Kyndall's Smile

Bowling

2012-01-17T13:56:00.003-06:00

This weekend, we had a cousin who was having a bowling party. I figured I felt well enough after my surgery on the 10th that we could go. Kyndall had never been bowling before, but she had a really good time!

She is super strong. She was able to pick up the bowling ball and take it to the lane all by herself!

They had super cute little dino ramps to help the little ones get the ball down the lane. She and a 4 year old little girl bowled together on the same lane. Kyndall tried so hard to push the ball down the lane a couple of times but was never able to get it all the way down the lane so she had to use the ramp. Kyndall and the other little girl would get so excited for each other and for themselves.

Kyndall even got a strike! She wasn't sure why everyone was cheering for her, but she knew she did something right.

While I don't see bowling in our super near future since I'm still recovering from hernia surgery, I'm sure we'll take Kyndall again once I can finally lift more than 10lbs at a time.

20 Questions- 3 year old style

2012-01-14T20:38:00.003-06:00

Found this on Pinterest and decided to try it out. Super cute idea. Now, if only I can remember to ask again next year...

1. What is your favorite color? purple
2. What is your favorite toy? Minnie Mouse dress up
3. What is your favorite fruit? banana
4. What is your favorite tv show? Umi Zoomi
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, mac&cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? jeans and a Baylor shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Nickelodeon Dance Party
8. What is your favorite snack? Tinkerbell gummies
9. What is your favorite animal? crocodile
10. What is your favorite song? Mary had a Baby Boy
11. What is your favorite book? Dora
12. Who is your best friend? Tommy
13. What is your favorite cereal? Dora
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play, jump on the trampoline
15. What is your favorite drink? Sprite
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Bumpy or Dotty and Bunny
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereal bars
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? mac&cheese
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a teacher

Getting the answers from Kyndall was like pulling teeth! This was fun. You should try it with your kiddos too!

Birthday- Version 3, Part 3

2012-01-08T18:21:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we had Kyndall's school party. It was a pancake/pajama party. I know I may sound crazy, but I've had this party planned for nearly 4 years, and yes, I know Kyndall just turned 3. (One of the little girls in my class 4 years back had this type of party, and I knew that if I had a little girl, I was going to do this for her 3rd birthday.)

We did very simple decorations and no real theme, just fun bright colors! I found this banner on Pinterest.

Kyndall blowing out her candles on her birthday pancakes!

See, one blessed and very loved kiddo! She got so excited about opening everything, well except the clothes from momma and daddy. Silly girl.

An attempt to get a picture of everyone in their pajamas.

This doll though, had to be one of her favorites. Its a Baby Alive baby that comes with a doctor kit. She was so excited because she could help "save kids like Daddy does!"

Now that this party is over, I guess it's time to start planning next years. I have no idea where to start.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:08:00.001-06:00

Wow! It's 2012. Happy New Year!!

Last night, Chad had to work, so a couple from our church came over the do fireworks.

Kyndall enjoyed some but wasn't sure of most of them.

Mrs. Lori gave Kyndall one of the chicken fireworks. She has it on her dresser because she refused to let it be lit.

Roman Candles.

I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2012.

Birthday- Version 3, Part 2

2011-12-31T21:58:00.001-06:00

My mom has thrown Kyndall a family party the last couple of years so that my family won't have to travel so far to celebrate. Let's just say that this kiddo is blessed(or spoiled depending on who you ask). I mean she went to Chuck E. Cheese, opened some gifts, and went to Olive Garden yesterday, had a party today, and has one next week!

Kyndall, you are a miracle and deserve to be celebrated!

You insisted that Grandma get Tinkerbell on your cake. She did!

Last year you had issues with blowing out the candles, but not this year!
"Don't think about taking my ice cream bud!"

Even though Tinkerbell has moved into the #1 spot, Minnie Mouse is #2, and you still get excited about her.

I still can't believe you're 3 years old!

Birthday- Version 3, Part 1

2011-12-30T20:10:00.006-06:00

My dear sweet Kyndall,

You are 3 years old today! Where did the time go? You weigh 26.6lbs and about 36.5 inches tall(we'll get official measurements Jan. 4). I think you've finally caught up clothes wise(at least for the fall/winter), and you're wearing 3T in almost everything and size 8 shoes.

Your vocabulary has exploded, so has your attitude, but you can make us laugh with some of the things you say. You have amazing gross motor skills and can hop, jump, run, and even skate with the best of 'em! You sing and count all the time.

You are pretty excited that your daddy "saves kids" and drives an ambulance at work, and that mommy drives a bus at work. You have lots of friends at school that you talk about all the time, and you LOVE your teacher, Ms. Nell.

So how did we celebrate your birthday? Well, the Baylor Bears celebrated early and won their bowl game! And because you stayed up to watch that game, we slept in.

I put on your special birthday girl outfit, and you made me go outside and take your picture. (I'm sure the days of wanting your picture to be taken are limited!)

After the photo op, we went to Chuck E. Cheese, where I didn't take many pictures, but you did end up with almost 800 tickets! You got a soccer ball, a thing of play dough, a pencil topper, and smarties. After CEC, we went and got banana shakes.

Then, you did a little skating! You got these from Santa, and you've skated almost every day. I have to admit, you're pretty good at it, and when you fall you get right back up and go at it again!

Later that day, Ganny and Pawpa came over to help celebrate! They brought you a cake, cupcakes, and lots of gifts. Then we went to Olive Garden for dinner where the whole section sang Happy Birthday to you! You were a little shy about it.

After dinner, we came home and you opened presents from Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Mikey. You got a new comforter for your bed, new cowgirl boots, and a Tinkerbell tea set.

You had a tea party with your baby and bear! You even helped them eat and drink when it came time for that.

You light up my world and can always make me smile! I can't believe you're 3 now! I am excited to see what the future holds for you!

I love you,

Momma

(We also have a celebration planned for tomorrow for family and then a pancake pajama party is next weekend!)

Alamo Bowl

2011-12-29T23:54:00.001-06:00

It's a good day to be a Baylor Bear! With a score of 67-56, Baylor beats Washington in the Alamo Bowl! This is Baylor's first 10 win season.

Sic 'em Bears!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T17:57:00.002-06:00

Because of Chad's work schedule, we did Christmas early. We did our Christmas Eve tradition on Friday and Christmas Day on Saturday.

Kyndall made out like a bandit! It was the year of Tinkerbell. I didn't know so much existed!

Checking out her stocking! She got Orbeez, which are the little water ball things.

Santa brought a kitchen! She's been asking for one of these since at least August.

Uncle Mikey got her Duplos. She has played with them a lot since she opened them!

She also got new puppets!

Christmas Eve we went to my Grandma's house for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner and to open presents. I some how didn't take but just a very few pictures, and those were taken at the end.

Here is GG with her 2 great granddaughters.

While Christmas has come and gone with lots of food, fun, and presents, we haven't forgotten the real reason. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Speaking of birthdays, I can't believe Kyndall will be 3 in 5 short days!

A new bed!

2011-12-22T21:48:00.002-06:00

Kyndall is growing up! My parents got her a new mattress and box springs for Christmas/her birthday.

My dad set her bed yesterday, and I think she likes it. She made me lay down in it last night when I got home from work, and then made Chad do the same this morning.

She is getting new bedding for her birthday next week(holy cow, where did time go?!) so it'll look a little different once she has bedding that actually fits the bed.

I can't believe Kyndall will be 3 next week!

Kyndall loves her grandparents

2011-12-19T21:39:00.000-06:00

My parents are in town for Christmas, and Kyndall is all about them! She has ridden with them to different places, she's had them pick her up at school, and has enjoyed having other people to read with her and fix their hair.

Kyndall and Grandpa reading:

Fixing Grandma's hair:

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-18T21:04:00.001-06:00

With Christmas just around the corner, we've done somethings to help get into the spirit!

A couple of cities over, they do a big light display every year down town. We haven't gone since Chad and mine's first Christmas married, but we decided to take Kyndall this year to see the lights. It was a little disappointing for the adults but to an almost 3 year old, it was fantastic!

Here we are in front of the court house.

They had the world's largest rocking horse for people to ride on. Kyndall looks so small on it, and Daddy had to ride on it too.

There was also a 45 FOOT slide. Kyndall could have done this all night long if we would have let her! She went twice- once with me(pictured) and once with her daddy.

Every year at the church I grew up in, and the church Chad and I got married in they hold a Carols and Candles service. I have gone all but 1 or 2 years(one of which was 3 years ago when I was on bed rest) since I was almost 3. I figured that since Kyndall is almost 3, I'd see how she did during the service. She was a little restless before it started, but once it got going, she did really well! She did take about a 10 minute nap during the service, but woke up in time to light the candle. She held it super still and watched it closely. I can see this being a tradition that will continue for years to come!

Christmas pictures

2011-12-02T19:43:00.000-06:00

I decided that this year instead of just putting Kyndall's picture on the Christmas card, we'd all be on it. I had a friend of mine take our pictures downtown, and they turned out amazing!

Check 'em out! (card to follow.)

Black Friday

2011-11-25T19:28:00.002-06:00

I didn't do any shopping this year, though I wanted to. Instead, we went out to Chad's grandfather's house and had a 2nd Thanksgiving meal with his uncle from Oklahoma.

After lunch and before pie, we headed outside for some fun! Forget family football, Kyndall decided it was time for some family t-ball. For someone so tiny, she sure can pack a punch when it comes to hitting the ball.

After t-ball, she had to "drive" Popple's tractor!

Love this picture.

Hanging out in the tree.

Kyndall and Daddy in the tree that he grew up climbing! I'm sure Kyndall will follow in his footsteps and will soon be climbing this tree all by herself.

Next Black Friday, I'll be at the stores with all the crazies! As strange as it sounds, I really like Black Friday shopping.

