Happy 1st Birthday Sissy!!!!

Sissy's Stats:

Walking: yes (still like she's a drunkin' sailor)

Talking: Mama, Dada, Dog (go figure we don't even have one!)

Signs: More, All Done, and sometimes we get Please

Teeth: 9...seriously this girl could eat a steak no problem!

Favorite Activity: Being in mommy's arms (very inconvenient I might add)

Can't get the girl to stand still for a second!
Wouldn't ever miss a meal!
OK FINE....Hi I'm Jen and I'm addicted to matching my girls outfits!!!!!!

OK so I tried with the cupcake cake...it looks pretty good from a distance!!!

We just had a family party for her at our house...

Things have just continued to get crazier and crazier around here. I've been working 4 nights a week! Not gonna lie, it has felt amazing to finally be able to pay down a few of our extra bills...MYSELF!!! Nate has been such a huge help!! He takes such great care of the girls while I'm gone and even sometimes babysits our friends 2 girls...(we trade hour for hour and it is amazing!) I even come home to a clean house! Thank you my love!!!!

Immediate Prayer Request

UPDATE #4 (Friday the 20th) "Miss Emerson had a very good night! Her swelling has come down tremendously, her blood pressures and heart rate have been lower, for her-probably normal for most kids, and she is peeing TONS! The nurses even gave Emmy a purple bow for her hair for being such a good girl!"

UPDATE #3: "The doctors have said Emerson has suffered Liver and Kidney damage that isn't necessarily permanent. They've made sure to let us know that she is very sick, and they are hopeful, but it will be a long recovery"

UPDATE #2: After having 2 cardiac arrests yesterday..."Emerson made it through the night. She is still having problems with her blood pressure, but the doctors are watching her very closely. It's gonna be a rough week."

UPDATE: "The doctors have had to reopen Emerson's chest because her blood pressure and heart rate have dropped. Still waiting..."

A family that I've connected with over the past year has a 1 year old WS daughter, Emerson. She just got out of her 2nd heart surgery a few minutes ago. She had to go on bypass and has been having some problems ever since. "She has been having irregular rhythms and has needed shocked and chest compressions. She is stable for the moment but the doctors say it will be minute by minute for the first 24 hours"

Please please pray for her! These next few hours are vital!

May I Come In Now?

My little cat and mouse!

Can't get them to stand still for a second!

Getting ready to hit the street with cousin Nora...

First house Hailey says "Trick or Treat"



"What do you say Hailey?" (trying to get her to say Thank you)


Hailey responds "May I come in now?"

hahahah

Nate and I got to go to a "grown up party"...can you tell what we were?

Had to work on Halloween...it was fun to see everyone all dressed up Holleywood style.

We've had a very eventful week with all of Hailey's annual tests. We were at the Children's Hospital for 3 hours on Monday doing labs and looking at her kidney's and today we had her Cardiology apt. Her heart has not progressed much. I guess we just need to wait and see. It all depends on if her SVAS grows and she grows. Since it is a narrowing of the valve if it does not grow with her that is when it becomes a problem. And just received a call from her doctor that all the other test results are fine! Praise Jesus!!!

Not much new other wise...just getting ready for the holidays!

Snow Day

The snow has been falling!! Hailey has her first snow day from school today and Nate's been plowing all night!!!! We've had our taste of fun though...

One Year Ago...

It has been exactly 1 year since we received Hailey's WS diagnosis. As I rushed home from the doctor and sat at this computer and typed in the google box "Williams Syndrome," I had no idea what a huge part of my life it would become! It is definitely something that I deal with on a daily basis. Just a few days ago a little WS girl, Sophie, with the same heart condition as Hailey, (SVAS) died due to complications from her heart surgery. I can't even imagine what this family is going through it. If you could lift them up in your prayers...

I treasure each and every day that I get to spend with Hailey! As she wakes me up in the morning with "Good morning mommy! It's time to get up! Come on you can do it!" to literally her 20th time asking if she can have a cookie! We are so blessed to have her in our lives and to be her parents! Hailey has her annual tests and her cardiology exam coming up on Nov. 4th. (I am still bitter that for 2 1/2 years the California doctors led me to believe that Hailey had a simple heart murmur when we were later informed that it was actually a SVAS) We are so lucky not to have hardly any medical issues at this point. As I check out my WS friends on Facebook or other blogs...most kids have so many health issues!

