Small Update

I just thought I'd give you a quick update on my gallbladder. I met with the surgeon last week and he said he was surprised the ER didn't try to take out my gallbladder right then and there. I'm glad they didn't! I've been living with the feeling of having a golf ball lodged under my rib for a couple of weeks now but it's not so bad I can't funtion. In fact, I'm still running! (Put in 6.1 miles yesterday! It was slow but I still got it done!) He does think it needs to come out though. And, quite frankly, I'm ready for the golf ball to be removed. It's pretty annoying! I haven't had any more attacks, thank God, but another one can come at any time and I don't really enjoy waiting for it to happen. So I'm schedule for out-patient surgery on Monday March 21st (one week from today.) KC will be off work for most of, if not all of, that week to care for us and allow me the best possible recovery time. The doctor also says that after two weeks I will be free to start running again when I feel I'm up to it. So hopefully I will be up to it right at two weeks because I don't really want to lose too much training time.

And for something nice to look at ... todays Scrap Girls Newsletter had this layout in it. I love my family to pieces and I love these pictures of them so I thought I would share the layout. I will do my best to get caught up on the project joy layouts this week. I know I'm two behind. Sorry!

My health update ...

Really quick, since I have to go pick up Kalyssa in about one minute ...

I saw my Primary Care Dr. this morning. My blood sugar levels are perfectly normal. The ER took my blood through my IV and since I was also on a saline solution (that has some sugar in it) my levels were high. But I'm fine there. Praise God! I didn't enjoy the finger stick so I'm glad I don't have to get used to that!

The ultrasound results showed inflamation in the gall bladder wall. Gall stones alone don't indicate an issue. Many poeple have them and don't know it. It's the inflamation that is causing the pain. So I will be referred to a surgeon and will most likely have to have it removed. That will require 4-6 weeks off from running. It's a good thing I'm not training for a marathon or anything. Oh wait! I am! LOL! Actually, as long as I can get up to 8-9 miles before the race in June then I'll be just fine. I have no problems walking a whole bunch of the race if necessary. I just want to finish within the time limit. Then I'll have a time to beat in Vegas in December.

Once I've seen the surgeon (who really knows when that will be at this point) I'll update again. For now, my energy is returning, my appetite is better but not great, and I have permission to continue running for now. I'm feeling pretty good for the most part. I just feel like I have a golf ball stuck under my right rib cage but most of the time it doesn't irritate me that much.

Thank you for your prayers and your concerns! You've all been so great!
 Hugs!!!

Project Joy - Week 8!

Project Joy - Week 8!

I posted Week 7 plus a breaking news type of update earlier today ... so if you haven't seen it yet make sure you go check that one out too!

Here's week 8 ...

Left side journaling: Recently Kalyssa has been asking if it’s okay to eat snow. I told her that she could but it’s better not to eat it off the ground. “But you don’t let us go outside when it’s snowing,” she said. I guess I never realized that we never “let” them go out while it’s snowing so the next time it snowed I let her go outside and catch snowflakes on her tongue. It wasn’t for long though ... she and Kaden both already have colds. ~  Oma was having some yard work done and she has the greatest landscaper. He’s really nice and does a great job. This time he even took some extra time to help Kaden drive his tractor and move some rock. He was so patient and let Kaden drive and push the pedals and work the bucket. He was one happy boy!  ~  Then there was the night we watched a movie (I think it was Dispicable Me) and at the end there was a “Rock Out Song” (as Kaden says) so we had a little dance party before it was time to hit the sack. Not pooped out but completely pumped up!