World Prematurity Day

2011-11-17T06:14:00.002-06:00

Today is World Prematurity Day. People all over the world are working towards finding a cure for prematurity.

Some facts about prematurity:

- 1 in 8 babies are born too early.

-There are about 1,400 babies in the United States alone born every day!
- 13 million babies world wide are born too early.

- Prematurity has no rhyme or rhythm. It does not matter who you are, how much money you make, what religion you are, what job you do. It can strike anyone at anytime.

- The cause for premature births is unknown in 40% of cases.

- The main causes for prematurity are infections/inflammation, maternal or fetal stress, and bleeding.

- The state of Texas scores a D when it comes to prematurity. (Find your state here.)

The March of Dimes is working hard everyday and doing research so that one day all babies will be born healthy.

Dallas Zoo

2011-10-17T19:10:00.003-05:00

In addition to the Dallas World Aquarium, we made a trip to the Dallas Zoo. Kyndall got the experience so many new things, and we all had a really good time!

They have a whole section devoted to children. There is a big koi pool that has windows so that the little ones can see into it, goats, chickens, some playground type things, and a pony. We weren't sure how Kyndall would react to it, but we decided to give it a try. She was a little apprehensive at first, but once she got going she was all smiles!

One of the coolest things at the Dallas Zoo is that you can walk right up and feed the giraffes. I mean, how cool is that?! It's something that I've never done before, and I had fun. Kyndall wasn't too sure about it and wouldn't actually hold the leaf for the giraffe, but she was excited about the giraffes.

And this ladies and gentlemen, is the main reason we decided to go to the Dallas Zoo. Jamie the Giraffe, named in memory of James Camden Sikes. (You can read his story here.) She is still too little to be fed from the deck, but she sure is a spunky little thing!

Kyndall wanted to ride the camel as well, but finally settled for sitting on the elephant statue. Though she wouldn't sit on the "mommy elephant" just the "baby" one.

The zoo has a carousal that has a lot of different endangered species on it. Kyndall walked around almost the whole thing looking for an elephant. She made me ride the "horsey" beside her. If you ask her now what a merry-go-round does, she'll tell you it "goes round and round and up and down" a long with spinning her finger in a circle.

She still talks about the elephant that she rode on!

I'm sure we'll make it back to the zoo in the future.

Dallas World Aquarium

2011-10-16T20:09:00.008-05:00

This weekend, we went to Dallas for Chad's birthday. We went to the aquarium and the Dallas Zoo.

We took a family picture in front of this waterfall last year, almost to the day. Goodness how things have changed!

Kyndall was super fascinated by the HUGE tank. I think she's telling me that that is "a big fish!"

By the time we got there, it was almost time for the shark feeding. We got to the shark tunnel a little early so we sat and watched the shark and sting rays swim over head and just inches away!

(Our shirts came from It's a Preemie Thing)

The aquarium doesn't just have fish, they have birds, penguins, bugs, and in the middle is a jaguar. It was pacing up down on one side of its cage, so Kyndall sat down on the other side. The jaguar changed directions, and it freaked her out a little bit. However, she thought it was pretty funny!

They also had a Mayan dance show close to the jaguar. Kyndall enjoyed watching them dance, and watched them intently, but wasn't too interested in having her picture taken with them.

We've only been twice, but its amazing to be able to see so many of God's creatures that we wouldn't be able to normally see without the aquarium.

Corn MAiZE

2011-10-09T19:21:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, we went to the next town over to the corn maze. My brother came in so he went with us. We had a pretty good time, and I'm sure it'll become a yearly tradition!

They had a cute little set up to take pictures, but Kyndall wasn't so excited about doing that so the only one I got was of her on the little tractor.

Instead of a sand box, they had a corn box. I mean what else would they have at a corn maze? Kyndall had a ton of fun playing in it. She dug in it and even made a corn angel. She did have about 20 pieces of corn in her shoes though by the time she was done!

Through out the maze, Kyndall was out fearless leader. She would look at her "map" and tell us which way to go. She got us though the first half of the maze pretty quickly, but the

second half, we got pretty turned around and had to get a little help from the "corn cop."

We rode on the hay ride, which was just a covered trailer pulled by a tractor, but to a 2 year old, it was super fun!

They also had duck races, where you raced little duckies down drains by pumping the water up. Kyndall could have done this all day if we would have let her. She did it twice that day for about 10 minutes both times.

The maze has this awesome jumping pillow. It's like they took a blob and sunk it in the ground. If you know anything about Kyndall, she LOVES to jump(on just about anything!) So when she saw this, she took off towards it. She jumped for a good 20 minutes. Again, she would have done this all day if we would have let her.

There was also a barrel train, which she wanted to ride, but not by herself. Therefore, I had to get in with her. It was probably a 4-5 minute ride around the maze and was pretty bumpy, but she had a pretty good time laughing the whole time.

I finally got her to sit on a pumpkin and take her picture.

All in all, we had a good time, and next year will probably be pretty fun too!

Touch a Truck

2011-10-01T16:11:00.004-05:00

Today, our local community ministries held an event called, Touch a Truck. They had all sorts of big vehicles for kids to look at, touch, climb in/on. We went with Kyndall's best friend, T and his dad so that T's mom could rest with his brand new baby sister! T and Kyndall had a BLAST!

They had a police motorcycle. Kyndall couldn't reach the handle bars so she's driving it with pretend bars. She was saying "vroom vroom!"

They had the LPD armored truck there with riot gear inside. Kyndall picked up the shield. Not sure how she held it for as long as she did. That thing is heavy!

They had several monster trucks that were huge! Here's Kyndall sitting on the tire of one of them.

Here is Kyndall and T in the trash can on the side of the trash truck. Don't worry, it was clean!

Inside, they had some super cool old cars and lawn mowers that were made into racers. They can get up to 70MPH! That's a super fast lawn mower.

Random

2011-09-24T18:16:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, though I know there is probably only one person who read this(Hi Mom!)

We haven't been busy; we just haven't done anything blog worthy...So here are some pictures to help tide ya over until something big happens.

Our local high school's mascot is the Lobo, so since I'm a former Lobo(though once a Lobo, always a Lobo) Kyndall had to have a shirt. I've made them for her in the past, but I always seems to mess up the first one so I decided to buy a pre-made one this year. Here is her "Go Bobo" shirt!

The other day, Chad brought home dinner, and we decided to have a picnic in his truck. Well, Kyndall decided that she'd rather sit on top of daddy's truck!

I got Kyndall new PJs the other day. When I bought them, I didn't realize the glowed in the dark. Needless to say once she discovered the glowed, she was pretty funny to watch. It was so funny!

9.11.01

2011-09-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

Pray for Rain

2011-09-06T13:24:00.002-05:00

I'm sure many of you have heard, but fire is taking over the state of Texas. Thousands upon thousands of land has burned, houses destroyed, hundreds displaced. Pray for mercy for the firefighters and for rain to help them out. Thanks!

The top picture is of plumes of smoke from one of the fires.

The bottom was taken in from my front yard.

Pray for rain for the state of Texas.

Sic 'em Bears!

2011-09-03T20:43:00.002-05:00

Last night Baylor and TCU played the first football game of the season.

My boss is a TCU alum, and if you've read back, you know I'm a Baylor alum. My boss and I had talked about going to the game together, but with it being on a Friday night it was difficult. Our solution? Have a football watch party! It was my family, my boss, and another family. My boss was outnumbered! She was the only one rooting for TCU.

We provided the meal, and she provided the dessert. Isn't this cookie super cute? Of course the person who cut the cookie decapitated the cheerleaders with the first cut...Oh well, either way it was still yummy!

Did you watch the game? Did you see the final score? Well if you didn't, you missed a good game! The last quarter was a nail bitter! However, the final score was Baylor 50, TCU 48. That's right, Baylor beat #14ranked TCU in the season opener! Baylor fans around the country were very happy last night!

Here we are cheering on the Bears!!

Sic 'em Bears!

August 21 Pictures

2011-08-27T22:06:00.002-05:00

Each of these pictures were taken on August 21.

At first we totally didn't mean to schedule pictures on the same date on year apart, but once we accidentally did it once, I decided to keep going. Hopefully I can continue to get Kyndall's pictures taken every year on August 21.

Isn't it amazing how much she has changed over the years?!

Back to School

2011-08-22T21:39:00.000-05:00

Today marked the first day of the new school year. Chad started his last year of EMT classes, he'll graduate in May 2012. Kyndall moved up to one of the 3 year old classes.

It's hard to believe that Kyndall has moved to Ms. N's class! It's bittersweet. I'm excited she's in Ms. N's room, but it's hard to think that she's almost 3!

Chad is taking classes in cardiovascular and pharmacology. He's also taking online math and english classes.

I have started my new schedule. I am working in the mornings with 2 year olds, but in the afternoons, I am driving a bus route and picking up K-6th graders and then am in charge of mostly Kindergartners and some 1st Graders in the after school program at the church.

This will be an exciting year!

Balloons!

2011-08-13T22:26:00.003-05:00

Every year our town holds a hot air balloon race, and this year was no different.

We went with another family who has a little boy about 4 months younger than Kyndall, and despite the fact that it was a little disappointing for the adults since they only brought up a handful of balloons, the kids had a blast!

I know its a little blurry, but here are 2 of the balloons during the balloon glow.

The Cheshire Cat balloon. It has a tail on the other side.

Wells Fargo Stagecoach. This balloon is HUGE!!!

And I think that the Jack-in-the-Box was my favorite of the ones that were blown up that night.

If you get up early enough in the mornings, the sky is filled with balloons and its so fun to see all the different designs and shapes. However, we didn't get up early enough this year to see any. Oh well, I think next year there is going to be a week of early morning flying so our chances will be better.

Name that Giraffe

2011-08-10T14:31:00.002-05:00

Some of you may have read about sweet baby James and his fight with a brain tumor. If you read any of the blog, you know he loved giraffes.