I do however, still feel clueless in so many areas. Knowing when to step in and when to let her be, when to tell people and when to let them think what they will, when to discipline and when to let go...I'm sure as a parent in general so many people deal with this. Hailey recently had a school field trip to a nature exhibit that I attended with her. The guest speaker didn't know that she was special needs. As I stood in the back holding the baby...anxiety spread through my body as the speaker had to tell Hailey numerous times to sit down and not to touch her props. "Do I go up there...do I intercede, do I let all the other parents think that I'm a bad mom and that my child is crazy or do I just let it be?" I mean it is just a silly preschool field trip that at the end of the day doesn't really matter in life at all! I gave in, handed the baby off, and sat amongst the children with Hailey in my lap so that I could help her to be what I wanted her to be at that moment, just like the other children. We then went on a nature walk and as I was calling Hailey's name for probably the tenth time to catch up, one of the teachers' looked at me and said "we just love her so much and are so lucky that she gets to be at our school." That was the moment (for that day) that I decided it's OK for her to be different and her strengths out weigh her weaknesses. It is, however, something that at those special moments, I have to remind myself of everyday!

BIG NEWS: Hailey qualified to take the bus to and from school everyday!!! They pick her up at our house at 11:10 and don't drop her off until 3:45!! It is unbelievable how much I get done in that time! (I will also be able to work!) It was always such an ordeal to take her to school (10 min drive) and then walk her to the back temp building...esp with another baby!!!! We are so thankful for the bus now!! I was definitely shaking when I took this pic and a tear might have shed as I headed back inside!!!

On another note...if you could be praying. Nate's boss's wife (Nate and his boss are very close) just found a huge cancerous tumor in her intestines. It's too big to operate on and she has to take a pill for 3-4 months to try and shrink it. They need a miracle...good thing I believe in miracles!!! Nate was just starting to slow down a bit and I'm sure he will have to step it up to help out!

To make things a little bit crazier...I got a job! As a server at an adorable Mexican Catina in a nice new area outside of Denver. I work 3ish nights a week and absolutely love it!!! It gives me a chance to have a life outside my life (ha) and Nate a chance to spend some catch up time with the girls!

Here's a few videos of my honey's... we'll catch ya'll later! (Connie they are mostly for you!! We wouldn't want you to miss a beat!!!)

Just Trying To Stay Warm and Healthy!

Home Away From Home

What a refreshing and amazing trip to Cali!...It was unbelievable to be able to spend 5 straight, uninterrupted days with my best friends in Kingsburg....we stayed up late and got up early and barely had time to breathe! I remember driving through Kingsburg 5 years ago and wondering to myself "what the heck kind of people would live here?" I still don't understand how they are all crammed into one little town!

Thank you ladies for such an amazing trip and for loving me so much! Thank you to the Silva's "my adopted family" for being so amazing in my life!

I love you Mary...and Scott!!!

My dear friend Jen...(why are all the coolest people named Jen?!?!)

Denver and Amanda...the start of a wonderful life together!

OK have to add in the high light of the trip....Two words "HOEDOWN THROWDOWN!" That's right about 30 of us learned Miley Cyrus' dance and preformed it at the wedding...unbelievable...so wish I got it on tape!

Jen and Emily...there aren't even words!

These girls have such a special place in my heart! I will never let these friendships go...no matter how far away we live! I told everyone that I'm on the 3 month plan and I'm due back in December! (many important people did not get pictured...sorry guys!)

Not to mention my Ahna...who unfortunately was out of town for a funeral :(

Thank you for an amazing vacation!!!
(and thank you to my husband, sister and mom who took wonderful care of my girls!!!!!!)

Being Prepared

As I was preparing for the sitter while I am away...I made a schedule of Ashtyn's typical day...I also thought I would give her a idea of Hailey's typical day:

A Little Time In Steamboat

We took some friends and family up to Steamboat this past weekend! The trees were just starting to change color so it was beautiful up there! We were lucky enough on Saturday to take a hike and lay by the (heated) pool...followed by a Sunday of rain and some slight snow! AHHH Colorado is crazy like that!
Incredible view from our balcony!I admit to being a little anxious to bust out the hoodies and hats!

