Ok, I think this has to be one of FAVE indoor places!!!!

It has been HOT!!

So, we had to do a lot of indoor things.

I think, ok... I know that the LA Science Museum is quickly becoming my FAVE indoor places for the kids.

Why, you ask????

Well, since you asked I will tell you.....

First off it is FREE!!! (Can't beat free!!)

It is only 19 miles from our home!

Parking is only 8 bucks (Hey, in LA that's a good deal.. wink)

We took our friends to the Museum for their first time.

(not sure why the lady taking the picture felt the need to cut out Baby G but she did.)

So, here is her PRETTY face for you to just LOVE on!!!

(Yes, I made the flower headband on her adorable little head... wink)

Ok, back to why I LOVE the LA Science Museum....

First off it makes Bubba smile!!!

You get to make cool stuff like GOOOO!

It is so practical!

You can work on your emergency preparednence skills.

I mean really the kids will be SOOO grateful some day when they are in a hurricane that their wonderful Moms prepared them by putting them in a tank/thing with LOTS of crazy wind.. wink!

The kids LOVED working on their rocket launching skills!

(Look at how they were looking at Bubba...

 I LOVE how they LOVE his smile as much as I do.)

Bubba and Tyson and major Buds.

I love that Tyson isn't bothered by the fact that Bubba does not talk to him.

He doesn't even notice Bubba's disabilities.... now that is a true friend!

Tyson prepared for his future career as an astronaut.

Regan and Belen worked on their future careers on and off the screen.

The girls made several crafts.

While we waited for them to finish with their crafts we played with toys.

We found this cool puzzle, each block makes a different sound when you shake it.

Bubba loved it!

(Yes, I am wearing Regan's headband... it was a bad hair day DON'T JUDGE me!!!... wink)

Ok, this was another OH SO SWEET moment.

The kids were doing this cool Blue screen "game"...

They stand there and then they appear on the screen with soccer balls flying at them.

They are able to kick the balls... So fun.

Well, one of the kids noticed that the balls were "hitting" Bubba on the screen because he can't kick them.

So, they all surrounded him and blocked the balls from hitting him.

TOO SWEET!!!!

We always have a blast there!

We will be back soon!

Over My Head Photo Challenge

Over at

the theme this week is

Over My Head Photo Challenge I was trying to decide between several pictures. They all had this sweet little family in them. My sister and her husband were told that they would never be able to have children of their own. Shortly after returing from China, where they adopted their sweet litttle boy, my beautiful sister gave birth to their baby girl. One day their hopes of having a family were broken, the next they had a BIG beautiful family with in months. I was so excited when they choose to come to Disneyland for their very first family vacation. I was able to shoot away and capture so many fun firsts. I LOVE being an Aunt!!  I was so excited to be able to capture such a sweet little boy's smile, while over his head, riding Dumbo for the very first time. Words can not describe this moment and I am just so grateful that I was able to share it.  

Every once and a while it happens.....

After I finished bathing Bubba, putting a clean diaper on him, changing his bandages, putting his steriods on him, getting him dressed, and giving him his ten medications....

I layed my sleeping ten year old "forever baby" in his bed and hooked him up to his machine.

I walked back into the living room feeling a little sad and overwhelmed from the week. I looked at Jason and asked him with tears in my eyes "Do you think parents who don't have to do this EVERY night realize how truly lucky they are?"  Then he looked at me and said exactly what I needed to hear.

"Do you remember that little girl from the waiting room?"

There was an oh so sweet little girl in the waiting room who's parents aren't blessed with daily smiles like we are with Bubba. That simple question was the reminder that I needed... that no matter what, no matter how hard some days might feel I am truly blessed. God has blessed me with a daily reminder of his love for me.

I am not THAT kind of gal BUT if I were......

If I were THAT kind of girl than I might have gotten sad last night when my sweet little girl informed me that she will soon be to old to wear hair BOWS. She is now OLD and wanted me to make her a cute flower headband and matching necklace, not a BOW......

So, I did.

Sigh....

If I were THAT kind of gal than I might get a little sad at the thought of not seeing HUGE fun bows in her hair. If I were THAT kind of gal than I might get a lump in my throat when I think about all of the TONS of bows hanging on her wall that she will soon be to old for.

BUT... Since I am not THAT kind of gal I guess there is nothing to worry about... wink!

Just another day at the beach

I love having Ms. Vesta in our lives {Bubba's nurse}.

Since Bubba is allergic to the sun {uv rays} we can not go to the beach as a family.

It is so hard since we live  just around the corner from it.

So much thought and effort has to put into something as simple as going and playing at the beach for a couple of hours.

I have to make sure that Bubba is taken care of and that everything is ready for him so that we can leave.

I have to say that this is one of the hardest things about this summer.

In summers past Bubba goes to summer camp {that he LOVES} and Regan and I have free time to do things like weekly trips to the beach.

