California on Her Mind

Kendyll is in "California" mode lately and it has been so funny! (Probably because Daddy has been there twice this month....and one of her favorite places in the world is there---Disneyland!)

Two different Bible Stories have had "California" inserted into them this week, and I just wanted to write them down before I forgot them.

Sunday at dinner, she told us the story of Phillip converting the "Ethopen Man" that she learned that morning at church. So, she told us every detail (even using the imaginary flannel board in mid-air). She said "And, then the man saw the water as they were passing, and he said "Look, there is water! Baptize me here." So, Phillip "babitized" the man. Then, they got back in their wagon and went to California to see Snow White." Ummmm...no, I don't think Snow White made it in the Bible. But, I guess, it made the story more interesting to Kendyll.

Second story was Monday night at dinner, when she told us the story of Adam and Eve. She told every detail of Eve's temptation and God asking them why they ate from the tree. She finished by saying, "Then, because they made bad choices, God told them they could never come to the Garden again. And, now, they had to go live in California."

What? Oh, the funny things that a four year old comes up with....especially our four year old.

Another funny thing this week was her story she wrote at school. We were studying the Letter Z and it is also Wild West month, so to tie the two together, we had the kids write a story, starting with the sentence, "One day, a cowboy rode a zebra, and...."the zebra bunked him off. Then, he got on him again and the zebra was throwing nuts at him trying to get him out of CONTROL. (I guess that was said with emphasis) The cowboy sat down on him and slipped off. The cowboy got on him AGAIN and the zebra kicked him off. The cowboy decided to stay away from that zebra!!"

I love the creative mind that Kendyll has. Every day is a new story or a new make-believe place we live. I hope she never loses that great imagination.

Now, I have vowed that my next blog will be ALL about Carlie, because I realized today that I rarely blog about her! Poor second child...she doesn't get near the attention, even in blogland!

Old News...Easter, Arboretum & The Ranch

I thought I would post some pictures today of things that have come and gone (without me remembering to put the pics up!). I was cleaning out folders on our computer today, and found a few that were worth sharing. Plus, I got some from my sister, Cassie, who has an incredible talent for taking pictures of my children. :)

Have a great Saturday, everyone!

More of Easter 2006

My favorite Carlie face, after she found a pink egg in the backyard. The little things that make a 20 month old so happy!

The cousins, chillin' for a picture.

Kendyll says "What's wrong with HIM?"

Here are a few from our trip to the Arboretum in March for spring flower sightings!

Our trip to "The Ranch" a couple of weeks ago.

Kendyll's favorite thing is the Gator (see picture) and Carlie's favorite thing is Gammy, so they rode around like this alot!

Picking wildflowers for Mommy....can you say "Ahh Choo?" :)

Carlie's favorite outdoor activity at Gammy & Papa Ron's house...her own car!

Another cute cousin picture! Braden better get used to this.

Cailee, Cortni, me, and Cassie. And, this is my forgotten promise of a "braces picture". Can you see 'em? This is the classic "sister picture" we take everywhere we go. The poses may vary, but we love our sister pictures!

My Kids

Since I've only averaged one blog a week for the past month or more, I thought I would blog today...even though I have nothing profound or exciting to share.

So, I will of course, fall back on the usual "nothing-to-blog-about-so-I'll-blog-about-my-kids" entry. (exciting, I know!)

I'm so thankful for my children and the way they are changing and growing with each day. Kendyll is soaking in everything around her, from the different types of clouds in the sky to what the word "holy" means. Today she asked me what it means that "the heavens are your tabernacle"...from the Veggie Tales praise songs CD she got for Easter. That was a fun one to answer! She keeps us on our toes and really makes us think about what we believe about the concepts we have become so used to---like the word "holy" or Jesus' ascension into heaven. Explaining those things in four year old terms are great exercises for us!

Carlie is learning words like crazy (and trying her best to say them clearly...) Her favorite game in the car is to repeat every word Kendyll says to her. It's cute to listen to their conversations:

K: "Carlie, can you say school?"
C: "Tooooollll."
K: "Carlie, can you say car?"
C: "Taaaaahhhr".
K: "Carlie, can you say stop sign?"
C: "Top Tie"

You get the picture....it goes on and on until we reach our destination.

Carlie is into counting anything in her books (although she doesn't really count, she makes her voice sound like mine when I count to her.) and wants to walk into any store or restaurant that we go to. She wants to cross the parking lot holding ONLY Kendyll's hand...not mine. But, then, she of course wants to be carried the rest of the time. :)

Kendyll is the best big sister and is very good about including Carlie in her playtime. This, too, makes me smile, as I listen outside the door as they have private tea parties together, take care of their baby dolls, run and fall on pillows in the floor, or practice brushing their teeth together...a complete mess, by the way!