Our friends Bri and Ted joined us...we stayed up til all hours playing games in the condo!

Our wine box turned into a wine bladder...
Ready for the Bronco game on Sunday...the Broncos kicked some serious booty!!! Excited to see what they can do this season!

Well I'm off to Fresno tomorrow...for 5 days...with NO KIDS!!! I can hardly believe it myself! I can't remember the last time I got to fly on an airplane with no kids and no hubby! Our good friends Denver and Amanda are getting married...since the Silva's are like family...I couldn't miss it! I'm going to miss the girls like crazy...this is the longest I've been away from Ashtyn...however they are in good hands and I think I'll survive! I am a little sad that Ashtyn just started taking some steps and now I have to miss 5 days of progress!!!! :( I guess I don't have a whole lot to complain about...I'm sure I will have plenty of pics to post when I get back! See ya!

Uh Oh

Such an exciting day for a mom!

Too Hot In Texas!!!

We had a wonderful time in Texas this past weekend visiting for Nate's grandma's 90Th Birthday party! We had a blast enjoying the boat all day on Saturday with the cousins while Connie and Aunt Linda watched the girls! (and thank you for that!)

The Lake was quite a happenin' place that day!Possibly the most relaxed time I've spent with the hubby in awhile...

There were about 75 people that joined us to celebrate Grandma Rosalie!
You can't see the clear tacks very well...but they are placed everywhere that she has traveled!...we were very close to running out of tacks! The final dinner in Dallas.

My Little Girl Turned 4!

So my little girl turned 4 on Monday...a day I was actually dreading all year!...I just wanted my precious little girl to stay 3 forever!!!!

Hailey has been doing amazing lately! She still goes to preschool 4 days a week in the afternoon and is learning new things everyday! She is starting to be able to tell me different things that they are learning and things that they have made...she is so good at remembering the words to new rhymes and songs. She is also sleeping much better and often sleeps through the night!

Her favorite hobby is puzzles! She does amazingly well with them and can do a 30 piece puzzle by herself. She has also learned to ride her tricycle and can ride all the way down the street.

As far as health goes things are also going well. She has all of her checkups in October as well as her Cardiologist apt. She had a very special Birthday party with my family at the Spaghetti Factory in downtown. Hmmmm a yummy Ice Cream Cake from Maggie Moo's!

The always happy lil sissy

We are off to Texas this Friday for Nate's grandma's 90th Birthday...

The Wave and a Face Plant

The Annual Burg Family Camping Trip

We had our annual Burg family camping trip this weekend! It was the first time the entire family has been together since Aaron's wedding in January...and it was a blast! Aaron and Tighe actually just moved back here from New Jersey and Jordan is back from her internship so we are now one big happy family!We went on a 2 hour train ride of the Royal Gorge...My mama always told us we were "normal"
Mimi and Papa made us DELICIOUS steak for dinner!

The 2 brothers playing with fire....never a good thing!

Nate unfortunately couldn't make it because of work...he is still in his very busy season.

The chefs were amazing!

Hailey absolutely loved camping..there was a lots of wildlife and Hailey kept seeing "reindeer" pass through our site! She also enjoyed lots of bike riding!

Go Big or Go Home

Had a huge Page/Gibson/Burg garage sale this weekend...Fun to get rid of some old stuff and make a little extra dough...

A Fresh New Look

Proud Mom Moment

I had to have a proud mom/wife moment with you all! Nate and Ashtyn got chosen to do a photo shoot for Boppy pillow. Ashtyn got to pose for 2 sessions, one alone and one with daddy! They did such a great job! Ashtyn was all smiles and they got a lot of great shots! So be looking this fall on the pillows (sold in Target and Babies R Us) or on their website...I'm sure I will post a link when I see the pics!

If you'll notice on most baby products they want the baby to look unisex...so as hard as it was for me, no pink and no bows! :)

My Hard Workin Hubby

Nate just finished building a few big parks that I wanted to show off! This first one is Bear Creek park in Denver...

