and if you could ask God a question what would it be....I immediately jumped to the Why me God? thing, then I thought I know why me so that would not be a good one to ask. Now I wonder if it has something to do with purpose...who knows just food for thought...

Almost Famous...LOL

2007-10-19T09:20:00.001-04:00

So here is the link to the article like I promised....It is really nice, the only mistake I noticed is that Tatum does not need a valve replacement she needs her descending Aorta replaced...The area of the aorta that is narrow is much to long for a patch, also her blood pressure remains high everyday but the doctors feel it is best to leave well enough alone since she has been tolerating it since she was a fetus... Actually Katie read my blog and corrected the on-line article and a correction well run in tomorrows paper...Man she is on the ball :)

Not such a good picture of Chris and I but hopefully people well just check out the cute kids...

Thanks Leslie for doing the article you are the best HAPPY BIRTHDAY :)

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=66567

A Slice of Life

2007-10-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

Today I got a email from Katie Leslie, a reporter with the Frederick new post, about doing an article about Tate. I meet her and a photographer at my home around 4:30 for her to interview and pictures. She was so nice and seemed very interested in Tatum and all our blogs. Being the charmer that Tatum is she just won everyone over. Katie was in our home for a good hour and a half, she said that she would most likely be emailing me with questions for the next few days. The article is supposed to run in Friday's news post...I can not wait to see it, I make sure to post a link for you all. I thing the title of the section the article is to appear in is called a slice of life or something like that...

On a totally separate note I am so excited...My roommate and one of my best fiends from college is coming through town tomorrow...Look out world Erin and Lisa are hanging out for the evening. Er has never meet Tatum so I am psyched she is finally is getting that opportunity. I actually have not seen her since we first moved into our home we live in now...Wow that was before Emma turned 2. I am sure she'll be amazed with Both girls, maybe Tatum well start walking for her, we can keep our fingers crossed. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures :)

Hope everyone is having a good week :)

Whoa Life

2007-10-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

"Life is a grindstone. But whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us. "

author unknown

By the way Chris LOVES then new job so far...

Gotta Love Hump Day

2007-10-10T23:48:00.000-04:00

Well I fell a disagreement coming on between Chris me and my love affair with Wednesday evenings... He get so much time and Weds are all I ask for...
Tonight we had a work moral boasting happy hour/dinner...Yeah I'll admit it was more happy then dinner but it was on Wed so it is not like I was asking for an extra day. I do so much during the week and weekend that one evening a week is not going to kill anyone ,but I think that I am alone in that thought pattern...

Kinda funny this evening I was talking to one of my newer co-workers, I actually met his wife last week and loved her, anyway...their daughter was tested for WS and although she does not have that she has some other very real issues...I knew I felt a instant connection to his wife, now I know why LOL...Anyway we spoke about it for a while and it was so nice to actually have someone that could REALLY relate to what we have and are going through with Tatum...Small world eh, who would have thought...

In the past few months the dynamic in our office has totally changed with the coming and going of new people. After being there 5 years this week I have to admit I LOVE IT...I think it is the best we have been in a while and that makes me happier then ever and more positive to say that we are going to make it through this crazy mortgage debacle...It is so much easier to be successful when everyone gets along and has one goal in mind. It is awesome when every one's goal is success!!!!

Night all :)