Start a band?

So I'm thinking it might be time to start a band with the kids. Carly loves the piano, and now here's Gavin with a guitar he got for his birthday (19th)......

So what should Shane do? Drums perhaps? Do they make quite drums? Actually, now that I think about it Shane could sing! Not sure if he's got a good voice but he loves to sing and he has a great at memorizing song lyrics. Disney here we come! Hehehe.

Anyway, thank you everyone who was able to come to Gavin's birthday party yesterday...hope you had fun. I know he did! We tried taking him to SeaWorld on Fri but apparently they close at 5pm on Fridays....found that out after we parked and walked up to the gate at 430pm.....SERIOUSLY!?! I felt soooo bad! Anyway, we ended up at Belmont Park played some arcades and rode the only ride Gavin was big enough to ride then we went out for dinner....I love when he picks Outback! Hehehe. We have plans to go back to SeaWorld on the 31st since that's when our free passes expire....I already checked; they close at 9pm :)

3 Candles

Wow, time is flying...time to slow down!!

Tomorrow our little monster, Gavin, will have three candles on his birthday cake! Sometimes I think he is older and sometimes I call Carly: Gavin...and not cause she is being bad :)

Since my last update on him, he has improved greatly on the potty training! Nighttime is our major battle cause if he doesn't have water at night he will cough all night.

I also got into trouble when we ran into his old daycare provider when she said "oh, Gavin, your mommy still lets you suck on your fingers" EEEKK! I don't LET him...he just does and I can't take him fingers away from him. I really want him to stop....I can see the ortho bills increasing every time I see him do it. I tried some surgical tape today.....worked pretty well after I got over him whining about it allllllll day. Then it was nap time and he became more determined than ever to get the tape off......I am now confident that he will always succeed in anything he sets his mind to do.Anyone who know him knows he is very determined and stubborn....not easily persuaded....not in the least. So what do I do? No, seriously, if you have a secret please do tell!!!

"Gavin, Happy Birthday my precious monster! You're awesome!
Keep making us laugh out loud!"
Love,
Mom, Dad, Shane and Carly

Little Piano Player

She absolutely LOVES this piano!

OMG! Family Pics!

WooooHooo! We got family pics done just in time for Christmas and they are awesome, if I do say so myself.....and I do. We finally got our friend, Crystal Robbins of Red Waggon Photograph (see button down and to the left) to take our pics. Click on the title of this blog entry to view our entire photo shoot. Let me know if you have any problems viewing. I am so excited! I'm having a difficult time picking which ones I want! Enjoy! Personal favorite is Gavin picking nose and grabbing crotch at same time!!

Milestones and Other Stuff

First off, I'd like to report that our friend, Kayleigh, is doing absolutely wonderful since her open heart surgery!! We did a little art project for her and should be sending it off this weekend. I'll post a pic when we are done.

Next, I want to give everyone an update on the kids' milestones:

SHANE:

~ Shane's 1st Parent/Teacher Conference ~

(10.17.08)
I'm pretty sure his teacher said he was "gifted"! Well, her actual words were "I have gifted children too"....then she continued by explaining that he is above average in all areas except one......RESPECT for his peers. We are excited and kinda bummed all at once.

Apparently, he like to blurt out the answers to everything before anyone else gets a chance and he might make a little fun if someone else give the wrong answer.

He's not mean when he does it so he's not really a bully......just a smart ass! Hehe.

We are taking a poll to see if he gets that from Steve or Me. Keep in mind I'm talking about the smart ass part not the super smart gifted part....ahem! Oh ya he also likes to interrupt the teacher thinking he knows what she's gonna say before she says it and likes to make up his own directions to the work they do. Not that any of these characteristics themselves are bad in anyway....we just need to find a way to work around them so that he is respectful and compassionate towards others. I actually caught myself trying to finish the teacher's comments about him (oops...I just might have put myself in the lead on the poll).

GAVIN:

~ Potty Training ~
Still in the works. He is so close. Some days are better than others. I am most thankful for the poop that makes it in the toilet! I know, it's gross.....but oh so true! He is doing very well in my book! I cant believe what a big boy he is becoming. It is taking a little longer than Shane but Shane wasn't officially trained until a few weeks after he turned 3. Gavin will be 3 in mid December. Plus Gavin is quite a bit more stubborn than Shane.....was.

