Well, here it is three days after Christmas and I'm just sitting down for the much anticipated Christmas post. I have to say, that though I haven't had time to sit down and write, I have had time to wonder what exactly I would write.

I have seen that many of you were a few steps ahead of me with your posts of pictures and tales of Christmas traditions. I loved reading them and learning about your own family traditions and what things you'll pass on to your children. Reading your posts also got me thinking about our Christmas traditions. We share many of the same traditions, but this year some of our traditions changed a little, too.

Christmas Eve was spent with the Richard side of the family as we have always done. It's been one of my most anticipated Christmas events for as long as I can remember. We used to pile into my Gram and Paps house for food and family and presents. In recent years we moved our get together to Larry and Mary's, and this year to my cousin Amy's. We returned home in time for church which is something important to Earl and I. At home we put the kids in their Christmas pj's and picked out the special cookies and carrots for Santa and Rudolph. McKenna was so excited for Christmas this year and it was definitely contagious.

The kids gave us an extra little Christmas gift and slept until almost 7:30 Christmas morning, a rare treat for all of us. McKenna excitedly opened her presents, although she volunteered for Cooper to go first. Unfortunately, Cooper was more interested in breakfast than he was in opening presents. And once he saw his fire truck he wasn't really interested in anything else Santa had under the tree for him. That afternoon after everyone had a nap, including mommy and daddy, we packed up and headed to Mimi and Pappy's. We were all treated to a few more presents and Dad's special dinner, lobster tail and steak! My mom surprised me with a bracelet...and my brothers and I surprised her by giving her almost the exact same thing. It was really kind of funny. I guess that goes to show how much we have in common.

The day after Christmas we got together with Mom-Mom and Pappy Landis here at our house. It was a little different than usual because Julie and Hayden didn't make it home this year. But they were on the phone with everyone when we presented Mom-Mom and Pappy with special portraits of all their great-grandchildren.

This weekend we surprised Earl's Mom with a trip out to see the new house and most importantly the kids. We coordinated it with Earl's sister who also came out with her three kids.

It has definitely been a bit of a whirlwind but now that it's over we wouldn't trade the past few days for anything. We learned a lot this past year about the importance of family and spending time together as much as you can. We were blessed to be able to spend time with all of our family even though it wasn't in our "traditional" way.

To all of my family and friends who showered us with gifts, thank you so much. Your thoughtfulness was so greatly appreciated. For those of you who bless us with your company and your love, thank you for being a part of our lives. For those of you who I connect with on-line, thank you for sharing your thoughts, stories, humor and inspiration. All of these are wonderful gifts.

I hope you enjoy a few of the pictures I picked out to post. I also added a flickr badge to the upper left of the blog with some other Christmas pictures.

Looking forward to the New Year....

McKenna, Tighe, Zach and Jase

One Thing to Squeeze in Before Christmas

Like everyone else I am having a hard time juggling Christmas preparations, daily life and blogging. But last night was a special night for our family and I wanted to share it before I the surely endless Christmas post.

In our family my parents treat us each to a birthday dinner, usually at the restaurant of our choice. Keep in mind that for 4 of our birthdays fall between November 14th and Christmas. My mom and dad were in Florida for my birthday in November and Kyle's birthday was right smack in the middle of Nicole's wedding. McKenna had a party here at the house this year and Shane, well, Shane's birthday is Christmas Day. So, we got smart this year (finally) and decided to have one big birthday dinner.

Last evening we (all 10 of us including Kyle's girlfriend, Katie) traveled to Williamsport to the Japanese Hibachi grill. After a few tears from McKenna over the "fire" on the grill we settled down to a huge meal. If you've never been to a Hibachi grill you've got to try it sometime. It's truly entertaining and delicious.

So here are some pictures from our event. Hope you like them. By the way, thanks mom and dad for a great time together and a great meal. I should probably wish everyone a Merry Christmas now, because I'm sure that it will be awhile until I get a chance to post again. Enjoy your time with your families. I'm looking forward to continuing to connect with all of you in 2009.

Snow Day!

Not much to report from our tiny little part of the world today. Having worked all my hours by Thursday, I was able to stay home today with the kids. It's not really a big secret that I hate driving in bad weather so I was glad to stay put on a day like today.
McKenna and I decided that December 19th was a good day for a pajama day. We stayed in our pj's, ate pancakes, played games, wrapped a couple presents (but not nearly enough), made homemade pizza, and then took a long afternoon nap. This afternoon it did get the best of me and I got in the shower. I'm not really one to stay in my pj's very long at all. Today was probably a record.
Tonight we had big plans with my parents and brothers to go to the Hibachi grill in Williamsport. But our plans were delayed until tomorrow night due to the snow and sleet. I'm glad that we're all able to get together again tomorrow because I was really looking forward to it.
Last night my mom and I did a little last minute Christmas shopping until Cooper got cranky and we had to come home. He has been suffering from diarrhea since he started on his antibiotic and has developed an awful diaper rash. Today our pediatrician called in a different antibiotic that hopefully will not adversely affect his GI system. He's doing okay with his breathing treatments. At times he hates them, but he tolerates them. I'm still crossing my fingers that this works. Speaking of Cooper, he's still napping so I think I'll take this opportunity to get supper in the oven and maybe wrap a few more presents.

