Giving Thanks!

All who know me know that I love the Holidays! I love decorating my home, doing little things for my neighbors and Friends and spending time with my little family doing fun activities. The Holidays gives me something to look forward to. As soon as Halloween was over I couldn't wait to get my Thanksgiving Decor up. I always feel that Thanksgiving gets skipped over in the stores. There never seems to be all that many decorations for a Holiday that I wish we spent more time as a Society celebrating. A group of women in my neighborhood get together for a craft night about every month and we made some Halloween and Thanksgiving Banners. I made my Thanksgiving one and hung it up on my fireplace mantle. I thought my Thanksgiving Mantle turned out cute!

Since it is the month of Thanksgiving and there are 30 days in the month. I thought I would write down 30 things that I am Thankful for!

1. I am thankful for my Father in Heave and also for my Brother and Savior Jesus Christ and his ultimate sacrifice for my imperfections that I may live with my Heavenly Father and my family for eternity.

2. I am grateful for my Sweet Husband. He is my best friend and he is always there for me! He is always lending a listening ear, building me up and is a wonderful dad and provider for our family!

3. I am truly grateful for my two beautiful children. They have changed my life for the better and have truly given me a new outlook on life. They teach me daily and make me want to be the best for them!

4. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. What a blessing it has been in my life to be able to be there for them through each phase of their young lives thus far. Even though most days are hard and very physically/emotionally taxing I  learn new things each day by being home with them.

5. I am thankful for loving friends and family. I have truly been blessed with good friends/family in my life. They have supported me through thick and thin and have been there for me in my darkest hours.

6. I am thankful for my home. I am thankful for a wonderful shelter from the elements as well as the worldly storms. I enjoy making my house a home for my little family.

7. I am thankful for my church calling and I am thankful to be in Young Womens. I teach the Miamaids and each time I teach them, I learn so much more about the gospel through study and prayer, as well as, through the {my} girls testimonies.

8. I am thankful for my talents. I am thankful for my love of cooking and creating and my spiritual gifts.

9. I am thankful for Mark's Job.

10. I am thankful for a Loving Savior who knows me and knows my weakness and struggles but still forgives me and is there for me when I am down. I know that I can go to him at any time through prayer.

11. I am thankful for Temples. Since living in Riverton, we have been blessed to be able to see 3 temples daily from our home. The Jordan River temple, Oquirrh Mountain Temple and Draper Temple. I am grateful for the blessings of the temple ordinances. I am also grateful that we live so close to several so that my kids can see them on a daily basis and be reminded of that they can go there someday!

12. I am grateful for my Parents who have sacrificed for me and have shaped me into the person I am today. I am also grateful for my Brothers and Sisters and the examples that they are to me and the relationships that I have with them.

13. I am grateful for books and the opportunity to read and learn new things through reading and studying.

14. I am grateful for God's Creatures both big and small.

15. I am grateful for my little puppy that we got this year. She has brought a lot of life to our home and has helped teach my children a sense of responsibility for caring for others.

16. I am grateful for modern technology which allows me to stay in touch with friends and family that are near and far.

17. I am grateful for our Cars. Even though they aren't the newest model or design, they get us to where we need to go.

18. I am Thankful for my Grandparents; especially my Grandma Helen DeMille. With all the Grandchildren that she has, she always has time for me and has always made me feel so special!

19. I am thankful for money which helps put food on our table and a home overhead, clothes on my back and provides entertainment.

20. I am grateful for the Four Seasons. Having had the opportunity to live in Northern Utah for the past 3 years has given me a a new appreciation and love for seeing flowers bloom, leaves change color, snow fall and warm temperatures {glad it isn't as warm as some climates.}

21. I am grateful for Movies and Television. It is one of my favorite ways to relax with my sweet husband. I love learning new things through documentaries, cooking shows, and even just comic relief!

22. I am grateful for modern Medicine for with out it I wouldn't have my little girl in my life. I am also glad that we can go to the Doctor and recover from illnesses, broken bones and other things quicker than in years past and have medicines to help us.