~ Vocabulary ~

Gavin's vocab. has become grand! He is definitely a copycat. I never had to watch what I said around Shane cause he didn't really pay any attention. Now, you think Gavin isn't paying attention....heck he could be in a different room than us and he hears what we say and repeats it......loud and proud! He also pronounces every...every... letter sound and syllable. Hopefully this will come in handy when he starts to spell. We are still working on letters and numbers. I think he is more of a Hear 'n' Do than a See 'n' Do.

CARLY:

~ Rolled over... ~

...from back to tummy

(10.20.08)
She wasn't so happy about it the first go around but she's getting used to it now

~ Big Girl Food ~

(11.3.08)

Again, she was not too sure what I was making her do but oh boy has she mastered it now!!

Next week: Homemade fruit and veggie purees. Yup, I said homemade and I am very excited to try this out; let you know how it goes. Hopefully I can get video next time.

~ Finger Muncher! ~

I have reason to believe Carly is trying to break through some teeth. EEK!

In trying to keep her from chomping on her fingers I stuck mine in there........OOOUUCCHHH!

I guess that's what I'd do too if someone stuck their finger in my mouth!

~ Cutie Patootie ~
Not really a milestone here just wanted to add some more pics. My new favorites. Enjoy!

Kayleigh: Open Heart Surgery

Earlier this morning (EST) our new little friend underwent Open Heart Surgery. Please pray for her and her family. Check out their link (http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/) for continuous updates all day and the rest of the week.

WE LOVE YOU KAYLEIGH....You are a true miracle!

Kayleigh Anne Freeman

Whether we are or will be a parent (or not) we all would be devastated if we were in this family's shoes. I had a hard enough time when Carly was fighting with everything she had...and she didn't have to fight nearly as much as the little girl in this story....but a fight none the less. We had so much love come our way I know it helped Carly and us fight and stay strong. I have been following this blog for quite some time now and each night Kayleigh's dad gives the world an update on her improvements, setbacks and challenges to come. I cry every time I read, whether it be a good or not so good update. Right now she is up for a huge challenge and her and her family could use all the love and support we can give. So whether you believe in GOD or the Universe or anything else that helps give love, hope, faith and encouragement please take some time and keep Kayleigh in your prayers, hearts and or minds. Pass this along to your Church, friends and or family! Kayleigh and her family are truly amazing and inspirational!! If you have a blog or other type of community posting please link mine and or Kayleigh's site to yours to help spread the story of this amazing little girl's journey home to her mom, dad, brother an sister. I know there are (too many) children everyday and every hour that come across life threatening challenges, some stay here on earth and others off to heaven, either way they are all precious and inspirations as they teach us all what life is all about. So maybe while you say a little prayer for Kayliegh you can encompas all children.

WE LOVE YOU KAYLEIGH!!!

(click on Kayleigh's name above to go to her blog)

A Wedding Weekend

10.11.08 was a wedding weekend. Both Steve and I had cousins that got hitched that weekend. Unfortunately neither of us could go to either of them :( From stories and pictures we've seen both were beautiful occasions.

Christy (my cousin) & Gerrod Fisher were married in Florida. The weather cleared up just in time. Her USAF brothers, Ben and Brian walked her down the isle; with her dad watching this proud moment from heaven. Ben traveled from England and Brian from Hawaii. My mom, dad and Jeff were able to make it. Thank you Christy & Jerrod for setting a plate for me...just in case. I'm sooo sorry I couldn't make it....but cant wait for the reunion next year!!!

Paul (Steve's cousin) & Justine Cairnes were married in Redding, CA. Thank you G'ma Ann for the pics!!! I love the dresses!!! I heard it was a great party!!

Here's to LOVE!!!!

The BIG 4...

.....4 months that is. Carly is two months older than my last update of her. Not only is she two months older she is also bigger all the way around.

weight: 13lbs 3oz = 50% (of babies her age)

Height: 24" = 50

Head Cir: 39cm = 10% (up from 3%)

She's also mastered drooling, spitting (and I dont mean spitting up), she farts right along with the boys. Did I mention she's got the most beautiful eyes and smile! She's trying out her giggles and communicates fluently with gurgles.....I swear we have full on 5 minute conversations with her. We will be starting the solid food in a couple weeks. I have a feeling she will be a champ at that too. Let the MESS begin.....again. :) She goes back in for check ups in December (Gavin too....geez I'm scared to find out how big he is....soon Shane is gonna have to catch up with him.)

GO CHARGERS!

Ok well, they didn't do so well this weekend....but....do my babies look so darn cute in their Charger gear or what? I got Shane a new jersey since his was handed down to Gavin (that boy better stop growing!) and then I got Carly a cheerleader outfit! Pretty sure this is going to be their Halloween costumes too since we're runnin' low on the dough. Was waiting for Uncle Jeff to get Raider stuff for the kids.....would have been much scarrier for Halloween :P

Red Carpet NO-NO!