Right side journaling: Aww, morning snuggles with Daddy! ~  We all love Wednesdays! Mema comes to play and Mommy and Daddy either get a break or a date night! ~ On the bottom we have a silly double-fisted eater. I must have made something right that night because most evenings it’s difficult to get these kids to eat at all. ~ This weeks game learned (for ages 7+ - she’s a smarty pants!) for Kalyssa was Sequence. I think I’m going to run out of games very quick like! ~ The story behind the stop sign .. umm ... that would be because I fell on the ice going up to Oma’s house, landed on my hip and made hamburger out of my pinkie, ring finger and wrist. Doh! ~ And finally, the big news of the week ... Oma got a new dog! Meet “Nitro.” He’s almost 11 months old, a chocolate lab/great pyranees mix and he’s the most loving, sweet dog ever. He doesn’t have any formal training but he already minds fairly well and he loves affection. He’s amazing with the kids and we just adore him. Once we get some training done he’s going to be the best dog ever. He’s so smart so I expect he’ll learn really quickly, once the trainers get some training that is.

Project Joy - Week 7!

Project Joy - Week 7! (Plus a little extra update so please read on ...)

Journaling:
1. Kalyssa and I put together her class valentines. 2. Kaden is Mama’s little helper. He loves to do laundry! 3. The aged 8+ game that Kalyssa learned this week was “Bazaar.” She beat me fair and square the first 2 games! 4 & 5. Mema stopped by on Valentine’s Day morning to drop off gifts! 6. I was honored to be able to photograph this 8 day old little bundle of JOY for a good friend of mine. He is SO precious! 7. I was blessed to be able to help in Kalyssa’s Kindergarten class during their class party.

Here's the little extra update:
Saturday night I started experiencing mild chest pains shortly after dinner. By the time the kids were in bed it was getting progressively worse. Not one to want to make a big deal I figured I'd just try to wait it out and hope it would go away. Well, by 1am I finally gave up and let KC take me to the ER (in the middle of a pretty good sized snow storm. I was praising God that we only live 2 minutes from a hospital and that my mom was awake in the house next door so she was able to come watch the kids for us.) One thing about going to an ER with chest pains ... you get to bypass the whole triage process and go straight in. So ... long story short ... they gave me oxygen, hooked me up to a heart monitor, took X-Rays, lots and lots of blood, took an EKG, gave me IV fluids and pain meds (again, praising God here!), all with no results to indicate what was wrong. Then they took me for a CT Scan (cha-ching!) which resulted in a healthy heart and lungs but also something in my gallbladder. A bedside ultrasound (more cha-ching - my ears were ringing loud and clear by this point!) determined that I have a gallstone. It was also discovered that my blood sugar (which should be below 100) was at 140. This could be a fluke thing to go along with my pain issues or it could be indicative of diabetes.

So where do we stand at this point? I've gone in for another ultrasound of my entire abdomen (that was this morning) and I will meet with my primary care physician on Thursday morning. I imagine we'll discuss my gallbladder issues and be referred to a specialist for probably removal of the pesky organ. We'll also most likely test my blood and discuss the whole diabetes issue. I promise to keep you updated as I know more. For now, your prayers are greatly appreciated.

You may be wondering how I am actually feeling at this point. The pain is pretty much gone, although occassionally I feel some tenderness under my right rib-cage. I've been given some pain killers in case of another attack and I now know what to look for in case of infection (which would require emergency surgery.) Otherwise I have a major lack of energy and eating/drinking anything (doesn't matter what, I mean anything!) makes me nauseous, although I have been able to keep it all down since coming home from the hospital. This all kind of puts a kink in my half marathon training. I'm sure I'll be okay and that I will still be able to run and finish within the time limit. I probably just won't be getting in as much training and be quite as ready as I would have liked. But I'm okay with that. I will work with what I have and not let this little bump in the road stop me from achieving my goals.

Thank you for your prayers! I'll keep you updated. And be sure to keep an eye out for week 8 in our little project joy ... we've brought in a nice, big, brown, bundle of joy into our lives. But you'll have to wait to see that until I get week 8 posted. ;-)

Take care! And don't forget to look for the JOY in your lives. It's everywhere you look - even in the tough times!

Project Joy - Week 6!

Project Joy Week 6!