23. I am grateful  for food. It is essential to life and I enjoy making it yummy!

24. I am grateful for Shopping! It is one of my favorite past times.

25. I am grateful for Girls Night out with my closest friends. It is a great way to regroup, not forget who I am as an individual and be able to have support through my friends who attend.

26. I am grateful for Date Nights with My Sweetheart. Even though they are few and far between in our life right now with little ones, {I know that it won't always be that way} I look forward to spending time with my best friend and partner in life. We make a good team!

27. I am grateful for a testimony of the gospel and of its restoration and the scriptures.

28. I am grateful for my health, for with out it I would have nothing!

29. I am grateful for the opportunity of traveling to new places. Even though I have only vacationed in several places, I love learning about new cultures, environments and history of new towns and countries.

30. I am grateful for my hobbies: Water Skiing, cooking, sewing, food preserving, crafting, home decorating. Each of these are outlets that let me to improve my abilities to help myself, family and friends.

Halloween 2011

I can't believe that October is winding down! What a fun month we have had as a family. It has been  so nice to have Kaleb home for most of the month(off track-school), so we could get out enjoy the beautiful fall weather, as well as participate in some fun family outings. It has been so fun to see the kids get dressed up in their costumes and enjoy all of the activities this month. Kaleb wanted to be a knight this year, Karmindy wanted to be a princess, I dressed up as a witch, Mark dressed up as a creepy warlock and I dressed up Kozy as a flying monkey/dragon. It is truly so much fun to see the kids get so excited  and enjoy the Holidays. I am pretty sure they get their enthusiasm for holidays from me! I hope they always have fond memories of the holidays and remember that their mom made it fun for them!

 Our Halloween this year was a laid back one. Mark went to work, Kaleb to school and Karmindy and I just chilled at home. For dinner I made Navajo Tacos and we had an Apple Crumble Pie for dessert. After dinner, the kids got into their costumes (so did Mark) and off they went to trick or treat around the neighborhood. I stayed home with Kozette and we answered the door for the cute trick or treaters. The kids got a haul of candy and really enjoyed themselves! After the kids went to bed, Mark and I raided the kids stash and watched the old 1980's movie, "Watcher in the Woods!" It was as good as I remember it... just not as scary now! :) Halloween is truly one of my favorite Holidays! We hope all our friends and family enjoyed your Halloween Holiday! 

Carving Pumpkins

This year we decided to carve our pumpkins the night before Halloween so they wouldn't get moldy and shriveled. The kids were so excited to carve them. The moment we brought our pumpkins home from the patch the kids have been pestering me to carve them. This year while we were at Target browsing through the Halloween decor we came across some darling Mr & Mrs. Potato Head Pumpkin kits. They were adorable. Kaleb found a pirate one and Karmindy a princess one. They are just like Mr. & Mrs. Potato head pieces... you just poke them into a pumpkin. I figured that these were a little safer for the kids then handing them a knife and letting them whack at their pumpkins.  The kids were so excited to buy their pumpkin kits and they carried them proudly out of the store. 

On the night of carving pumpkins, we invited Kevin and Kayla over to carve pumpkins with us. We all had fun carving our pumpkins and eating some Baked Pumpkin Donuts that I made. It was a really fun evening. When it came to the kids' pumpkins, Mark only helped the kids a little bit by drilling a hole for the pieces. They kids really enjoyed using the Mr and Mrs. Potato kits. I love that they can use them again next year!

Mark and I carved our own pumpkins. Mine was a little mushy on the bottom but we made mine work. I think our pumpkins turned out great! I loved Mark's evil pumpkin face the best! We can't wait to carve pumpkins next year!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Karmindy had the opportunity to visit a Pumpkin Patch with her little Preschool class today. It was her very first Field Trip and I was lucky enough to be able to go and experience it with her. The particular patch that we went to, just happens to be our very favorite patch that we visit every year as a family. Karmindy was no stranger and made her self at home. She enjoyed wheeling the wheel barrows around, sitting on the old vintage tractors, walking through the corn maze, listening to a story (told by her cute teacher- Mrs. Heather) and picking out a pumpkin with her classmates. After the kids picked out their pumpkins, we headed back to the preschool and the kids were allowed to color their individual pumpkins. It was a beautiful fall day to go on a field trip, even though it was a tad cold! The poor kids were freezing.... and so was I! Karmindy had a great time on her very first field trip!

