Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Last day of 2008: PJ Fun Day!




Well today it was way to cold to go out. I think it stayed 45 below zero all day long. So I made an executive decision that today would be PJ Fun day. We would play all day and do fun things! What a way to end out the year 2008! Ian did have a problem with staying in PJs all day long he wanted to "pick out his outfit" so he picked out some fleecy sweats to wear.




Ian the future ROCK STAR!



We had nice warm foods all day long and watched our new movies that the boy got for Christmas. Followed by warm chocolate milk and our Craft Project! Look for it in your mailbox here shortly! I had done something like this with Ian when he was a baby and made a pillow for everyone...this blog that I read daily perked up my memory: Just For Fun

LET IT SNOW!!

Start off with Painted White Foot Prints
Ian enjoyed painting Blake's foot!



Decorate how you want - Blake is applying snow flakes. He also helped with the hats on the snowman's head!



Ian applying snowflakes, He enjoyed painting the noses and some hats as well

The finished product: 12 Let It SNOW pictures!




I hope to have a nice rest before waking up in 2009. This will be highly likely because Blake is getting his 12 month molars. All four at them at the same time! I have been ora gel-ing, having him suck on Popsicles, Tylenol-ing, massaging gums - hes has been quite the pillmister the last few nights. So much that he just wants to be held and he has NEVER been a co-sleeper! One has broken thru - lets just hope that the other 3 will pop and this mess will be over with!!

I leave you with my wish for you for 2009:

May peace break into your house. May thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like bubble gum and may only laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell always of success. May happiness slap you across the face and your only tears be those of joy. May the problems you had, forget your address!


Monday, December 29, 2008

North Pole Ice Park


We had a blast at the North Pole Ice Park. :) The kids had fun (grownups included)!


Playing in negative temps!

Grandma and Blake down the ice slide


Ian down the Ice Slide


Ian, Gram Gram and Grandpa Ron playing in swirly ice thingy. (sorry mom, to cute of a picture not to put up. she requested no pics of her on the website! hehe)




Ready to go home...had to get a pic of North Pole AK!






Christmas update...





My Mom and Ron were out here for about a week. Despite Ian and I being sick for about 2-3 days - and then Ron getting sick a couple of days later we had a great visit. Lots of fun playing at the house a trip to the UAF Museum, out to eat at few of my favs - trip to some of the fun stores in town. We were going to go Dog Mushing, but the dropping temps said otherwise. Glad that Mom and Ron were able to experience 40 below zero. Not sure how much they appreciated that since they are from Va Beach!! haha.

Christmas day was super fun. The boys got some great gifts from Santa's from all over the lower 48! Here are a few pictures from Christmas! Ian & Blake have enjoyed watching all the movies, reading books, playing games and playing with toys - not to mention staying cozy in new PJS!

The rocketship that Ians been asking every Santa for!

Rachet the transformer!

Blake opening up his present


Blake first thing in the morning, waking up!




Santa at the school





Baby its cold outside....

This picture says it all!!! this was taken 28 Dec around 3pm!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Sometimes I wish...

I had the skills of a plumber & washer machine repair person.

WHY you ask ??

Well for starters, my dear husband, left without showing me how to shut the water off and change the water filter on our water-thing-a-ma-bob. Well let me rephrase: shut off the water to the house - there are so many nobs out there. I know how to change the filter, but I am scared to try in fear of water spewing all over the place! Of course I am blaming this on him; even though I have watched him countless time and Im sure that he has showed me countless times, but the time that I wanted to learn, and was ready to pay attention was right before the deployment - stress galore - so lets add Plumbing 101 for Kristin! So, this little lesson got shoved to the end of the "to do list" and never got done. Now, my water pressure is pretty low. Im pretty sure I could pee with more force than my shower spits out!

Now on to problem number two: water temperature. I am not sure if because of the recent drop of temperatures that its taking longer for our water to heat up faster - it is coming from way down below the frozen ground from our well.... Well I looked at the damn contraption for nearly 45 min looking for a temperature gauge of some sort... unless its starting right at me, I couldn't find it. And there is NO owners manual to this thingy! I think its called a broiler?!

It doesnt help that most of my lady friends are military families and the husband is overseas...

OH - and to top it off my washer machine broke today - and its monday - and on mondays I do wash... so im going to be SUPER behind because the fix it man wont' come until the 26th. Thank god for warranty! I thought I would go a little "green" and buy the water efficient front loader ones - they are FAB - but barley a year and a half old it breaks...crappie...I must have a super dirty family...