Yes that is a sombrero slide!

Don't let it fool you...it's really fast!

There is a rock climbing wall behind him that I must have not got a shot of.

This is a sand pit that has fossils built in for the children to find with a brush.

This is a time capsule and underneath it is a box. It's contents include: Nate's hard had, a Colorado Designscapes T Shirt, Nate's business card and a few other misc things...this is not to be opened until 2059!

Aren't my parents cute!

The first kids to try out the swings...they work great!

This next one is the Highlands Ranch Veterans Monument Park. This one is particularly dear to our hearts considering 3 of our grandpa's served this country!

There were about 12 of these made and you can buy a tile with a name engraved for $250.

Nate loves sandblasting.

Nate and his crew did all of the hardscapes that you see here...

Nate got to meet Bill Owens and Bill Ritter at the opening! They even recognized him on stage!

As you can see Nate is a busy guy!!! Hailey went back to school last week and we decided to switch her to afternoons...since Hailey doesn't take naps, it's amazing to have that few hours to get stuff done again!!!! Ashtyn is absolutely everywhere and standing up on everything! She is crazy! She has already had quite a few tumbles...out the front door, off the stair, off a chair...The play pen and gates are my new best friends! She also is such a good eater and LOVES feeding herself whatever I place on her tray! She is also starting to learn a few signs! :)

Welp that's the news around here!

Fun on the 4th!

Finishing Touches II

The modern art I've been working on for way too long is finally hung!

Amy came over on Friday to help me finish. (I honestly don't know what I'd do without her!)

As you can tell...very tedious!

Also, we finished our largest project of the summer...painting the house!

We hired a company to do about 70% of the work and the handyman hubby did the rest. It took us about 2 weeks longer because of all the rain we've had.





Our house before...

...after

Getting Around

Got this video today...Ashtyn LOVES dogs...it's hilarious...she always tries to chase them around! Can't get the video to turn right side up...sorry!

Finishing Touches

We went on break from big projects for a little while, but are back on track now!

Nate finished these built-in's and Amy decorated them before I got home from California...it was a great surprise! We still have to put waynes coating in to make it a little bit more Pottery Barn looking....
I also was delightfully surprised to find 7 rose bushes in our back yard with 6 different colors!

We also are in the middle of getting the outside of our house painted, drapes for the cocktail room, painting the piano and am working on my modern art project....so hopefully we will get them done soon and I will post some more pics!

Time Away...

We finally got use our Timeshare after owning it for over 2 years! We decided to go to Steamboat Springs this weekend for our Anniversary! We left the kids with my family...and enjoyed the entire weekend to ourselves!! We got to see 2 movies, enjoy a nice dinner, attend a concert, relax in natural hot springs, lunch with friends, fall asleep by the pool for hours, sleep in, sleep through the night, read and walk around the shops downtown...all of which are things that are a rare treat with 2 kids! It was sooo relaxing...and so short!! We have some points saved up so we are going to go again with some friends and family for a week in September! We are also looking at where we would like book our big vacation of the year (or more like a few years)...we hope to go in December and are looking at places like Thailand or Honduras. I hope to get my camera back in the next few days and am excited to show off some of our new projects around the house...so check back in a few days!....off to the pool with the kiddos!

5 Years Baby!

5 years ago I began my happily ever after. 5 years ago I made a vow. 5 years ago I could never have never imagined how lucky I would truly be.

Someone once said that Nate and I would not make it 5 years...well here we are.

I can honestly say that I married the man of my dreams! Nate is one of the strongest, most loving, honest, hard working, diligent men that I know and it pours out into every area of my life with him. He is such a wonderful husband and father and I am so thankful for everyday that I get to spend as his wife. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God chose him for me. Thank you Nate for an amazing 5 years. Thank you for being such a great provider for this family and for working so hard on our home. Thank you for my 2 daughters. Thank you for all of the late night guitar sessions calming Hailey back to sleep and for all of the changed diapers and wiped noses! Thank you for always insisting that we never go to bed angry and for (almost) always being the first to apologize! I love you so much! I can't wait to grow old with you! You are the love of my life!~ Happy 5 years Baby!!!

