Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat

Smell my feet
 
Give me something good to eat.

Hope all you trick or treater's are having a safe fun night.

kiss the pumpkin....

kiss the pumpkin....

and just maybe this will be the magical pumpkin that turns into a MEEE (cement mixer)
you never know after all it is Halloween.
anything could happen.

Get that spooky pumpkin far away from me!

Happy Moolloween!


My little calf wearing turquoise in honor of baby Andrew
and every baby who lost their fight against CDH.

Heavy Heart

My heart is heavy tonight.
Heavy for Gene and Becky.
Their sweet baby boy
Andrew Hobbs
Lost his battle against CDH.

I am speechless and in tears.
why god? why god?

I could only imagine the pain the Hobbs family is feeling.
(((((((((((((((Hugs)))))))))))))))

Wild Halloween Party

This morning we had a little taste of Halloween. The MOMS club threw a spooky Halloween party.Well it wasn't really spooky since most the children were five and under.It was more of a Wild Halloween party. Their were witches,snow white,the cutest baby duckling,two cows,mummy,fairy,pirate,Dorothy,snow white (I am not repeating myself we really did have two lovely snow whites). A train conductor,a couple of cats,Mickey Mouse,an alien,flower,,leopard,Pirate,Alice in wonderland.,a baby bat.It was a wild time.

We played duck duck goose,ring around roses,toss the balloon,cows riding rockets,a spooky story time, playing the drums. It was a wild wild wild time. Oh and the best game of all was wrap your mummy.

We ate cookies,mummy pizza's,spooky cheese ball,yummy in your tummy Halloween cup cakes and much more. Needless to say it's not even the day of Halloween and I am already feeling like I need to hit the gym.

It was a very Wild Halloween Party

We had a wild time!
Now it's time to carve pumpkins and toast pumpkin seeds.
I love Halloween!
What is your favorite thing about Halloween?

My little bear cub

This was Owain last year at  Halloween....

I thought he was the cutest little bear to crawl(he wasn't walking yet) the planet.
I think Owain would disagree.
Wondering what costume of torture I will be making Owain where this year.Any guesses?

I am not getting sick!

Like any other Thursday Owain and I headed off to story time at our neighborhood library. It was raining but that didn't stop us. We rarely miss story time. Owain loves to pop the bubbles and play with all of his friends. Before our lovely story teller Natalie got started she made  announcement "I don't know how many of you were here on Monday but Peter is sick with the swine flu." Peter is our Monday story teller. and yes Owain and I were their on Monday. We rarely miss a story time. I thought to myself well I feel great!

A couple of hours later my body started to ache. Now my body and my head aches. I am not scared of the swine flu but I am praying to god that I am not getting sick.I really don't want to miss out on all the Halloween parties we were planning on attending.I was going to make mummy Pizza's. I don't want to miss out on all the fun.I am not getting sick! Not not me!

The good news is I have no fever,no cough just an ache body but most likely if I am still feeling ache  tomorrow morning I will have to miss out on the Halloween party Owain and I were planning on attending.Just in case I am getting sick I don't want to risk exposing anyone else.Especially all of Owain's little friends.

I am not getting sick!
I am not getting sick!
I am not getting sick!

Prayer request

Happy First Birthday Stellan! 
Most of you in the blog world know who Mckmama is and her youngest Stellan. They really need our prayers right now as Stellan is spending his birthday in the hospital.

                                                                                                             
I realize it has been awhile since I posted about all of our CDH warriors.Sorry for being a blog slacker. Even though you may not see a post on this blog. Everyday morning,noon and night I am praying for all of our CDH warriors.

Jaime has had quite the  CDH roller coaster ride. Anyone that has reluctantly  been on the CDH roller coaster ride knows there are many bumps before you get to a slow steady track.Jaime just had a recurrence. He had another repair surgery this past Monday and is having a very tough recovery.Please pray for sweet little warrior Jaime,his parents Sheryl,Tom and big brother Jared.You can read more about Jaime and his recovery here. Stop by say "hello" give them a virtual (((hug))). I know first hand when you have a child sick in the hospital reading comments on your blog of encouragement really can lift your spirits up.