Family Pictures

Having family pictures taken each year has become a tradition. Pictures have always been something that I have valued. I think that I value them even more now that I have the kids. I want to document how they are growing. It is fun to look back each year and see how they have changed. This year we had our good friend and neighbor Brett Rowe take our pictures. He took our family pictures 2 years ago and has always done a great job. I am just tickled with how this years pictures turned out. I can't wait to get started on designing our Christmas Cards for friends and family!

Lil' Miss Sassy Pants

Karmindy has become quite the character lately and is so Spunky! We have known from the beginning that she was born with some spunk and sass so it's no surprise that she voices how she feels, for she has done it since her birth 3 years ago. For the past few months it has been so much fun to watch Karmindy grow and learn. Since starting pre-school back in August, she has become a little more social and talks a lot more. One of my favorite things that she says right now is "Cuz." She will be tell you this huge long story and every few words she will throw in the word, Cuz (Because). It is really cute and she keeps us laughing on a daily basis with all the funny things she says. 

Karmindy also loves to tease and torment her brother. Her latest thing that she enjoys doing is saying, "Ha, Ha, you don't have any chocolate Milk left," when the kids are having their afternoon snack or "Ha, Ha, your Mario died" when Kaleb is playing wii games. Karmindy really knows how to push her brothers buttons and can usual succeed in getting Kaleb upset to the point of him getting choked up and almost crying. That is what little sister's are for, right? 

Another thing that I am loving right now, is being able to do Karmindy's Hair. Karmindy has the most baby fine hair and for the longest time it was too fine to do much with it. Since it is getting a little bit longer and thicker I have enjoyed round brushing it and doing spunky little hair dos on her. On one particular morning I round brushed her hair  and she just looked so cute and so very grown up that I had to take a few pictures of her. The pictures above our from our little photo shoot. I love that she is smiling in all the pictures because it isn't very often that I can get her to smile! I love my lil' miss sass!

Barnyard Boo!

The Monday before Kaleb went back on track we decided to do one more big outing/event as a family before he headed back to school! I have wanted to check out Cornbelly's Down at Thanksgiving Point for the past few years but decided against it- I wasn't sure if the kids would enjoy the big crowds because it was so late in the month and Corn belly's gets crazy busy! We decided to take the kids across to the street (literally) to Farm Country. We have been there many times before and the kids have always adored seeing the animals; especially Karmindy. We thought they would enjoy going again especially since they were doing an event called the Barnyard Boo. It is an event that they put on that included the usual farm animal exhibits but the kids get to participate in a few carnival type games. The kids got to hear stories from a Witch named Millie, make ghost suckers, get their faces painted, ghost bowling, throw the rings on the witches shoes, play fuzzy monster horse-shoes, throw the eye balls in the bin, ride horses, enjoy a carriage ride, and run through an obstacle course. The kids participated in all the events and had a BLAST!! It was a really fun family outing and we are hoping to go again next year!

I'll Get You my Pretty!

On Friday October 13th, it was reported that 12 witches were seen arriving and then leaving the Frisbey Household around the hour of 5:30 p.m. The mysterious witches stopped shortly to be photographed but then with brooms in tow fled the scene in beautifully adorned apparel. Some witnesses claimed they were going to join other sister witches at Gardner Villages 10th Year of Hosting a Witch Fest. As the witches were fleeing the scene, small children reported hearing cackles and spells being cast.

These 12 witches disappeared into the night.

At Gardner Village, the witches enjoyed getting down with their bad selves and enjoyed dancing while music played. They enjoyed seeing a Snowy White owl, and several miniature Demons whom appeared to be standing on stilts. The witches enjoyed visiting Aftons Sweet Shoppe and dined on fudge and caramel apples. At around 9 p.m., several witches needed to return home to their wee ones while the others left to find a place to eat.