UGH....

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Jeff says hi!

Here is a picture of Jeff. The story behind this picture is that Al Qaeda once lived in this house, or did something to this house - hence the hand prints. That is the mark of Al Qaeda. All the Iraqis wont' go near the mark for fear of something bad would happen... I guess Jeff doesn't think that... He says Hello!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Jingle take two

Ok, so the first video ending not so well I thought we would try another one... Blake didn't want to stick around...prob a good thing b/c he would have knocked out his brother this time! :)

Christmas Video

Here is a little Christmas video of the boys. We are attempting to sing Jingle Bells. Blake got a little to 'jingley' with his bell....

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Missing Daddy

Today I am feeling a little better - yesterday was the pits - Ian has the stomach bug. He is felling a little better...but not quite there yet. He is also missing Daddy big time today - took a picture of our fridge (full of daddy) and was walking around the house crying. So sad! Also, Blake has taken to love his "Blankie" he has his pacifier... but now he likes his blanket and his is pacifier. Heaven forbid if we take them away!





ps - I have found a new addiction: picnik.com (great for editing pictures!)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Potty Training

SO - potty training was going ok...then Ian got a stomach bug which forced me to put up pullups b/c it was awful! So now we have taken a million steps backwards. The bug is still around so I need pull ups until its all cleared up.... I need to hire someone to potty train for me... why does parenting have to be so hard? :)

Anywho...here is a cute picture of Proud Ian when we were going pee pee on the potty!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Waving hi to Daddy. Happy Thanksgiving!
Better one - without the passy! My loves, my boys!

I am thankful for all of my friends and family! My good friend Dawn and her daughter Reagan met us at the DFAC on post to enjoy a Thanksgiving Dinner. It was so yummy and I didn't have to cook or clean up either! I think we are going to start doing this every year! :) Enjoy our pictures!





Thursday, November 27, 2008

Seattle Pictures.




Although the trip to Seattle was very stressful. We did enjoy ourselves very much- despite all the talk about Ian's Brain. Ian really got to know his Aunt Brooke, Uncle Spencer and his cousin Kaylee. We went to the zoo, and went shopping (shopping in Fairbanks is scarce!), and had some great food (also, not many restaurants up here). He also enjoyed the airport very much. We had gotten to the airport early in Seattle, ate dinner and watched the planes take off and land. He even got to meet the pilot! He thought was the coolest thing ever! So here are a few pictures. ENJOY.



Ian and his cousin Kaylee



Ian and some animal - Can't remember what it was.





Ian liked playing with Dora's hair!

Ian and Kaylee "raced' with jackets on every night before bed. So cute.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Update

We were off to Seattle Childrens yesterday. A beautiful hospital, that would be my dream job to work there! It was wonderful, kid friendly, bright colors. As soon as you walked in you felt welcomed. They had a greater on every floor. I must have looked super lost because she walked right up to me. She asked where I needed to go...I choked when I said Neurosurgery. Never in a million years did I think that I would be in a consultation about my child with a neurosurgeon. But if I were to do it - it was a good thing that I was doing it there. They are in the top 10 Childrens Hospitals in the Country. Also, the doctor that I was going to was voted best doctor in Seattle for 2006-2007.

So he was in surgery so we had to wait on him...not a big deal at all. Just made my nerves a little hyped up. We chat with him...Good news. He is NOT calling it a tumor. He is calling it a lesion. So pretty much hes not sure what it is. A lesion is some form of brain injury. That part I don't understand. I was so emotionally drained and It was just Ian and I - I really wasn't thinking right to ask the right questions, nor did I follow my own advice when I tell patients at my work - write down questions to ask the doctor before you go into the visit.

So, with this lesion we are going to do a follow up MRI in 3 months. We are not in the clear yet - if this "thing" changes shape, position, size we return to see the surgeon and discuss a biopsy. And then go from there. If there is NO change in 3 months we will have an MRI every 6 months for a few times then it will go yearly. All results will be sent to Seattle Children's and they will discuss Ian's case in front a a tumor board. He did say that Ian could have this thing for ever and never bother him. However, if it did change size, shape or position - it would be classified as a tumor and he said that he would be 90% sure it would be benign.