Andrew is having a really tough time coming off of ECMO (lung/heart by pass machine) Please pray that Andrew's little body is getting plenty of rest while on ECMO so when the time comes to being weaned his body will be strong enough that he will no longer need ECMO.Keep his parents Gene and Becky in your prayers during this difficult time.You can visit Andrew's blog here.Thank you.


Chase is in a similar situation as Andrew.Tomorrow the Doctors are going to try and wean him off of ECMO again. Please pray that they will be successful this time. Keep his parent Brian and Arah in your prayers.Thank you.


Thank You for taking the time and reading about all of our CDH warriors.
Thank You for leaving a comment of encouragement on their blog. It mean more than you could ever imagine. Unless you have been in similar shoes then you understand how much it touches your heart to know people all over the world are praying for your baby. It truly is amazing what the power of prayer can do. 

While your praying say a little big prayer for all the CDH babies that are preparing for battle against CDH.Pray for their families as they are  about to board the reluctant  CDH roller coaster ride.
 Thank you thank you thank you

If you have a prayer request or would like me to add your blog on the side bar please let me know.

                                                                                         
Some one brought to my attention that they were unable to leave a comment.Makes perfect sense I was wondering why nobody left comment anymore. My strong witty husband is working on that right now. He is pretty computer savvy I am not.Hopefully the problem will be fixed soon because we like to hear what you have to say!

I just got word the comments are working again! 
Hip hip hooray!
So leave a comment I want to see if it is really  working.and I would love to here from you!


                                                                                           
In Owain news he finally hit the 20lb. mark. This is HUGE! We have been trying to fatten this kid up since day one. For ten months now our goal was to get him to  20lbs and that day has finally arrived. We celebrated. I baked him a cake with sprinkles. We ate the cake he ate the sprinkles. We still have a long way to go with our picky little eater. More on that later.but I am tickled pink that our almost two year old finally weighs 20lb.


Thanks for stopping by!




H1N1 media hype-r-allergenic?

First off, I want to thank the media for creating the largest feeding frenzy in a decade with it's aggressive hype of the H1N1 strain.  Not only is there an extreme lack of world news coverage, but people are going NUTS!  H1N1, yes is extremely contagious, just like the regular flu which is shown by how wide spread it currently is.  But does it deserve the hype of being more deadly?  Are the vaccinations safe?  And are the technicians poking your children with needles telling you everything about the vaccination they are poking them with?  These are questions I will attempt to answer in this post.

There are many different strains of influenza that have come an gone over the millennia.  The worst in recorded history had to be the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic which killed 20-40 million people (http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/ .) "Each year in the United States on average, 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; on average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications, and; about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes." (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/) Taking this into consideration, H1N1 is on par with the "normal" flu, its just that the "normal" flu changed quickly enough to where our immune system can not recognize it, which is called 'antigenic shift'.  For this reason we have to get the "normal" flu shot every year, except the "normal" flu changes much more gradual which is called 'antigenic drift'.  So in essence, H1N1 seems to be just as, but not more dangerous as the "normal" flu unless there is another 'antigenic shift' in the close future which could be devastating.(plausibly)

