TIME TO CATCH UP...

I will be hopefully taking some time soon to get all of our posts caught up from this very busy month. There has been so much that has happened, so much to share.

For now, looking forward to the new year I want to share something I have read recently that seemed to hit home for me. I have been reading a set of wonderful books that seem to be filled with the perfect things that I need right now...this was one of them.....

"Suppose for a moment that God began taking from us the many things for which we have failed to give thanks. Which of our limbs and faculties would be left? Would I still have my hands and my mind? And what about loved ones? If God were to take from me all those persons and things for which I have not given thanks, who or what would be let of me?"
- Patrick Henry Reardon

I am not planning to make any new resolutions except for this one - to do one little thing - say "thank you" as often as I possibly can. To show and tell my gratitude for all things little or big. To show my gratitude to all those around me through words and works. If I can do this one little thing, all year, it will be a great accomplishment.

As we look back on all that we have been blessed with, and forward to all that we will be blessed with, I hope that our gratitude to Heavenly Father, the Savior, and to all those around us will be always be in our hearts and minds. I know I am going to do my best to make sure it is in mine.

LOTS GOING ON

Well, photography has been keeping me pretty busy the last few weeks. I will put a short post here, but please be sure to go check out my photo blog to see all the fun I have been having recently. I have been playing with lots of new techniques and special projects as well as regular shoots for clients. I have learned a lot and keep on learning. There is just so much to know and do and I expect that this next year will hold lots of adventure in this department!

This next week is going to be crazy busy. Preston will be traveling, there are THREE music concerts, plus tons of extra appts for me and colton. I am sure there will be plenty of adventure to blog about next week, so be sure to stay tuned! I will post more then!

GO PANTHERS! UH, I MEAN BEAVERS! UH.....

Ceana has discovered football this year via participating in the high school pep band. She is loving this side of being in high school and all of the fun it has brought. This first pict is of ceana and her best friend Ana. It was the morning of the CHS Homecoming Pep Rally. I painted both the girls faces before they left for school. They were both all dressed in red and black (school colors) and they were literally jumping off the walls because they were so excited to attend their first homecoming activities. The pep band played at the ralley and other activities and the game that week.
The Panthers made it into the playoff round, much to everyone's surprise and excitement. The kids bundled up with extra layers to stay warm with our freezing temps and went out and had a blast playing music and watching the game. Preston took these on his new cell phone - not too bad....and I was thrilled to know he had gotten some so we could journal this for ceana

Ceana had me take this pict of her the night of the OR Civil War (OSU vs UofO) Because Preston graduated from OSU, we naturally hip and hooray for the Beavers. We were all saddened at their loss this year - esp that it meant losing to the Ducks, AND losing the PAC 10 championship, AND losing their chance to get to the Rose Bowl - yikes! We will look forward seeing what bowl game they do get to, and to a great season next year! GO BEAVS!

LITTLE MISS CHATTY KATHY

This little girl is just too smart for her britches. She is constantly watching all of us and apparently sucking it all in, including watching us talk on the phone. Kels is our little miss "sticky fingers", and the big kids are constantly being reminded to pick up and put away their school things so Kels doesnt get them. Well, one of the big girls' big monster scientific calculators got left out and Kels helped herself to it. When we all realized she was using it as a phone I got out the camera and just started quietly following her around.....
She LOVES buttons, and was more than happy to "dial up" whoever it was she thought she needed to talk to....
She was really having quite the conversation with herself - wish we had a video camera to capture all her antics....
Apparently whatever she or "the other person" said was uproariously funny....I was in hysterics trying to get the pict. I have almost an exact copy of this pict of Caiden about this age...every time I even think about those picts - and now this one - I laugh hysterically!

She got very serious for awhile, and the chattering she did on her "phone" went on for quite some time. Wish I could have heard that conversation and understood it all!

Way to multi-task - you go girl! She spent quite a bit of time walking and talking - boy is she learning it all early.....(dont you just love those pants she has on...they were kaeli's until a couple of years ago...they really do fit her around her middle, just a bit long, but probably not for long!)