Inch Worm and Cali Slideshow

Ashtyn's been my little inch worm for about 2 weeks now! I honestly don't know what I was thinking placing crackers at a distance so that she would be motivated to learn! As proud as I am of her...she's about 10 times harder to take care of! I guess I didn't realize how convenient it is to set her down with toys and know that she would be there when I returned!...now she loves finding the one choking hazard in the room and trying to eat it!~ It is a lot of fun though! She can be sitting and get to the crawling position and back to sitting again...it's so cute to come and get her in the morning and she will be sitting up in her crib playing! She can almost pull her chunky little body up too! My how they grow so FAST! She's 7 months as of 2 days ago! Thought I would share my proud mom moment with ya'll!

Also here's a slide show of the California pics that I never got to putting up! We had such a great time and can't wait until we get to go out again!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Beautiful Faces

Saturday Nate and I hosted our first Williams Syndrome picnic at our home. I had contacted the regional director a few months ago. There was not too much going on in this area, but if I wanted to plan something she would help get the word out.

We had about 15 families join us. There were Williams from 2 years old all the way to age 29. I was quite nervous...not only for how it would go, but how Nate and my heart would handle it. I had only met 1 other Williams kid prior to the picnic.

I wish I could say that I was completely encouraged by the event. It was so wonderful to be able to meet other families living and walking this same journey with me. However, it was eye opening and hard to come to terms with some of the life long struggles we will be dealing with.

It was just how I had imagined as far as the kids loving each other. They truly are so sweet and loving. They were holding hands and playing so well together. Hailey had to be sent to the bathroom to get herself together after a break down...a few of the kids quickly followed "Are you OK?" Exactly how Hailey would. I later walked into the playroom to find a few of them getting into the gum ball machine...I was cracking up. The other moms said how much their WS kids, extremely more than their other children, loved sugar! Ha...well that explains a lot!

I absolutely felt a strong connection with several of the other families and hope that this would bring on a strong friendship. One of them, sadly, lives 4 hours away...but has a beautiful 8 year old girl and a similar story to ours. I practically begged her to be sure to call me when she comes to down to Denver so we could hang out.


I'm hoping to plan a get together once a month for whoever is interested..there were at least 5 families that lived fairly close to us. Here's a slide show of the beautiful faces I was privileged to have met.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Somethings In Life Money Can't Buy...

Gas Grill $500, T Bone Steaks $20, Asparagus $6, Singeing off all my arm hair and half an eyebrow

PRICELESS

Back to the Rockies!

The girls and I just got back from being in California for over 2 weeks. It was definitely a busy trip. I cannot believe how much we crammed in! We were in Santa Clarita for a week with Nate's family and then went up to Kingsburg to visit friends for another week.

Hailey got to spend a lot of time with her cousin Maddie.

If I got a nickle for every time they tried to invite each other to the park... I'd be at Pottery Barn as we speak!

It would be 8pm:

Hailey "Maddie do you want to go to the park with me?"

Maddie "Yeah"

Aunty Jen "Girls we are not going to the park right now!"
Maddie "Hailey do you want to go to the park with me later?"

2 mnts later...

Hailey "Should we go to the park now?"

Ahhhhhhh

Summer is a great photographer...here are the moments she captured...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

...I'll post my pics as soon as I get a chance! I'm busy preparing to host my first WS gathering at our house on Saturday! About three times as many people are coming than I had originally thought. My stud of a man had the house spotless when we arrived home...now I just need to prepare the activities and food! I'll let you know how it goes!

Sissy is 6 months

Sissy (as Hailey and I call her) turned 6 months yesterday! AHHH I can't believe it went so fast! It's been so much fun to watch her grow. She's been sitting up for about 2 weeks now and just popped her two bottom teeth on Saturday. She weighs 15 lbs and is in the 50Th percentile for weight and 75Th for height. She's such a happy girl and LOVES hanging with with Hailey.

I also just gave her some solids yesterday for the first time (carrots)...she LOVED them! She seriously wanted to eat an entire container!
So Hailey, Sissy and I are off to California tomorrow for 2 weeks! We are so excited. Hailey has been walking around telling everyone that she gets to go to Maddie's house. (her cousin) I'll be sure to post pics when I get back!