So sad in so many ways! It is apparent in this picture of Shane (sorry for the quality; its from the cell phone camera) that his keen sense of style will not hit the runways anytime soon. I asked him to go put something sort of nice on so I could take pics at the pumpkin patch for our Halloween pics and this is what he came up with........all of which are nice....INDIVIDUALLY that is. We're talkin' blue camo shorts, long sleeve gray and green striped shirt with button down green and orange plaid overlay. He tried so hard and was so upset that I was making him change. If you think I'm a bad mom for making him change....think again! I did tell him that he made a great effort and I gave him the opportunity to pick his favorite of the three different patterns and colors and we worked from there.

I refuse to have him go on American Idol if he really cant sing....if you know what mean.

Doll?

She almost doesnt look real! My most favorite picture to date! We had a mini fashion photo shoot yesterday.

VOTE FOR US!

That's it! I'm putting the kids to work.....

...well sort of. I figured they should work with what they've got and they've got CUTENESS written all over them!! Please help them each win $2500 by voting at the following links.

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=736375&x=.jpg

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=736414&x=.jpg

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Shane: Simming and Dare I Say, KINDERGARTEN!

Can you say Michael Phelps!?!

Well not yet but doesn't Shane have a swimmers bodytype? We put Shane in swim lessons this summer and he has excelled (not saying cause I'm his mom...I swear!). He's swimming halfway across the pool and back sometimes without help (depending in the stroke) while others in his class were stuggling....which is normal. He's doing flips off pool side and off the lifeguard tower...he kind of got in trouble for that one!! Anyway he loved watching swimming on the Olympics so why not encourage it? This was a great way to use up the never ending energy!

First Day of KINDERGARTEN!

And here I was talking about how old Carly is.......Shane is in Kindergarten! He started last week and thank God.....for both of us. He stopped going to preschool in Jan when I quit my job and it was great at first but for the past month or two its been a real battle for both of us. He's been in school for a week and loving every minute of it....too bad its only 3 1/2hrs :) I had so much fun school clothes shoping too! Cant wait for Carly's turn....NO! Wait! I take that back....I CAN wait! Gavin likes droping him off and seeing the school buses. I am so excited and proud of Shane. Here's to a great school year!

Aunt Sis & Cousin Theone Visit

We had so much fun last month when Aunt Sis (my dad's sister) came to visit. She came from KS for some R&R and I think she got it. At least I know she laughed a lot (mostly cause of the kids) and that's the best medicine!! We went to Bates Nut Farm for a picnic and a few jaccuzzi days at Nana & Papa's house. The kids loved spending time with her.....they keep asking how far away NEXT Christmas is (for her next trip out). Hopefully we wont have to wait that long and we will be able to make it to our Family Reunion next June.

Cousin Theone (my dad's cousin), AZ, also came to visit and for her high school class reunion. More fun insued!

Someone stop the press!!!

The rarest of rare photographs has been taken........

My Brother and Me!
(both smiling & looking at the camera......
might have to check the baby books for previous pics like this one..hehe!)

Carly is 3 Months!

OMG! I can't believe it....our baby is already 3 months old! Her doctor appointment last month gave the following measurements:

Weight: 10lb 5 oz = 50%
Height: 22 1/4" = 50%
Head Cir: 36 1/2cm = 5%
(unlike her brothers, especially Gavin, Carly has a small noggin)

So I'd say all in all she is making great strides! She is full of smiles and she seems to be trying to laugh a little. Her hand have found their way to her mouth and she has become quite the drooler while "talking" to (more like spitting at) her bug friends on her swing. Too cute.

Gavin's Toe

EEEEWWW!

So this happened about a month ago but that's how busy I have been lately. Apparently when I was "off duty" the boys were playing across the street with some rocks and Gavin decided he had superhero strength and picked up the biggest rock he could.....then SMASH! it fell on his toe and that was that! He came running inside bloody and skin flopin' around. So I did what moms' do and put the superhero back together again. I felt so bad the next morning when I changed his bandages and the gauze stuck to his toe and ripped some more skin off (this happened twice). We're pretty sure it was broken but there's not much you can do. I taped it up so it didnt move for a couple days and I actually think he walks better since...hehe! The toenail still has a ways to grow out though.