OH, SOOOOO TIRED

Both Ky and Kels have pretty much stopped taking naps....which leads to some very tired and often very cranky kiddos by the end of the day. We usually try to do dinner early (5-ish) so we can get night jobs or homework finished. This last week or so though the kids have not even made it through dinner...
Every once in awhile I let the kids have a "picnic" in the TV room. The boys came in to tell me they were done so I went to check on kels - and this is what I found....she was totally out. Much to my dismay though, when I tried to move her to her bed she woke up. She thought she had had a power nap and was up for hours after that....


Ky has been in a "toast and choc milk" stage - at least we have moved from the only choc milk stage - he was running around crazy when I finally got him to come to the table and eat. I walked away for a few minutes and came back to him totally zonked. I think he did get through 1 piece of toast.....thankfully he was so out that he didnt wake back up and he was done for the night.

Sometimes the only way I get Ky to stop is to gather his blankets and pillow. I had separated everyone one day to just get everyone to chill out for awhile. He finally stopped for about 2 minutes and was totally out. He took a good long nap which helped a ton for us to get through an extra crazy day.

QUESTION: WHAT NOW?

Answer: I don't know....

After many sleepless nights filled with anxiety and dread my sleep study has come and gone.

I wish I could say things went well. The only thing that I guess went well enough was that we were able to rule out severe sleep apnea. I did have some slight breathing concerns, but not big enough to do anything about it. The other good thing was that I was again given the very kindest, nicest, sweetest nurses and technicians ever. That has been a true blessing each time I have needed to go to the hospital for anything.

I spent a mostly sleepless night at the sleep center. At least it felt that way to me. Their results actually clocked me with 6 hours of sleep. I cant even remember the last time I had that much sleep in one night. Even though those 6 hours were interrupted multiple times, it still left me with too much energy to complete the needed REM tests that they held me another 8 hours to do...and they ended up sending me home early with no further information to work with.

I am now just waiting for a phone call from the dr office to schedule a follow up appt. Not sure how far out that will be, or even if we get there, there will be anything that can really be done.

The disappointment was so overwhelming that I cried all the way home from the hospital. It is just one more, on the ever growing list, and I have lost the ability to hold back the tears.

At this point, we are right back to where we started. Still doing everything possible, but with no results and no answers. I really dont know what will come next....only the unknown.

A GRATEFUL HEART

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone in a whirlwind of activity and fun....it is crazy how you can spend weeks looking forward to this special day, and days preparing all the yummy foods and activities, and then the day has come and gone in the blink of an eye....

So much has been on my mind in the last couple of weeks, and I just havent taken the time to write things down. I have also still been struggling with many things, so it has been hard to write. I have a friend who has a saying "Fake it, til you make it" - meaning do it anyway, even if it is hard, eventually things will come out all right....

Today, I am writing, even though it is hard, and I will just try to keep in mind that maybe someday my efforts will will bring something positive to the future....

Moments I am thankful for:
*the ever changing colors of Fall
*the wonders of nature - breathtaking colors of sunrises that change in minutes, or seeing a low thick cloud literally stuck in the tree tops of a densely wooded hill
*holding a sick little boy snuggled in his favorite blanket (Curious Gerge) and rocking in my favorite chair
*holding a very tired little girl, snuggled in her favorite blanket (a hand crocheted afghan that belonged to her great-grandma that she is named after) rocking in that same chair, listening to lullabies on the CD player
*rain on the skylights in our room
*heaters and the fireplace in our bedroom
*listening to Kaeli laugh and sing with little people when she helps get them tucked in bed
*a husband who does dishes and laundry just about every day
*Ky asking to watch Thomas (the train) on my "puter" (computer)
*Unexpected phone calls from far away friends
*Soaking in a hot bath with jets on, a good book, and snacks on hand
*The sound of rain, frogs chirping, surf against the shore, and the white noise of a fan running
*The technology of blogs that help me keep a detailed, consistent family journal
*listening to preston and big kids as they talk about the fun they are having serving families and taking care of livestock during the long weekend
*putting together thank you baskets with my big girls
*watching Ceana smile and laugh as she chats with friends on the computer
*Ky screaming "Mom! You're Home!" and wrapping himself around my legs every time I come home from somewhere
*Days with sunshine, even if just a little bit
*Getting that perfect shot and knowing I nailed it during a shoot, esp of my kiddos
*Snickers snack size bars
*Hearing my children laughing
*Kaeli's yummy homemade bread that is just out of the oven & slathered with butter & jam
*Christmas music
*Dear friends whose hugs mean the world to me
*Dear friends who have become our family
*Reading the same picture book with Kels over and over just so she can turn the pages
*A warm home, a good stable job, food to eat, clothes to wear, a safe place to live
*Doctors and specialists who truly care and have become good friends
*Children's Tylenol & Motrin, ear thermometers, Neosporin and Band-aids
*Watching and listening to Caiden sing in the church choir
*Watching and listening to Colton as he is learning to read and seeing the light start to turn on
*Chocolate pecan pie
*Eating a friend's homemade stuffing - soooo YUMMY!
*A dear friend sharing Thanksgiving leftovers
*Hearing a dear friend tell us that she loves us, and knowing that she truly means it as much as we love them
*Watching an afternoon fill with many tiny blessings because Heavenly Father knows that sometime in the future someone is going to need my blood more than I do
*Baked potatoes and yams, esp with butter and other yummy toppings
*Celtic Woman, Josh Groban, Nat Cole and Celine Dion Christmas music
*Having fresh farm eggs in shades of green and pink mixed in with the white "store" eggs
*Watching Caiden cook and enjoy corn bread (his FAVE) muffins all by himself