Well, a few days after Matthew and Kara buried their son, a female giraffe was born at the Dallas Zoo. The zoo is now holding a naming contest for the giraffe, and a campaign has launched to name her "Jamie the Giraffe" in memory/honor of Jamesie.

You can find the form here.

CBS Dallas also did a news story on their efforts, which you can watch by going here.

Let's help Matthew and Kara get this baby giraffe named for their son!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T07:11:00.000-05:00

Historic Suspension Bridge

2011-07-21T21:21:00.000-05:00

My brother met us in Waco Saturday evening for dinner, and while he was there, I had him do an impromptu photo session on the suspension bridge. (I lived in Waco for 3 1/2 years and never once went to the bridge until last year...)

Here is just a sampling of the pictures he took!

Kyndall loves to "swing."

Not sure why, but this is one of my favorites!

So it was pretty hot and really bright out, so this was about the best family picture we could get...

Kyndall being a ballerina.

I like this one a lot too!

Thanks Michael for taking these pictures for us!

Mayborn Science Museum

2011-07-20T21:05:00.000-05:00

Well, on Sunday after the reunion, we took Kyndall back to the Mayborn Science Museum. We met up with some friends. Both Kyndall and Connor are 2 1/2, and Collin is almost 1! They had a blast!!

Here they are taking a little bit of a breather from all the fun and taking time to read a couple of books. This lasted all of about 30 seconds before they were up and running again!

Last year, the dads had a tea party with the kids, so we had to recreate it again this year!

We tried this last year, but Kyndall wouldn't stand still long enough to let the bubble come all the way up before she popped it, but this year she did. We actually got a full bubble up a couple of times, but her favorite part was when it popped. She would laugh so hard!

I'm sure this will continue to be a stop on our trip down to Waco every year. It'll be fun to watch and see what new things the kids can do every year!

Cameron Park Zoo

2011-07-19T21:05:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we had a family reunion, but we made a pit stop on the way to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. I hadn't been there since before I graduated from Baylor so it was fun to see the new things they have added in the last 5 1/2 years!

Kyndall had a lot of fun too! She got to ride around in her "princess buggy" pulled by her daddy. We let her pick out her wagon on her own. This is the one she picked out, and the even buckled her seat belt all by herself!

They have added an Asian Forest section, and they have a little playground/music place. She really liked the ground chimes, but she had to jump pretty hard to get them to play.

They have also added a Brazos River area that has a TON of fish. If you know anything about Kyndall, she LOVES to watch the fish so when she walked in and saw this tank, she was in awe!

They also have some cute cutouts for pictures. They have a few butterflies and then these ladybugs, which I had the honor of posing with. Isn't she the cutest ladybug you've ever seen?

Also in the Brazos River area, they have added bears and otters. One of the bears was right up on the glass swimming back and forth so we were literally inches away from him! There is a slide that goes through the otter tank, which a certain 2 year old girl I know, loved! She could had stayed there the rest of the day if we would have let her.

I think that this zoo will become a part of our annual trip down to Central Texas every year!

James Camden Sikes

2011-07-19T20:22:00.003-05:00

Some of you may have been keeping up with James' story.

He fought a good fight, but went home to meet Jesus on Saturday afternoon. Now, he is tumor free, pain free, and probably has a pet giraffe!

His parents have set up the James Camden Sikes Fund to help fund research for rhabdoid tumors.

You can donate by clicking here.

If you'd rather write a check, make it out to the Communities Foundation of Texas, with James Camden Sikes in the designation line or memo line.

Send the check to:

Communities Foundation of Texas
James Camden Sikes Fund
5500 Caruth Haven Lane
Dallas, TX 75225

Matthew and Kara would you rather do this then send flowers.

Thank you.

Heartbroken

2011-07-14T13:52:00.002-05:00

Words can not describe how heartbroken I am for the Sikes family. I bawled last night, and wanted to go get Kyndall and bring her to bed with us just thinking about what they must be going through right now.

Pray for a miracle!

Jamesie beats the tumor: http://www.jamescamdensikes.blogspot.com

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T19:31:00.003-05:00

(McAlister's Tea Town USA photo entry)

(First pedicure)

4th of July Celebrations

2011-07-05T22:14:00.002-05:00

Every year at Kyndall's school, they have a 4th of July parade. It's an explosion of red, white, and blue! All the kids and teachers wear red, white, and blue, and then they have glasses, stickers, flags, streamers, balloons, necklaces, headbands, etc to help celebrate!

Here is Kyndall in the parade! (Her outfit came from This One's Mine)

We had these plans to go to swim lessons, and then go sit and eat and wait for fireworks to start, but we had some storms come up out of nowhere. Those storms cause swim lessons to be cancelled, which in turn cancelled the picnic in the parking lot we had planned. Since we had extra time, we had our picnic at home!

After much deliberation and radar looking, we decided to go ahead and head to watch the fireworks. Kyndall enjoyed watching them, at least the colors, but not so much the sound! She was either in the cab of the truck, or tucked into our shoulder.

Here is a rare glimpse of a smile during the show.

While she was scared of them, she was pretty upset that they were over. She was pouting and kept saying, "I want more fiworks!"

Maybe next year she'll enjoy them more.

235

2011-07-04T04:30:00.001-05:00

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above

From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home

From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
God bless America, my home sweet home

Happy 235th Birthday America!!

Calling All Prayer Warriors

2011-07-02T11:32:00.003-05:00

Two of my fellow Baylor Alums are in need of prayer.

Their son, James (8months), has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He is going to have to undergo 52 weeks, 1 year, of treatment.

You can read all about his story, and their journey here:

Jamesie Beats the Tumor

Please pray for this sweet family!

Two and a Half

2011-06-30T21:11:00.004-05:00

My dear sweet Kyndall,

You are 2 1/2 today. Only 6 months left before you are 3! Where did the time go?!

(hours old)

What are you up to these days you may ask? Well, I'll tell you!

(6 months)

- You weigh roughly 25lbs, at the end of the day, and in clothes.
- You are about 34inches tall.
- You wear all sizes when it comes to clothes! You're tall and skinny so you wear 12 month shorts, 18-24month shirts, 24month/2T dresses, and 12-18 month PJ's.
- You are 90% of the way potty trained! You still have a few accidents here and there, but that's ok! You get so excited when you go potty. You throw yourself a little party and ask for high fives.

(1 year)

- You are becoming more and more comfortable around animals.
- You LOVE being outside and jumping and swimming.
- Your best friend is Tommy.
- You can count to 11, and then go start to go backwards.

(1 1/2 years)

- Your favorite foods are: black olives, blue berries, cheese, pizza, bananas, and watermelon.
- Your newest obsession is pink milk(strawberry).
- You love to play your puzzles on your iPod.
- You know most of your shapes, all your body parts, but having issues with colors.

(2 years)

- You know almost all animal sounds, and if you don't know what it really says, you just make something up. (Examples: turtle and penguins say swimmy swimmy, and shrimp say tickle tickle).
- You are having issues with sleep. You fight us to go down no matter how tired you are(hardly in bed before 10), and then you wake sometime between 2-4 almost every morning!
- You know that green means go and red means stop, and you tell me in the car what to do at the upcoming light.
- One of the silliest things you do is to put your socks on your hands! You started doing this when you were younger, but you continue to still do it and still find it funny.

(2 1/2 years)

You amaze me more and more everyday. I can't remember what life was like before you, and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for your future!

Love always,

Momma

Oh the places you'll sleep

2011-06-29T15:12:00.002-05:00

I guess when the urge for a nap hits Kyndall, it doesn't matter where she is, what she's doing, or what she's wearing. She'll just lay down and fall asleep.

Example A: She was mad I wouldn't let her have all her floss so she laid down in the floor for her fit. We let her be, and next thing we know, we find her like this. She slept about an hour.

Example B: She was watching her daddy play a game, and got tired. She laid down and went to sleep over his arm.

Example C: I'm not real sure how she ended up in this position, but I came home from work one day and found her like this.

Example D: I was working on laundry(hence the winter hat) and Kyndall was playing. She got quiet and I found her asleep, in her toy box.

Oh to be 2 again and be able to sleep anywhere, at any time.

This little girl cracks me up.

Art time with Kyndall

2011-06-23T21:14:00.001-05:00

So this summer, I am off on Wednesday's from work. I am trying to find things to fill the day with a very active toddler that doesn't nap during the day if she's not at school.

This week, I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I decided to let Kyndall have at it with the paint. I didn't know how she'd do with free range, so we stripped her down and put her in a diaper. I'm glad we did!

She started out pretty tame and was painting the paper.

Shortly after that though, she decided her toes needed to be painted, so she painted them. One foot purple, the other red and brown.

After her toes, I guess she decided her nose needed to be painted! (This was also the only thing she remembered because today at school, she told everyone she painted her nose.)

At this point, I just told her to have fun and go for it. She took full advantage!

Not sure how she managed it, but she painted her back as well!

Afterwards, she was immediately taken to the bath!

Not sure what we'll do next week, but I can almost guarantee it will not involve paint. Oh well, every day is an adventure! One day she'll look back, and (I hope) think, man that was fun!

Swimming!

2011-06-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

This year, we got a bigger pool than we have ever gotten. Its big enough for all 3 of us to get in at once, and still have room to move around.

Kyndall absolutely loves going swimming in the back yard. I'm hoping she enjoys it even more after lessons, which start the 27th.

See how much fun she has!

One of her favorite things to do is play with the hose when we add more water to the pool. She likes to spray anyone who will get close enough to her for her to get. Daddy was the target on this day!

We normally go out and swim at least one to two times a week. Hopefully Kyndall will continue to love the water and enjoy swimming later in life!

Father's Day

2011-06-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

We didn't do anything super big for Father's Day, but we did get Chad a cookie and a gift.

Here's Chad and Kyndall seeing the cookie for the first time. I think Kyndall was saying, "YUMMM!"