Vaccinations on the other hand are safe, to a point.  The CDC states that all vaccinations are non-infections, even the nasal mist which contains a live(weakend) culture.  What many don't know is that for the H1N1 vaccine and others, there are usually multiple types of vaccines.  There is the mist which we just talked about, available for children over 2.  Just picture it, a room full of 2,3,4,5 year old children all getting their "shots" and not crying for fear of being poked!  Sounds like a dream from my childhood!  Heck!  I would even opt for the mist if I could.  The second is your standard shot which comes in a vial, the doctor draws it, and shoots it in, pretty easy and safe right?  This is where I get a little concerned. In that vial is a chemical called THIMEROSAL (http://www.cdc.gov/Flu/about/qa/thimerosal.htm) which is also known as ethylmercury.  Everyone should be aware that mercury metabolization can be harmful or even life threatening. It truly depends on the weight/quantity ratio of an individual that is exposed.  Since the 30's Thimerosal has been used in vaccinations as a preservative to combat potentially deadly contamination which is very important, however there have been documented cases where children vaccinated have developed autism from vaccines with Thimerosal (http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/thimerosal.php). Generally these cases are considered allergic reactions to the preservative.  Steps are being made to eliminate ethylmercury from early childhood vaccination schedules states the FDA (http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228), who has approved the amounts used in vaccines.  Still the influenza vaccine is the heaviest user of the preservative.

I am sure there are a few of you that have heard of this, but the majority probably has not.  Next time you go to the flu clinic, H1N1 clinic or have your routine vaccinations, it my be well worth your time, child's safety and your safety to ask for the THIMEROSAL free vaccine.  This is what we did today, and when they said "We are out" (then tried to SELL us on safety of the other) we walked out to find someone with the "Safer" version.  Its not that we are scared that there could be an adverse or unsuspected allergic reaction to this or any vaccine, it's just the fact we are unsure, so better to err on the side of caution.

The FDA site is the best at providing adequate information on which preservitives are used in specific vaccines.

And to the MEDIA,  you guys don't know when to stop beating a dead cow!  GIVE US SOME GOOD NEWS!

Please make an educated decision.

Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkin Paint'in



Meet my fury daughter....

Meet Phoebe...

Phoebe and I go way back.

Going on twelve years.

Before I fell in love with my husband.

Before I became a mommy.

She was my only baby for the longest time.

Now things have changed.

With a toddler in the house Phoebe goes into hiding.

She only comes out when it's quiet.

99.9% of the time Little man is sleeping.

Night time is our time to play.

For a kitty going on twelve she still loves to play like a kitten.

I look forward to our time in the evenings.

I love my kitty Phoebe.

She is my fury,litter box using,fish breathe daughter.



Things that GO!


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Owain has a special place in his heart  for all things that go!

Monster truck,back hoe,fire truck,crane,garbage truck,hot rod

cement mixer,motorcycle,skate board,tank truck,scooter

bicycle,ambulance,steam roller,semi-truck,air plane,roller skates

helicopter,jet ski,tractor,sail boat,hot air balloon,train

Well you get the idea?

He is very precise how he lines up all of his things that go.

If one should accidentally fall over all by it self.

He may have a major melt down.

Not to major,he calms down rather quickly

Knowing he has a job that must be done.

All of the things that go must line up precisely.

It's amazing what the power of prayer can do!

Please join me in saying a prayer for warrior Andrew he is having a really tough time battling against CDH.Pray for his parents and family to have strength during this difficult time. Visit their blog and leave a comment of encouragement or simple cyber ((hug))

Another CDH warrior that needs our prayers is Chase and his family like Andrew he is currently on ECMO and having a difficult time being weaned off ECMO.

It's amazing what the power of prayer can do!

Thank You

I have a weakness....

I have a weakness....
Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate
Yup that pretty much sums that up.
Anything chocolate I love!
Chocolate is my weakness.
Who doesn't like chocolate?
and if you don't like chocolate I want to know what planet you are from?


Chocolate became my weakness when I was a young girl. My mom would make these to die for no bake cookies. Seriously they are the best chocolate cookie I have ever tried.I can't just eat one and that is where it gets kinda dangerous to have no bake's just laying around.Well if I am around they won't be laying around for long. Today I am going to share with you my mom's No bake cookies. They really are no bakes no oven needed just a stove top. They are a little tricky to get them just right. It took me a few hundred times until I mastered the art of the no bake cookie. Seriously they are to die for!