I may take time to come back and edit this post as I think of more things, but this is a good start

THANXGIVING EVE

I came home from some errands to find my kitchen full of all of "my" big girls. Our 2 best friends' families had sent their big girls over to join us for a day of fun in the kitchen. I love moments like this when all the stresses have been set aside and the girls just enjoy each other creating something yummy for all of us. I found myself in a much lighter mood too, which was a great relief to have a small moment of peace and lightness in all of the struggles I continue with.
Having all the big girls there was not only fun, but a HUGE help! They knocked out all the yummy goodies we needed to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner in a very short time, 3 of which they had done all by themselves before I even had gotten home. The big girls really did all of the work, and I was mostly just there to supervise...here is a list of all the goodies:
great grandma's family recipe brownies, yummy potatoes, everything from scratch cherry pies, new recipe pumpkin cake(with cream cheese frosting!), homemade bread and rolls, chocolate cream pies, great grandma's famous tomato soup cake (our favorite tweak is to add choc chips and make muffins),pie crust cookies, and ORCA fruit salad.
Part of the fun, of course, is being able to eat all these yummy things. Our 3 families very much enjoyed eating the "fruits" of our labors and will always remember this special day spent together!
Kaeli is also our awesome frosting maker. She did 2 different kinds of frosting for yummy treats. Of course she got to lick the beaters too...at least for the choc frosting. None of the kids were too impressed with the cream cheese frosting, but it sure was yummy to me!
Ky usually doesnt want me to take his picts...but since all the big girls were getting their picts taken he wanted one too...I love the way this turned out because of the unusual angle - he is just such a squirt I just tilted the camera down and took his pict standing right under the camera...his eyes are a little droppy because (we didnt realize at the time) the poor little mister has picked up a nasty cold....

THANXGIVING EVE I

Kels was not content to sit and miss out on all the action. The girls hollered at me and I turned around and this is what I found - Kels right in the middle of everything with the big girls. I really had a hard time taking picts, we were all hysterical - as you can see by JaNay laughing her head off....It really is no wonder that Kels is doing and saying so much. She doesnt let things go by her at all - she wants in on everything, and we usually let her....

Kels wanted to help JaNay, so she started sprinkling the flour into the pie crusts. JaNay couldnt stop laughing and the more we laughed, the more Kels "helped"

All ky wanted to do to help was to "cut" the dough. Ceana was so sweet with him to help him use the lattice tool to cut out the pieces for the top crust. He thought he was big stuff and it was fun to find such a simple way to make him so happy.

THANXGIVING EVE II

I had Morgan help me with the homemade cherry filling for the pies. She was so awesome at it too. The filling turned out such a perfect, beautiful color! Way to go Morgan and thanx tons for helping!

Kaeli also put the lattice crust on the pies - she said she wanted to be "Snow White" - she put lattice tops on her pies too apparently....

Kaeli's beautiful bread. She really is amazing, I just dont know how she does it - a blessing of a gift given to be awesome in the kitchen!