At around the Bewitching hour of 10 pm, It was also reported by the residents of South Jordan, that these same 12 witches were gathering at the Apple bees at the District. Those that were out doing some late night shopping at the District, reported that cackles could be heard as they were driving about in their automobiles. Patrons at the local Applebee's also claimed that after they finished their meals they left in a rush and cackled out the door. Many patrons were frightened and afraid that they would be cursed. 

All 12 witches enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to gathering together next year!

 The Coven

A Pumpkin Hunting we will Go!

Since moving to Northern Utah three years ago, we have made it a family tradition to go to our favorite Pumpkin Patch and get our Jack O' Lanterns for "All Hallows Eve." The kids really look forward to our annual pumpkin hunting tradition and they talk about it for weeks before our outing. Every year the kids really enjoy sitting on all the old vintage tractors, going through the mini corn maze and using miniature wheel barrows to place their desired pumpkins in.  This year's outing didn't disappoint- the kids had a wonderful time!! When I asked them what their favorite part of our Adventure was, they said they couldn't choose "just one" activity. We are so grateful that we live so close to such fun places! Now, we are all counting down until we get to carve our pumpkins!

Little Halloween Chefs

My kids love helping me in the kitchen! There is just something so special about being in the kitchen together. It has definitely been a way for me to spend quality time with  Kaleb and Karmindy and hopefully make lasting memories with them! I hope they will always have pleasant memories of these times/traditions. One of our family traditions is to make Pumpkin shaped sugar cookies each year around Halloween. My mom made sugar cookies each year around Halloween and Valentines Day and I wanted to keep the tradition going in our family.With Kaleb being off track from school for the past couple of weeks, it was a wonderful afternoon activity to keep his mind and hands busy.  (He is truly my little busy body.) Both Kaleb and Karmindy loved helping me roll out the dough and enjoyed using the cookie cutters. They also thought it was fun to smear flour on each other, which turned into a mini flour fight. We all had fun putting flour on our faces! This year we decided to get a little more creative and we used a ghost cookie cutter and a cat cookie cutters. All of the cookies turned out so cute looking. After baking and frosting them all, Mark, the kids and myself took a few around to neighbors (for Family Home Evening) to spread a little Halloween Cheer!

Fun Halloween Projects...

Kaleb's first break from school started at the end of September and goes until the week before Halloween this year. That ends up being 4 whole weeks that he is off track from school. To prevent the kids from getting bored and annoying the heck out of each other, I knew that I would have to have some awesome Boredom Buster Activities on Tap to prevent them from "killing each other." I have found out from last year's year round school breaks, that it is fun for the kids to have an activity to look forward to each week when there is no school.. It also has been a great way for me to get the kids to clean their rooms and help me out around the house. The fun activities have been great incentives!

So far the kids have enjoyed helping me decorate for Halloween inside and outside of the house. Since my Halloween Decorations are limited, the kids and I made a Skeleton out of paper plates. There was a cute tutorial online that I found and I just tweaked it and made it our own. I tole painted a face and hat and tied a bow tie for the skeleton's neck. Kaleb enjoyed cutting the jute to tie the skeleton together and helping me cut out the bones (paper plates). Karmindy enjoyed handing us the supplies we needed and enjoyed picking up the scraps for the garbage. It was a fun joint effort and our homemade skeleton turned out great. The kids just adore their creation and it is fun to see how proud they are of our skeleton. We decided to hand him on our front door so we could see him all month long.

Another project that we have enjoyed making were little edible graveyards. The kids truly enjoy getting in the kitchen and helping me cook and make yummy things to eat. We made our own personal graveyards out of pudding, crushed oreos, gummy worms, and Milano cookies with RIP written in chocolate frosting. I placed all the ingredients in the kids own personal ramekin. The kids were so excited to make and eat their creations. We made the graveyards on a Monday afternoon, so we enjoyed them that night for a Family Home Evening treat. The kids loved them! 