Journaling:
1. Symba, our cat that has always hated kids, will now wait for Kalyssa to come to bed, settle in, and then he patty-paws her and sleeps on her for at least half an hour or more! I honestly never thought I’d see the day! 2. Kaden, completely out of the blue, declared it “American Flag Day.” He found all the flags we had and posted them all over the house!  3 & 4. Kalyssa decided she wanted to try chopsticks so we went to Chinese after church. Now she uses them to eat most anything, including french fries. 5. Kalyssa also decided she needed to learn how to play chess. Thankfuly Daddy had some memory from playing it as a kid. 6 & 7. I was blessed to be able to observe Kalyssa in her Sunday School room. They have way more fun than us adults do! And they learn a lot too!

I pray you are finding the JOY in your every day lives!

Project Joy - Week 5!

Project Joy - Week 5!

Left side journaling:

This week started out with Kalyssa going to Urgent Care with an ear infection. Thank God it wasn't strep again. The little trooper still wanted to go on our planned trip to Phoenix to see the Monster Jam! So glad we did. She did great and we had so much fun! But it did result in two days off of school, tons of make-up homework and lots of hot chocolate with marshmallows. And then there's the breakfast of champions - OJ, ham bites, yogurt with granola and Amoxicillin. Yum-O!

Right side journaling:

The kids love to play on my old laptop. They know just how to get to the Playhouse Disney website and they usually do a pretty good job about taking turns. I spent a little money this week. I bought a new pair of running shoes and a Garmin GPS watch (I've named him Max, as is tradition with my running friends), and I registered to run in the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in June. Training starts next week, and yes, I'm crazy but only half crazy since I'm not running in the full marathon! Then there the Friday night Fish Fry where the kids eat okay and dance all night. We always have a great time there! So there was lots of JOY in our week, even amongst the illness. It's everywhere ... just look in your cup of Coco!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I know I have a couple of weeks of Project Joy to work on (they are coming, hopefully sometime this week) but I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day! And share a little layout of "Me and My Valentines" that was in todays Scrap Girls Newsletter.

I pray you have a "LOVE"-ly day!!



P.S. To my sweet hubby .... thank you for all that you do for us! You protect us, love us, make sure we are safe and secure and that we will be able to survive in most any emergency (with many comforts), you grocery shop and make sure my car is clean and fueled. These are only a few of the MANY things you do for us and we love, adore and appreciate you more than you could ever know! We love you!!!

Project Joy - Week 4!

Project Joy - Week 4!

Journaling:
1. Playing in Del Taco play area. 2. Morning snuggles with Mama! (This brings me JOY every day!) 3. The nightly horseback ride to bed. 4. Special movie night sleepover in the livingroom. 5. Kalyssa had an eye appt. (All is going well!) 6. Cornbread is messy stuff! Dad got out the vacuum! 7. Playing Puzzle Buzz. 8. My current stack of reading. 9. Kalyssa learning how to wash dishes. (It will be a truly JOYful day when this is no longer my chore!) 10. Our adorable kids all dressed up for church. 11. Daddy made roads, complete with stop signs in the backyard! Daddy is COOL! 12. God knew I would need some JOY after my 2 mile run so he left me a shadow on Mom's garage door! How cool is that?! 13. I had a Pampered Chef party. Lots of fun and I got some free stuff too! 14. One morning the kids woke up at the same time, met in my hallway and instantly grabbed onto each other for a great big hug! It brings me so much JOY that they love each other as much as they do!
I'm praying that JOY finds you each and every day!

Project Joy - Week 3!

Project Joy - Week 3!

Journaling:

Joy was everywhere this week! It began on Saturday with me heading down to Phoenix for a girls weekend away. My friends Jessica, Beckie & Lauren all ran in the Rock'n'Roll 1/2 marathon on Sunday so we made a weekend of it and had a blast! Lots of eating, hot tubbing and talking going on! They did amazing in their race and I had fun being their driver/photographer. During the week the kids discovered that boxes are lots of fun! Kalyssa had a great week with a fantastic report card and she learned how to play Battleship! That girl picked it up in no time even though it's for ages 8+! She continues to amaze me!

Project Joy - Week 2!

