Disney on Ice

Later in the afternoon, right after bible Sunday at church, my sweet friend, Kathy and I took our girls to see Disney on Ice.  We had never been, and I knew that Kennedy would be excited.  After a quick costume change in the church bathroom, we were off! 

(kind of a funny side story here...Kathy and I decided that we would surprise the girls with the news of where we were going once they were dressed and we were on our way.  Well, as they were dressing in the restroom, a high schooler came in and asked where we were going.  Without thinking, Kathy casually says that we are going to Disney on Ice ~ it was so very funny, we all just looked at one another, the girls wondering if they should be excited or not and Kathy and I simply laughing at our "attempt" at a surprise!  It really was a hilarious moment)

We got the girls sufficiently pumped up on our drive over and arrived with plenty of time to get in our seats and take lots of pictures.  As you can see, we got there a little too early and were nice and settled but then had to get up half a dozen times as people arrived to sit in our row.

Sadly there were so many distractions (people arriving late, getting up and down many times throughout the show, lots of loud talking, spinny light toys going the whole time, etc.  It was crazy!) all around us as the show went on...I know it bothered Kathy and I immensely, as it was so hard to concentrate, although thankfully the girls were so enthralled with the performance that they didn't seem to mind much.

our sweet little girls

These two have come a long way in their friendship and really enjoy so many of the same activities.  It was special to be able to experience the magic together with dear friends.

posing by the ice at intermission

The show was very well done, typical Disney magic and I loved it.  Just wish we would have had better seats!  Or at least a better audience surrounding us!

And what would a special outing be without a fun treat afterwards?  The girls were thrilled with a stop at Menchies before we headed home.

Our two cute princesses

Such a fun day, spent with wonderful friends!

our day at American Girl

I think from the moment I found out I was having a little girl, I have been waiting to take her to the American Girl store.  I read these books as a child (think they came out when I was in fifth grade or so), but my parents felt I was too old at that point to get a very expensive doll.  It didn't help that I didn't play with dolls all that much, either.  But I loved the stories.  I loved learning about different time periods, experiencing adventures with girls who seemed so real and so fun.  The books are well written and the stories wonderful ~ and the dolls are amazing! 

So last year Kennedy became interested in the dolls, too.  She had seen a catalog and became mildly obsessed with Caroline.  I didn't want to rush into buying her something that she wasn't quite old enough to take care of.  I figured if she really still wanted the doll (seven months later), we'd get it for her fifth birthday.  Turning 5 is a big deal in our house...we took Carter to Great Wolf Lodge for his 5th birthday, so we decided a fun adventure up to Seattle and the American Girl store would be a great way to celebrate Kennedy's special birthday. 

Kennedy was SO excited...she talked about our upcoming trip all the time and couldn't wait to get Caroline. 

Finally the day arrived...we were here!

And the store did not disappoint, it was wonderful!  Full of dolls, lots of pink and a darling little cafe where we enjoyed lunch.  Again, I am quite certain that Nana and I enjoyed our time as much as Kennedy!

 

It was so special to have Nana come with us...we are so grateful for her enthusiasm and willingness to come along and help make these events special.

the Caroline display was right in front (she is the newest doll), so we had to take some time and really study all of her clothes and accessories.

Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, Kennedy had several gift cards and was able to purchase almost all of Caroline's outfits.  Nana bought Caroline's bed for Kennedy's birthday, so there are just a few things left to get in her collection.

 

And to make our day even more special, by sheer luck, Ali and Emi were up in Seattle too.  (they live in Medford so we don't see them nearly as often as we'd like)  Carter was thrilled to have Emi there to play with and getting to watch both girls burst with excitement over their new dolls was so very special.  Ali is one of my dearest friends and I was so thankful to share this experience with her.  We had to laugh that we could never have planned and executed a trip to Seattle, but felt so blessed by the coincidence.  We didn't know until the night before that we were both there...such a fun way to spend our day!

Kennedy posing with Saige, the girl of the year

A quick stop at Starbucks before the shopping spree began.

Can I just tell you how much I love these two? 
I could watch them play and talk for hours.  They have always had such an incredible bond ~ I truly believe it is a gift from God.  They are the cutest!

They were so thrilled to see one another, lots of hugs and laughing!

see what a mean?

such sweet friends...their smiles couldn't get any bigger!

some quick photos with Caroline

These pictures are a bit out of order but I can't figure out how to change it, so I'm just going to go with it.

Ali and I...enjoying our few hours of time together.

Such a sweet, unexpected blessing!

Getting a lesson on how to do the dolls' hair

Nana, we love you!