Didn't See That One Coming

It's true that life, especially with kids, is unpredictable. That doesn't always fit well with a type A personality (from which I've always suffered), but it's life. And it's true that every time you think perhaps you have gained some ground, settled into a routine, let your guard down...the Big Guy throws in curve ball. Some of you might follow Megan's blog and have heard about her ordeal with Joshua and the peanut cookie this past weekend. She'll know what I mean when she reads this post. I got my curve ball tonight.

Those of you that have spent any length of time around Cooper over the past 18 months of his life know that he coughs. He has coughed pretty much his whole life with the exception of this past May. First we blamed it on his reflux and then a variety of viral illnesses. His cough was very rarely associated with a fever and only a handful of times was associated with any other real symptoms. Last winter and through the spring we (the doctors and myself) shifted the blame from reflux to daycare. Most pediatricians will tell you that the average kid gets 5-7 colds per year. You can double that if they're in daycare. I had my doubts a couple of times and even suggested that perhaps his lungs weren't the greatest, reminding the pediatrician that he was born a month early. But my thoughts never seemed to go anywhere beyond my lips.

Fast forward to this afternoon. Cooper had a "quick" appointment to get his ears rechecked after his recent bout with infections. Of course, when the doctor came into see us Cooper was coughing. I've known and worked with his pediatrician at the hospital for almost 4 years now. And I love her. But imagine my surprise when she sat down and looked me in the eye and said, "I've been thinking about it and I think he has asthma." Oh, okay....HELLO! Where in the heck did that come from???? I was expecting a "quick" appointment for an ear check. An hour later I was leaving with prescriptions for two different medications, an antibiotic and a nebulizer machine.

So, that's our story and our curve ball for the day (and hopefully the week for that matter). Nebulized meds two times a day and then every four hours if he needs it. Not a big deal since Earl and I give nebs all the time. The big deal is how exactly I'm going to fit a 15 minute treatment into my morning routine that already begins at 4:30am. Things can always be worse though and I'm just hoping that the nebs help and Cooper does better. My nurse friends and I just kind of laughed about this latest incident recounting once again that when we nurses want something from our doctors we can't ever get it. But when you're least expecting it you get more than you bargained for.

By the way, I think for Christmas I would like a baseball mitt that will help me catch a curve ball!

I promised a more positive post for today and I definitely intend to deliver on that promise. This weekend was great. We celebrated McKenna's birthday on Friday evening with a handful of her close friends and family. It was a little crazy at times but we all had fun.

Saturday we continued our quest for the perfect dining room set. Turns out that the one I had my heart set on probably won't work the best for us. So, the search continues. Saturday evening Earl and I took McKenna to the movies, shopping and out to dinner. It was so nice to spend some time alone with McKenna. She made us laugh all night and continues to surprise us every day with her knowledge and five year old wisdom.

Today was special also because McKenna finally got the chance to meet one of the neighbor girls who lives a few houses from us. McKenna has been anxiously awaiting the chance to make some new friends. We were excited to find out that there are 3 little girls who live beside us and behind us who will go to school with McKenna next year. With any luck they will all be fast friends.

Of course tomorrow starts a new week of school and work. My work calendar is pretty full this week, but our home calendar is not so we are very much looking forward to spending time relaxing at home. Well, what relaxing you can do with an 18 month old who has recently discovered climbing and is very good at it.

I'll leave you with some pictures for now. Sorry that they all look like mug shots. We've really got to get some color in our dining room! Have a good week.

McKenna with her gymnastics cake!

Prayers

I'm usually a pretty positive person, or at least I try to be, and usually it's not hard. But today I have to admit that it's hard. Today sucked. Today I feel like God put me in a place that I didn't really want to be. I know He had a reason, but does that really mean I have to like it? Today at work we had a little girl cardiac arrest and die. She was Cooper's age. That's what I keep thinking and what runs through my mind. It's what brings tears to my eyes and makes it hard to concentrate on the rest of the days activities. We tried everything we could and we worked so hard to save her. For her mother, for her father, for her, for ourselves...we tried so hard. I know it's what God wanted and we shouldn't fight his plan like we've learned through special people we've met like Stacy and Spencer and little Max's parents. But it still stinks. It stinks and it never gets any easier. You never stop second guessing every move you made leading up to that point, you never get used to the sight of that little lifeless body, you never get used to the cry of a mother who has just lost her baby. You just don't. Lots of people say that they could never take care of kids, they could never do what we do. Some days we don't know how we do it either. And sometimes we don't know why we go back because really it could happen all over again tomorrow. There's nothing special about us. Our hearts are no different than yours and the fact that we can handle the sight of blood does not give us any special powers. We just feel called to take care of kids and their families. And some days, like today we put our hearts on the line to do it. And it stinks. I couldn't wait to get to the daycare today just to physically see my kids. On days like today I try not to overdue the hugs to the point that I scare them or make them wonder what in the world is wrong with me. But I honestly want to hug them until they can barely wiggle free.