During this particular FHE, we read a spiritual story and then I introduced to them a favorite Cartoon that I enjoyed watching when I was there age around Halloween- "Garfields Halloween Adventure." The kids enjoyed their treats and loved watching the movie. When I was younger, Me and My brother's and sister's, watched "Garfields Halloween" every year during the Month of October. It was a fun family tradition that we always looked forward to. We loved that cartoon and we all knew all the funny parts by heart. I have always wanted a copy of the cartoon for my own DVD Library but could never find it. Luckily this year while I was perusing the internet, I found a copy on ebay and bought it. I was so happy!! Since that FHE, the kids have watched the cartoon several times over the past few weeks and really like it. It has truly been fun to watch them get excited over the things that I used to enjoy when I was little. 

 Last year after the Halloween Holiday my mom found a chocolate kit on clearance last year and thought me and the kids would like to make them this year. We decided to put our chocolate candy making skills to the test. The kids loved squirting the chocolate into the molds. Kaleb especially enjoyed making the chocolate candies. We got pretty creative with the different colors of chocolate. We enjoyed making skeleton hands, ghosts, spiders, pumpkins and cats. We are looking forward to making more chocolates with our Halloween molds next year!

 I have a few more fun things on tap while Kaleb is off break and we are looking to spending time with each other and doing some more fun things together.

8 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Mark and I celebrated our 8th year wedding anniversary on October 11th, 2011. We both can hardly believe it has been 8 years...we figure time flies when you are having fun!! Life hasn't always been bliss/perfect but we both agree there is no one we would rather be with to face those rough patches. I am truly grateful for my sweetheart of a husband. He treats me like a Queen and has been the best husband, provider and father. I couldn't have asked for a better man to call my husband. I love you Mark and I look forward to spending many more years together with you!

For the past 2 years we have celebrated by staying overnight at the Stein Erikson Lodge in Park City. It is a getaway that we look forward to each year. We like to take advantage of their off season prices which includes a Luxury Suite with your very own private hot tub / private deck, and a 3 course/5 star dinner. This year we went before our actually anniversary (October 2nd) and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful fall leaves from our balcony. In years past, we have gone when it has been snowy, it was nice to see the lodge during the fall. This year we were really pampered, for when we got to our room the Staff had left us cookies/jam in our room, welcoming us back. We enjoyed our 3 course dinner and also splurged and got room service the next morning! We were really happy to get away with each other for an evening and were so appreciative of Mark's Brother Kevin and his wife Kayla for watching our kids. We are truly looking forward to going again next year!!

The Witches are In Town!

Tonight I took the kids to Gardner Village to see the Witch displays while Mark was attending the Priesthood session. To start off our evening of fun, the kids and I met up with some friends at Chick Fil-A for dinner before heading to Gardner Village. The kids were so excited to play in the play place  and go see the witches that they hardly touched their dinner. Typical!

After dinner, we headed to Gardner Village. I was just as excited as the kids. It is always fun to see how the Village is all decorated and we always enjoy finding our favorite witches. The witches are never in the same place as the year before. It is almost like a treasure hunt to see where they are hiding each year. When we got to Gardner Village the place was packed. It seems like the past two year the number of people that go has increased over Conference Weekend. It makes it a bit CaRazy! 

After looking around for a bit we headed to Afton's Sweet Shoppe, so the kids could pick out some candy. They kids really look forward to picking out a candy they don't usual get. I love seeing all the vintage candy. It makes it fun. The kids picked Jelly Belly Beans and Gummy Worms. After the kids picked their treats, I headed to get some fudge. This visit I decided on Pumpkin Walnut and Cinnamon Cumble Cake Fudge. Both were delish!

After the Sweet shoppe we walked into several boutiques, took some pictures and then headed to ride the ponies.The kids even got to see a witch and get their picture taken with her! It was the perfect finish to a fun outing.

Kaleb and Karmindy sitting for a spell!

Emilia, Kaleb and Karmindy hanging out.

Karmindy loves animals and she had a blast riding "Rusty!" Look at the grin!

My little Cowboy!

Two Cute Little Monsters

October is finally here! I absolutely love fall and October happens to be one of my favorite months for several reasons: cooler weather, cozy sweaters, changing leaves, General Conference, making yummy food, Halloween, Thanksgiving, pumpkin patches, decorating for the holidays, and getting involved in all the fun events that Northern Utah has to offer.