I am so fortunate to have such a loving, fun and involved mom.  She has always been there for me and has provided such a loving example of how to be a mother.  One thing I have never doubted is how much my mom loves me, she is a gem.  And she's one amazing Nana, too.

a very special day with my girl

Caroline got to join us for lunch...

she had her own little chair and her own table setting, too.

They do a great job making the whole experience so much fun!

We worked up quite an appetite shopping...and then it was time for a special birthday lunch in the cafe. Again, so much pink! We were thrilled!

a sweet pink drink for my girl

and some special treats to celebrate her birthday!

 

A truly amazing day! 

Kennedy, I hope you always remember this day and know that you are loved on your birthday and every other day, too!  I hope you have years and years of fun with Caroline and that she always holds a special place in your heart!

Bye, bye tonsils!

The week after Kennedy was done with preschool, we had scheduled surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids.  It is something that we thought about, prayed about and investigated multiple options throughout the past year.  We saw two different surgeons, filled out countless questionnaires and finally decided that her quality of sleep would greatly improve with the procedure.  It was amazing how loudly she snored ~ with the door shut and a fan in her room turned on, you could still stand down the hall and hear her at times.  Not only did she snore loudly but there were times when we'd hear her stop breathing during sleep.  Not often, but enough to make us concerned.  She was also a super loud breather on a day to day basis, I often wondered if she was getting enough air at all.  We were able to meet with the Dean of Surgery up at Dorenbechers and I really liked him...he recommended having the procedure done, giving us hope that her sleeping would improve greatly.

As surgery day approached, I was getting more and more nervous.  I knew in my head that it was a simple, routine procedure but my heart was terrified of my baby being wheeled off to surgery and it was all so out of my control.  It certainly didn't help that Kyle was travelling for work and I was going through the whole process alone.  That was really hard.  Thankfully Kennedy was pretty excited to eat ice cream and would only get a little scared here and there. 

It was a very different story once we checked in and got settled...She just curled up into herself, wouldn't really communicate with the doctors or nurses and told me more than once that she was scared and just wanted to go home.  It about broke my heart.  I did my very best to be strong for her.  I can't say enough wonderful things about the staff up at Dorenbechers ~ everyone was so friendly and helpful and so great with Kennedy.  The first person that we saw after our initial nurse got us settled was a nurse whose job it was to explain everything to Kennedy.  They had a kids book that explained what would happen before and after her surgery, they gave her a stuffed animal and then gave her bear, Rainbow, her own hospital gown and blood pressure cuff.  Oh, and they had Disney Junior playing too, which was a great distraction.

She looked so small and fragile lying in the hospital bed...

And she was all done with pictures, thank you very much!

Once Rainbow got all suited up, Kennedy was in slightly better spirits.

Taking her blood pressure...

Rainbow getting sleepy medicine...

Kennedy was getting pretty anxious as her surgery time approached, so they offered to give her a mild relaxant.  It made the transition so much easier (at least for Kennedy)...once she got her dose, she was calm and smiley.  As we walked down the hall, wheeling her in the hospital bed, I tried so very hard to keep it together.  I kissed her, prayed with her and then they took her into the operating room.  And I lost it.  It was a very, very long hour.

They came and got me once she was done with surgery and I sat with her in recovery.  Unfortunately, this is when things didn't go quite as smoothly as we would have hoped.  She woke, crying loudly, kind of thrashing around and in obvious discomfort.  Again, I lost it.  I must admit, it was just so hard to be by myself watching Kennedy suffer.  The nurse who was attending to her was very sweet and tried to calm her down but then decided she'd need morphine.  After two doses, Kennedy was zonked out again.  And then her blood pressure (or oxygen levels?) began to drop, so she was given oxygen and allowed to slowly wake up again.  Second time around was much better...she was sore and scared but she was doing much better!

Back in our little area, she fell asleep again and I just loved on her - in no rush to leave the safety of the hospital.

After a couple of hours Kennedy perked up and we were ready to head home

She even got a fun ride in a wheel chair!

She slept a lot on our car ride home, but then asked for ice cream.  I stopped and got her a shake, but she really had no interest in food.

Asleep again...more than anything she was tired.

The first night was a bit rough, she woke around midnight in obvious pain and it was difficult to comfort her.  She needed pain medicine but wasn't very willing to take it.  

Thankfully after the first night, things got a little better. 

The recovery took a full week, getting a little better before getting worse again.  I was most worried about her lack of wanting to eat and it was visible that she had lost quite a few pounds.  

she definitely looked more frail than normal for several days after surgery

After a week, she was on the mend and back to eating more like normal.  It didn't take long for her to be back to her normal self.

