Oklahoma.... OK

I had so much fun over the weekend!!!!! The best part was being able to spend time with family and to meet these two little angles!!! Oh, I just fell in love at first sight.

It was so wonderful to watch my sister with her children. She is an AMAZING Mommy, she is a natural. I can't imagine having two children with in a six month period. They both LOVE their mommy so much!!! {so do I}

Kai and Regan hit it off right away. He would just follow her around and they become best buddies. He was in LOVE with his Regie. :)

Regan was also VERY excited about baby Kylee. It was so sweet to see her with the baby.

Kai got sick while we were there :( So, between him not feeling well and the rain we spent all weekend inside.

Aunt Ju Ju let Kai finger paint for the first time..... He LOVED it!!!

His painting style reminds me of another little boy I know BUT don't worry..

I cleaned him up!

We played....

We read......

We rocked....

We cuddled.....

We spent time with old friends....

and time with family.

My sister Nancy

My Mom

My sister Michelle

and my Dad.

Regan was just a LITTLE excited!

We are back. We had a BLAST. The time went by way to fast. I will start with the begining.....




LOTS of photos to come! :)

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

Am I the only Mom out there that often times forgets to take time for myself? Ok, I have a feeling that I am not. Our job, as a mother, is very busy one. Every day there is something new to wash, mouths to feed, classes to volunteer in, crafts to be made, and memories to create. I LOVE it. There isn’t anything else in the world that I would rather be doing. Ever since I was a little girl and I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I would respond with “ a mommy” J The only problem that I can find with my job is that all to often I get so busy with doing things around the house and for everyone else that I forget to take time for myself. Well, I guess that isn’t a problem with my job but rather with me. Wink!


For my birthday this year I was spoiled!!! My best friend got me the beautiful camera I having been drooling over and a new lenses. My sister, Nancy, one of my very dearest friends got me and AMAZING birthday gift as well. She got me a plane ticket!!!! Yes, that is right folks she is flying me out to meet my new nephew that they adopted from China over Thanksgiving and my new little niece that she gave birth to just a month ago. I am so excited!!!!!

I am so grateful for her for doing this for me. She is in a way forcing me to take time for myself. I have been talking about going to Oklahoma to see them for a while BUT with everything that is going on with Bubba I am sure that I would have made a million excuses as to why I shouldn’t go. I have a hard time leaving Bubba, being away from him for more than a day. I know that he will be just fine and have a blast with his Daddy. I am sure that he will wear him out and I will come home to one tired Hubby.

This week has been filled with appointments with surgeons as we get ready for this next step in helping Bubba. When I get home I will walk right back into getting ready….appointments and a CT scan. As hard as it is to leave this could not have come at a better time. I need to take a minute to rest before what is ahead of us.

Ok, I am not sure how much relaxing I will be doing… I will be chasing my nephew around the house, playing with the MANY toys that I am bringing him, cuddling that sweet baby girl, watching them so their sweet Mommy and Daddy can go on a date night, taking pictures and learning tricks from my brother in law and laughing with my sister. (we always have a blast together and LAUGH!) My Mom, Dad, and sister, Michelle, will be coming to visit with us as well!!! All of my family lives in Oklahoma and Texas and it is so GREAT when I get to spend time with them. I have not been to Texas in five years and I haven’t been to Oklahoma in three years. This is a much needed trip!!!!!!

Oh friends, guess what!?!?! Regan get’s to come with me and she has no idea!!!! Tomorrow morning she will be getting on the airplane with me and get to meet her new cousins. I am not sure if I am going to tell her tonight or in the morning on the way to the airport. She has been so sad and even a little mad that I get to go and see the babies before her. Do I sound mean for not telling her despite her tears at night?? Wink! I didn’t tell her just in case…. Just in case something happened with Bubba and the trip couldn’t happen. I didn’t want her to be upset with her Bubba. OH, she is going to be sooooo EXCITED!!!

I am sure that I will have a million pictures when I get back but for now……

“I’m leaving on a jet plane…”

Pants on the ground

Pants on the ground


Pants on the ground

Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground


With the gold in your mouth

Hat turned sideways

Pants hit the ground

Call yourself a cool cat

Lookin' like a fool

Walkin' downtown with your pants on the ground


Get it up, hey!

Get your pants off the ground

Lookin' like a fool

Walkin' talkin' with your pants on the ground.


Get it up, hey!

Get your pants off the ground

Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground

{Happy Sunday :)}

Spring Break Fun {Part 2}

My last post was just the begining of our Spring Break fun. On Thursday we went to the Grove with some friends, the Andersens.  We started off with a little shopping....

Then we had lunch at the Farmers Market.

I think we enjoyed the sweets more than our lunch!

(I know.... my hair is a mess!!! I have an appt. on Tuesday with the wonderful Hannah to fix it. :)

On Friday the kids and I took Great Grandma Jo with us to the Aquarium.