It is such an answered prayer to have two wonderful children who love each other. They remind me each day of how much there is to learn in 12 hours of "awake time". Although it is constant activity for those hours, it makes my nights that much better, knowing they played their hardest and discovered so many new things in a day's time.

One thing I have been trying to remind myself of lately (although I shouldn't have to, really) is that these children I've been given are not mine, but the Lord's. I often times question why God blessed us with such perfect, healthy children, when we don't deserve them. And, while I know that His desire is to bless His children with "every good and perfect gift", and that my children are just that--a gift, I also know that He gave me these two girls for His purpose and His own reasons. He gave them to me because He has a specific plan for Kendyll's life and a specific plan for Carlie's. He formed them and knew them before I did, and He sees them as His own children, just like I am His child. As their mother, I am just the vessel for His use along the way. That is such a humbling thought to me, and one I know I'm not worthy of.

All of these thoughts have come more often lately as we consider the addition of another baby into our family. It makes me nervous in some ways to begin the process of trying to get pregnant, and to begin, once again the whole gammet of emotions that comes with that, but it also excites me to know that, if it is God's will for us, we will have the opportunity to raise His child again. And, along the way, as we do this, the love and fulfillment I get from my two will be multiplied by a thousand when we get to watch three of them loving each other and learning and growing. (Of course, that also multiplies the craziness as well, but I guess that's okay!)

So, I guess, without really knowing where I was going when I started this entry, I am asking for the prayers of my friends and family who read this, as we begin this journey toward parenthood once again. I know there are many of you who are somewhere on the journey, whether you are trying to conceive a child, now pregnant with a child, working to adopt your child, or just thinking about the idea of adding a baby to your family soon...and I also lift up my prayers for you, that we all may be blessed with the child God has planned for us, and that we will get the opportunity to be His vessels as parents once again.

Some Tired Bunnies...

Well, Easter was obviously more fun than we could handle at our house! (According to the three in the picture above!) We actually had a GREAT weekend full of fun...but there's only so much fun these kiddos can take, I guess. The bunny ears put them over the edge for this picture, and I think all ten adults were laughing as we tried to get smiles out of them.

We had a wonderful Easter weekend, celebrating with our "big" family, as well as spending lots of time with the four of us. Mark was traveling this past week, which hasn't happened in a long time, so we were excited about our catch-up time with Daddy! We went on walks, went to the playground, to the mall (to shop for Mommy--how fun!), played games at home, watched videos, made lots of art projects, and just had fun being together this weekend. We colored Easter eggs, made a birthday cake for Gammy, decorated the house for our family lunch, and had many a easter egg hunt inside and outside the house. We even worked on the yard some more (follow-up from last weekend). It was the best few days we've had in a while. And, the weird thing was, we got so much done and still relaxed so much! It was the first time in a long time that the days actually went by slowly (maybe it's because of the longer days...I love summer!) I usually feel like every weekend is a whirlwind, with no time left to catch your breath before the next week hits. But, we really seemed to slow down and enjoy it.

Well, there are alot more pictures to come (especially for the family that we didn't get to see this weekend!), but here are a few from our Easter festivities. The rest are cuter and will be coming once my oh-so-talented photographer sister emails them to me! We hope each of you had a blessed holiday with family.

Carlie and her Easter Basket stash. The winner from her basket: Chocolate covered marshmallows...for breakfast.

My pretty princess, Carlie Reese. All dressed up for Easter and busy watching big sister.

Kendyll and her new baby CHICK! Gammy and Papa Ron will be keeping it on the ranch for her, but brought it as an Easter surprise. What fun!

Kendyll and I worked on our table spread for the family. This is one of my favorite things to do, and it is so much fun to have Kendyll to share it with. She had SO MUCH FUN getting everything ready for our Easter day.

Now, off to bed. And, another week begins...

More of the Same...

We are in full rest and relaxation mode at our house. And, everyone but me is asleep right now. So, I decided to go ahead and post some new updates, especially for our sweet family who keeps checking in on Miss Kendyll.

Kendyll is doing remarkably well. It's really surprising me, actually. I expected her to have a tougher time than this, and I'm so thankful that she (and most all children) are so resilient! I know if this had been me, I would still be moanin' and groanin' from my pillow! But, Kendyll is in such good spirits and giving us lots of her smiles and sweet hugs.

Yesterday, she spent alot of time sleeping...and alot of time throwing up. I guess the combination of anesthesia and pain meds without much food in her system did the trick. It seemed to be a cycle for most of the day. But, she was such a good patient and never cried or complained about throwing up or feeling lousy. A couple of times I would ask her if she was ready for some food, and then would name a few options. She would squeeze her eyes shut and shake her head quickly NO. I could tell from her look that she was having that same nautious feeling we all get when we're sick with the stomach virus and a fast food commercial comes on TV. That's the WORST!