I cannot thank you all enough for all the great thoughts, messages, prayers! We just need to pray now for no growth and just maybe, maybe the next MRI it could be gone. I know that is wishful thinking - but now I can relax just a little and enjoy my brother-in-law and sister-in-law a little more and enjoy playing with thier little girl Kaylee- pictures to come. They have been wonderful to us so far! :) I can't thank them enough.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

"My God, in Him I will trust"

So I flew into Seattle yesterday (Thursday) and saw the pediatric Neurologist today. I got the worse news possible: "Your son has a low grade glioma" which in layman terms, he has a tumor, but if it were to any type of tumor, this is the one that you would want.

We are off to Childrens Hospital of Seattle to see a Neurosurgeon tomorrow and talk about what our plan is from here. It still could be something just super tiny that he will have for the rest of his life - or could be something horrible that I am not quite ready to grasp yet. As of right now I am a mess. I am keeping strong and trying not to let my mind wander and cry every time he says something cute or even enters the room.

Right now I am just thinking why me, why did God choose Ian to go through this. Why did God choose this time in my life to present this with Jeff deployed and a house in AK with 2 dogs and a 15 month old. What is his ultimate goal? What am I learning from this? How is this supposed to make me stronger?

My mom sent me this bible verse and I am clinging onto it for dear life! Psalm 91, verse 2, "I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Brush Brush Brush




Your teeth so they are nice and clean... My kids make me smile!



The boys ready for bed!


Thursday, November 6, 2008

Trip to Seattle

So with Ian's headaches, eye pain and an abnormal Brain MRI - we have won a golden ticket to see a Pediatric Neurologist in Seattle. YEA! Can you hear my sarcasm!? Just waiting on my orders to be cut and then I guess I will be contacting SATO to get my travel vouchers. This is all new to me and to be working with the Army is like pulling teeth - so we'll see how much hair turns grey this trip! haha.

My good friend Dawn will be watching Blake during my 3 day stay at Seattle. Bringing him would just be much more stressed. It will be very hard to leave him behind for a few days but I know he is is great hands - and he will have a playmate! Reagan - his best girlfriend. My RN friends are going to stay at my house and take care of my dogs and make sure my House won't freeze. I can't thank God enough for my great support system of friends that I have. I don't know what I would do without them! Seriously!! Being over 4000 miles away from your family with your husband deployed and shit piled on your plate up the ceiling - I've been fortunate to have great friends to take care of me!

Only good thing about this trip is that I will be able to stay with my Sister & Brother in law in Seattle. Haven't seen them in over a year and Ian will be able to play with his cousin, Kaylee who was just a baby when they first met - now she is 18 months.

I will be leaving the 12th and coming back the 14th.

I'll keep everyone updated. I just ask that you had Ian to your prayer list! Every bit helps! :) I I'm sure everything will check out fine - but in the event that it doesn't....PRAY!

Late posting Halloween!

Us playing on Halloween
Spiderman Blake

Super Hero Harmon's


How Red Power Ranger Ian gets his engery: lolypops!




Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Boys will be Boys

A few pictures so you know how my days goes!!


Blake thinks this is funny!

He wouldn't let go!



Riding on his pony!


Not happy this day!






Measure twice, cut once!!




Different when you are on the other side.


As a Nurse on a pediatric floor - I am the one sending down the patients for various tests. I get the consent and then ship them down...wait for them to return. This time around I was on the opposite end. Ian was the one getting the test and I was left there waiting.

I have to say the team at FMH was fabulous. I couldn't have asked for a better group of nurses to take care of Ian. I think it helped that my good friend was the OR nurse who took Ian into the MRI room and helped him get ready to get "gassed" so he would sleep. He happily went with her. I think it would have been different if he didn't know the person.

I am waiting on the MRI results. Another bone I have to pick with the Army. You put in for the MRI to be ASAP - and then it takes DAYS to get the result. I Know that I have access to Ian's chart at FMH. All you do is go to Medical Records and ask for the printout of the results. Everyone has access to your own chart. But god forbid there be a serious problem - do I want to read it on a piece of paper? NO. I want the doctor to explain it to me. Anyways. I could rant and rave about this for days.

Here are pictures of Ian waiting to get his MRI. He had spacemen on his hospital gown so he is spinning around fast getting ready to blast off.

ENJOY

Ian blasting off in his space outfit!

Spinning around in the space outfit!