So tonight I would really like to ask for you to pray for those parents who are surely struggling tonight and missing their dear little baby. And for the nurses and the doctors who fight so hard every day for those kids, who have to trust that all of this is God's plan and who have to sometimes find the courage to go back and do it again tomorrow. Please do not misunderstand, this is what we do, what we do well and what we've been called to do. Sometimes it just stinks.

Thanks for your prayers. I know that the family and the nurses will appreciate every single one.
I promise a more joyful post next time and lots of great pictures. Please go hug your kids one more time tonight - for me!

Five Years of Blessings

Tonight I find myself a fews days closer to the big day...McKenna's big 5th birthday. I've added two new songs to the playlist tonight. One I mentioned in a previous post and one new one. They remind me, once again of how fast the years have gone and will continue to fly by. A few nights ago I was rocking Cooper to sleep and trying to memorize every single minute of that time with him. I realize that soon, he too will be too big to be rocked to sleep so I want to savor every minute. I feel like I've learned a lot in the past five years. Some things I expected, like how to change a diaper in 20 seconds with one hand, the best way to get strained squash out of a favorite shirt, what baby products might actually be worth the money. Some things hit me a little later...don't rush through the day (I'm still working on this), lavender bath wash smells so good on a baby, sloppy kisses are the best, you can never get enough snuggle time, when someone offers to help take it (still working on this too!), and that my heart now walks around on the outside of my body in the form of two little kids. I can't help but think back to what I was doing five years ago today. McKenna's delivery was scheduled for December 18th. I had worked up until this very day five years ago when I finally gave up. I'll never forget one of the seasoned nurses picking up the phone at the nurses station, calling the staffing office and telling them that my maternity leave was officially starting. She then turned to me and said, "Go home." I gladly took her advice and was excited at the thought of having an entire week to get myself and my house ready to bring a baby home. I got one day. McKenna had other plans and was delivered a week early, just a few hours before a snow storm. And now here we are five years later. It feels a little like we stepped into a time machine to get to this point. But, truthfully, when I look back there has been so much "living" over these five years.
While I was pregnant with McKenna I worked with a nurse who had lost her daughter to cancer. I'll never forget her telling me that my priority in life was to show McKenna the world. So, that has always been my goal. I figured if anyone knew what she was talking about it was that mom. Over the past five years we've physically taken McKenna lots of places...the beach, Disney, to see numerous friends and relatives. But I know that's not the most important thing. So we continue to try our best to "show" her and Cooper the world. This year her class is holding a birthday party for Jesus. They were asked to bring a gift for him, a baby gift, which will ultimately be donated to the Pregnancy Care Center. She is quick to tell us that some babies do not have blankets and clothes and she's so excited to go and pick her gift. Tonight she came right home after school and make a beautiful card to accompany her gift. It's warms my heart to see her care so much about someone else. I hope this adds to what that nurse meant about "showing" her the world. No matter what she continues to keep us grounded. This morning as we left for school in the pouring rain I absentmindedly said, "Who ordered this weather?" McKenna never missed a beat and quickly replied, "Jesus". Yeah, I guess you're right!
So, I'm going to enjoy this big birthday and the celebration. Five years...we made it five years. That's definitely something to celebrate. It's been so much fun and more rewarding than I could ever have hoped. I'm so blessed to have what I've always wanted, a family. So, we'll look forward to the years to come and all the blessings we pray will accompany them.

I've finally convinced myself to take a couple of minutes to sit down and post since it's been so long. It's not often that I can't find the time to get some of my thoughts and of course a couple of pictures on-line. I have good excuses though...and good pictures.

This past weekend was my cousin Nicole's wedding. McKenna and I were both in the wedding party, along with my cousin Julie and her daughter, Hayden. Needless to say, we all had a great time. I won't lie, it was an extremely busy two days with trips to Lewistown each day. We had originally thought of staying overnight on Friday night but later decided against it. Cooper is a great sleeper...but only when he's in his crib. Packing for Cooper to spend the day in Lewistown and packing for McKenna and I to be in the wedding proved time consuming also. But again, it was well worth it.

McKenna was so excited to finally be a flower girl. What little girl doesn't dream of being one? She looked adorable and took her job very seriously. She was so well behaved the entire weekend with the exception of a few tears at the reception until we quickly pointed out that her make-up would smudge if she cried. That solved that! She was thrilled to get her hair and make-up done with the adults. She must have asked the make up artist to reapply her lip gloss fifty times before we left the salon.

Before we knew it, the ceremony was over, Nicole and Jon were man and wife, and we were off to the reception. After everyone had some food in their bellies we danced and had fun for hours. It was great to be able to dance and have fun with my grandparents, parents, cousins, brothers and my kids too! At one point I thought about the fact that this was the first time all year that we were ALL together for something fun. We definitely had enough gloom this summer that needed "danced out" as they would say on Grey's Anatomy.