Kyndall and Daddy!

Chad's cookie. It says "My Daddy Saves Lives!" His cup has the star of life on one side and his name on the other. (I got the cup from Whimsical Crafts.)

I could not have asked for a better daddy for Kyndall! He is wrapped around her little finger, and the love they have for each other is beyond measure. He paints her nails, gets her dressed, and brushes her hair. I mean, how many other little girls have a daddy that will do that for them?

We also Skyped with my parents. Kyndall LOVED getting so see Grandma and Grandpa.

She was so upset when we had to say bye. I'm sure she'll be so excited when we get to see them in person next month!

AWANAs- Puggles

2011-05-25T20:50:00.002-05:00

Well, the photo loader thing decided to start working again, so enjoy these!

Our church does a program called AWANAs on Wednesday nights. One of the club directors asked me back in October to help out in the Sparks(K-2nd). I said I would, and I started taking Kyndall to Puggles(2 and 3 year olds). She absolutely LOVED it! As soon as she saw me in my Sparks shirt, she knew it was time for Puggles. She'd even run down the halls of the church leading us to her room.

Well, the program is taking a break for the summer, but before they did, we had a small program to show the parents what the kids learned and how much they accomplished.

The Puggles learn the very basic things like: God made the flowers. God loves me. God wants us to help others. They also learned songs.

Here are some pictures from Kyndall's program.

If you're happy and you know it, you're face will surely show it!

The Puggles!

No one knew for sure what Kyndall was saying, but any time the microphone came near, she had something to say!

I'm in the Lord's Army. YES SIR!!

Because of her age, she will do Puggles again when we start back up in the fall, but I don't think she'll mind! She had a blast, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her in the future.

ZOO

2011-05-21T22:28:00.002-05:00

Well, I had every intention of putting pictures in this entry, but the picture uploader thing is being stupid and isn't uploading any. :( Oh well...

The zoo closest to us recently got 2 bears so we decided that since we hadn't taken Kyndall to the zoo in almost a year, we'd go. However, finding a weekend that was open was the hard part, but we finally did! We got a slow start that morning, but we finally made it.

The first thing we stopped and saw where the otters. One was sleeping, but the other was swimming around. I, personally, could have stayed there all day and watched them swim, but a busy 2 year old had other plans!

We saw the fish and ducks, which we fed. It amazes me that the fish food still costs the same amount as when I was little and my parents took me to the zoo. I do believe Kyndall's favorite was the bears, the cheetahs, and the penguins. Her least favorite, the goats and the parrots.

Before we left, we stopped in the gift shop. Chad got coasters with bears on them as an early Father's Day gift, and Kyndall got a zebra shirt and mask set and new rubber duck animals.

We had a good time, and I'm sure there will be plenty of zoo trips in our future!

Kyndall's first stage apparence

2011-05-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

Kyndall had her first ever school program on May 19th. She did so good! I was a little worried that she'd cry or just sit there and do nothing, but I was totally wrong! She was amazing.

They sang 3 songs and then did one with rhythm sticks.

"If you're happy and you know it, say amen!"

Here she is with her rhythm sticks:

Here are all the kiddo's in the 2 year old classes. They all did so good, and there were no tears from any of them!!

Afterwards, we had cookies and punch. She enjoyed that too.

Here she is with her best friend!

She will have another one in December for Christmas. Which I'm hoping my parents can come down for.

We Marched for Babies

2011-05-09T14:25:00.001-05:00

So while my team kinda fell apart last minute, Kyndall and I went out and marched for babies.

Our team raised over $650! Not quite our goal, but oh well, it all goes towards a good cause.

I'm not really sure how many people were there, but there were a lot!

See:

Kyndall rode in her stroller for the most part, but she finally decided she wanted to walk and push it for a couple of minutes.

Here we are after! Enjoying hot dogs and ice cream!

I am planning on doing it again next year, and we WILL have a team, and we WILL have shirts!

Thank you to all who donated!

We March Saturday

2011-05-04T13:24:00.002-05:00

This weekend, we March for Babies. This is our 3rd year to do this, and I'm excited about it. I even have a friend and her 2 year old daughter are coming from Dallas to march with us.

This is the first year I signed up as a family team. Team Kyndall set the goal of $1000. We didn't reach that goal, but we did raise $677, which I think is pretty good for a first time family team. I mean I know there are other family teams out there that raise a ton more, but I'm not in a competition with them for anything. We're all raising money for the same thing and every dollar helps.

Thank you to those who donated, and Team Kyndall hopes to see you continue to donate year after year.

Bad luck...

2011-05-03T18:16:00.000-05:00

So we have hit a sting of bad luck when it comes to cars...

First off, Friday night, we went to go grocery shopping, and my car wouldn't start, wouldn't turn over, absolutely nothing! Sunday we hooked it up to a battery charger to see if maybe it was the battery. After hours of being on the charger...still nothing. We have no clue know what it is. We can't even put it in neutral to get it out of the garage.

Then this morning, we were all in Chad's truck on the way to take him to school so I could go to a funeral and work. However, we were rear ended in the process. Now, we're in the process of talking with the insurance company, the adjuster, and doctors.

Yep, we can't catch a break...

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2011-04-28T21:06:00.003-05:00

Our local Chick-fil-a has started something that I think is really neat!

They host a Daddy Daughter Date Night! They have reserved tables, seated the daddies and their daughters, took their orders, the whole nine yards. They even gave the daughters roses at the end of the date.

Chad and Kyndall didn't make it to the first one, but we made sure they were able to make it to this last one.

Chad said Kyndall ate all the fruit and then proceeded to feed him all the chicken. She ate ice cream and really wanted to play.

Hopefully this is something they will be able to continue to go to. I think its neat that Chick-fil-a is doing something like this. I absolutely love to see daddies with their little girls (but that may have something to do with the fact that I'm a Daddy's Girl...)

March of Dimes Monday

2011-04-25T20:21:00.003-05:00

We have 8 days left until Bank Day, and Team Kyndall is a LONG way away from their goal of $1000.

Well, would you like to help a good cause, and get something out of it? Then check out my Facebook auction benefiting the March of Dimes.

The auction is running until Saturday April 30 at 10pm Central time.

15 Days

2011-04-22T09:00:00.005-05:00

Only 15 days until we March for Babies!!

Why do we march? Check out these pictures to see why!

Everyone one of these sweet children and their family was touched by premature birth in one form or another, and had it not been for the March of Dimes, they may not be here today.

Please think about the people you know. Most likely at least one family has been affected considering 1 in 8 babies are born too soon. Now, think about how you would feel if you were that family. You'd be scared, worried, anxious.

By donating to the March of Dimes through Team Kyndall, you will be helping thousands of families who are touched by prematurity every day.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-19T21:09:00.002-05:00

March of Dimes Monday

2011-04-11T18:35:00.003-05:00

Please welcome guest blogger, Beth. Before I had my daughter, I really didn’t pay attention to the March of Dimes. During my pregnancy I had received a pamphlet, and I probably glanced at it and then returned to what I thought were more important items in the mail. Sure it’s important to get more folic acid to prevent birth defects, but I was healthy with great prenatal care. I did not need the March of Dimes. Ignorance is bliss for those that don’t know what the future holds for them. Lucky for our family, the March of Dimes is there to support and prevent premature birth from occurring and improve survivability of the littlest babies. Through their research and your donations our nightmare has turned into a gorgeous giggling miracle. As I mentioned above, I had a great pregnancy. We barely had to even try to conceive, and I was pregnant. No vomiting, no nausea, I was tired but it was bearable. I quit drinking alcohol and caffeine, and ate as healthy as possible. I was not showing at all, and I enjoyed keeping it my little secret. I didn't tell people at work until I was 20 weeks pregnant. Nobody had even guessed. I worked full time. I modified my exercising, but kept running. I felt fine, no pain and I was keeping up with everything. My doctor’s appointments were all normal. Blood tests were all normal. We found out we were having a little girl. She was wiggly on ultrasound, so we did two to get everything measured. I could feel her move all the time. We named her Kate. I started to talk to her on my way to work, during a run, or just when I was sitting watching t.v.. For us, the nightmare all happened in a matter of week. Without realizing it I started to go into preterm labor in my 22nd week of pregnancy. I then awoke having bloody discharge. We immediately went to the nearest emergency room. I was dilated to 5 cm with my amniotic bag protruding from my cervix. I was instantly given a shot of betamethasone. A magnesium drip was started. I was then transported via helicopter to Spokane, WA where they had a level III NICU that would be better able to help me. I want to repeat one part of this because I think it is the most critical. I WAS INSTANTLY GIVEN A SHOT OF BETHAMETHASONE. I received another shot 24 hours later. My labor was delayed for another 10 days, and I then delivered our daughter at 25 weeks gestation. She was 800 grams at birth (1 lb 12 oz). She entered the scary world as one of the smallest of the small, fighting for life for over 90 days in the NICU.

Our daughter in general had a very good course in the NICU for such a small individual. She was never on a ventilator, never needed surfactant, did not have any intracranial hemorrhages and escaped NEC infection. And these are all things that I feel were prevented in part by the use of steroid and being at a level III NICU. And this is directly related to the March of Dimes.

The March of Dimes has been working for decades to help educate families and the medical world in ways to prevent premature birth as well as providing the best treatment for those born too early. A simple shot of steroids has the ability to change an individuals life, and their families. The delay of a birth for week, especially in the case of those born before 27 weeks is literally the difference between life and death.

Our life with our daughter has been a long adventure. I am proud of who she is becoming and the challenges she has already over come. She will be 2 in June, and keeps us on our toes all the time. She is now almost 24 lbs now and though she has some delays our lives are incredibly rich because she is in it. I had no risks factors for premature birth. We still do not know why I went into premature labor.