No Bake Cookis
1 cube butter
3tbsp.cocoa (oh yeah!)
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1tsp. vanilla
1-2tsp. peanut butter (optional)
1/3 cup coconut (optional)
Oatmeal (I never measure the Oatmeal I just pour until it's kinds thick but not to thick)

Combine all ingredients except vanilla,oatmeal,coconut in a pot. Bring to soft ball stage. This is where it gets kinda tricky it helps to have a candy thermometer. Then add vanilla,oatmeal until thick. Drop on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Let the cookies cool. Once they are cooled they should harden. If they are a sticky gooey mess then you know they never reached the softball stage. 

Enjoy!
Just to give you of an idea how much I love chocolate as  I type I am sipping on a hot chocolate with a melted peanut butter cup. Oh yeah chocolate and peanut butter! Doesn't get much better than this.

What is one of your weaknesses?

Not Me!Monday!




I love Mondays. 

Why? you ask.

Truth be told most people I know dread Mondays. Mondays usually mean you have to go back to work. No more lazy Sundays. When Monday morning rolls around you know it's time to get out of your stinky two day wearing pajamas and it's time to be productive.You know that at least some weekend in the past you to wore the same pajamas for a 48 hour period.Everybody has at least had one of those blissful lazy weekends.So don't judge me I fully admit I treasure those weekends of laziness.

 In all reality I am not one of those people who hate Mondays.  I look forward to it. Simple because I get to share with my fellow bloggers (you) all of my imperfections.Thanks to Mckmama for creating Not Me Mondays.  I don't know what  I would do with out it.I just might have one heck of a therapy bill.

Thank goodness for Mondays

A conversation I did not  have with my strong witty husband earlier this week

my strong witty husband  "hey babe...um Owain's bedding is all wet?"
me " go ahead and throw it all in the washer..the washer is empty"
my strong witty husband "ok..no problem" 


We go about our day.
On our way home from running errands with a tired toddler in the backseat ready for bed.


I asked my strong witty husband "you put Owain's bedding in the dryer"
He replied "did you start the washer?"
me "I thought you did after all you put his bedding in"
his response "oh well you should of been more specific."


Darn me for not being more specific. I can't believe I forgot  to tell him when you throw a load of laundry in the wash with soap you always have to turn the knob to light,cold cycle.Then the washing machine will do it's magic and walla the clothes Owain's bedding  will be clean!

Gotta love my strong witty husband.He truly is one of a kind.
Speaking of him as  I type he is not folding  laundry all on his own.

My cat is not  terrified of my toddler. She has no reason to run for her life when she see's him running towards her waving both arms in the air screaming "ahahahahahaahaaaa"

She doesn't hide all day until our hyper toddler is asleep.One of her hiding spots is not the hallway closet. She does not claw her way back to the safest spot from a hyper toddler. The very back of the closet. In the process all of my blankets,sheets whatever might be in the closet does not end up on floor.


Nope not my kitty. I am not sure who's closet that might be or who's cat? Do any of you have a clue as who?

I have not been an emotional wreck today,the day before or three day before. Nope not me! Life is perfect.You see whenever we have a bill to pay or simple need to buy a new pair of shoes just for fun we go out to our money tree and pick,pick,pick.Don't you wish you had a money tree?

As I hurry up with my not me post I don't  have a screaming headache. Nope not my head. It certainly does not feel like any minute my head is about to explode. My headache that I don't have is not caused from Pepsi withdrawals. I am not once again trying to give up the one thing I love to drink.  I hate Pepsi! Why the heck would I drink that unhealthy for you full of suger soda beverage?So I an not trying to give it up. Nope not me!

My sweet little boy does not have some unusual sleeping positions. He certainly did not get his crazy sleeping positions from his momma. Nope not me!  I am not known to sleep the butterfly.....

I did not just erase a picture of me sleeping the butterfly that my strong witty husband secretly took of me.

When we went to visit our good friends new baby boy Truman. I did not have complete baby envy.

Isn't he adorable?
Doesn't make you want to have another one?

you spend me right round.....

you spin me right round,daddy.

like a record,daddy
 
right round round round
 
you spend me right round,daddy
 

Not Me!Monday!