Quotes Of The Day!

Had to write this down right now so that I wouldn't risk forgetting it...

Hailey "Who has to go poop? Mom do you have to go poop? (raises her hand) me me me me I do I have to go poop!!!"



Daddy "Hailey do you want to go to work with daddy tomorrow?"

Hailey "Daddy can I bring this (a toy shovel) and help you sweep the grass?"

Florida...

Here's a recap of our Florida trip...

Ashtyn had a lot of firsts on this trip! This was her first plane ride...the pilot let her take it for a test drive...Ashtyn's first time in the pool...she absolutely loved it!Nora and I hittin' the pool Fallin asleep in Mr Rose's arms...All the girls: Myself, Chelsea, Tighe, Elizabeth, and Amy
For her senior project Jordan had to write, produce and preform a 45 minutes show...it was unbelievable! I am so proud of her!
All the family members that could make it!

A beautiful day at the beach She can now officially sit up like a big girl with her cuz!

Jordan is a College Grad!

We had such a wonderful time staying at my Grandma Squire's house...we crammed as many people as possible in there...THANKS GRANDMA!

Hailey got to stay home with daddy for the long weekend!...I was a little nervous but they had a a great time and he even took her golfing...she loved it!

A Look Back

Two years ago my little sister's boyfriend of 2 years lost his life in a tragic motorcycle accident. It shook our entire family and it is something that we will never forget. His family lives in New York and we had never had the privilege of meeting. They decided to meet us in Florida for Jordan's college graduation. I had no idea how truly wonderful they were! We bonded with the Rose family immediately! I can't even begin to imagine what they have been through, and yet were all smiles. We felt such joy being around them. Mr. Rose plays the guitar and he would play us worship songs during the down time...His love for the Lord shines through his voice! I know this strength comes straight from the Lord.

Before his death, Josiah was planning on proposing. Jordan found the ring while going through his things. "You guys would have been the best in -laws" Mr. Rose told me. I assured him that they are our family regardless of what happened! I'm so thankful to have met them and hope that we continue to remain close throughout the years! They are planning a trip to visit us in Denver sometime in the near future. We are so excited!

Puzzles

Just thought I'd share Hailey's latest obsession...puzzles! She seriously wants to work on them at least 5 times a day if not more! It's amazing to see her actually put them together! I never knew I could be so proud of something so simple, but for Hailey this is great! She loves showing Ashtyn and scolds her when she gets drool on the pieces!
Just got back from an amazing trip to Florida! I can't wait to share about our trip...but am over booked with laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and a play date left on my to do list today...

Goin' Green...

If Maria (from The Sound of Music) can make dresses out of curtains...who says you can't use old dresses as curtains...

A Glimpse

Just a glimpse of how I felt today! :) Doesn't it make you want to join us in a play date! ha

Quote Of The Day:

Mommy- "stand up Hailey"

Hailey "no"

Mommy "We don't say no to mommy!"

Hailey "NO THANK YOU MOMMY!"

Seriously?

Snow in the middle of April...

Aunt Marti and Hailey in a poor man's sled!

Such a beautiful night to play in the snow...too bad we all don't have our snow gear!

We received almost 2 ft and Nate had to plow all night on Friday night!...it's supposed to be in the 70's all week now! ha

Easter

The Page Family Easter 2009

Grandpa Larry spoiling the girls...

Just finished the hunt... They were exhausted!

We love Aunt Amy!

Ashtyn doing her daily sit ups....it's hilarious! You'd think she'd have a six pack by now...a pop belly sounds a little more accurate!

Amy's centerpiece

Amy's beautiful Martha Stewart Table!...notice the napkins are folded like bunnies...

Uncle Taylor is the coolest...Hailey and Nora drag him around all day!

Mixing the cake batter...

Ready to decorate!

All finished...Easter Basket Cup Cakes!
When I think of traditions...I BAKE!

Not my craftiest...but they were fun!

Ashtyn and I snuggle at the Mammoth game!

Hailey loves Lacrosse games!

Trying to ride her new tricycle...since she has such low muscle tone it's a little difficult...but she loves to practice!

Meeting our neighborhood Easter Bunny!