Kaleb just happens to be off track (school) for 4 weeks, and I can't think of a better time to have him home with me. One thing that I certainly have passed down to my kids is my love for the holidays. They get just as excited as I do. I love making it magical and fun for them. One of the traditions I have is getting the kids a Halloween shirt to wear throughout the month of October. They enjoy wearing their cute shirts when we go out and do fun family activities together.

Tonight, while Mark is at the General Priesthood session it has been a fun tradition for the past 2 years to take the kids to Historic Gardner Village. It is a fun activity to do with the kids to get in the mood for Fall. Of course the kids had to wear their new Halloween shirts and I just couldn't help myself from taking some adorable pictures of my two little Monsters. The are truly the cutest little spooks!

Say Cheese...

I have really enjoyed the new camera that I got for my birthday. I have wanted a new camera for so very long and so it has been such a treat to have nice equipment to work with to capture cute moments like this one of Karmindy. There is also a really cool editing program called piknic on the www. The program lets you do all kinds of nifty things to pictures. I am loving it. This is my first picture to edit and play around with. I think I may be in love with this program and I might even upgrade to the other fancy gagets. We will see. 

However, all hasn't been rosey with my camera, a few weeks ago, Little Missy a.k.a. Karmindy was caught stepping on my camera.Yes, she was using it as a stepping stool to climb on to our bed. Yikes. She totally jammed the lens so I could even take pictures in manual. After Mark, my go to fix it guy, looked at it and popped it back into place all was not well. I was ticked and so sick to my stomach at how much it was going to cost us to either repair or replace the lens. After calling around and talking to photo professionals they said that buying a new lens would be a lot cheaper than repairing it! One hundred and fifty bucks later I am back in the business to snap more pictures. That amount definitely hurt paying for a whole new lens. From now on, I will be a little more responsible and not leave my camera on my nightstand or even in arms reach for little fingers to touch or use as a stepping stool.

Concussion

Today, I got a call from the school secretary telling me that Kaleb had gotten hurt while running out to Recess and that he had tripped and fell and got a pretty good sized goose egg on his head. I asked the secretary if he was OK and also if the goose egg had split. The secretary said he had just hit his head pretty good but that he was fine and that she just wanted me to come down to the school and check on him. It is protocol to notify the parents and then let them decide if they want the child to stay at school or have them released. Once I got this news, I raced to the school to check on Kaleb. When I got there, he was sitting in the office and had one of the biggest goose eggs that I had ever seen on his forehead. Kaleb said he was feeling okay besides having the goose egg and  a few scratches on his hands and tummy. I decided to check Kaleb out of school and let him come home and rest because he looked exhausted..

When we got home Kaleb asked me if he could play the Wii, I let him because I knew he didn't feel good and thought it might help get his mind off his head and cuts and scrapes. After about a 1/2 hour I thought he seemed okay and asked if he wanted to go back to school. He said that he was a little tired and wanted to go to sleep. I let him doze for a few minutes because I was in the process of making Mark's Birthday cake for that night and had gotten the call in the middle of mixing all the ingredients. After a few minutes of cooking in the kitchen, I peaked over the counter and noticed Kaleb sitting up. He told me that he needed to throw up. I went over to him and talked to him for a bit. He seemed really out of it. At first I brushed these symptoms off and just figured that it was because of his fall but then I started getting worried that he might have a concussion. I then decided to call his pediatrics office for advice and no one answered. I then tried calling Mark to see if I should take him in to the Insta Care. I couldn't get a hold of him either. I decided to go to the W.W.W. to see what some of the symptoms of a concussion were. One was that the person won't be able to answer questions that they know the answer to. I walked back over to Kaleb and asked him his birthday and he gave me our address. I asked him where we lived and he told me St. George. He knows the answers to these questions and so I started panicking. About this time Karmindy came home from preschool. I kept calling the pediatritions office and Mark but still no answer. Kaleb kept telling me he needed to throw up and also that he wanted to go to sleep. I felt in my heart that I should let him do that, so I called my friend and asked if Karmindy could come stay for a bit while I ran Kaleb to the Insta Care.  I started getting a little more worried when the Pediatritions office or Mark didn't call me back. I raced and put Karmindy in the car and came back for Kaleb. When I went over to him, he couldn't even walk. I was FREAKING out by now and carried Kaleb to the car.