Project Joy 365 - Week 2:
I think I've decided to make double page spreads for my weekly layouts. I just take too many pictures! :o) There may be some single page layouts for a few weeks in the year but this week was packed full of fun so it really needed a two pager!

Here what the pages look like together ...

Here's the left side ...

And here's the right side ...

Journaling reads:

1-4: KC and I had a "Date Night" out to see the Globetrotters! Check one off of the old bucket list! 5: Kaden got a cute new haircut. 6: Kaden got his picture taken so Kalyssa had to too! 7: Daddy gave Kalyssa a manicure. 8: How tall? Kalyssa is 3' 8" and Kaden is 3' 4". 9 & 10: Travel and snow delayed the arrival of these special "toys" but that didn't diminish the excitement the slightest bit! 11: Mmmm, steak dinner with Aunt Wendy & Uncle Tom! 12: A bubble bath (in the big tub) was in order after a long day driving jeeps in the mud. 13 & 14: The kids wanted to try out Mama's new camera. They both did a pretty good job, especially considering Kaden can barely hold it!

(By the way, the numbers correspond to the photos, not the date in which they were taken.)

2011 - Week 1!

Hello All! I'm going to try something new this year. As you might have noticed, I've been a bit eratic with my blogging. I'm going to try really hard to remedy that this year! (Don't laugh ... I really am!) Here's how I plan on doing it ...

My good friend Christy has started a project. It's sort of a 365 (take a picture a day) type of thing mixed with the effort in finding the JOY in her every day life. She's calling it "Project Joy 365" and I've joined her. Basically I will be documenting our everyday life. I may not take a picture a day but there will be pictures from each week. I plan to do a very simple (definitely not creative team worthy) layout so by the end of the year I will have a full album with 52 pages. The pictures might not be the best pictures in the world but they will be true to our lives and what we do. The journaling will give a little explanation of the pictures and I will attempt to always include something that brought me JOY that week. I'm also hoping that I can keep up with these simple layouts and share them weekly with all of you. Feel free to nag me if I seem to be getting too far behind. :-)

Without further ado ... here is the first installment of my Project Joy 365.

Journaling:

We welcomed the new year in with a fabulous display of fireworks that we watched from our dining room window. On January 1st we remembered our sweet Kelsey (it's been two years now), I added Power 90 to my running in hopes that it will help heal my I.T. band, we painted pictures and Mema helped us paint the tea set Auntie Debbie gave Kalyssa for Christmas, and we played games (Sorry and Shrek Operation were this week's favorites.) Kalyssa went to school for the first time with snow on the ground and she came down with strep throat and missed two days. There was lots of JOY this week too with lots of snuggles and two dry days for Kaden!

Our amazing child!

She continues to amaze me! Man I love this girl!

Kalyssa slept great last night! I was completely surprised because from the time she was put out at around 10 am yesterday until 4 pm she was awake for maybe a compbined total of an hour. Then at 7:45 she asked to go to bed and slept straight through until a little after 6 am. That's her usual time to wake up, much to my chagrin as I am not a morning person by nature. I'm having to learn to be though. Today she's awake, alert, happy but not rambuncious at all. She's having a jammie day and watching movies and playing paper dolls. She great about not rubbing her eyes, even though she really, really wants to. She goes and gets a cold, wet wash cloth all by herself whenever her eyes feel too itchy. I would totally do it for her since I have willingly become her slave for the day but she's being really independant for the most part today. I've offered her Tylenol like the doctor suggested but she insists that she doesn't need it. I'm truly amazed with how grown-up and responsible she's being. Her mood is so good too! Lately we've been having some issues with rudeness and attitude (mainly just with us - she's always polite to others) but today she is pleasant and polite and completely wonderful! Not one moment of trouble from her at all! It's incredible!

It's probably too much to hope that she stay this way for the rest of forever so I'm just going to gobble up every ounce of this perfect child that I can while it lasts!

Excuse me now ... it's time to go back to my role as voluntary slave. The princess must be hungry by now. :o) (At least I hope so ... she hasn't eaten a whole lot yet.) Maybe a mini tea party might be in order.

