The best Thanksgiving ever!!!

I have pictures that I have not downloaded yet. But I just have to say that this was no doubt the best visit ever!!! Everyone was in a great place of positive forward movement. I know we usually squabble over stupid little things and we can be silly sometimes wrapped up in our own lives, but this visit was different. Maybe we are just all getting older and realize that we are human and doing the best we can and that when it comes down to it, we love each other more than we express. This holiday brought us all the realization that nothing is forever so it is up to each of us to make each day one that shows love and kindness and a willingness to fight to the finish.

I have a great picture of Granny walking in the snow. I can't even begin to explain how proud I am of my family. Both my granny and dad are doing great in moving more and both showed awesome signs of improved physical health. I am inspired by them. I measured out how much a mile was in my neighborhood and I am going to walk too. My goal is to go with Granny on her walk to the river.

We have the best family. Because when it comes down to it love does conquer all!

enjoying one of the last few pretty days before winter hits

Kevin and I took the kids on a nature walk out by the lake. The city built a cool little one mile trail and it has lots of birds and creepy, crawly things to look at.
Johnny really had fun looking for nests and trying to climb trees!
Meghan is a little more fearless when it comes to heights. Johnny must get the fear of heights from me. Sorry little guy...

It was a wonderful day and the only thing missing was Tarah. The house is so quiet without her. I am looking forward to seeing her tomorrow. Teresa is coming over to watch the dogs for us. We can't afford to all go to Amarillo so we are helping each other out. Hopefully she will be ok hanging out catching up on homework and enjoying some peace and quiet. We are leaving really early Thursday morning and have to drive back on Saturday. It is as much time as we could get between work and school. but we are looking forward to it.

Please keep little Brandon and Melissa in your thoughts and prayers this week. He is having trouble breathing and they have to go back to Houston to get a scan for possible lymph node swelling that is pressing on his windpipe. I know she is great at handling this type of trip but I would just pray that there is good news and that he doesn't have to have any more surgeries. He deserves a break and I just want him whole and healed and for their family to get a break from all of the stress and exhaustion that comes from illness and the unknown. She is the best mom I know and I don't know how she perserves with such a great spirit. I plan to buy her a big drink next week. Now that all the germs are gone from my house I can go check on her.

Pray for all of us traveling this week that we will make it safe and sound with peace of mind.

Graduation Date

I found the schedule and we graduate on 5/10/08. I will have to set up a cool counter on my blog page to count down the days!!!

The children are finally feeling better!!!

Things here are finally getting less germy wormy...Johnny still has three days left on his antibiotic but he is feeling better. Meghan's lungs seem to have cleared up and we may be able to stop the constant breathing treatments. They are cleared to go back to school after the holidays but I hate the thought of sending them back to all those germs. But I will because they miss it very much and all kids have germs and spread them to each other. The stuff they get now is just one less thing to contract in kindergarten. I can't keep them in a bubble no matter how much I may want to some days. We will just be much more careful when Meghan shows any sign of a respiratory problem.

I had a meeting with my school advisor and have gotten all the kinks worked out of my computer based degree plan and have been green lighted to graduate in May of 2008. I have applied for graduation and will be all set as long as I pass each of my classes these last two semesters. I don't know the date yet but I do know that it is a 9 am graduation ceremony and that each student is given a certain number of tickets for "the show". The good part is that Teresa and I are graduating in the same ceremony so we get to consolidate our family visitors instead of making everyone travel twice or on different dates or times. It is so strange the way it has worked out for the two of us.

I can't believe that I am finally going to finish something. It is going to be great to finally have graduated from something. (and before I turn 40 too!!)

Kevin has taken the week off so that I can get caught up on work and school. He makes it look so easy but I am not complaining. It makes life easier to have a helper. Of course Tarah helps out a lot too but she is a busy bee these days too!

I am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in Amarillo. It helps to spend time with family and friends to remind us of what is really important in this crazy, buzy and sometimes out of control world.

A few pics here and there.....

Johnny loves to clean out his ears.....he loves q-tips so I talked him into kleenex.

Tarah is a stunner....It is hard when so many people want her to be a model but I want her to be a well adjusted teenager!

Meghan is not quite up to her happy self lately!

Even Buzz Lightyear loves to play with pom-poms once in a while!

This one is for Tarah's dad! He talked her into posing in her dress. We had a fun night.

Johnny is sick now too so we are a giant house of germs

Johnny likes his cool Dragon mask. We have the nubulizer at home now so the kids can get their breathing treatments here. We are hoping and praying that the kids will be healthy again by next week. Johnny has the cough and an ear infection too!
Mommy is having to santize all our toys so we get to play camping out today!

Trying to keep things clean and germ free between these two is impossible so I am cleaning everything in the house with soap and bleach water. Considering how many germs we have, we fill pretty good after treatments and medicine!

Halloween pictures

Johnny was Buzz Lightyear and Meghan was a Cheerleader! Johnny insisted that Kevin and I dress up to go with them.
Johnny was really good at saying trick or treat! He only skipped a couple of houses that were too scary. Meghan said Please and Thank you!
They both got way more candy than I will ever let them eat. Tarah is helping out with that. (and mom and dad too)
Here's Kevin getting Johnny all decked out to be Buzz!
Meghan had a great time once she got used to the dress! She kinda had a fit about it at first!

Meghan has RSV

I haven't had a chance to upload the photos from Halloween yet. Meghan has been sick off and on for about three weeks now. One day she would have a fever and the next it would be gone. We have been battling a constant stream of coughs and mucus that we thought were allergies. It was driving us crazy not to be able to figure out what was going on with her. Well all that changed Thursday night. Her breathing was labored and she whimpered all night. Yesterday morning Kevin rushed her to the pediatrician when it opened and after three breathing treatments and two shots in the office they were sent to Children's Hospital to the respiratory therapy center in the ER. It seems that Meghan has a complication from RSV where mucus is being collected in her bronchial tubes and after a deep suctioning (which took both of us to hold her down!) We were sent home. Kevin and I are in charge of the suctioning now which is very difficult to do and we are praying that it will not be a long term job. We are going to be strong because if we don't suction her tubes then Meghan can develop pneumonia.

I think the scariest part of all was the fact that I had to go take a test and was going to meet Kevin at the doctor's office after I was done. Christoph watched Johnny for us. Kevin was already at the ER and had dropped his phone in the van so he couldn't get ahold of me and I knew something was wrong but couldn't find him and Meghan any where. I finally got ahold of Cory to see if Kevin left me a message anywhere and then the Ped.s office gave me instructions to the hospital. After making it through a massive accident on 35 south which added 30 minutes to my trip, I finally found them and Kevin and I could take a deep breath and deal with learning the treatment from the doctors.

Meghan did sleep better last night and she is even smiling again this morning. Watching my baby lay there and barely move and struggling to breathe was the most scared I have ever been. I am so grateful that she is more like her normal self today. There were a lot of prayers for Meghan yesterday and I am so grateful to everyone for taking over for me this weekend so that I can spend it taking care of my family.