Greatest Gifts

So...today I am another year older! 34 now! (some of my 4th graders guessed my age to be 48 today....made me feel great as you can imagine!) I could go on and on about what I am so very thankful for....but it would take soooo long. I guess to sum it all up in a nutshell...I am thankful that I had another year to spend with my family. I truly have a wonderful husband and 2 wonderful kids who I am so proud of. God has blessed me with some amazing people who surround me and love me everyday. I feel so lucky. I pray that I will have many more years to spend with some of the most amazing people I know.

I think I have learned some very valuable lessons this year, and many of them have been taught to me by 2 people who are under 3 feet tall. Amazing how God places people in our lives to teach us in such simple ways.....but with the greatest impact imaginable. Funny, huh? I am blessed....I am fortunate....and yes, I have 2 of the most wonderful gifts in my life everyday. (3 counting Brian....I just don't have a picture!!!) These are my greatest gifts....and always will be.

Love you, Ellie for making my birthday great! Thank you for helping me open my present and blowing out my candles! Love you to the moon and back....always.
And love you little biggie man. I am glad you liked your Mexican Feast tonight. It's amazing to me that Ellie needed a dogie bag...but not you!!! Thank you for teaching me something new everyday. You are my hero....and always will be. Love you...always.

Pillow Talk

As I put Ellie to bed last night, she decided to ask me 1,000,000 questions because she is really good at stalling. Really good. This time, I didn't mind. She must have had the Easter Sunday message from Sunday School still in her mind....and here is how our conversation went....

Ellie- Is Jesus alive?
Mom- Yes, he is in heaven.
Ellie- Is he strong?
Mom- Yes, very.
Ellie- Does he live on a cross or did he get down yet?
Mom- He is down now. He loves us all and watches us from heaven.
Ellie- Are his eyes open?
Mom- Yes.
Ellie- Did he die?
Mom- Yes, he did. But, he is very strong and lives in heaven now with people we love. He helps take care of them.
Ellie- How did he open his eyes if he died?
Mom- (pondering this) - Jesus is kind of like magic. He can do very special things and we are very lucky that he loves us so much.
Ellie- Does he carry you to heaven when you die?
Mom- Maybe he does.
Ellie- How do you live in heaven if you die?
Mom- If you believe in Him then you will go meet him in heaven in a long, long time. He is very nice and watches you every day.
Ellie- (long pause)
Mom- (wishing she could call Pastor John right about this time to ask him if these answers suffice!)
Ellie- I love Jesus.
Mom- (smiles) Me, too, Ellie. Me, too.

Yes, I did....

...get a HUGE cup of water poured on me right before this picture was taken that soaked my clothes. Gotta love boys!

No, I didn't....

...edit this picture at all for color. These really are Reid's baby blues. Pretty beautiful, huh?

A Happy Easter from Us to You....

I know that these pictures do not display the true meaning of Easter....but they will show you that our family was greatful for our time together to celebrate Easter together. After church, we all gathered (my family included) at my in laws home for a great day together. As you can see...Ellie loved the egg hunt. Her little heart is always looking out for others. As she found the egg with"real dollars in it" she told Brian right away that she would buy him a coffee at McDonald's! I guess even Ellie is aware that her daddy is a coffee addict!

Reid's first egg coloring experience. Notice the blue coloring on his hands...and green....and orange...and pink!

One of my favorites from today. Oh. how my little man has grown.

We are grateful for each other, always.

From our family to yours....we hope your Easter was a blessed one.

Week of the Young Child

Ellie had a great time exploring during the Week of the Young Child festivities. It's basically a station by station approach to activity after activity, and Ellie loved it! As you can see above, my little scientist loved the magnifying glass.

A parachute is always fun!

What could be better than stringing beads and noodles??? Reid even liked playing alongside his big sister.

Magnets and cookie sheets....always a hit!

Of course, any day with Daddy is a wonderful one!

Reid's Home and Doing Well...

Well, we are home from Cleveland after driving up in the dark this morning! I always hate to wake up Reid from such peaceful sleep so early in the morning. But as ususal, he amazed me when he looked up at me, so sleepy, smiled, and said, "Hello!" My little guy.