So proud of our girl!

Well, we're home! (Actually we've been home for a couple of hours ... sorry for the delay, I know some of you who aren't on facebook have been waiting. And why aren't you on facebook? You'd get updates much more frequently/quickly if you were! ;-) )

Kalyssa was AMAZING! She truly was! And it's not just her parents who think so. She had all the staff smiling and saying what a brave and sweet girl she is. We could tell she was a little bit "off" because she was quieter than usual. Normally she's a non-stop talker but today there were a few breaths taken between sentences. Not much different but enough that we could tell she was a little nervous.

While we were in the pre-op room we played a whole bunch of Crazy 8's, Slap Jack and we had started a game of Go Fish. She made sure to tell the surgeon that she didn't get to finish her game so I guess we'll have to do that soon. :-) She was very brave when they took her to the operating room. I cried. But only a little. And she didn't see me do it. That was really hard! She definitely did better than I/we did! We are SO proud of her!

As soon as she woke up in recovery she looked at the nurse and very sweetly said, "Hi." This took the nurse by surprise, I guess. She's used to cranky or scared kids, rightfully so. When we were brought to her she was already awake and cuddling on the nurse's lap. It was a very sweet little sight. I snatched her up pretty quick though. I couldn't bear to have her out of my arms for one more second! She still had the IV in but she was very brave when they took it out. Not even a wince out of her.

They had given her some sort of medicinal cocktail through her IV with pain medicine and something to take away any nausea. It also makes her sleepy. She slept the entire 2 hour drive home (including a stop at Culver's. Have you ever tried them? Sinful!) She woke up long enough to give hugs to Mema and Kaden and eat a piece of toast and then off to La-La Land again ... where she remains. I'm wondering how long this will last actually. She's been asleep most of the day since 10 am. It's nice but is tonight going to be sleepless? I wonder!

As far as the surgery goes ... she remembers quite a bit of her experience while she was awake. They had told us she probably wouldn't remember anything. She remembers the OR and the flavor of the gas they put her out with (bubblegum), everything. No crying though. She didn't feel so great after but a cracker and some apple juice helped that. She's mostly just tired. Her eye's are not nearly as swollen as I expected them to be. Just a tad bit puffy on the lids. The inside corners when her eyes are open are bright red. We expected at least that. Although I thought more of her eyes would be red. We haven't tried putting the ointment in her eyes yet, but only because they've been closed all day. I expect she'll handle that like everything else ... like a champ!

Now we wait and see. We can expect to still see some drifting of her eye/s because her brain doesn't know how to make her eyes work together so it needs to relearn how to do it. She might have to patch again, but maybe not. We'll probably have to get her a different prescription for her glasses. We'll know more after our follow-up appointment. I'll be calling them soon to schedule that for in a week or two.

Thank you so much for your prayers! They were felt! And they are definitely appreciated! We're still praying that it worked perfectly but I'm afraid to get my hopes up. I'm sure this road to recovery has some more bends in it. Hopefully not too many more though. :o)

Hugs to all!

Eye Surgery for my little girl ...

I was reminded today how rude I was to not tell everyone (well, at least my sister) that our sweet little girl is going in for eye muscle surgery tomorrow morning. I'm not sure how it escaped my mind to blog about it because we can certainly use the prayers. It's a completely routine surgery and it'll be done quickly ... that's not what we're worried about. Kalyssa is being extremely brave as well so we're not worried about that either. (Actually she's excited about it because it means she won't need to wear a patch anymore.) Basically, KC and I are a little bit on the over-protective side. I know! That doesn't sound like us at all! LOL! We've left our kids with a very select few people (mostly family) and nobody other than the two of us have ever driven them anywhere. (Well, my mom and sister did once but I was in the car - half blind and sick as a dog but I was still there.) So the hardest part of this whole ordeal is handing over our baby, whom we waited so long for to begin with, to complete strangers with drugs and very sharp instruments. Don't get me wrong ... we are a very faithful, God loving family and we KNOW He's got this. That brings us a lot of comfort but it's still hard, ya know.