On Saturday we had MORE fun! Collin has a thing for trains. He wanted to ride the train OVER and OVER again. After four rides I had to pull him off! wink!

We have had a ton of fun over Spring Break. I am not sure if I am ready for the kids to go back to school on Monday. Well, at least Regan will be back at school. Collin has MORE doctor appts.

Spring Break Fun {part 1}

We have had a blast this week!!!  I am not ready for the kids to go back to school on Monday. It feels like the week just flew by. Well, you know what they say... Time flies when you are having fun. Oh goodness, we have had tons of fun!!! Jason's sister came down from Utah with her family and we were able to spend the first part of the week with them. Prepare yourself for LOTS of pictures. I just can't help myself. Yes, I know... I have a problem. wink!

Collin just adored his cousin Gavin. He LOVED watching him play basketball.

It was a perfect day to fly a kite and.....

play some hoops!

On Monday when it was rainy we went to Chuck E Cheese and had a BLAST!!

On Tuesday Bubba had to go and see his doctors.

Regan met up with her cousins and Nana and Papa and they went

 and saw the dragon movie and had so much fun!!! Bubba and I had to miss out on it

BUT that is OK he isn't much of a movie guy anyways! wink!

Then on Wend. we went to the beach . Nana watched Bubba for me so that I could go and enjoy. It was so warm... a perfect beach kind of day. It was nice to just relax and watch the kids play. {I needed it.} The water was VERY cold and my brave little girl was the only one to get all wet! :)

OH! I forgot to mention the friends that I brought to the beach. Regan's sand toys were in the backyard by the garden. When we got all of the toys out and the kids started to play and we noticed a lady bug and then another one..... Yes.... we brought a TON of lady bugs with us to the beach.

After the beach we met up with Nana and got Bubba. Regan and her cousins decided that they wanted to get in the spa. Bubba got jealous and his good ol' Aunt Shawna went in with him. We proped up the spa cover to creat a shady spot for Bubba. He was thrilled!!!

{food}

{This picture tugs at my heart EVERY time I look at it. I walked away while feeding Bubba one day and came back to this. My sweet, sweet baby girl was feeding her big Bubba and taking care of him.}

{this is what Collin eats on an average day.}

Food has always been an issue with Bubba. From the day he was born we have fought to get enough calories in his little body. When he was newborn the fight was to get him to nurse BUT he wouldn’t. So, I pumped for FIVE months. I know… crazy right?? I think back now and wonder how in the world I managed to do it. I had to pump every two hours to produce enough milk, clean the bottles, and then feed him every two hours. My milk dried up when Collin was going in for his first surgery at five months of age. I think it was the stress. My body just told me ENOUGH.

Then the fight went from constant bottle feedings to trying to get him to eat pureed food. We would have to force feed him. I mean hold his mouth open and shove the food in at times. Do I sound like a bad mom??? Then finally one day it clicked and he liked eating. He is still on a diet of all pureed foods. He can not chew and does not do well with texture. Regan has often told him while holding a cheeseburger “Bubba just take one bite…. And you’ll never eat baby food again.”

I have to feed him every two hours to try to keep his calorie intake up. I have tried so many times and different ways to make my own pureed food BUT it is too inconsistent for him and he will throw it all up. So, we just stick with baby jar food and that is expensive. We average about $75 a week in food just for Bubba….. And I am even a coupon shopper!!

Since Collin was a baby the doctors have talked to us about putting a feeding tube in. We have always fought it. The risk didn’t seem worth the results. Up until this year Collin has been able to keep an incline with height and weight. It might be a tiny incline but he wasn’t dropping. The doctors warned us though that when he continued to grow in height and he couldn’t keep up in weight it would become a “problem”. Well folks, we have a “problem” on our hands.

Now Jason and I have to face reality….. Collin is getting older…. His illness is only getting worse. We have met with his doctors and they all seem to agree. It is time for a feeding tube. I have an appointment with a new GI dr. and assuming I like him then we will piggy back it with another surgery he has to have soon. Collin will have to have several surgeries this year. L We have gotten away with out having one for a while. So, rather than feel bad about it, I will choose to be grateful for all of the surgery free time we have been able to enjoy. Collin is a trooper… he has had ten surgeries and always comes away with a smile.

This will be a new road for us. Since I am his personal nurse I will have to learn how to put it back in his stomach when he rips it out because he will. I will have to learn how to feed him this way and still balance the pureed food he loves to eat. It will be a fine balancing act. We don’t want him to gain to much to fast. He has arthritic bones and they can’t handle it. Oh, boy it all seems overwhelming when I think about it. Luckily I have some beautiful friends who have already traveled this road with their children and I can turn to them for help. We are praying that this will be a very good thing for Bubba and that he doesn't stop wanting to eat by mouth.

{When Collin saw me putting this food up to take a picture he came over to give it kisses... he LOVES his food.}

I know it is going to be a good day......

.....when I walk in and  find my children like this.