Each day I get to hold a precious miracle. I am able to physically see the work that the March of Dimes has made possible. We all have to remember and educate others that every single day and even the simplest of treatments matter in pregnancy. Please continue to support this great organization and fight for babies like mine and others.

Thank you Beth for sharing your story!

Please, if you would like to help, go to the Team Kyndall page and make a donation.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T07:26:00.002-05:00

March of Dimes Monday

2011-04-04T07:02:00.000-05:00

What is the medical definition of a premature baby? -Premature born before 37 weeks -Moderately premature born between 35 and 37 weeks -Very premature born between 29 and 34 weeks -Extremely premature born between 24 and 28 weeks -Low birth weight baby weighs less than 2,500 g (5.5 lbs) -Very low birth weight baby weighs less than 1,500 g (3.0 lbs) -Extremely low birth weight baby weighs less than 1,000 g (2.2 lbs) Did you know there were some famous people who were born prematurely? The list includes: -Pablo Picasso -Thomas Hardy -Franklin Roosevelt -John Keats -Mark Twain -Napoleon Bonaparte -Sir Winston Churchill -Stevie Wonder -Jean-Jacques Rousseau -Issac Newton -Charles Darwin - Albert Einstein What does the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit(NICU) do? -help maintain baby's temperature -helps the baby breath -helps the baby eat -helps the parents learn how to take care of their baby(ies) -work together as doctors, nurses, specialists, and parents to work out a plan that will help the baby become as healthy as they can as fast as possible.

What does the March of Dimes do? -Teach mothers how to be as healthy as they can while pregnant -Helps create a support system -Educates health care professionals -reduce the rate of premature birth, and to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the problem.

What can you do to help? -Donate, volunteer, and/or walk. You can donate here and find a local walk here.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2011-04-03T18:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we went to the Rangers/Red Sox game. It was pretty fun! Here are the Red Sox during batting practice. We got Kyndall a new shirt. Gotta support our home town boy, Chris Davis. I saw him play high school baseball!

We also got Lemon and Strawberry Chills before the game started since we were sitting in the direct sun. Kyndall thought the strawberry one was good to the last drop. Then got upset when it was "gone gone."

Here she is dancing on daddy's lap after the GRAND SLAM!

She wasn't so interested in taking a picture with mommy though. This is the best we got.

The Rangers ended up winning 12 to 5. We left in the 7th inning since Kyndall was starting to get cold, and we really didn't want her to get sick.

After the game, we went to my friends house for the night. This morning the kids swam for a bit after a super yummy huckleberry pancake breakfast!

We're hoping to make it to another game this season.

New look

2011-03-31T21:08:00.002-05:00

Do you love the new look of my blog as much as I do?! Well, if it weren't for Heather over at Live.Love.Laugh and her giveaway, I wouldn't have it. The designer of this new look is Danielle over at Danielle Moss Graphic Design and Photography. Thank you both Heather and Danielle for my new look!

Survival Straps for the March of Dimes

2011-03-29T20:12:00.002-05:00

Chad has started making Survival Straps. What are they you make ask? They are a bracelet, anklet, etc made out of paracord that, in an emergency, you can unwrap and use. However, there isn't a lot of it so there isn't much point in undoing it...But they are pretty cool! He is making purple ones, with proceeds going to the March of Dimes.

Each bracelet will be $10.

If you are interested, leave a comment or email me at kyndallssmile(at)yahoo(dot)com

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T06:54:00.000-05:00

March of Dimes Monday

2011-03-21T07:19:00.000-05:00

Please welcome guest blogger, Tifani.

Okay, so this is my first attempt at “blogging” so hang with me. I honestly don’t know where to start. I could start from the beginning of the year and a half of trying to become pregnant. I can start with going to a fertility specialist only to realize that we could not afford to have IUI or IVF. I could start with April 19th 2010, the day we found out we were pregnant against all odds. But, none of that has to do with my dear little one and her early arrival.

My husband and I (dare I say this) prayed our little girl would arrive before Christmas, as she was due on December 30, 2010. We only wanted her to come a little early due to the fact that my grandmother died unexpectedly in July and we wanted to have something to celebrate and to help ease that empty feeling of the first holidays without her. We will be very careful what we pray for from here on out.

On September 13th I was starting my bout with student teaching and excited because the end of it marked a life with our new little one. After the first week of this venture my blood pressure would sky rocket. I would go to the hospital for monitoring and the go home. Next was the diagnosis of Pre-eclampsia, however I was missing some symptoms so they weren’t concerned. I was put on modified bed rest and quit student teaching. On October 11th my husband and I were going to go eat with his parents. Before we left my blood pressure went up to 154/107 so I sat down for a while to get it down and we went out. While out eating I got this terrible pain in my stomach. I was doubled over in pain and we came back home, my husband went to the store without me, when he returned it was not any better. The pain continued and at 3:00AM I begged him to take me to the hospital. They did an ultrasound and determined that my gallbladder was acting up and after the pregnancy they would need to remove it, they also decided that I would stay in the hospital for observation for a few days.

On Thursday my doctor came in and said to me that she was going to send me home the following day, and everything looked great. I had no issues with blood pressure and no more pain. My mom made me ask (even though I knew the answer) if I was going to deliver that weekend and she said there was a 1% chance. That night everything went down hill. The pain came back; I was vomiting, and have never felt that kind of pain in my life. They ran blood work and said it was just my gallbladder and I would have to push through it. At 5:00AM Friday morning they walked in to do more blood and test my urine. At 7:52 AM my nurse walked in with several others and told my husband to gather our stuff we were moving to Labor and Delivery. All the sudden things started moving quickly. They said they would have to deliver the baby as soon as possible and an emergency c-section was necessary. I did not know until afterwards how dire the situation was.

Little Haven Grace was born that day October 15th at 10:10AM and weighed 2lbs. 8oz. and was 15in. long. I remember waiting to hear her cry and being so relieved when I heard her. I got to see her as the doctor held her up and then she was taken from the room immediately and my husband followed. I did not see her again for 36 hours. I was told I developed HELLP syndrome, which is in a nutshell where your organs start to shut down.

I was not prepared for the first time I saw her with all the machines. I wasn’t prepared for the fact that it was a week and a half before I got to hold my baby for the first time. I wasn’t prepared to watch other mothers leave with their babies, and to be wheeled out to the car empty handed. I wasn’t prepared for the roller coaster that the next 2 months brought. I wasn’t prepared for all the alarms. I wasn’t prepared to watch 16 NICU babies come and go before I finally got to bring her home.

I found comfort in being able to find information (although ignorance can be bliss at times) and support through the March of Dimes website. There was no other NICU parent there like me so I had no one to talk to. The MOD website gave me valuable information and guided me to know what questions to ask, let me know what my rights as a parent are, and most of all let me know that I wasn’t alone. I learned that if you sit at the hospital like I did, you need to have a hobby you can take with you or you will go crazy. I taught myself to crochet. Even if it is just writing in a journal, you will need it to keep your sanity.

Haven was a lucky little girl. She never had any serious complications, of course there were good days and bad days but each day was a gift. On December 5th she was released from the hospital and has been thriving ever since. She is now just over 5 months old and weighs over 11 lbs. Whenever I think that things are difficult I look at her life and the little miracle before me, I remember that I too was close to death and almost never got to see her. Had I not been at the hospital that night I would have died along with her the next day. Each day is a gift and every minute a blessing.

Thanks Tifani for spreading the word and helping raise awareness on premature babies!

If you would like to help, please do to the Team Kyndall page or click on the widget on the right sidebar. Every little bit helps!

Tomorrow

2011-03-20T20:17:00.003-05:00

Be on the look out tomorrow for a guest blog post from my friend Tifani who had a preemie!

Also, be thinking about how you can support the March of Dimes so that "one day all babies will be born healthy."

Japan

2011-03-18T05:47:00.000-05:00

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T13:50:00.003-05:00

All pictures were taken at the same park, in the same swing, in the same month.

March 2009:

March 2010:
March 2011:

Katie's Give-a-way

2011-03-14T12:48:00.002-05:00

Hey, you should head on over to Life in the Fulmer Lane, and check out the giveaway Katie is doing.

It's for some pretty cute things!

Boys and girls!

Check it out.

17P, pass it on

2011-03-11T14:22:00.002-06:00

As a mother of a baby born early, and a believer that all babies should have the right to be born full term and healthy, this makes me so mad!

As some of you may know, "KV Pharmaceuticals has received FDA approval
to be the exclusive distributor for P17. They are planning to charge $1500 per
injection for a total cost, per pregnancy, of $30,000!!!!

The current cost is $10 per injection, or $200 per pregnancy.

There are several points that I would like to emphasize.

The rationale for a commercial manufacturer is to ensure a standard
concentration. In theory, this can be a problem with compounding pharmacies
although the vast majority of the compounding pharmacies producing this product
that present have extremely exacting standard. The March of Dimes has,
unfortunately, bought into this rationale with absolutely no proof that a
variation in strength is of any clinical significance. By law, once a drug is
commercially available, compounding pharmacies must stop production of that
drug.

We have been using P17 for the past ten years from these compounding pharmacies
with obvious beneficial effect. So where is the rationale for this change?

March of Dimes receives several million dollars a year in support from KV
Pharmaceuticals - I wonder why! This suggests to me that March of Dimes can be
bought. I, personally, have informed the March of Dimes that I am ceasing all
support of their organization, financial and otherwise, until they divorce
themselves from KV Pharmaceuticals and support for Makena. They do not realize
that they are going to cause an increase in the preterm birth rate, not a
decrease. At best, there will be no change other that a massive over-expenditure
of health-care dollars.

You have seen the propaganda stating that no-one will be denied the medication
because of ability to pay. However, what they don't tell you is that they are
going to use very strict criteria. In essence, the only women who will qualify
is those who have had a prior preterm birth before 32 weeks secondary to preterm
labor. To illustrate this more fully, Aetna/US Health care (one of the largest
insurers in the country) covers this therapy when patients meet their strict
criteria. Currently, they are paying for P17 for only 1,000 women nationwide per
year! There are 4.2 million births in the US annually. 10 - 15%, or 420,000 to
610,000 are premature. And Aetna is only going to cover 1,000 of these women.