And I'm super thrilled to report that the surgery was successful in helping her sleep better.  She is getting more continuous and longer periods of sleep at night and her behavior has really improved, as well.  I am so thankful that we decided to have this procedure and that it's now behind us!

Praising God for our healthy girl!!!

On a side note, spending the day at the children's hospital and seeing so many sick children and tiny preemies made me stop and appreciate the health of both of my kids.  It's so easy to take that for granted but being in the hospital proved a good reminder of how very lucky we are.

ballet pictures

A few days after Kennedy's surgery, she had ballet pictures at her dance studio.

I was worried that she wouldn't be up for it, but figured a quick 30 minutes would probably be doable.

She loved getting fancied up, putting on a little make-up and her recital costume.

I couldn't resist taking a few pictures...

My beautiful girl!

I forgot my camera as we rushed out the door (I had about a dozen things in my hand and was trying desperately not to loose anything, so it's probably a good thing I had one less item to manage!) but took a few iphone pictures of the girls in the dressing room.

Lyla and Kennedy

little ballerinas

Mother's Day ~ 2013

Mother's Day ~ 2013

Seven years of motherhood and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It's the hardest job I've ever had ~ at times frustrating, challenging and tiring but always, always full of love.  I love my two little ones and am so thankful that God chose me to be their mama. 

Mother's Day this year got off to a bit of rocky start...I was overly tired from my night shift work the two previous nights and to be frank was a little let down about our plans for the day.  I think it's because being a mom is so very important to me.  Really the most important thing.  And it's a job that is unappreciated more often than not.  I kind of think that Mother's Day should be special.  Maybe even a little over the top, extraordinary, certainly not like any other Sunday.  Thankfully the kids made me super sweet crafts, which are the very best kind of gifts and the day got progressively better.  A reflective and restorative time at church and a super delicious and fun lunch out at Ginger Pop (cold beer and fabulous Thai food, it really doesn't get much better for me!).  From there we were able to do a little shopping and then headed out to Kyle's parents house to celebrate with family.

Lunch out after church is always fun!

My sweet girl

I always miss being with my mom on Mother's Day.  It's hard to talk to her and know that she's a thousand miles away.  I wish we could celebrate together...especially since becoming a mom myself I now know exactly how much she loves me.  Makes me love and appreciate her and all that she has done for me even more!  Maybe one day we'll be able to celebrate this special day together.

Cabo ~ Dolphin Day

When I was young, I dreamed of being a dolphin trainer...working at Sea World and playing with those amazing creatures every day.  Marine Science was a direction I looked into during college, but it just seemed a bit too impractical for me.  Would I really be able to train dolphins at Sea World?  I digress, let's just say that I've always had a desire to swim with dolphins and I was just biding my time until one of the children was old enough and wanted to do it too.  On our third day in Cabo, we took off and explored the marina ~ I knew there is a dolphin adventure place at the very end, and Carter had expressed interest so we ventured over and checked it out.  Once we were there, both Carter and I were sold!  How could Kyle say no to both of us?  He couldn't :)  

So, as soon as we got back to the hotel we talked with the concierge about signing us up.  I was so, so excited!  

Getting to see the dolphins swim by was so cool!

Not only did Carter get to encounter dolphins, but he got to hold a beautiful parrot, too.

Where did my cautious boy go?

amazing!

The next day, we headed back over to Cabo Adventures and got all checked in for our dolphin swim.  

I think Carter was pretty nervous, but he hid it well.  I was so excited I could barely stand it!

Dressed and ready to go!

All Kennedy cared about was getting a stuffed animal.  She had little to no desire to swim with the dolphins and when they offered her the chance to pet one, she shyly declined.  I have to say, I was a bit surprised.  She's usually quite fearless

Daddy and Kennedy happily watched from the viewing area

After our 45 minute swim

It was SO awesome!  I think I may have floated out of the pool...it was such an amazing experience.  And to get to share it with Carter, feeling him shake with excitement and smile from ear to ear, was priceless.  I just felt so very thankful that we are able to share such incredible memories with our children.  We are fortunate and so very blessed.

Carter, always on the hunt for facts, also enjoyed learning a lot about dolphins.  He asked great questions and learned how much she weighed (~450 pounds), how tall she was (~8 feet), how many teeth she had (80), etc.  Oh and an Orca is the biggest type of dolphin.  Who knew?

Carter and me with our dolphin, Ende.  She was such a sweet, gentle, beautiful animal.  Not only did we get to pet her, we each swam around the pool with her (me clinging to her dorsal and Carter belly to belly), danced with her, fed her a fish and got a sloppy kiss.  I wish so much that we would have been able to bring our own cameras up to the viewing area, but at $25 each our one token photo was all we got!

Truly a dream come true for me!  

A day I will never forget!