Saturday night our entire household slept like rocks. Earl was nice enough to let me sleep until 9am on Sunday morning, a near record for me since having Cooper. But I definitely needed it. I was the last person to come down with the dreaded sinus infection that has plagued our house. I really should have seen a doctor much sooner, but honestly I didn't have time to be sick. Once I got up Sunday morning I made plans to be the first one in the parking lot when the walk in clinic opened at 1pm. I was second so that wasn't too bad and in a half hour I was leaving, antibiotics in hand. I'm feeling much better today even though my co-workers threatened to put me in isolation and make me wear a mask in the office.

I'm looking forward to the final preparations for McKenna's birthday party on Friday evening. I know she's definitely looking forward to turning five. You all know how I feel about that already, so I'll spare you my thoughts on that tonight. After spending the weekend with her doing 'girl stuff' for the wedding I realized that her growing older might not be so bad. We really did have a good time together. And I realize that I'm so blessed to have a happy, healthy daughter who grows bigger and stronger every single day.

I can't believe that there are only 18 odd days left until Christmas. That's unbelievable. I'm so excited though. I have a feeling Cooper is going to be super fun this year tearing into presents. So far, the Christmas tree still stands, but more than a few ornaments have ended up on the floor under the tree. We're planning on having breakfast with Santa on Saturday so we'll see how that goes. Even McKenna is not sure she wants to sit on the Big Guy's lap this year.

I hope that you all are doing well and enjoying the holiday season.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

I feel like Thanksgiving was weeks ago already, even though it was just a couple of days. Maybe because we've packed so much into such a short time. As promised, we went to get our Christmas tree on Saturday. Because McKenna wasn't feeling well we had to make do with a skeleton crew....Me, Cooper and my mom. Though we were small in numbers we brought home trees bigger than ever. Its been a bit of a challenge for us to decide where to put our Christmas decorations and the tree. Most of our decorations were bought specifically for rooms at our old house. When we were unpacking our Christmas goodies the other night we kind of just took them out of the box and starred at them. But the Christmas tree is up and decorated. It adds so much color and warmth to the room. We definitely need to work on decorating and putting some pictures up on our bare walls once the holidays are over.

Cooper at the Christmas tree farm.

It's pretty quiet around here tonight for a change. I have to admit that I broke down and called my mom tonight to ask if the kids could sleep over. With the colds that have been going through our house I haven't had a good night sleep in....I can't remember how long. Last night we put the kids to bed and crashed ourselves. It was 8pm. I know, I know...too good to be true, you're right. Just as I fell into a deep sleep Cooper started wailing. It was 8:30. He cried on and off for no apparent reason until about 11:30 when Earl finally said, "Cooper, what's wrong." That's when he promptly put his head on my shoulder and wasn't heard from again until morning. If I only knew that was all it would take to send him back to dreamland! So, I almost ran back to bed. I figured 5 hours of sleep would be plenty to get me through today. No luck. At 12:30am McKenna came into our room complaining that her ear hurt. I found it odd since she's already been on antibiotics for 3 days, but I also could sympathize with her. Like some others of you out there I remember suffering from one too many earaches when I was a kid. I loaded her up with some motrin, but she was still restless. So, we headed down to the couch to watch a little TV with the hopes of getting her mind off of the ear pain. We both fell asleep an hour or two later and spent the rest of the night on the couch.

I called work and daycare first thing in the morning, telling them both that we were staying home today. A few minutes later, McKenna popped off the couch and said, "When do we leave for school?" Are you kidding me? She denied any pain in her ear at all and told me again that she really wanted to go to school. SO, we called the daycare back and told them we (McKenna) changed her mind and we all got dressed. It was a little bit of a mixed up day, but in the end I'm glad that everyone is feeling fine. And I'm very glad that my kids love to go to school so much. As I'm sure I've written more than once before, the internal struggle between staying at home and working is a constant one for me. I just can't seem to reconcile that one in my head or in my heart. But at least I can see how much the kids enjoy daycare, their friends, and learning which makes the decision to keep working a little easier (at least for today...tomorrow might be different, that's why it's always a constant struggle).

Hopefully tonight will be peaceful even though we've already received one teary phone call from McKenna saying that she wanted to come home. I'm pretty sure she's just tired, and my mom assures me that she'll be fine. It's not like she hasn't stayed there before. But I remember those days as a little girl too! It's actually kind of weird now that she's almost 5. I can remember a lot about being 5. I feel like I can relate to her a little more now. It's fun.

Well, I guess I should take advantage of this precious quiet time. I'm looking forward to "sleeping in" tomorrow (until 5:15). I hope all of you are enjoying the week and staying healthy. Remember -- handwashing, handwashing, handwashing! And a little plug from a pediatric nurse to those of you with little babies (because I can't resist) - please be especially careful this time of year. Influenza and the common cold can be very dangerous for babies. Make sure you insist that everyone who touches them wash their hands. And that means you, too! (Like I said, sorry for the unsolicited advice, but trust me when I say the hospital will be full of babies with respiratory viruses for the entire winter. We actually refer to this as our "busy season"). Please don't be one of our patients!