All seemed to go as planned this morning for the teeth extraction. Reid did have a sedative to calm him a bit which he didn't like getting sprayed up his nose. However, he did like the drink of water he got out of a big boy cup after the spray because it tastes so yucky. That seemed to make all well for awhile! They were able to get some x-rays of his mouth as well, which I was glad for. We haven't ever been able to see an x-ray of his teeth in the cleft. Our surgical dentistry team thinks that the permanents are in good placement, and, maybe...just maybe...they will be ok when they come in. That would be so great!


Reid was strapped down for his own protection which he was less than happy about, and then I left the room for the procedure. It was Brian's turn today. I knew that he would do well with it, and we could only send one of us in for the procedure. So, I waited patiently in the waiting room, and literally, within minutes, I was back with Reid, holding him. They were able to extract the 2 top teeth with little trouble. No major issues. He is resting now, and is still numb...so the real test will be when he awakens. He will be in some discomfort, I am sure, and he will probably want to dive in to some soft foods! I better have them ready! He has not eaten since midnight last night...and we are heading into the lunch hour now.


We brought home the teeth and will save them for the tooth fairy when Reid understands. I think these will be worth more than just a dollar. For what Reid has endured....the tooth fairy should be mighty nice to him! Thanks again for your prayers, love, and genuine support for our family. You are what gets us through from one step to the next. I am sure I will update you soon.....I need to go prepare lunch so it's ready when my hungry boy awakens!



<

Success, leads to mess....ALWAYS

Wow...impressive! Reid has the suction to get this straw working! Yippppeee!

And also the creativity to take the straw out...squeeze....and dump juice all over the tray to "play" in. Ahhhhh....the joy of toddler boys!

Ellie's Visit

Our 1st-3rd graders had a Spring Music program that they performed for the school this past week. Ellie has always LOVED coming to see my kids in their winter music program, and so she was thrilled when Pappy said he would drive her to school to see the program! (Thanks, Pappy!) Ellie loves coming to "big school" and my kids love seeing her. She got to spend the last part of the day with me and it was super fun and special! Here are a few highlights from the afternoon!

Here is Ellie sporting her visitors sticker. It's the little things in life that make her happy, really! She also got to decorate the office tree for Easter. Mrs. Stein, one of our WONDERFUL secretaries had these adorable bunny ears for Ellie to wear and allowed Ellie to decorate the tree how she wanted to. What a treat for Ellie.

Here is Ellie with Mrs. Stein. As you can see...the bunny ears multiplied!

Of course, you can't go to "big school" and not get chocolate milk! You HAVE to!!!! This is Ellie's favorite part! She enjoyed sitting at a desk in my class enjoying her milk break. This was after all my kids had left for the day.

And of course, you HAVE to write on the big boards!!!! Absolutely! It's a great way to practice writing those letters!

And 5 minutes down the road....you HAVE to rest your eyes...because after all, what an exciting time "big school" really is!

Reid update- Teeth issues

Well, first of all...A BIG THANK YOU for all your words of encouragement, prayers, and genuine concern for our little man over the last week as we have awaited the advice of our cleft dental team to lead us to the right direction.

We got in today to see our dental specialist and it was really nice to really be able to see into Reid's mouth for once. Dr. Ferretti and I held Reid between our legs while sitting on chairs while Brian held down his hands. I know...not fun to do...but so nice to really get a good glimpse inside Reid's mouth. The two top teeth that were in the cleft area are in fact a BIG mess, which we knew. Reid's 4 molars are in and look good and there is a top incisor coming in that hopefully will be in good placement. I've never been able to tell how many teeth Reid truly has in there....so looks to be 8 teeth in all with one coming in....and 2 of those 8 coming out.

Dr. Ferretti does not want to put Reid totally under for a quick procedure (thank you!), so he will use a slight sedating drug to just calm Reid, but he won't be totally out. They will use the pappose on him (will hate to see that). He will be all strapped down and not happy, I am sure....but the entire procedure to pull the teeth should take under 5 minutes. They will then pack the area and we will be good to go home that day. This will all take place next Wednesday which is good timing for me since I will be on Spring Break. This will not be good timing for Ellie as we were going to go to a water park *without Reid, remember????* but this will have to be put on hold because I just don't know how Reid will be feeling. So, we will reschedule. Anyone want to break this news to her, because it's not going to be pretty. We'll make it up somehow! Again, we will keep you informed...and as always...love you all for loving Reid so much! Thanks again!

Love those eyes....almost as if he is saying, "You are going to do what to me???"
Little man in the big chair!
Fascinated by the lights. I think he sat still for about 0.35 seconds....but it was cute while it lasted!