On another level, there is no guarantee that she won't need another surgery. This one has to work absolutely, completely perfectly in order to avoid another one. Who wants to hand over their child once, much less two or three times? I don't know anyone who would raise their hands to that. I certainly don't! And this one surgery is going to cost us more than $3,000. The likelihood of a second surgery taking place prior to our deductible resetting to zero would be a miracle. In this troubled economy, well, you get the picture I'm sure. So I'm going to beg you for prayers that this surgery will be the 100%, absolutely, completely perfect surgery we need it to be. And while you're praying could you please add that Kalyssa not catch this nasty cold that KC and I both have? We sure would appreciate it!

So this is how this whole thing is going down ...

• KC, Kalyssa and I will be leaving this evening after dinner to head to the big city and stay with family. Kaden is being lovingly watched after by Mema (KC's mom - thank you so much Susan!) and I expect they will have a fantastic time together, just the two of them!
• We need to check Kalyssa in to the pediatric out-patient surgery center (we've heard great things about this facility and their staff/anesthesiologists) by 7:45 in the morning. She can't eat or drink anything after midnight tonight.
• There will be lots of sitting around, snuggling, comforting, card games, etc. for approximately 2 hours.
• At 9:45(ish) she'll be taken from us to the OR. They will put her out with gas. They may or may not need to give her an IV. If they do they will take it out before she wakes up. Surgery will be performed on both of her eyes and it's expected to take 15-20 minutes. (Just in case you're wondering, because we did, they will work from the front of her eyes, pulling back her eyelids. It's not nearly as scary as my preinformed brain was making it out to be.) Her surgeon has performed over 6000 of these surgeries and we're very comfortable with him.
• After her surgery she will be taken to recovery where we will be waiting for her. She will not have patches on her eyes (our doctor doesn't do that because it's very scary for the children.) We will be there for about 30 minutes or so while she recovers. (Longer if necessary.) Then we will make the 1 1/2 hour drive home with me sitting in the back holding a barf bucket and Kalyssa's hand and feeding her apple juice and crackers to her little hearts content.
• We expect her to have very red eyes for 2-3 weeks. Her eyelids will be pretty swollen for a couple of days and we'll have to put an ointment in her eyes 3 times a day for a little while. We'll have a follow-up appointment with her doctor in about a week, I think.

So there you go. That's the story and you have all been update. Better late than never, right?

Thanks for the prayers! They are felt and greatly appreciated!!

Givaway

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I DID IT!!!

If you actually read my last post (instead of scanning photos ... it's perfectly okay if you do, btw) then you already know that I made myself a goal of running in a 5k race before I turn 40. Well, here's the proof ... I DID IT!!! I wasn't fast by any stretch of the imagination but I ran the whole way! And it felt amazing! Just the sense of accomplishment alone was pretty cool but to have such wonderful friends running with me really made it fun and special! Thanks girls for running with me! I think I am now addicted. I really must have gone bonkers because not only am I planning on running in 2 more 5k races (before I'm 40) but now I'm training for a 10k in January! Yup ... totally nuts! And the big Pat Tillman run (4.2 miles starting & finishing on the 42 yard line of Sun Devil Stadium) is also on the agenda in April! See ... told ya ... crazy, bonkers, nuts ... you pick the adjective!)

Here's me and my girlfriends before the race. It was the first race ever for us girls in white. We felt a little bit like we were going to the first day of school. Nervous and excited all at the same time. Lauren, the one in pink, is totally awesome! This isn't her first race. She came in 2nd in her age class and 13th overall. You ROCK Lauren! Beckie & Jessica both came in 4th in their age classes. So proud of you girls!


Here we are at the start. Lauren is already way ahead! LOL!
And here I am coming in at the finish line. I was 10th in my age group (but to my defense, it was the largest group. If I had already turned 40 I would have been first by 20 minutes!) At least I wasn't last.
I probably shouldn't mention that a 70 year old speed walker came in ahead of me by a full second. Now I can shoot for leaving him in the dust next time! LOL!