Carly Claire's Journey

Carly's journey begins June 2, 2008. It was a doctor appointment that I almost didn't keep because I didn't want to drive all the way to the hospital that day.....I was being see twice a week anyway so I thought, what was missing one gonna hurt? Plus we were three weeks away from the due date. Well, my blood pressure was not to their liking and they did some "checking" and everything else was a go for induction of our "Baby Girl". So I called Steve and he came to the hospital and we told the doctor we were ready. I've never been so unprepared in my life. We still didn't have a name, except for the middle name which was decided before we even started having kids. Good thing we work best under pressure 'cause She didn't waste much time. I think it took longer for me to get a room than it took for me to actually deliver her. And so at 10:46pm, 6lbs 4 oz and 19 1/2" Carly Claire Elkins was born! Thank you Steve for picking out the best...little did we know just how perfectly fitting the name would be.

Carly:

Little & Strong

Claire:

Clear & Bright (my Nana's name...Mom's mom, who passed away just before we got married)

Carly's umbilical cord was wrapped pretty tightly around her neck and they were a little concerned about her breathing. They let us hold her but kept taking her away to give her a little bit of oxygen thinking it would be enough to give her a jump start. We held her for about 10 minutes each when they finally took her to the level 1 nursery to keep a closer eye on her. When we stopped in to check on her on my way to my recovery room they told us she wasn't getting better and they were going to transfer her over to Children's Neonatal ICU and she would be there at least 72 hours, which meant we would be leaving the hospital without our precious girl. Not only did I just give birth, but she was taken away after 20 minutes and we really didnt know what exactly was wrong I was in recovery without her and having to get up every 2 hours (eventhough she wasnt in my room) to pump and deliver milk down the hall. I felt overwhelmed, restless, useless and what if this was my fault?. I was supposed to be taking care of her and I couldnt. Thanks to Steve and the nurses for being there for me. So enough about my emotional status. I was scared to go see her in NICU because I didnt know what they did to her or what she was going to look like or what they were going to tell us next. Carly was beautiful even with the little oxygen tubes coming from her nose! The next time we saw her she was under a "hood" and then the next time we saw her she was on a ventelator that was breathing for her at 100%. The first two methods didnt allow Carly to relax enough for her to strengthen her lungs. Still not being able to hold her...let alone touch her because she would become so aggitated and her heartrate and oxygen levels would get worse, I was discharged from the hospital and had to leave her behind. Wow! Talk about the hardest thing I've ever had to do and the worst night of my life! My heart had this huge hole in it and I could barely breeth myself. I was happy to see my boys when I got home but so extremely sad that we weren't whole. Yes, Carly was in the best care and in the best place for her to be; so that's not what made me sad.....I guess you have to be a mom to understand exactly how I felt. Not that Steve wasnt sad....it was just different. Anyway, Carly took a couple steps forward and we were able to hold her and try to feed her at one of our visits but over night she took a step backwards and was under the "hood" again. They took x-rays, sonograms, blood tests like you wouldnt believe. Her diagnosis: respiratory distress syndrom due to premature status. After 24hrs under the "hood" for the second time she was making great strides. Her lungs were getting stronger, now she needed to figure out how to eat and breath at the same time. How many of us can say we know how to do that? On 6.9.08 we could hold her again and I went to visit her by myself to feed her and cuddle and they told me she should be able to come home the next day. I was shocked, scared and completely extatic! Feeling like it was too good to be true ...something like a dream, Steve and I came back to visit her later that night and was given this same prognosis. I wasnt crazy I didnt make it up, Steve was there this time! We prayed for perfect night so that we could get that call we've been waiting 8 days for. 6.10.08 somewhere around 11am a nurse from NICU calls to say "Carly said she wants to go home today!". And without skipping a beat we were on our way. She's already got us wrapped around her finger! Home at last! And it's been heaven ever since.....even though she gave us a little scare on 6.13.08 and we spent a couple hours in the ER only for her to act like there was never anything wrong (kind of like taking the car to the mechanic and the car wont make that noise while there). So we are preparing ourselves for Carly to be very high maintenence....and with all that she's been through do you blame her? Here are a few pics on her good days and not so good days. She's 6lbs 14 oz now....clothes still dont fit her but its too hot for clothes anyway!

Thank you Steve for being my rock even though you were having a rough time too. Thank you Shane and Gavin for being so awesome! Thank you to family and friends and those whom we dont even know who prayed for her! Thank you to the doctors and nurses who took care of Carly when we couldnt and made us feel comfortable and knowledgeable about everything that was happening. Thanks again to Steve for the most perfect name - Carly!

We love you Carly!!