Baking Day and Other Christmas Preparations

Phew! What a busy couple of days it has been! I'm glad to finally have a moment to sit down and post some pictures for all of you.

Thanksgiving was great. Dad and Aunt Mary did a great job with the meal and we all really enjoyed being together. I ate too much, but that's a whole different story. I managed to get a few pictures yesterday...here they are.

"Can you please pass the turkey?"

Pap and I fooling around with the camera!

Today was "Baking Day" at our house. Earl had to work and since that left me with the kids all day we decided to stay close to home and do some baking. In the past I've not been much of a baker, but my new kitchen lends itself well to cooking in general. McKenna and I planned to stay in out sweat pants all day and bake, bake, bake. However, as most of us know, plans change. I ended up taking McKenna to the doctor first thing in the morning for a cough that's been lingering. That took up most of the morning. But after a quick lunch, we were back on track. I was really hoping that Cooper would take a nice long nap, but again...plans change! We all had a blast.

Take note to how much powdered sugar is NOT in the bowl!

After dinner, Cooper and I packed up and headed for Toys R Us for a little shopping. We returned home, packages in hand just in time for The Polar Express. It's one of our favorite movies and definitely helped all of us to get into the Christmas spirit.

Tomorrow we're planning to go get our Christmas tree. Historically we always seem to pick the coldest day of the year, but I think tomorrow we should be safe. This year should be interesting as far as Cooper and the tree go. Last year he wasn't mobile so we didn't have to worry about him taking ornaments off the tree. I'm thinking this year we won't be so lucky.

I'm really hoping to get a lot of decorating done this weekend. Next weekend starts what I've been referring to as "the busy season". It starts with Nicki's wedding next weekend, then McKenna's birthday. We'll get a little breather before Christmas and a visit from Earl's family. I'm tired just thinking about it!

We'll it's past my bedtime and as I said, there's lots to do tomorrow. I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday with your families.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ" - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

This was the bible verse that McKenna brought home from school this week. A pretty straight forward verse for 5 year olds, I thought. But then again, those verses probably reach more parents than kids most days anyway.
It didn't take me long to consider those words. All day I've faced constant reminders of just how blessed I am. Then again, that doesn't really take long when you work in a Children's Hospital, especially around the holidays. The weird thing is that I stopped in the PICU today. I rarely do that, since really I don't often have a reason to. But today I decided to stop and see my co-worker who was helping out in the unit for the morning. Her patient was a tiny little guy, not much younger than Cooper. He was on a ventilator and his mother stood closely by his crib. I was introduced to her and as I gazed at her baby watching his chest rhythmically rise and fall, the mother smiled at me. Smiled. I'm sure that she was just being polite, but I couldn't stop thinking, "She's smiling at me." Her baby is fighting for his life and may never wake up again and she's smiling at me. I've worked in pediatrics for a long time now and I've taken care of more than a few dying kids. But some of them just hit you so hard. I had trouble just standing there looking at that baby. All I could think was, "that could be my kid". It was like one of those moments when God was smacking me on the head as if to say - you're so blessed, you're so blessed, you're so blessed. And I truly have been blessed more than I sometimes think I deserve.

My mom and I had a conversation yesterday about the holidays and about the fact that we can't be with everyone in our families on the actual holiday itself. We talked about the fact that every time we're together should be celebrated like it's a holiday. Because really, you never know if you'll be together for another holiday. Standing at that baby's bedside today was just one more reminder of how true that really is.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow with my family. I know that my Uncle Larry will be smiling down upon us a little brighter tomorrow. His physical presence will be so missed...but I know he will be there.

For those of you who we can't be with (Gail, Loretta, and the kids; Julie, Andy and Hayden)...we will be thinking about you and love you.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks to all of you for continuing to be blessings in my life.

Think Warm Thoughts

I know that I promised lots of fun pictures from yesterday's Penn State game, but the truth is that this is all I got....and I'm even embarrassed to post this one! But our thought was one of who cares what you look like as long as you're warm! The camera only worked sporadically in the cold and so did my fingers!

We all arrived at Beaver Stadium with our new cold weather gear, plenty of hand warmers, layers of clothing, and positive attitudes. We fired up the grill and warmed our hot sausage and mac and cheese, hoping to at least warm our bellies. The sausage stayed pretty warm....the mac and cheese had to be inhaled before it got cold on our plates. We took some time to visit with our friends Amy and Chris (who by the way had a heater!) and then headed up to watch the players come to the stadium.

As we took our seats before the game the snow began to fall. The swirling snow and the excitement in the stadium were very cool (no pun intended) and we knew we were in for a great game. We managed to make it through to half time relatively warm, but after sitting on the cold bleachers with our feet on a sheet of ice and snow we began to feel the chill. The supposed temperature at Beaver Stadium was 25 degrees. With the wind chill factored in it was about 11. No amount of hot chocolate and hand warmers in the world could make a difference. So, I'm sorry to admit that with Penn State ahead by more than a few touchdowns, Earl and I hit the road. It was a great effort, but ultimately my toes won out and I had to retreat to the warmth of the car. But, what a game and what an experience. If nothing else, it's a great day to remember and a great ending to an awesome football season. We're already looking forward to next year!