Anyway, other than that, she took lots of little cat naps, but found time in between the sleepy times to make art projects in bed, read books, and watch movies. She finally started feeling like eating last night and had three bowls of ice cream, two popsicles, a squeezable yogurt, and pudding within a few hours. I got to be in full "mommy mode" yesterday and spent most of my time right by her side. She wanted me holding her or sitting by her most of the time, which I absolutely loved. It's been a long time since I just hung out with her all day with no agenda and nowhere to go. She also got some very special treats from very special people, which have made this so fun for her. Papa Ron and Gammy brought her a new fish! (When I had my tonsils out, a family friend brought me a fish, promising my mom that it wouldn't live that long and it would be an easy pet. Well, my fish lived for YEARS. So, Mom wanted to pass on the tradition to Kendyll.) So, her new beta fish has a beautiful fish bowl, and is named Dorothy (from Elmo). Dorothy has been carried to every room Kendyll has been in and she is now obsessed with her new baby fish, who even slept next to her last night.
She also got ice cream and a coloring book from our sweet friend, Lacy, who brought hugs from Kendyll's friends, Matthew and Brynlee too. She has already used both and was excited to have a visitor come over (especially when the visitor brought baby Kasen for Kendyll to hold!)
Last night, her special treat was getting to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room. We made her a special bed in the floor with all of her usual stuffed animals and blankets. She was THRILLED. Now, this is completely unlike us, on normal days. Not once in her entire life (except for the first few weeks of life) has she slept in our room or with us. It is just a boundary I prefer never to cross, for fear of it never stopping! But, last night, after she had been sick all day, we decided it would be best for her to be near us. I think I changed my mind about 4:00 am, when Kendyll said "Hey, Mommy" for about the 40th time. Let's just say all those cat-naps had made her a little too alert for the middle of the night. Finally, after saying her tummy was grumbling, I gave her pudding and put her in our bed with us. WHAT?! Did I really do that?! Yes, I did. It might be the last time it ever happens, but it was worth it. Not only did all three of us get sleep after that, we did get to cuddle too. It was definitely worth breaking the "rules".

Today, has been great and she is continuing the pattern of resting, reading, watching movies, making crafts, eating snacks, talking to Dorothy, taking her medicine, and yelling at Carlie to leave her stuff alone (yes, some things are back in full swing around here!)

So, for now, I think we're heading into a restful weekend at home, although Mark and I are hoping to get out to see sweet baby Camryn tomorrow and maybe do some yard work if our little patient is doing okay.

Thanks for all of your sweet comments, emails, phone calls, and visits. It has meant so much to Kendyll, and to all of us.

The Tonsils are Gone!

The tonsils are gone and we’re HOME from surgery! Everything went great and they actually got her in earlier this morning than we expected. (There weren’t very many pediatric patients today...) And, Kendyll did GREAT. She was a little unsure at times, but overall she was SO brave and calm. We woke her up very early and I think the one thing that bothered her the most all morning was that it was still "dark and spooky" outside when we drove to the surgery center. She did NOT like that and really wanted the sun up. When we got to the hospital, she had fun taking pictures of the waiting room and fish tank with her own disposable camera (We do this alot with her, if she's worried about something...it keeps her mind distracted and she has pictures of the experience later!) They called us back so quickly and she was a very big girl with all the check-up stuff and the goofy juice. She was not so fond of feeling loopy---I guess she doesn’t like the sense of being "out of it", similar to her mommy! But, she just laid back and listened to a story until she couldn’t concentrate anymore. They got her up in that big hospital bed with her blue "nitny" (blanket), Pooh bear, and Dora houseshoes, and then I had flashbacks to my own tonsillectomy years ago (I don’t remember that part of it, but Mom has told me about how I cried and yelled for her all the way down the hall, as they wheeled me away.) I all of a sudden got worried that she would do the same...but she didn’t. She just stared at us as we said goodbye. She was obviously already loopy enough to not care that they were taking her away from us!

Then, about 30 minutes later, the doctor came to tell us that all went well. They found some pretty yucky stuff in there, according to the doctor. He said that her right ear drum had actually ruptured in the last week and that both ears looked horrible. Her nasal cavities were completely full of junk too, and her tonsils were “gigantic”, to quote him directly! So, I hate that she’s been living with that, and I’m SOOO glad that it will now be outta there! I really think she will be a whole new Kendyll after this recovery. The doctor was obviously very glad that we went ahead and did it quickly. He said she REALLY needed it. She did not like waking up from the anesthesia and fought the IV and the heart rate monitor. She was crying and coughing a lot, and the nurse said it’s very important to keep her calm and not let her cough like that. So, I just started rocking and singing to her and she quieted right down and dozed off and on in my arms. Oh, the sweetness of that!! I wish I could always fit her in my arms that way.

