Gracie- a follow up

It has been 1 short year since Gracie's big leg surgery. A year ago I couldn't have imagined she would be doing so well so soon. It was one of the hardest decisions we've made to put her through an elective surgery that was so long, so horrible, so painful. Ricky and I are so happy we did. She doesn't wear braces on her legs and feet anymore, she can walk confidently which has helped her confidence overall.  There are no more walkers or casting. It was not an easy road to recovery. Her leg go infected pretty bad and it was a nightmare but it was still worth it. What an example she is. Look at everything she has overcome and she STILL has that God given smile.

In love..

KP

Children are a gift from the Lord: They are a reward from Him. Psalms 127:3

Thank you all for the well wishes. We are so shocked and excited. We pray for a healthy full term baby. If love is enough it will happen. I will go for my first official appointment next week to do more blood work, fill out insurance forms, and go over medical history. The following week I will have my first ultrasound and appointment with the doctor. I will have a regular doctor and a high risk specialist on board too. I believe the plan is to see the high risk specialist once a month. I will have another scheduled C section. The plan is the deliver at St. Luke's in The Woodlands. I've already had sets of blood work and the results have came back great. All my levels are rising "beautifully" per the doctor.
I will probably update here so I'm not asked the same questions over and over again - you know who you are ;) And right now we don't know anymore than what I've stated above.

Boy Name : Truett Allen
Girl Name : Ricky refuses to have one but I LOVE Sophie Hope (he doesn't love it)

I also do not want to find out if it's a boy or girl until we have him or her but Ricky wants to.

We've tried to explain to the kids but they don't really understand. Actually I think they do but when Madi states she wants another baby sissy, Ricky is sure she mean to say bubby :) Last night she did tell me that I have a baby in my tummy and it's her bubba. Without missing a beat she told me it was a baby bubby and his name was Jesus. How sweet is that?

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The kids are doing really well in school. Madi is blowing us away with the school work she is bringing home. Yesterday I asked her if they were learning the letter C and she said yes and it was like camel. She also comes home singing new songs all the time. When I ask her what her friends names are, she tells me their names are "friends". She loves her teachers Ms. Paula and Ms. Christy and it's really cute to hear her say.

Gracie Ann is talking so well. I couldn't be more proud of her. She seems to say her S a little weird but I don't correct her right now because I want her to be confident in speaking and not have her worry. She is still my little worrier but she is really maturing and blossoming right now. There is a confidence about her that I can only hope continues to get stronger.

Brody's vocabulary is wonderful! It has always been stronger but he is asking more questions in full sentences and you can understand what he says about 98% of the time. We are still struggling in some areas but I'm interested to see where we will be at the end of the year.

Ricky is doing well. School and work consume most of his life. One of his classes ends in about 2 weeks so it will free up some time. He has a lot of vacation left that he has planned to take during the holidays so that will be nice.

I've been busy with school too and next month will start my 6 days a week classes until November and then 5 days a week until December. I really love my Psychology class. It's the most interesting class I've taken to date. I have a huge test on Saturday in the class. I have to know the parts of the brain and what they do along with some other things.

We STILL have the puppies. It rained all last weekend so we didn't have a chance to get them homes. This weekend is the weekend though. They are currently going through a bag of food every 3 days! Yikes it's expensive!

I'll update soon!

KP

For You created my inmost being;

Psalm 139:13

My house isn't messy. It's custom designed by 3 year olds.

I received an email from the school yesterday for the first meeting for homeroom moms. I was a little shock they are meeting so soon. Yes, I am the homeroom mom for B & G's class. It made sense since mine are 2 of 4 kids in the room. 

I've been crafty/ artsy the past couple weeks. It started with me making some art for our bedroom. Yesterday I made art for Brody's room. He was so sweet and thanked me so many times for making a picture for his room. He even wanted a picture with it to send to Ricky. Of course as soon as the girls caught wind of what was going on, they needed one too. They were equally excited and kept telling me they loved it. We had a bit of a problem with hanging it because they couldn't both decided on the same place to put it. Gracie finally compromised and it went above their bed. 

We've been busy this morning. B & G got off to school and Madi and I've weeded the flower bed, got dinner going, and are headed out to run some errands. I'm wondering if I should do a little online learning program with Madi the two days she isn't in school. Anyone have experience with ABC Mouse? 