30% of all prenatal care is covered by Medicaid. An additional 10% is covered by
charity care. KV is going to insist that since this care is not coming out of
the patient's pocket, the cost should be borne by Medicaid and charity care.
Currently, we can provide good prenatal care for about $2,000 per pregnancy. So
for every patient placed on P17, we have to somehow find away to cover an
additional 15 pregnant patients. And who pays the medicaid and charity care bill?
We all do through higher taxes and higher healthcare premiums!

Studies show that approximately 30 women need to be treated with P17 to prevent
one preterm birth. At $200 per patient, this is very cost effective. That is an
expenditure of $6,000 to save the average of $51,000 per preterm delivery. With
current pricing, we will have to spend $9 million dollars in P17 therapy to save
$51,000. Does this make sense? And people want to know why health care costs so
much.

Most of you (greater than 90%) who will be on P17 now will be faced with doing
without or paying $1500 per injection out-of-pocket. If you are currently on
this medication, make sure that your doctors order enough for you right away to
cover the entire pregnancy. You could have as little as one week. If you are
early in pregnancy or planning a pregnancy soon, talk to your doctors about
getting this now to have on hand. Most suppliers warrant the drug to be
effective for one year.

So, what can you do?

Firstly, contact KV Pharmaceutical and voice your displeasure:

Second, notify your local media outlets about this issue.

Third, write or email your congressman and senator.

Fourth, contact the FDA and find out why they elected to give KV exclusivity for
this product. Competition will bring down the price dramatically.

Fifth, write to the president.

Sixth, contact your state Medicaid offices and your insurance carriers. Get them
involved.

Seventh, get as many of your friends, family members, co-workers, etc. as
possible to do the above.

Eighth, feel free to cut/paste/email the above to as many contacts as you can.
Let's make this issue go viral!

If we can get enough of a protest mounted, we stand a chance of averting this
"rape" of the healthcare system that is motivated almost entirely by a profit
motive. Even if KV decides to not manufacture the drug for fear of losing money,
we will be better off than with what they are currently planning. "

(Copy and pasted from Four walls, a roof, a door, some windows)

March of Dimes Monday- November Showers bring February Flowers…

2011-03-07T19:46:00.000-06:00

Today is Monday, and if you've been keeping up, it means its March of Dimes Monday. Today, we have a guest blogger. Mary Kate and her preemie son Eli.

“Are you sure?” “We are sure, the blood work shows that you are pregnant. You need to call an OB and make an appointment to go in.” When I hung up the phone I was dumbfounded… I was standing in the bank waiting for the pouring rain to stop. That is when I first heard about our miracle to be… Little did I know that less than 6 months later I would be in the hospital with a disease that my mom had fought 3 times before…

Rick and I were so excited when we finally got to see our baby at the ultrasound. We decided that we didn’t want to know the sex of the baby, whatever the baby was the baby was! We spent weeks deciding how to tell our friends and family… Finally at 12 weeks we told everyone and they were all ecstatic! Weeks and weeks went by with absolutely no complications… Not even an ounce of morning sickness! It was a dream pregnancy… I adored being pregnant! Then October came.

In October we went on a camping trip with our youth group I work with at church. I was really tired when we got back but just attributed that and all the swelling in my legs and feet to sleeping on the hard ground at 6.5 months pregnant! Everyone started commenting on my swollen feet very soon after that… My mom even had me sit on a pumpkin and took pictures of my swollen feet on another pumpkin! :o/

During my routine November OB appointment my DR said I was spilling protein and my BP’s were high. So at 27 weeks I made my way to my first hospital stay. They kept me for 3 days and I did a 24 hour urine test to see what my protein count was. It was 666 when I left the hospital that Wednesday. I left the hospital with a follow up appointment at my OB's office and an appointment with a high risk neonatologist after being diagnosed with mild toxemia.

The next Monday (after being on BP meds for a week) I went to the OB's office and I was still having high BP's and protein. On Tuesday we went to the neonatologist office and he sent me back to the hospital for observation. I was admitted that day again. They started another 24 hour protein test and when it came back it was about 1500 and they said I had to stay. I knew then I would not be leaving the hospital till I had the baby. I was getting ultrasounds everyday to monitor the baby's growth and the amniotic fluid. I was being put on a baby monitor at least once a shift to watch the baby's heartbeat and movement. I got a round of steroids to help the baby's lungs and waited. They had decided to do another 24 hour protein on the following Monday. On Saturday night my BP skyrocketed and they took me down to labor and delivery for continuous observation. My BP went down and the baby's stats looked fine so they sent me back upstairs.

They started another 24 hour urine test on Saturday night. When I got the results on Monday morning it showed that my protein level had increased to over 8000. Protein levels at 5000 are considered sever! So my OB came in on Monday and said we are going to have this baby sooner rather than later. I was scared and called Rick and my family to come. They all came right away and they took me down to L&D again, this time to prep for a c-section. They hooked me up to an IV with magnesium sulfate (gross!) and they told Rick, "If her BP goes over 200/100 we are going in right away so please watch it." They planned the c-section for 8:00 pm. By 7:30ish they said we are going, my BP was up to about 210/100. They pushed me back to the OR and did the prep for the c-section. By 7:53 they had the baby out. Eli weighed 2 lbs. 11 ozs and was 15 1/2 inches long. I had to ask what the sex was! lol. They said it's a boy! I got to see Eli for about 20 seconds before they rushed him to the NICU. But I did get to hear him cry... That made me feel like things would be ok.

Things went smoothly for the next few days. He was on CPAP for his breathing and an IV for nutrients. On day 3 things went south. Eli had something called "stiff lungs" which was basically an air bubble popping outside of his lungs and moving things. He had to be put on a vent and have a chest tube inserted. It was the hardest day ever to see my baby hooked up to all sorts of machines to help him live. I will never forget it. After 48 hours he came off the vent, and after 4 days he got the chest tube out. After that we had to deal with the tummy issues. He was not pooping spontaneously. After many enemas, they gave him a upper and lower GI to check and make sure things were ok. They were and soon after that he began to poop on his own. Eli also had a heart and brain ultrasound and things looked fine on both of those.

11 days after he was born I finally got to hold Eli. It was a wonderful day. Eli was on the CPAP for about 3 weeks and the IV for about 4 weeks. Eli had 2 PICC lines, 2 blood transfusions, countless “mini” bottles, and countless antibiotics and medications. He was on a NG tube (for feeding) till about Dec. 31st. He had some temperature issues and went from the iscolete to the open crib back to the iscolete back to the open crib. He failed the car seat test 2X and finally passed on the 3rd try. We were supposed to bring Eli home on Jan 2, but we did not get to bring him home till Wednesday Jan. 13, 2010. He came home at 7 weeks 2 days old after spending 51 days in the NICU. When Eli came home he weighed 4 lbs 15 ozs and was 17 inches long. On Eli’s “should-have-been-birthday” on February 2, 2010 he weighed 8 lbs. He has been thriving and growing since then.

We marched for the first time in March for Babies in the beginning of May 2010. Eli was 5 months old and we met with some of our friends from the NICU to march. March of Dimes has played a big role in our lives because they developed the surfacten that they gave to Eli to help his lungs open. Hopefully we will march again and again. My motto for marching is “I march so that someday other mom’s won’t have to!”

It has been a long hall (Eli had to have hypospadia surgery in August, has had 2 bouts of bronchiolitis, 1 case of RSV and countless colds!) but on Eli’s 1st birthday he weighed 19 lbs 11 oz and was 28 inches long! Now at 15 months he weighs almost 22 lbs! We have been so blessed and thank God everyday for giving us this beautiful miracle baby to enrich our lives.

Thank you Kim and Kyndall for allowing us to share our story! We appreciate the opportunity! :o)

xoxo- Mary Kate, Rick and Eli

"To realize the value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby."

Thank you Mary Kate for sharing your story!! Here is yet another reason why the March of Dimes needs your donations. You can click on the widget on the right side of my blog or go directly to the Team Kyndall page to make you donations. No amount is too small.

Daffodils

2011-03-03T06:20:00.003-06:00

Saturday, a friend and I took the kids to the daffodil garden for pictures. Here is a very small sample of the pictures taken! When I say small, I took 190, whittled it down to 158, and am posting 5 on here. Like I said, small. Enjoy!

One of my all time favorites!

I'm not sure she liked the way it smelled.

My sweet baby girl!

She was pretty obsessed with this little blue bench rocker thing. It made for some cute pictures!

She may be a girl, and she may be in a fancy dress, but that won't stop her from playing in the dirt!

All pictures taken by me at Mrs. Lee's Daffodil Garden.

175

2011-03-02T14:05:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Texas!

(I know I said I'd post daffodil pictures today, but I'll do that tomorrow)

A big day for a big girl

2011-03-01T14:36:00.003-06:00

Saturday was a pretty big day for Kyndall!

It started off with breakfast at Whataburger and ended with dinner at Olive Garden for her Mimi's birthday, but the in between stuff was the exciting part!

After breakfast, we headed over to a small, local hair salon and got Kyndall's first haircut! They didn't take a lot off. Just cleaned up the ends and evened it out some.

Here is a before picture:

She did pretty well through the whole thing! Here is the first cut:

Here is the after picture:

Like I said, not a lot taken off, but it made a huge difference in the way she looks! And yes, we did save some of her hair in an envelope.

After the haircut, we headed to the mall to get a new washer since ours decided to go kaput on us. After we got the washer, we headed towards Claire's. We decided it was time to finally get Kyndall's ears pierced. It took a little while to get her still so they could do it, but once they did, she cried for about 30 seconds and she was given a sucker, said "tank eww" and was ready to go.