 


While strolling my twenty month son through the grocery store I did not hand him a package of birthday candles to keep him occupied while I shopped. I did not completely forget that he had the candles and when I looked down at my darling little boy I did not discover that he managed to open them and he did not have at least four birthday candles hanging out of his mouth.Nope not my child! He would never! Later in the evening when he wouldn't eat any of his snacks or dinner. I did not think to myself "does candles count as a food group"That would just be plain crazy!

I wasn't completely embarrassed when company was over and our toilet was completely clogged up.While my husband worked on the clogged toilet and did not run quickly to our master bath and do a quick clean before letting our guess use the bathroom. You see my house is never a mess. Everything is nicely clean. You might say I keep a perfectly clean house.

I did not jump for joy when I discovered Mckmama is now on Face Book and wasn't ecstatic when I was her four hundredth friend not her thousand and something.I am not one of those people who are completely addicted to Face Book. Nope not me!  I never get the urge first thing in the morning,afternoon,evening,while everyone is sleeping to check my status on FB.I do have a life!

Head on over to Mckmama's for more Not Me!Mondays!

Hope




Two years ago I was six months pregnant with my little man.

We were excited. Our first child a boy named Owain.

A boy with a life threatening birth defect CDH.

We first learned of this only a month before.

We were terrified of the unknown.

But hopeful.

One of the things that helped us cling onto hope

meeting CDH survivors like Owen

and buying our unborn son clothes.

Like these adorable Oshkosh jeans

we bought two years ago

in hope that our little man would one day wear them.

And that day is today!

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The Perfect Pumpkin!

One of my favorite things about fall is going to the pumpkin patch. Last year we didn't get to go. So I made sure that the very first day the Lieapod Pumpkin Patch was open for the season. We hopped in the car and off we went to find the perfect pumpkin!

But first before we could find the perfect pumpkin Owain just had to play in the sand corn kernel sand box.

Once Owain was covered in sand corn kernel dust. It was time to move on to our next adventure! A hay ride pulled by a tractor! This was the high light for Owain. After all he is the #1 fan of all things that go!

Look at ME! I am on  tractor hay ride! and I got a pumpkin flower!

Now that the hay ride is over it's time to find the perfect pumpkin!


I found it!


I found the perfect pumpkin!

Not Me! Monday!

After a several month absence I decided that I needed to join in the Not Me! Monday carnival.
So I am back!
Back to confess my imperfections.




After a several month hiatus from Not Me! Monday I did not realize how therapeutic Not Me! Monday! really is. Mckmama certainly wasn't brilliant by creating Not Me! Monday so us momma's could fess up or not fess up our imperfections.

While capturing my little man's creativity with my digital camera he did not throw his paint brush right smack in the middle of my forward and I certainly did not chuckle.

I did not spend at least an hour scrubbing paint off of the walls and I most certainly did not go about my day with  dried paint on my forehead. Nope not me!

As I type and confess all my imperfections  to all my fellow blogger's next to me is not my wicker laundry basket over flowing with at least six loads of clean laundry.I would never dream of being so lazy and not fold and put away all laundry as it comes hot out of the dryer. I am not lazy!

I did not put away nearly all of the dishes in the dish washer before I realized the dishes were still dirty. I did not have to go back into the drawers and cupboards to pull out of the clean dirty dishes to only have to reload and start the dishwasher all over again.Why would I make more work for myself?


And I did not suspect a certain  little someone of turning off the dishwasher.He would never

While changing my little man's diaper he did not strike this pose...

and I most certainly did not run into the other room and grab my camera so I could capture his new yoga pose.  and I would never post it on this blog  to share with all of you!Nope not me!

Early today my little man did not throw one of the worlds greatest tantrums.I did not think to myself "WOW! and the Oscar goes too...."

I never find my little man sleeping in the oddest positions....

Nope not my little man!

Looking for a therapeutic way to release some stress and confess your imperfections head over to Mckmama's and join in the fun. I promise you won't regret it! I feel better all ready!