I think we've decided to go to a fall festival for Halloween this year instead of trick or treating. The one at their old school is suppose to be great and hopefully there won't be scary costumes like you see while trick or treating. 

The puppies are getting new homes this weekend. It's time. They are the cutest little things ever but 5 puppies + the momma = a lot of dog food! If you are interested in a Boxer pup contact me.

Update soon!

KP 

:)

Don't raise your kids to have more than you had, raise them to be more than your were.

Last week wasnt' the best. Brody's lens came out of his glasses while at school and the teacher didn't notice it until the end of the day. Luckily, I asked the bus driver to look for it the next morning and the aid found it. That saved us nearly $300.
The bus department tried to change the pickup time to 7am. I had to take them back and forth to school for two days while that was being worked out.
Friday, Brody came home with a bandage the length of his leg. Apparently he scrapped his leg on the exact same steps in the classroom bathroom that Gracie did the week before. You'd think they would have fixed it when Gracie got hurt.
We almost bought a house. Yes, that is out of left field.
I met with University of Houston Downtown. The local college continues to advise me wrong for classes I need to take. They keep trying to make me obtain an Associates which isn't required if you are going for your Bachelors. It's more classes that don't transfer to your Bachelors which equals more money for the local college and time wasted. Anyway, I need 3 classes: 2 Science, 1 Math after this semester. Friday I was able to sign up for a Psychology class that started Saturday. The class is in Tomball which is an hour away but it's only 10 weeks long. That puts me going to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays until October, then I'll go 6 days a week.
Ricky is chipping away at school as well. He is taking a full load this semester. I keep trying to get him to meet with U of H because the program is extremely hard to get into and if he isn't accepted into it his only other choice is A&M which is too far from our home but easier to get into than U of H. I asked the advisor I met with at U of H just to get some general information and when I told the advisor what Ricky was majoring in (Engineering) he asked me if I knew anything about it. Of course I do, I've done a lot of research and Ricky works with Engineers every day. Anyway, he told me he'd just went to a big conference and the number 1 job right now is Petroleum Engineering and it's a guaranteed six figure incoming with zero experience coming out of school. We knew that but love to hear someone who works in the school setting with the companies saying that too. Ricky has a huge advantage because he has 5 years experience this year so by the time he is done with school it'll be that much better. The way all of this is happening is such a huge blessing. With his company paying his tuition and half of his books, him working nights so he can go to school, and having a goal set and working towards it every day. We might not have a lot of free time but this time will pass quicker than we think and there will come a day when Ricky works 8-5 Monday- Friday- and me too!
Madi's school is going great. The teachers say the nicest things about her. The biggest is that she is fearless. She is much smaller than her classmates and the teachers try to protect her but the teachers said she hangs with her classmates, climbs all over the playground equipments, etc without a problem. That's our little firecracker. Gymnastics is going great. She tries so hard and has perfected jumping with both feet off the ground. That is something two years of therapy never accomplished. I'd love to see her in dance. She is so interested in it.
Friday the kids and I went to eat gourmet pizza. On the way we were listening to the radio which the girls sing along and it's so cute! Anyway, Madi told me to turn it up and her and Gracie were sassy dancing their little hearts out as much as possible while being buckled in their car seats. I mean it was duck lips out, shacking their shoulders and all. I told their daddy that they do not get the duck lips from their momma... momma loathes duck lips!
Brody has an appointment with the Neurologist this week. They all have dental appointments too.
I booked our Christmas event! Last year we did the train ride to the North Pole. This year we are going to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. It's a huge resort type hotel and they have a huge Christmas event inside the hotel. We are so excited to go!
Update soon!
KP

Monday we meet again!