She picked out little pink flowers:

That afternoon, a friend and I took the kids to the daffodil gardens for pictures. I'll post those pictures another day, probably tomorrow.

March of Dimes Monday- Guest Blogger

2011-02-28T13:25:00.005-06:00

First of all, I want to thank Kim for asking me to share my story and for getting as much information together to share with others for encouragement in their own experiences with babies born premature or that had to spend time in the NICU due to circumstances. So thank you for caring Kim!

My name is Rebekah. My husband and I became pregnant with twins through IVF after several years of trying to conceive naturally with no success. After several weeks of morning sickness and a couple of scares with bleeding, I thought I was finally in the clear to enjoy a "normal" pregnancy at around 13 weeks. This lasted for a short time though! At 17 weeks I started noticing some pretty intense tightenings and low pressure. Even though this was my first pregnancy I knew this wasn't normal. I was seeing my Dr every 2 weeks because I was having twins and the mild complications from early on. I had an appointment at 19 weeks and mentioned the pressure I was experiencing. At this visit I learned that my cervix was a little shorter than they like to see at 2.8cm. I was also having mild contractions. I was instructed to start limited activity and resting as much as possible. That same night I went into the ER with constant contractions every 10 minutes or less. I was 19 weeks exactly. If you ever experience anything like this you know what a difference a week can make. Because I was 1 week short of 20 weeks, they would do nothing to stop contractions. I was sent home and instructed to call my Dr in the morning. When I went in the next day, my Dr measured my cervix again to see if the contractions I had been having had any affect on my cervix. It measured 2.08, so a little less than a centimeter lost in 2 days. I was diagnosed with Incompetent cervix and an irritable uterus. I was placed on strict bed rest and started taking medication to help control the contractions. It seemed to be helping and I was released to go home so I would be more comfortable, as comfortable as strict bed rest can be. At 20 weeks 5 days I had another trip to the ER with contractions and was sent home again with instructions to call my Dr in the morning. I saw my Dr. first thing that morning at 20 weeks 6 days. My cervix measured .67 and the membranes were bulging. At this point we only had 1 option and it was risky. We were told our only chance of saving our babies was an emergency cerclage. Most cerclages are placed between 12-15 weeks. The later in the pregnancy the more risky it is. Trusting our God and the wisdom of our Dr we went forward with the cerclage. I had no idea what to expect. The gave me an epidural so I wouldn't feel anything, but I was wide awake and very aware of everything going on. Even though a peace had overcome me, it was the scariest time in my life. The procedure went well, but the next 2 days would be critical. This started my hospital bed rest. I received steroid shots at 24 weeks to help mature our babies lungs. I was transferred at 24 weeks to a bigger hospital that would be able to better care for the babies if they were born early. We were monitored 2 times a week by a fetal-maternal specialist and watching my cervix closely.

At 29 weeks exactly, Haven and Jackson decided to make their arrival. I had been having contractions all day and the medicine they had been giving me didn't help this time. We had an emergency c-section. Haven Joy was born at 7:28pm and Jackson Levi at 7:29 on September 29, 2009. Haven weighed 3 lb. 2 oz., just under 16 in. & Jackson weighed 2 lb. 14 oz., and again just under 16 in. in length. They were both breathing on their own at birth, but needed assistance quickly as their tiny bodies were getting tired. They both were on c-pap for 2 days. By day 3 they were on oxygen cannulas and I got to hold them for the first time. They were on the cannulas for almost 2 weeks and were given caffeine. The caffeine affects the part of the brain that reminds them to breath on their own. Even though they were born 11 weeks early, they did amazingly well. We didn't have any major problems. They had the normal brady's and apnea that we had to get over and they had to grow and learn to eat on their own. They were fed through a gavage until about 2 weeks before going home. We started practice nursing and using bottles. This was the last thing they had to learn. Haven was released after 5 weeks and Jackson at 6 weeks in the NICU.

Today at 17 months, 14 months 2 weeks adjusted, Haven is doing great weighing 18 1/2 lb. and Jackson, very healthy, at 22 1/2 lb. We are still behind from their actual age but should catch up around age 2. They are so amazing and I feel overwhelmingly blessed to be their mommy.

Thank you Rebekah for guest blogging today!

This is another reason why the March of Dimes is so important! Please, if you can, donate. Click on the widget in my right hand side bar to make a donation. Thank you.

Bows for Maddie

2011-02-24T20:40:00.002-06:00

I tried my best to get a good picture, but Kyndall was a busy body yesterday morning when I was trying to take a picture of her bow!

In Memory of Sweet baby Maddie. You can read her story here.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T14:17:00.001-06:00

March of Dimes Monday

2011-02-21T13:56:00.002-06:00

If you know me or have read my blog for a good amount of time, you know that I am a huge advocate for the March of Dimes. This year will be our 3rd year to participate in the March for Babies, and my first time as a team captain.

Why does the March of Dimes need donations?
-543,000 babies, or 1 in 8, are born prematurely each year.
-Premature birth is the number 1 killer of newborns.
-Premature babies cost ten times more than healthy babies.

The March of Dimes wants to teach moms to be how to be as healthy as possible during their pregnancy to cut the risk of have a premature baby. However, just because a mom takes her vitamins, folic acid, and omega 3 pills everyday, goes to the doctor for every appointment, exercises, and eats properly does not mean she will not have a preemie.

When a mom does a preemie or a baby with birth defects, the March of Dimes is there to help. They are currently working on how to spot the causes of preemie birth, how to stop preterm labor, and how to better care for preemie babies. They are also working on ways to detect and hopefully prevent birth defects, but its going to be a long process! Did you know that 70% of the causes of birth defects still aren't known? That's way too much if you ask me!

Now, I know you're wondering how you can help, right? Well thanks for wondering, because I'm going to tell you how you can! You can go to my team page: Team Kyndall, and make a donation right there! You can use your credit card or PayPal! How simple is that?

Sic 'em Bears

2011-02-18T13:52:00.007-06:00

Today over at Kelly's Korner, her Show Us Your Life theme is Alma Maters(aka where you went to school.)

Well, if you can't figure it out from the title, I went to Baylor University, in Waco, Texas. Graduated in December 2005.

Mascot: The Bear
Colors: Green and Gold
Founded: By the Republic of Texas on February 1, 1845, making it the oldest university in the state.
Favorite Traditions: Homecoming, Sing, Island Party, and Diadeloso
Other facts: Since 1953 the university has hosted Dr. Pepper hour every Tuesday from 3 to 4 pm. Famous Baylor Alumni include: Jeff Dunham (comedian and ventriloquist), Angela Kinsey (The Office), Michael Johnson (4 time Olympic Gold Medalist), the members of The David Crowder Band, and Ann Richards (former governor of Texas). Parts of Hope Floats was filmed on the Baylor campus, including the Armstrong Browning Library.

Why I chose Baylor: Well, growing up in a Baptist church my whole life and seeing so many graduating seniors going there, I decided to look into it and fell in love with it. Well, that and my mom had bought me some Baylor things when I was super little.

While, I only spent 3 1/2 years there(yes, I did cram 4 years into 3 1/2 years. I took a lot of summer classes), I enjoyed 98% of my time there. My freshman year, I live in Collins, along with about 600 other girls. Sophomore year, I lived in Dawson, and my junior and senior years, I live off campus in an apartment. I made so many wonderful memories and friends while I was there. I remember one particular thing about my freshman year. It was a snow day so a couple of girls from my hall went walking(well more like skating) around campus.

I was not in any sororities and didn't do much outside of school work and go to sporting events. While we were not known for our football team back then, it was still loads of fun to go to the games! Homecoming was always a blast with the bonfire the night before and the parade the morning of the game. Chad and I have made it back to one Homecoming since then, but I hope to make it to another one.

Now that we have Kyndall, she has been Baylor-fied from the get go! She has been to a football game and has been to campus a few times.

Here we are next to Judge Baylor:

AHHHH! Sic 'em Bears!!

2 year old "well" baby and then some

2011-02-10T21:15:00.005-06:00

Well, today was Kyndall's 2 year appointment.

Her weight: 22.08lbs, putting her in the 4th percentile for weight, also keeping on her weight growth curve since birth.

Her height: 33.5inches, putting her in the 37th percentile for height. She jumped up quite a bit from her 18 month appointment where she was in the 23rd percentile, and way up from her 12 month appointment when she was so far below the charts it wasn't funny.

Her head: 19inches, putting her in the 67th percentile. Big head means bring brain, right? :)

Her pediatrician also discovered she's got an ear infection, but we caught it early so he gave us an antibiotic to prevent it from getting worse.

And now for the "then some."

Look at this super cute pillowcase shirt!

And this adorable outfit! The pants are a little big, but we'll put a dart or two in them, and they'll be perfect!

I got them from here. Aren't the adorable!!!

Guessing Game

2011-02-07T14:43:00.002-06:00

Wanna play a little guessing game?

Kyndall has her 2 year old well baby appointment on Thursday.

Take a guess at her weight and height!

Who are you rooting for?

2011-02-06T00:20:00.002-06:00

All I got to say is:

Snow Day

2011-02-05T18:07:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we got an unexpected snow day!

Originally, my job was going to open at 10 since the local school that we follow for weather delays/closings was only going to start late, but the school changed their mind and closed- like everyone else already had across most of the state of Texas.

The snow day was good because it gave Kyndall an extra day to recoup from being sick. It also gave her a chance to run off some of her excess energy since we could let her go outside(which would not have happened had she had school.)

This time, I made sure to get a picture of her and me together in the snow since I didn't back in January.

Look at how big the flakes were! That's pretty insane when you consider I live in East Texas!

Of course, we did some diaper box sledding this time too. Kyndall would have gone up and down the hill all day if we had let her!

She wanted to go down her slide, but the steps were too slippery so Daddy had to help out.