P.S. ...

As you can see ... I used up some of that non-existent free time to update the look of the blog. Hope you like it!

The pictures in the header were taken earlier this month when I took the kids to a park to play. Aren't they just so stinkin' cute???? (You know you have to say yes ... right?) ;-)

Kalyssa's First Day of School Photos! ... Finally!

I know! I know! I'm falling down on the blogging job! It's been months of practically nothing! So sorry! And yes, I am aware that my blog header is terribly outdated! I think that picture was taken almost 2 years ago! How sad is that? It's on my list of things to do ... in all my spare time! :o)

Speaking of spare time ... you'd think I'd have some now that Kalyssa is in school, wouldn't you? But alas ... I actually feel like I have less. You see, she's not home to entertain the little boy so that means I need to do it. And she's only in school half day so I feel like I drop her off and then I have to turn right around and pick her up again. Next year I should have more free time since Kaden will be in preschool 3 mornings a week. For now it's just the two of us in the mornings.

I have been trying to fill my mornings up training for a 5k though! About 2 years ago a doctor told me I'd never run again. Well, I was never a runner in the first place but that kind of irked me a little bit. So last year I had my back surgery (and wrist surgery earlier this year) and I've been feeling more capable of doing things again. I'm not pain free by any stretch of the imagination but at least vacuuming the house doesn't end up with 3 days in bed afterward anymore. So I got the crazy idea that I would try to run a 5k by the time I turn 40. I will tell you that it is not coming easy to me at all. And the heat and I do not get along either. So progress has been very slow but there is progress. I'm slow but I can now run 2.4 of the 3.1 miles in a single stretch! As hard as it is I've been really committed to it and getting a run in 3-5 days a week since mid-June. I've lost between 8-10 pounds and a full pant size so that is definitely helping to keep me motivated! I turn 40 in December and there are two races in the area before then. If the heat keeps up I might have a hard time making the one in September but I shouldn't have any trouble being ready for the race on December 4th! I will reach my goal! And hopefully by then I will actually learn to like this running thing. Right now we're more aquaintances then friends. :o) But I'm getting there and I feel great!

Now, on to the info you actually came here to see/read! Kalyssa absolutely LOVES Kindergarten! She came home from the school open house (the Friday before school started on the 9th) saying, "I am so excited to learn!" Not excited to meet new friends or have fun, but excited to learn! That was seriously a proud Mommy (and Daddy) moment! We really hope and pray that excitement lives on in her for many many years to come! Everyday she comes home ready to do her homework and frequently I catch her being the teacher to her classroom (that consists of only her brother as the student.) I love getting a glimpse into her school day while she plays. So far we are very happy with her and her teachers and from what I've heard they love her too!

Without further ado ... here is a little parade of photos from her first day!

And I'd like to give serious props to my awesome husband! He is an amazing Dad! He came to the Open House with us and he went in to work late this first day so he could be there to watch this big moment in her life! He's a very loving, fun & involved Dad with his kids! (He even makes them breakfast most every morning!) And he gives me a bunch of nights every month to get out with my girlfriends too! And (get this ... you won't believe it!) he volunteers in our church classrooms (usually the 3 year old rooms but last week it was holding babies) on Sundays and he comes to watch kids for my Mom's group twice a month! Seriously! The man is amazing! And I want him to know that I notice it all and appreciate every bit of it! Love you Honey!!!

Blessings!

KC, Shari, Kalyssa & Kaden

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Our little girl ...

Her first graduation! Pre-K and she's as serious as can be! We are so proud of our little girl. She was chosen to hold the bible during the salutes to the American flag, the Christian flag and the bible. She took her job so seriously and did a fantastic job! Of course, she was born for the stage. I say that because after every song she was the only kid taking a bow! :o)

She loves her brother so much and he was so happy to see his "Sissy" up on stage.

It wouldn't be a school function for Kalyssa without a picture of her and her best friend! These girls are positively adorable together. We are so sad that she won't be attending the same school next year but I'm sure there will be lots of play dates in our future!