After getting Karmindy dropped off , I raced to our Insta Care which is fortunately located in the Riverton Hospital. After parking the car, I went around to get Kaleb. He still couldn't walk so I carried him, a metal throw up bowl and my purse into the InstaCare. I was dying because Kaleb was so heavy but he was so limp and was totally dead weight. The ladies behind the desk in the Insta Care must have seen my frantic face and took me right back after I told her what had happened and seeing how unaware Kaleb was. After they got us seated, (I was still holding Kaleb) Kaleb threw up all over me, my purse and shoes. I also had throw up in my hair. I was trying so hard to be strong for him but I about lost it for I can deal with blood but not vomit.
After the nurse ran vitals, and he went for the Doctor when he asked Kaleb questions that he knew the answers to but could not answer correctly. The Doctor on call came over and said that he was worried that he might have a severe concussion so he told us that we needed to go to the Emergency Room Stat. While holding Kaleb, they wheeled us to the Emergency Room. They got us into a room and Kaleb settled. After that a few Doctors came in and decided that they should do a CAT Scan just to make sure that there was no bleeding on the brain. Kaleb threw up several more times on the way down to Radiology. I felt so bad for him, for it was so hard not to know what to do to help him.
After the trip down to Radiology we went back to the room and waited for the results. After being at the Emergency Room for 3 hours we found out that all was ok with Kaleb's brain and there was no bleeding or damage. Thank goodness. While this was all going on Mark finally called me. He was in training meetings so his reception wasn't great in the room he was in. :( I was a little upset to say the least because I felt so alone through it all and it is never fun to sit in stinky throwup!! I must have kept my composure well because I had several nurses tell me that I seemed so calm. I was dying inside to be honest and was ready to go postal. I think having gone through everything with Karmindy has definitely numbed me when it comes to Hospital visits. I HATE THEM!!! However, I have learned to suck it up and just do what you have to do when things like this comes up, even though I really, really struggle with it. I think it comes with being a Mom. You have to stay strong for your kids.
After they discharged Kaleb, we headed home and let him rest the rest of the evening. By 9 o' clock that night he woke up after being a asleep for 4 hours and seemed back to normal. Go figure. The things you go through for your kids can about kill you!!
I am really glad that my little boy is okay. It was a really scary experience and to think it all stemmed from a  little hit on the head. It is not an experience that I want to go through again.

Cowabunga Dudes!

This past Wednesday (September 14th) we had the opportunity to go to Cowabunga Bay! Our friends and next door neighbors had some extra free tickets, so they offered them to our family. We graciously excepted. Kaleb and Karmindy love Cowabunga Bay and had begged Mark and I to take them this Summer. However, it never felt like we could find a day to go. The weeknights were busy and the weekends were crazy! Thankfully with school underway and Fall Baseball over with we were glad we got to go. We didn't end up telling the kids until Kaleb got home from school that day. We just told them to go get their swim suits on and get in the car. I was teasing Kaleb and it was driving him nuts because I wouldn't tell him where we were going. He would try and guess where we were going and I would tell him that his guess wasn't the place. He finally guess Cowabunga Bay and he was so excited!

When we got to the park we road the lazy river for a bit. It was starting to get a little chilly so we wanted to warm up. After we warmed up we headed to the slides. Mark took Karmindy and I took Kaleb. Both the kids had a blast. Kaleb was a little more timid when it came to the slides but Karmindy wanted to tear it up. Mark said she would've gone down the biggest slide they had if he would've let her. She is quite the Dare Devil and it totally makes me CrAzY!! Somedays  Most days I think she will drive me to an early grave!! It was so nice to get out and do one last BIG outdoor activity as a family before the weather turned cold!

Mark with the kids!

Kaleb getting warmed up after swimming!

Super Cheez!