Crackin' me up!

I love how the girls entertain each other while playing on an obvious jammy day! :)

My Little Easter Honey's

Hailey 3 1/2 years and Ashtyn 4 1/2 months!
Of course my smiley baby...isn't so smiley on picture day!

Favorite Quotes Of The Day!

"Hello Everybody!"- Hailey



"She makes our day!"- Mrs Kenneman (Hailey's preschool teacher)

Mixed Signals

Woke up to blizzardous weather...followed by a sunny afternoon! We tried to make the best of the mixed signals...

Our sad attempt at a snowman!

Just a Tease

I was just in my capris and flip flops the other day looking forward to summer...the next thing I know it's the biggest snow storm of the year! I have a love/hate relationship with the Colorado weather! Nate had to plow for 24 hours straight...but we survived!

Another day at the Children's Museum!

Love that Ashtyn's getting attached to the "lovie!" We have about 4 that feel the same..so we have lots of backups!

Nate and I have started a few more projects around the house! :) I'll post some pictures as we finish...

We've just been enjoying the incredible weather...

Love the new double stroller!

Ashtyn is getting big! She is officially 4 months today! We had her doc apt...I seriously was expecting them to say that she is in the 90Th percentile for weight...cause we think she's such a chunk...actually she's in the 50Th for weight and 75Th for height! I guess she just seems so huge to us because Hailey was always in the 5-10Th percentile! We do, however, have to take Ashtyn to see Orthopedics because her hip was popping...hopefully it's nothing! They also took Hailey's blood pressure and it was normal.

I also met another family with a little boy, Hailey's age, with WS. They came for a little play date on Saturday! He was so sweet and it was so nice to be able to talk to his mother and share our stories and struggles! There's not much going on in our area for WS children so I'm co-hosting an event at our house this summer! Excited to see how it goes!

...Still Going

Ok so it's mid-week and I promised an update! I was putting it off hoping I could just post...."and she's potty trained!" Well that, of course, is not my luck!

She is doing OK...the accidents happen when she is in time-out (probably to punish me for putting her there) and when we are headed in the house from being on one of our mini outings...I guess she's too eager to wait 'til we get inside!

I was having one of "those" mornings today where Hailey was being such a little booger...so of course she got a few times-outs...followed by a few accidents!

Until it arrived...da da daaaa...the Potty Watch! I ordered it last week and was eagerly awaiting it's arrival...thinking that maybe it will be like magic and help us finally finish this process. You can set a tamper proof timer to go off every 30, 60, or 90 minutes...it then lights up and plays a potty song! She loves it and hops right on pot whenever she hears it.
Yep it's shaped like a potty...you might think to yourself ..."how dorky a watch shaped like a potty." It can be shaped like a piece of poop for all I care...if it keeps her dry, it's my best friend!

I'll keep updated, hopefully my next post will be as a proud parent of a potty trained kid!...and if you are bold enough and to buy one of these for your child visit: http://www.onestepahead.com/ and type "potty watch"

Hilarious

So potty training is going extremely better than I expected! We even had to leave the house for an hour and a half. She only had one accident the entire day and it was after we had arrived home. I've been checking her "area"every few minutes and rewarding her for staying dry. When I asked her in front of a group of people if she needed to go potty she grabbed her crotch and yelled "I feel good!"...it was too funny!

R.I.P. Our Dear Sweet Binki

I have been dreading this day for a long time. The day we get rid of the Binki...one of the only things left that linked Hailey to a little girl. I never thought I would be one of "those moms." When I would see children walking around with the Binki in their mouths would think to myself "I would never let my child do that...I'm taking it away at a year!" Hailey's first birthday came and gone and I thought..."ok we'll go to 2 years." Then I read an article that said that Binki's don't cause dental problems until after 4. Sweet we've got time!
I was inspired by a friend with the success of her daughter's Binki's discharge. She would cut off a little more of the Binki each day until it was gone. I thought this was a great idea seeing as it would be so hard for Hailey to understand if we just went cold turkey. I was traumatized by even the thought, but decided to give it a try. Not to worry, if we (when I say we I really mean me) have a relapse I had backups close by. So I started on Monday...I got a little teary with the first snip...so lame I know, but can you blame me?