Ian's dinosaur he made while waiting for his MRI

Thursday, October 16, 2008

I will not use swear words!

Ok Im going to make this short. Jeep still in body shop... not done until 1 Nov. Back still hurts from wreck...Im getting migranes again...Smashed rental car side mirror backing out of garage yesterday...&*#$!! Crappy day yesterday... didn't get sleep. An ok day today...come home to this mess... &%$#!!!!!! THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY. see below. I would go drink a whole bottle of wine right now but I have to get up at 5 am tomorrow and work a 12 hour shift! Not a good idea.




Friday, October 3, 2008

Has it only been 2 weeks? 50 to go.

Well a lot of shit when down this week! Let me tell you about my saga! It all started Tuesday night when the lovely weather gods decided to cover the road with ice. Long story short on the way home from work around 8pm I hit some ice right before my exit home and fishtailed a few times and then did a couple 360's and thought it would be fun to try to make friends with the cement median....THREE TIMES! By the time it all happened - which seemed like an eternity but was probaly just 30 seconds... I was facing south on a north bound lane. NOBODY stopped. I was furious. The kids seemed fine - no broken windows, no blood - they were moving. I was moving - so I managed to drive the car over to the other side of the road to pull off the side of the road out of traffic. Still nobody stopping with the rear fender hanging off and me trying to pull/kick/yell at it to fall off so I could drive home. I shouldn't have driven it home - but I was panicked and it didn't look there was much damage...remember...its dark and Im panicked and a girl: (I know didily squat about cars). Well I made it home after almost loosing control and landing in the ditch a few times. I call the insurance - get them to tow it. Set up my rental car...all is good right? I call my nurse friend who is getting off work (she works nights) to see if she can come and get me to take me to the airport to get my rental. On the way to my house she gets stopped by a school bus which is sideways on my road - she can't get to my house!! She calls and I try to get her the back way directions to my house. She gets lost - takes an hour to get to my house. I get the rental. We get back home = all take a nap. Alls good right? NOPE - later that afternoon it hits me: BAM: I have whiplash. I call my girlfriend to rescue me again. She takes me and kids to the ER to get checked out. The boys are fine - I have a super duper bad case of whiplash. Heavy duty Motrin and Percocet. Its now Friday and still hurts like hell! Oh yes, let me fill you in what else happens while Im at the ER. My dog, decides to eat Ian's bed. I guess I didn't close the door all the way and he got bored! I was so pissed when I got home all I could do is laugh. My friend was awesome and flipped the mattress over for me and made Ian's bed and helped get the kids ready for bed.

Then comes Thursday. The insurance calls - Im up to 5 grand of damage... but wait... he asks if I hit the front I said yes, but it didn't look at bad. Well funny thing is when you crash into a cement median it does a lot of damage underneath... by Friday its up to 7100. Any more damage and I think they may total it.




To makes matters worse - Jeff is in a place right now that the phones are working very well and I have gotten one email from him. Just sucks. Sucks a big Fatty is what it does. BUT I put on my big girl panties - take my drugs - and suck it up. Things in life happen for a reason and for some reason the Big Man up above wanted me to go through this ordeal. It has made me stronger. There are things in life that just plain stink, but have to do what you have to do. Everything happens for reason - I think. This has definitely taught me to become a better driver, be more aware of my surroundings, not take my life for granted - its ok the house is not the tidiest. I had fun with my kids today - we laughed and colored. That's what matters right, having fun? Our lives could have been over in a blink of an eye. And I have been blessed to continue on living my life with my boys.

I am going to take one day at a time...whatever life brings my way...I can do it.






When life gives me another lemon - Im going to make the best damn lemonade I can make!


Doesnt' look that bad right? Well its bad! Anthing else wrong with it and I think it'll get totaled!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

First Snow


So I was hoping that I had dreamed that I drove home in snow last night and I would wake up to grass and leaves on the ground. Instead I woke up to a three year old waking me up at 7am saying it was "Wake up time, and that there was snow." He kept bugging me all morning until I finally got the snowsuits, boots and gloves out! Boy how I have missed how long it takes to bundle up your kids, and you! It probaly took me close to an hour to get everyone dressed! What fun this will be this winter. Here is our adventure outside this morning!!

Trying to get the perfect picture to send to Dad!

Checking out the dogs being silly and running around the yard.

Taking a break. Being three is hard work!

He is learning! Gloves come off, give them to mama to put back on!