This summer is different.

Jason and I decided that it would be the best for Bubba to stay at home with me this summer instead of going to summer school and summer camp.

He is still post op and recovering and we need to keep him healthy for his next surgery in a month.

Ms. Vesta comes two times a week for the morning.

So, I have to decide.....

Do I need to her to go with me to apts. for Bubba or do I want her to stay home with Bubba so that Regan and I can play???

Last week Ms. Vesta was on vacation so we did not have her to help out.

We were excited to have her back this week and Regan and I got to go to the beach for the FIRST time this summer!!!!!

We just went to the bay close to our home {just in case.}

What fun is the beach with out friends?????

I LOVE that I can call Katie at the last minute and say PLEASE come play with us and she is always down to play!

I mean seriously.... they don't make babies, they make dolls!!!!

Baby G is the sweetest little thing!!!!!

{Before}

Before we went to the doctor {see last post} we went and had some fun with cousins!!

Nana was taking care of a sweet cousin visiting from Reno and we wanted to PLAY!!

So, we all piled in my van and went to the Science Museum in LA.

There was so much to

{Touch}

{See}

{Explore}

{Enjoy}

Oh, I can't forget.

We went back to the doctor today to see his GI and make sure "toobie" is OK.
I am not sure why his Ped. felt the need to FREAK me out and give him the antiboitics BUT...
it is NOT an infection!!!! Wahoo!!!
Come to find out that Bubba has a LARGE granuloma. :(
Our veteran GI said "wow, this one is weird and so different, haven't seen one like this before!"
Yes, of course he would have the "different" or "weird" one that needed to be checked out by 3 doctors so that they could all see it. wink!
It is just his body trying to fight having the tube.
At the end of the day Bubba had to have it cauterized to help prevent all of the bleeding.
Can I just tell you how BRAVE that Bubba is!!!
No, pain meds... and guess what not ONE tear!!!!
You better believe that the second Daddy picked him up off of the table he was SMILING.
I don't know how he does it but really he is pretty awesome.
I would be complaining for days.
He gave high fives to all the doctors, including the one that hurt him....
{if only we could all forgive that quickly}
and after only 2 hours at the doctor office we were on our way home with yet another presciption. :)

I wish that they were all good days....

.... but sometimes they just aren't.

Sunday evening we sat with our family, like we do every Sunday. We ate and enjoyed having Jason's sister and her sweet son visiting. Then it happened. Bubba started having seizures. They were bad, so we left. I scooped him up, held him in my lap on the car ride home, and then gave him his injection once we were in the comfort of our living room. It took an entire day for him to recover.

Today I woke up and started my morning routine of rubbing his sweet little body with his special lotions, stretching him, getting him his meds, and changing his bandages. When I took the bandage off my heart sunk. The skin around his G-Tube was bleeding. It hurt him.... it hurt me to have to do it. This was not good. I called the doctor and got him in for the afternoon.

We played in the morning and enjoyed time with cousins.

Afternoon came and we were off just the two of us.......

Bubba made friends in the doctors waiting room as the other children wanted to see his friend... the DVD player. When we were called back the sweet teen sitting next to us whispered to her mom "Mom look how big his chart is." I didn't have the heart to tell her that it is just one of his charts.

We had to wait.....

and wait.

They weighed him and since his surgery he has gained 3 1/2 pounds.

Yes, that is more in one month and twelve days than he gained all last YEAR!!

So, one of the things that we worried about is happening.

Collin skin is very sensitive, VERY. He is now getting an infection around good ol' toobie. This is scary becuase of his immune system. So, they put him on two antibiotics. If things get worse then we will need to go in for IV treatment. While the doctor was talking to me my eyes started to well up with tears. She reasured me that I am doing everything right and this is just "one of those things." It still breaks my heart. We now have to head back to the dr again this week. Other adventures will be put on hold so that I can take care of one of my most import adventures,  one of my babies.

A friend asked me tonight.... "What get's you through the hard days?"

My response to that is really, really.... by now you don't know....

That smile.

This is how we party!!!

Some of our friends are moving away :(

So, of course we had to party and what is a party with out a theme??

The theme of this party was White Trash....

I think I had the upper hand since I grew up in Texas/ Oklahoma. wink!!

(OH, I hope my family in Texas will forgive me for this.... you know you love me!)

Don't Mess with Texas... wink!!!

It was fun to see everyone's take on what they felt "white trash" was.

Thank you Kendal for hosting this awesome trashy party! wink!

We left our babes at home with Nana and Papa BUT there were LOTS of cuties there!!!

It was a fun night and my twinkie cake was a HUGE hit!
Oh, and if you are LOVING my plate... here's a hint. Duct tape on a paper plate looks just like nice silver... no one will EVER know!! wink!!!!
Hey, don't give me a theme if you don't want me to go overboard!!!