She made it down pretty quickly, and cleaned off the slide pretty well too! When she got up, it looked like she was wearing white pants rather than black.

Kyndall's outlook on snow is 100% different than it was last year! Last year she didn't want to touch it, have anything to do with it, and wanted to go inside as soon as we got outside. This year, she can't get enough of it.

This morning, we walked outside and most of the snow had melted, and Kyndall said, "snow go bye byes." I think she was a little sad, but there's always next year!

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Blues

2011-02-02T20:01:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T13:51:00.002-06:00

Order here.

March of Dimes

2011-01-21T14:19:00.004-06:00

In honor of yesterday, the day that was supposed to be Kyndall's birthday, I am posting a reminder about the March of Dimes March for Babies. This year, I am wanting to have a large team walk and have set a team goal of $1000.

What is the March of Dimes?

March of Dimes is the leading organization in researching ways to prevent premature births.

Why give to the March of Dimes?

Because 1 in 8 babies are born too early. That may not seem like a lot, but when you look at the big picture, that can turn into hundreds and thousands of babies born too early.

Where does YOUR state rank in premature births?

Check out this map and click on your state to find out how you state compares to the rest of the country.

Will you help?

If you'd like to donate please go to the Team Kyndall page and make a donation. It doesn't have to be a lot. If every person who reads my blog donated $5, that'd be a TON of money to help prevent premature births.

Think about it.

Thoughtless Thursday

2011-01-20T13:41:00.003-06:00

Oops! I missed last weeks Thoughtless Thursday, so I'm going to make up for it today!

Head over to Life in the Fulmer Lane to check out other's Thoughtless Thursday posts!

This was taken at Kyndall's birthday party. (I'll post more about that later...) We had her party at our church's gym, and they have little scooter things, and the kids LOVED them! Kyndall was concentrating hard to stay on hers, but I think she was a little dizzy too!

Isn't she just the absolute most cutest little blond haired, blue eyed little girl you've ever seen? I do! :)

Scentsy

2011-01-15T20:17:00.003-06:00

I'm sure most of you have heard of Scentsy, but I'll give you some background a quick facts just in case you've never heard of it.

Well, the company has been around since 2004, and they "offer a safe, wickless alternative to scented candles." They work well, come in several patterns, and have several scents from which to choose from.

I got one as a teacher gift back in May, and its been in my classroom since August. I love mine! However, you can use them at home, in the office, and they even have Scentsy for your car. I've had a car one in my car for about a month, and it still smells like new.

I am hosting a party through a good friend of mine. While I know none of you will be able to make it, you can order online at her Scentsy page. Make sure you click on the Kim Frederick party. The parties are listed on the left of the page!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T20:46:00.002-06:00

Snowy Sunday

2011-01-10T14:03:00.004-06:00

Well, the weather man was right! He predicted snow, and we got it. About 3 inches according to the National Weather Service. However, we didn't have quite that much at our house, but we still had enough to have fun in it. Kyndall enjoyed it a lot more than she did last year for sure!

When we got home from a friend's birthday party, we went to the backyard and played for a little while. She wanted to jump so we put her on the trampoline. She wasn't a huge fan of that so it didn't last long.

A little later, we went back out. I showed her how to catch snowflakes on her tongue. Whether she got any or not is a different story, but she looks cute trying!

Daddy also showed her how to throw snowballs so she did that for a while too. They didn't go far, but she didn't care! She had a blast throwing them at mommy and daddy anyways.

I got the idea to use one of her diaper boxes as a sled! So we went to the side of the house where there is a small hill and let her have at it! She had loads of fun with that and wanted to do it over and over again.

However, she wanted to sled more than the box did so we had to collapse it, but it still worked pretty well and she had fun.

We also tried to use the box as a snowboard...Let's just say it didn't work to well. We didn't get any pictures of that though. We did get video though. That will not be shown to the blog world because its of me busting my butt...Oh well, we got a good laugh out of it!

Thoughtless Thursday

2011-01-06T14:54:00.002-06:00

So Katie over at Life in the Fulmer Lane took a little break from her Thoughtless Thursday, but it is now back. So here's to the 1st Thoughtless Thursday of 2011!

One picture was taken Dec. 30, 2009- the day Kyndall turned 1.

The other picture was taken Dec. 31, 2010- one day after Kyndall turned 2.

She is on the same slide, wearing the same shirt. Yes, that's right. She wore the same shirt 366 days apart from each other. I bought the shirt in a size 6-9 month when she was about 4 months old thinking that she'd for sure be wearing 6-9 month by the time her birthday rolled around. I was wrong. She was wearing 3-6 month...So since it still fit this year she wore it again. Best $4 I spent!

Goodness gracious, what a difference a year makes!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T12:42:00.000-06:00

Happy 2011

2011-01-01T00:04:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to eat black eye peas and your cabbage. May this new year bless you in ways you never imagined! May the Lord keep you and bless you daily!

A picture review

2010-12-31T10:24:00.002-06:00

Review from birth to 2 years:

Birth:

6 months:

12 months(on her birthday):

18 months:

24 months(on her birthday):

Happy Birthday Kyndall!

2010-12-30T22:31:00.005-06:00

My Dear Sweet Kyndall,

I can not believe you are 2. The years have flown by! I am amazed everyday with how much you grow and learn. You are funny, goofy, loving, and you can be cranky sometimes too. Though no matter what mood you're in, I love you no matter what.

So what does being 2 mean for you?

You love to stand on the scale(I think its because you like to see the numbers). According to our home scale, you weigh 22.5 lbs.

I had Daddy measure you. You are 31 1/2 inches tall! A long way from the 17in you were when you were born.

- you still wear size 3 diapers.

- you wear a few 6-9 month things, but most everything is 9-12 and 12-18 month.

- you are obsessed with Minnie Mouse!

- you love jewelry, and everything is a "braklet."

- you start out shy, but by the time to say bye, you give hugs and kisses to everyone.
- you are the only girl in your class. You and 6 boys...

- your vocabulary is very impressive though only your daddy and I understand most of what you say.

- you know more animal sounds than I can think of, and most body parts, including your heart.

I pray the Lord will continue to bless us and you with your sweet and funny personality, and that He continues to watch over you and keep you safe because you can be quite the daredevil!

All my love,

Mommy

Happy Early Birthday Kyndall

2010-12-28T20:23:00.003-06:00

Remember when you were in grade school and you got to celebrate your birthday at school with your friends? OK, maybe not, but I do. My mom would always get a giant cookie and bring me lunch and eat with me at school.

So today Kyndall celebrated her birthday at school. It may be two days early, but she won't be there the rest of the week so we did it today. I took cupcakes for her to share with her friends. (I didn't post any of their pictures for privacy reasons, but enjoy the ones of her.)

Its hard to believe that 2 years ago today, I was in the hospital, being forced to stay in bed to keep the baby safe, and now we're two days away from Kyndall turning 2!

Prayers for Brayden

2010-12-27T17:08:00.002-06:00

I have been following another mom's blog. Her most recent posts have been about her son who was born at 28 weeks, and who now has pneumonia for the 3rd time.

This little guy needs our prayers. You can find his story at Live.Laugh.Love, and their button is on my sidebar.

Pray for Brayden.

Christmas overload

2010-12-26T09:19:00.002-06:00

Here is just a few pictures from Christmas 2010. I uploaded 165 of them, but there is no way I'm going to post all of them on here. Sorry!

Waking up to Santa!

Opening her puzzles from Grandma and Grandpa.

Trying super hard to get all the paper off one of her gifts at GG's house.

Her aunt got her a tiara and clip on earrings. She had to put them on almost as soon as she pulled them out of the box. We took her to look in the mirror, and she was posing and smiling at herself. It was too funny!

Her great grandfather got her a sports quad. Needless to say, this is one of her top 5 favorite gifts this year. She rode it back and forth from the living room to the kitchen for about 20 minutes. I can't wait to be able to take her outside and let her ride it and not have to worry about running into something!

From our family to yours, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus

2010-12-25T13:44:00.003-06:00

I know you probably want to see pictures from Christmas, and I have over 150 of them, but let us remember the true reason for the season. So Happy Birthday Jesus, thank you for inviting us all to your party.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T08:49:00.002-06:00

The Reason for the Season

2010-12-23T21:55:00.003-06:00

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season, let us not forget the true reason for the season!

Luke 2- NIV

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-22T13:24:00.002-06:00

ICE at the Gaylord Texan

2010-12-21T13:35:00.000-06:00

This weekend my family and I made a little trip to Grapevine to go see this years ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Texan Resort. It was pretty neat to see everything made out of ice.

The theme:

I guess the brother in laws need some help!!

I'm so mad at my camera, but it started acting up right after this picture so its the only one I got of Kyndall on the ice slide. She loved it! I bet she would have gone over and over again if she had been able to!

Here's my little family of 3 in our stylish blue parkas! HA!

Even though seeing the Peanuts made out of ice was pretty cool, seeing this made me super excited! The true reason for the season: Jesus Christ.

I'm not sure if we'll do ICE again, but we learned our lesson about tickets though! Purchase online and get there early!

Wordless Wednesday: Rad Hatter Hat

2010-12-15T21:59:00.003-06:00

Rad Hatter

March of Dimes

2010-12-13T14:36:00.003-06:00

Well, its time of year again. Time to start thinking about the March of Dimes and their annual March for Babies.

Every little amount helps in the fight against prematurity! So if all you can donate is $5, don't fell bad. $5 is more than nothing! There is no price to high to have a healthy baby. I know several people who have had preemie babies, and I can almost say for certain that if they could go back and do it all again, they'd rather have a full term healthy baby. Now, they can't go back in time, but we can prevent it from happening in the future.

Will you please help? I have started a team called "Team Kyndall" and my goal is to have a group of people marching together and to raise at least $1000.

Here's how you can help!

Join the team.

Make a donation.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T04:34:00.001-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!