Our Baseball Player

 The Fall Baseball Season came to a close today for Kaleb. It has been a really fun season. It has been a delight for us as his parents to watch him grow as a player. Kaleb's hitting and catching has really improved this year!! Kaleb loved playing this year and enjoyed playing 1st base and catcher. He would look forward to each game just so he could try his hand at these two positions. Kaleb also had fun and really enjoyed being a team this year with a few friends: Matthew Payne, Caleb Bradford, and Jaxon Trimble. After tonight's game he asked when he could play again! We are looking forward to watching Kaleb play next  season! 

We love our Little Slugger! Way to go Kaleb on a great Baseball season!

Kaleb with his coach, Jeff Trimble

Kaleb, The Amazing Catcher
We loved seeing Kaleb suit up in the catchers uniform/equipment. The equipment is as big as he is!

Puppy Love

This past week Kozette turned 5 months it is hard to believe that we have had our cute little pup since June. She has been the best little puppy despite the usual puppy annoyances. She barks, and has had a few accidents on my floors but overall, she has been the best. I have taken her in to get her groomed twice  now and each time those that worked on her said that she is the most well behaved pup. They say that Shih tzu's tend to be kind of hard to work on because of their stubborn personalities but Kozy really has impressed them. We sure are happy to have her apart of our family.

Kaleb and Karmindy adore Kozette and are so good to keep her entertained everyday when I can't. Karmindy especially has taken a liking to her and I will often times catch Karmindy holding her and talking to her in a sweet calm little voice. It is adorable. Kozette sits still for both of the kids, I think sometimes it may be out of fear of them because they do terrorize her but for the most part they are kind to her.

Just yesterday (Saturday) after I had come home from walking I came into the house and asked where Kozy was. No one knew. I asked Karmindy who was playing in her bedroom if she knew where Kozy was. She replied that she was giving her a bath. I got a little worried because I didn't see her anywhere. Karmimdy then walked over to her play kitchen and opened the Dishwasher door and opened it. There sat Kozy sitting so still. I was so mad at Karmindy for I had no idea how long that poor little dog had been sitting in that small space.

Another cute story about Kozette... Each night after putting the kids to bed around 8 pm, Mark and I generally will go unwind for the day in our bedroom and watch a movie or check emails or play games around 8:30 pm. Our nightly ritual generally includes Kozy lying between us. Kozette loves the attention and loves that me, her momma, will pet her and cuddle with her. On the nights that we are not sitting on our beds, she will come in at bark at us until we go and sit on the bed with her. We are truly amazed at how she likes our nightly routine.

We love our little dog!!

I was a King Today!

Kaleb is really enjoying first grade this year. He had a little bit of a tough time with the new schedule and being gone all day but has now adjusted and is loving everything. He especially loves lunch and recess. What kid doesn't? I have really been impressed with Kaleb's teacher, Mrs. Forman this year. She is the cutest friendliest older lady and is so very organized. I am amazed at the stuff that Kaleb brings home. So far she has bound several books for all the kids in her class of the projects they have been working on. Talk about time consuming and going above and beyond. I am grateful to her for all the wonderful things she does and helping Kaleb to have a fun 1st grade year experience. I have also been able to go and help twice a month in Kalebs class and help read with the kids in his class. It has been so fun to meet the kids and get to know Kaleb's classmates. It has also been nice to see where Kaleb is at and where I can help him.

Today, Kaleb came home so excited. He told me that he got to be the king for the day. Apparently if you are King for the day you get to be a special helper and you also get to have some special attention from your classmates. The King and Queen for the day get their names chosen randomly out of a jar and they get to sit at the front of the class. The teacher then lets the kids ask them questions that are about them. Kaleb loves attention and truly felt so special that day at school. He came home with a poster that his teacher had written about Kaleb's likes and it had a special sticker on it that said, "I was a King today!" Here is what Kaleb's Poster said:

"My name is Kaleb. I love to go to the park and play at the playground. I love to ride my scooter. My favorite treat is a fruit snack. Junie B. Jones are my favorite books to read. Yellow and Orange are my favorite colors."

We are so proud of you Kaleb and are so glad you enjoyed your Day as King!