So, after a little while of watching her and giving her fluids, they let us go. She is now in our bed sleeping, and will most likely do that the rest of the day. We are so thankful for your prayers and ask that they continue for Kendyll, as the doctor said the next couple of days will be hard, as she starts coping with the throat pain, etc. She has some GOOD pain medication, so that will be very helpful I’m sure. Now Mommy's off to rest alongside her. That was an early morning! Plus, I love being with her when she's so sweet and "childlike". Nothing's better than a sleeping child...especially when it's a narcotic kind of sleep!

A Mother's Heart

What is it about a mother's heart? What makes my heart so different than it was before these two girls entered my world? (What isn't different, is what I should ask, I guess!)

It's 8:30 pm and I have just said good night to my sweet little Kendyll. She melts my heart in a way that I can't describe....but I know all you other moms know what I mean. Tomorrow morning, at 5:45 am, we will be leaving for the hospital, for her tonsillectomy. Although I know that this is a routine surgery with very little risk whatsoever, I still have that tinge of worry, knowing that it's my baby they're "working on".

But, more than the worry I have for that, I can completely see the anxiety that Kendyll feels anytime she's faced with the unknown. I guess it's true for any four year old, but especially my four year old!

Today, we went and picked out brand new pajamas for the hospital, which look absolutely adorable on her, by the way. We got every type of soft-serve cold food that the grocery store offers for her recovery---pudding, jello, popsicles, yogurt, push-pops, gatorade, "strawberry water"...She is set! She also got to pick out some activities to do while she is bed-bound the next few days.

Then, tonight, she got to pick any restaurant that she wanted for her last meal before no more solid stuff is allowed. She first picked Wendy's, but after mom vetoed that, she picked pasta, which landed us at Olive Garden---yum! We had such a great dinner with the family, and we even got to have Grandma here, who is being so kind to stay a few extra days on her trip to take care of Carlie during all of this.

We got home, gave the girls long bubble baths, and opened more "recovery" surprises from Grandma! Lots of fun crafts to keep her busy for hours! Beads, stickers, paper dolls, and all kinds of other things!

We picked out what stuffed animal was going to surgery with her, packed her some special books to pass the time, and got her bag ready with anything she thought she needed. The last thing before "lights out" was reading her a story about a girl who had a tonsillectomy. It was a coloring book I found from the internet which explained every step---Arriving at the hospital, waiting for them to call her name, meeting the anesthesiologist, getting the "sleeping juice", waking up sore, getting to eat a popsicle, going home and resting, and then playing outside in a week!

Mark and I had a special prayer time with her and told her that God would be taking care of her and we would be right beside her the whole time.

At this point, when the door was closing and goodnights had been said, the anxiety began. She had been doing so well and had actually been excited about the whole idea of getting treats and yummy desserts for every meal. But, I guess reality hit, as I knew that it eventually would, and her reaction was so familiar to my own. She first cried a little and said she was scared. We sang another song about God taking care of our worry. But, then, she matter-of-factly told me this:

"Mommy, when you wake me up tomorrow, I will get in the car with you. But, when we get to the waiting room and they call my name, I am not going back there. " I said "Kendyll, I know you're still a little worried about how tomorrow will go." (relying on my good old play therapy education!! Reflecting that feeling, baby!) She shook her head yes, and then said "And, even if I do go back there, when they give me that juice stuff, it is not going to make me sleepy." I said, "Okay, we'll just wait and see what happens, okay?" She says "Well, what if I never get sleepy?" I said "Well, then we'll just keep reading your special books and coloring your pages you picked out". She just looked at me, like "What? I can get out of this if I don't go to sleep?" Then, she said, "Okay, Mommy, that sounds good.....long pause....I'm really brave, aren't I? I really think I will be brave." "You are the bravest girl I know, Kendyll. " "Mommy, can you tell me what the waiting room looks like?" And on the conversation went....again.

Oh, it was the sweetest thing. She has that familiar struggle between the fear that makes her want to run away from it and at the same time wanting so badly just to be able to face it without any worry. Sweet girl. I feel the same way about so many anxious-filled things in my own life.

So, please say a little prayer tomorrow for our sweet girl. That all will go well. That she will have peace and be calm. That she will know that it's okay if she's not brave, and it's okay if she is. And, that her recovery will be smooth and easy.

(By the way, I am about five days behind on blogging, so one of these days, I will post pictures of our weekend at the ranch.)