Think Warm Thoughts

What a beautiful day we woke up to this morning. After getting the kids ready and off to school, Earl and I headed out to do some shopping. Half the day was spent playing Santa and stocking up for Christmas. The other half of the day was spent searching for new boots, gloves, hats, and long underwear for tomorrow's Penn State Game. We also invested in some toe warmers, hand warmers, and body warmers at Wal-Mart. We met a seasoned Penn State football fan who was also gearing up for tomorrow's cold weather in Happy Valley.
We'll be meeting Shane and Eric there tomorrow for some tailgating and our friends Kara and Matt from work. Hopefully we'll also have a little time to see Megan and Jason! We're all just crossing our fingers that we're prepared for the cold weather. And of course, we're hoping for a great game!
Mimi and Pappy will be watching McKenna and Cooper so I'm sure they will have a great time. Hopefully I'll have lots of great pictures to share with you.

Stay Warm!
Em

"Thankful"

It continues to amaze me what a gift it has been join the world of blogging and connect with so many people. I have been touched by so many people, their stories, their testimonies, and their honesty - and yet I have never met many of them.
Tomorrow Earl and I plan to tackle the daunting task of Christmas shopping. And as plan our lists for Christmas and make arrangements for Thanksgiving next week it brings back the realization that there will be special people missing this year. My father-in-law's death and my Uncle Larry's extremely unexpected death occurred less than 24 hours apart. It truly turned us upside down for a little while as we could not even be together in the days after their deaths or for the services. But we would be lying if we said we didn't learn strong lessons from everything that occurred that week. Earl and I have been exposed to untimely death, unfortunate circumstances, and very sad situations throughout our careers. Sometimes I think that in itself has forced us to come to terms with death in ways that we may not have otherwise faced. And to some people we may seem to deal with death at a distance, as we have almost trained ourselves to do in order to survive our profession. But as we come upon the holidays we are painfully aware of the absence of our loved ones and that of so many of our friends and family who have lost someone close to them.
So tonight as I thought about this and got ready to give Cooper a bath, I put on some Christmas music that someone had on their blog. I happened upon a song by Josh Groban called, "Thankful" and the words spoke right to my heart. For so many of us it would be easy to be angry and just plain sad to face the day and especially the holidays without our loved ones. And even though those are okay emotions to experience, we need to continue to be thankful in our daily lives.

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

I am so thankful for my family and my friends; for the chance to live this life and serve God in any way that I can. Some days it is downright difficult to find something to be thankful for, or to just remember all of things that we are all blessed with. But my hope is that all of you will take a few moments, as I did tonight, to reflect and give thanks and offer a few prayers for those who will find this Thanksgiving and Christmas particularly difficult.

And to the blogger that posted that song...Thank You!

We're Back

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post. That must be a record. It's not that I didn't think about it or even make an attempt. It's just been busy. Cooper had a case of a sore throat, pink eye, and bilateral ear infections that pretty much put a damper on our weekend. We did manage to get out for a few hours on Friday evening for my birthday but we were both tired so it didn't amount to much. I spent part of Sunday afternoon at the clinic with Cooper. I took him because his eyes looked red and he was terribly crabby. Imagine my shock when they announced the infection in each ear and the sore throat. For those of you who think I have an advantage being a pediatric nurse....I don't. For those of you who are pediatric nurses....you understand. We can be quite oblivious when it comes to our own kids. Well, maybe that's the wrong way to describe it. It's more like when we think our kids are REALLY sick the doctors tell us they're not. When we think it's something small that we can handle on our own and that we're not even sure they should be seen for....WE'RE usually wrong! Turned out this time I was really wrong and they were really right. Sunday night was completely sleepless for me as Cooper cried all night and batted at his ears. After a couple doses of antibiotics and some of Mimi's TLC last night he's feeling much better. And I even have the video to prove it.

He's definitely all boy. The rougher and the scarier - the more he giggles.

McKenna has been a trooper this week. She's put up with a little less attention as Cooper required a lot of Earl and I. Last night she announced through her alligator tears that she needed a break from school. This was quite shocking for me because she never asks to stay home. (She's like me--afraid she'll miss something and I'm not talking about school work.) So her daddy picked her up early today and took her for a special lunch.

Earl and I are looking forward to Christmas shopping on Friday (well, more me than Earl) and the Penn State game on Saturday (more Earl than myself). But Christmas will be here before you know it so we better get ready! And to those of you who have already decorated...you could come to my house now!

Mission Accomplished!

Mission accomplished...and with minimal trauma, I might add. We left our house at 11am this morning and headed for State College for Christmas pictures. I originally thought I would be going by myself but my friend Kim was able to come along with her two year old. We left the house at 11am and returned home to Lewisburg at 5:30 with pictures in hand. I'm so happy to have Christmas pictures (and Christmas cards) off of my to do list. Last year I was so behind that I actually had to send New Year's cards! I consider this year a true accomplishment!