Well, I turned another year older rather I wanted to our not. We didn't do much this weekend. The weather was horrible on Saturday and it looked like it was going to rain all Sunday. We did have brunch at Another Broken Egg. It's the first time we've eaten there and we highly recommend it. I had the Floridian which was an omelet with cream cheese in the middle and topped with crab and cheese. Not something I'd usually just pick but it was delicious! I did a little craft project Saturday evening, making art for our bedroom. I painted it last weekend so I'm ready to get the room finished. I found some art I liked but it was nearly $100 so I went to the craft store and DIY'ed it. Yesterday we drove up to my brother's on a last minute road trip. He lives nearly an hour away. We've not been to his house in over a year. His house turned out beautifully. It's also a mini amusement park. The kids really loved riding on the big four wheeler, small four wheeler, and the jeep! John is giving the kids the small four wheeler and he took Madi to drive it to see how she would do. Let's just say we'll need to governor it down a lot! That kids is fearless and the faster the better! Of course his girls just love the kids and the kids have so much fun with their cousins. It was a really great afternoon. We got home to Madi and I getting a cold, Ricky with a ton of homework due, and Brody and Gracie walked into their rooms and went straight to bed. It wasn't late, we got home at 6:00pm.
Anyway, it's Monday morning and we are back to our regular schedule. I believe Meme is joining Madi and I at gymnastics this morning. Madi wants to show anyone who will watch her gymnastics! And I've got to get busy! There is a LOT to accomplish in the next 3 years!
Krista


 

You are where God wants you to be at this very moment. Every experience is part of His divine plan.

Since my 25th birthday I get stressed out the week of my birthday. I freak out thinking things like: you aren't doing enough with your life, you aren't accomplishing anything, you aren't reaching your goals, etc. It makes me sick! Being a stay at home mom is really a blessing but it's the hardest job I've ever had. I'm not climbing the corporate ladder. Instead I do task that seem to not matter ever or if they do, it takes months or years to see that they do matter. Also, everyone in our lives are much older. My best friend is in her 40's and we have great friends in their 60's. It's hard to not seem like we are failing. It's hard to not compare our beginning to someone else's middle. Not that Ricky and I are just starting out, we are 10 years into this but it's so hard to not feel like we are behind. I can't seek a promotion or get a raise. There are not markers to track my success. School feels so close but still so far away. Will I ever finish? I feel like I'm spinning my wheels but going no where. Do I want to go back into the work force? Not really. It would have to be an amazing opportunity but in all honesty, my kids need me. There are therapies to attend, doctors to see, and school to get back and forth to. No one can do that job but me. But, there will come a day when I will get back to the corporate world. I have a number in my head and that is 30. So 27 comes Sunday. I have a lot to accomplish before the big 3-0. I have to be finished with school. I have to have all my certifications. And I will not have any more children after 30. Not that it's the plan but I don't want to be an old mother with young kids and I don't want a huge age gap between my kids so if we were to want anymore children, it would have to be before I'm 30. It doesn't seem like a long list of things to accomplish but everything I need to do takes a lot of time. I also have other priorities like my kids and husband. Their success is my number one priority but my goals are now just as important. It feels like I was just 19 getting married. I could never imagine 8 years later being so lucky to have this life. It's really a dream come true but I'm a big dreamer and want to accomplish so many things! Until then I will try to not get discouraged and keep on keeping on! 

KP 

Seize the Day!

Today Madi started school which would have caused for a wonderful morning for her except Brody and Gracie rode the bus for the first time ever and Madi was highly upset the bus wasn't taking her to school. I have the most pathetic first day of school picture of her ever. I'll post later in the week. She did get really happy once we were on our way to school and was very happy to see her teacher again. She walked up gave her a big hug and held her hand. The teacher showed her where to put her snack and backpack, and introduced her to some classmates. She looked up and told Ricky and I bye and she loved us. We were not exactly ready to leave but she was sending us on our merry way. Before I knew it Ricky was off to school and the school bus was dropping Brody and Gracie off at home. When I met them at the driveway, Gracie was nearly crying. We think she was scared and unsure of where they were taking her. She has only rode with one other person besides Ricky and I in her entire life. I didn't think about that. Once we got them in and backpacks unloaded, it was time to go to therapy. I dropped them off at therapy and left to pick Madi up from school. She was so excited to see me and told me all about her day. It was so awesome! We headed back to the therapy company so she could have her speech session.
We are so busy. Too busy if you ask me. I hate our schedule so much. Really what I don't like the most is therapy. I was dreading getting back into today after our long weekend. Speaking of long weekend, I painted our room and started decorating it on Saturday. Ricky did some homework and the kids played their little hearts out. Sunday we had some shopping to do and Monday I didn't get out of my jammies. It. was. awesome!
I've decided I will officially skip my birthday this Sunday. How am I 27 already? UGH! I have certain goals I have to be at by 30 and I'm realizing just how quickly it's approaching.