For a few months now, she was only allowed to have it in her bed. I was so curious as to what her response would be, so I handed it right to her..."No mommy this is Ashtyn's." I assured her that this was her Binki and reminded her what Ashtyn's looked like. "Oh this is broken!" she kept saying, until finally just decided to take it as is. That was it..she literally never complained again...everyday she would just take it until it was too short. She would then just sleep with it in her hand. I couldn't believe it! I had no idea that it would be this easy! So today as the final step we had a little funeral. She gave it one final kiss goodbye and then placed it in the ground!

It is safely laid to rest in our backyard.
Our last words:
Good bye our dear sweet Binki...you have been with us for 3 1/2 years now and have brought us through many church services, meetings, naps, car rides, movies, plane rides and countless nights and we thank you for you dedication and continual support! You will be missed!

I let her take her first nap in our bed...just cause I'm a softy. You can see she did great! However, it now takes her quit a bit longer to fall asleep...well she can lay there however long she wants, but we are NOT ready to give up naps! (again when I say we...I mean ME!)
Nate's out of town to Mexico for work (a tough job I know) and Hailey is out of school for 3 weeks so now that we've given up the Binki why not go ahead and finish up with completely giving up Pullups as well. We've had many many struggles with the whole potty training thing for well over a year! "I don't care if it KILLS me!" I am getting this girl 100%, no turning back potty trained this week. I'll be sure to keep all posted! If I don't you might want to call and make sure I'm still alive with my hair still intact.

A few fun pics from this week

PS...I'm still dealing with some major shock as to what happened on The Bachelor! He is ridiculous! Poor poor Melissa!

Rare Disease Day 2009

Just thought I'd give a shout out to Rare Disease Day 2009. This is a day to recognise and raise support for rare diseases.

A few things we've learned about rare diseases:

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are almost 7,000 rare diseases
affecting nearly 30 million Americans.

Nearly one in 10 Americans has a rare disease. Many of these diseases are genetic and
present at birth (although some genetic diseases may not become apparent until much
later in life). About half of the people known to be affected by rare diseases at this time
are children. One of NORD’s continuing themes is that everyone knows someone
affected by a rare disease. With so many different types of diseases, even though each
one is rare, the impact on the American population as a whole is significant. For that
reason, rare diseases are an important public health concern.

What are some of the problems experienced by people who have rare diseases?
• Difficulty in obtaining an accurate diagnosis
• Limited treatment options
• Difficulty finding physicians or treatment centers with experience in treating a
particular rare disease
• Treatments that are generally more expensive than those for common diseases
• Reimbursement issues related to private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid
• Difficulty accessing medical, social, or financial services or assistance because
those making the decisions are not familiar with the disease

Since Williams Syndrome is listed as a rare disease I thought I would join in and get the word out! To learn more or donate please click here: http://www.theprojectcharity.org/index.php

A little project

Well...not feeling too well these past few days! :( Haven't been sick in awhile so I guess I'm due!...what better way to pass the day than set up the kids with a movie and blog!

Here's before and after pics of a little project that Nate and I started after Christmas...when I say Nate and I...I really mean Nate. You can only imagine...there are 54 cupboards and drawers.

We had to take them off...sand, and then paint 3 coats...sand the edges and then 2 more coats of clear...remember each coat had to dry. I thought it would never get finished! Nate managed to finish them all in about a month!...

We still have a lot left that we would like to do...crown molding on the cupboards, back-splash tile...and the floors...but this was a fun and fairly inexpensive change to get us started! I guess if we get bored we can get started on the cupboards in the 3 bathrooms...

Ashtyn finally turned 3 months on the 17Th. I can now take her to the gym nursery! One of my favorite things...is getting time at the gym...it is so good for me physically and emotionally to have that time to myself everyday! My favorite are the spinning classes!....

So now that I'm going to be working out...I figured I best be gettin' healthy again! I had decided that after all the Valentine treats were finished...we are eating healthy! I was going to resist from making baked goodies for awhile! Literally within minutes of that thought...

DING DONG

My husband ordered 8 boxes of Girl Scout cookies...guess we'll have to start the diet next week! :)