The kids did a great job considering that they only had a 20 minute nap in the car and then were tortured while we changed their clothes multiple times. We were extremely happy with how the pictures turned out also. You'll have to wait for Christmas cards to see them though. Here's a sneak peek at the kids on the way home. You could say they were a little worn out....and so were we! I did learn one thing today - that Earl is actually right (but don't tell him) that we need to explore bigger vehicles before we consider more children. These kids were literally crammed into the backseat today. That was probably our biggest challenge of the entire day.

And since all good things must come to an end at some point we'll be back to the usual crazy routine tomorrow. But at least the weekend is almost here. Where exactly do the weeks go? I feel like by the time I take a breath it's Thursday already. Earl and I are looking forward to an evening out on Friday and a better Penn State game on Saturday than we suffered through last weekend. And we are all anxiously awaiting Mimi and Pappy's return!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Please Don't Rush November

Over the past two weeks McKenna and I have been planning for her upcoming birthday. We've discussed the party, ordered the party supplies, and talked about what she might want Mommy and Daddy to get her for her big day. This morning when she woke up she said, "I wish November wouldn't take so long." I actually wanted to cry when I heard her say that because even though I feel like I rush her through the morning routine I DO wish that November would drag on a little longer. I just can't quite get used to the thought of having a FIVE year old. It just doesn't seem possible. I cried for two days when she turned one. I'm sure that this will be no different. I wish I could rewind the years and do them all over again...even the first couple weeks of crying, feeding difficulties, reflux....you name it and I would do it again. I tease McKenna all the time that she's not allowed to turn five, that I only allow four year olds to live in my house. She always smiles and cocks her head to the side and says, "Mom, you have to let me still live here." I suppose she's right. My friends who have older kids tell me that every age is fun and that there is still lots to look forward to. I believe them, but I'm just not ready to let go of the preschool years just yet. I promise not to treat her like a baby, I'll just think of her as one! Well, I guess that won't really work either.
Today on the way home from work I heard a new Darius Rucker song on the radio. That's what really got me thinking hard about McKenna's upcoming birthday. I tried desperately to find it and add it to my playlist but it must be too new right now. So, for today you'll have to settle for the lyrics. Try your best not to tear up. And if you need a tissue don't come to me because I've used mine all up!

It Won't Be This Way For Long

He didnt have to wake up

He'd been up all nite

Lay'n there in bed listen'n

To his new born baby cryHe makes a pot of coffee

He splashes water on his face

His wife gives him a kiss and says

It gonna be OKIt wont be like this for long

One day soon we'll look back laugh'n

At the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by

So baby just hold on

It wont be like this for long

Four years later bout four thirty

She's crawling in there bed

And when he drops her off at preschool

She's clinging to his leg

The teacher peels her off of him

He says what can I do

She says now dont you worry

This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long

One day soon we'll drop her off

And she wont even know your gone

This phase is gonna fly by

If you can just hold on

It wont be like this for long

One day soon she'll be a teenager

And at times you'll think she hates him

Then he'll walk her down the isle

And he'll raise her vale

But right now she up and cry'n

And the truth is that he dont mind

As he kisses her good night

And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her

Till her eyes are finally closed

And just watch'n her it breaks his heart

Cause he already knows

It wont be like this for long

One day soon that little girl is gonna be

All grown up and gone

Yeah this phase is gonna fly by

He's try'n to hold on

It wont be like this for long

It wont be like this for long

"Bubble" and Other New Tricks

Of course you're probably wondering why I'm posting a picture of Cooper in the bathtub. Aside from the fact that he absolutely loves to be in the tub, I wanted to share his the latest word he has added to his vocabulary...Bubble! He seems to be learning and growing at an alarming rate these days. But maybe I've just now slowed down enough to notice all the things he can say and do. We had trouble with him screaming a lot when he was a little younger so we had taught him a few simple signs which has really helped. It also helps that they sign at school. It works really well...except when someone else is watching them and we forget to warn them about the signs! He's also quite interested in the computer. Notice he even put his sippy cup there on the desk with him. I wish I could say that I "posed" him for this picture, but the truth is that this is where I found him after his bath.

This weekend was great, with the exception of the Penn State game. We're still drying our tears, but I think we'll survive. I know all the other fans out there can feel my pain! We're still looking forward to a great time at the Michigan State game in two weeks!

We're looking forward to another very busy week. Back to a full work week for me, gymnastics tomorrow and two nights of overtime for Earl. Wednesday I'm going to attempt the unthinkable and take the kids to State College for Christmas pictures...something I've never attempted alone. I'm sure we'll be fine, but I'm going to make sure to wear extra deodorant! We're all looking forward to my mom and dad coming back. It's pretty lonely around here without them. Plus, we're really jealous that we didn't get to go along!

Hope everyone has a great week!

It's Tradition

Yesterday when we returned home in the afternoon we were greeted by a big box from Grammy Musial. She's famous for her boxes that arrive at our house periodically and McKenna couldn't wait to find out what was inside. The biggest surprise of all were the 2 small shirts tucked inside. They had obviously been worn lovingly over the years and now were being passed on to McKenna and Cooper.....they were Daddy's special Cleveland Brown's football shirts from when he was little. In honor of Brady Quinn's first official NFL start tonight McKenna has worn the special shirt. We hope it brings good luck (because anyone who follows football knows the Browns will need it). Thanks Grammy Musial for passing these along! We will wear them proudly....at least inside the house!!

Lessons From A Scarecrow and A Spider

Nothing is really new around our house tonight, but I wanted to recommend a cute book for those of you with kids. My mother in law sent a book today called, The Scarecrow and the Spider. It seemed like a simple book where a scarecrow makes friends with a spider, but it has a great message. In the story the scarecrow scares away the birds who intend to eat the spider for lunch. When the spider realizes what the scarecrow has done for him he dances around and exclaims, "Oh, I knew God was watching out for me!" He goes on to explain to the scarecrow that "God is always with us! Everywhere you go and in everything you do, God is there-even when you feel alone!" McKenna loved the story and completely understood the message (which was the important part). And it's a nice reminder for us as parents too!

A Few Photos From the Weekend

I almost forgot to share a few pictures with you from the weekend...

We start them early at our house. Some of you might remember a picture of McKenna at this age studying anesthesia with her Dad!

Halloween went off without a hitch, despite previous pictures that might have led you to believe we were going to be minus a giraffe.

Dreaming of M&M's!

Home Sweet Home

We finally made it! We're all moved into the new house. We couldn't have done it without the help of Kyle, my parents, and our good friend Dave. They worked tirelessly Friday and Saturday to move all of our stuff....and boy did it seem like we had a lot of stuff!
The kids have adjusted better than I could have ever imagined. I think that they were used to us being out here every couple of days so to them it was no big deal. I worried the first couple of nights that McKenna might have an accident trying to find her way to the bathroom in the middle of the night but she seems to have no problems. The stairs are a constant battle with Cooper and it's been difficult to find gates that will fit properly so we continue to work on that. Tucker has probably had the hardest time adjusting. I spent the first night camped out in the living room with him as he cried and whimpered. I'm glad to report that last night went much better and he seems to be getting used to his new environment.
Earl has worked constantly all weekend to move everything and put stuff together, etc. I honestly don't know how he did everything that he did. I know he must be tired but he keeps plugging along.
I feel like a thousand pounds has been lifted off my shoulders now that the house is done and the moving part also! I hated having that looming over my head for the past few months. And I must say that I would rather unpack boxes on this end!
We're still waiting on some of our furniture to come in and as I type tonight I'm sitting on my knees. I'm extremely glad to finally have the TV and internet hooked up! I was starting to feel disconnected from the rest of the world.
We're excited for our friends and family to come visit now that we have a new place and lots of space. So, if you're in the neighborhood (or even if you're not) feel free to stop by.
Happy voting tomorrow!

"We're All in This Together"

Who knew that a grown woman could be reminded of something so obvious by a movie....well, not just any movie! For those of you who have not had the High School Musical experience you might truly be missing out. Earl and I took McKenna this weekend to see her "love bug", Troy Bolton. In it's 3rd installment the HSM gang once again reminds us that we are in fact "ALL in this together". Whether it's high school, work, or raising our kids in this sometimes crazy world, we are all in it together. I never really got the concept of "it takes a village to raise a child" until I was the mother of two. Now I understand. If it was not for my family and my friends both near and far I'm not sure I could keep it together. So, do yourself a favor and sit down for a couple of High School Musical movies and enjoy their fun, yet agreeably cheesy message.

We are still on track to move this Friday (once again with the help of many friends and family). Consequently, we will not have internet access for 3 days. I'm hoping I can survive...but it might be close. I'll definitely have a lot of catching up to do on everyone's sites come Monday evening.
It's going to be so bittersweet to actually leave here. If I let myself stop and think long enough I get caught up in all the "firsts" that are tied to this house. It's our first house, our first big project, our first Christmas as a married couple, and then their are all the firsts with McKenna and Cooper. I guess it's just plain hard to imagine ourselves anywhere but Mountain View Road. We are crossing our fingers that our next neighbors are at least half as great as the ones we have now. But we feel so blessed to have the opportunity to have a new home and feel a sense of accomplishment in actually making it through the building process with some of our mental health intact. And I do stress SOME. I'm sure those near and dear to me will second that! I worry about how long it will take for our new house to feel like a home, but I guess that part is up to us. It will definitely be filled with love so I guess that's a start.

Hope everyone has a great week!

The Great Painted Pumpkins

Last night I promised some new pictures soon so I hope you enjoy the images I was able to catch this evening as we painted pumpkins. Usually we would carve them, but McKenna insisted we paint pumpkins this year. I wasn't going to argue since I would be the one scooping all that goo out of the pumpkins anyway. And honestly, who needs that mess on a Thursday night?

We also decided to try Cooper's costume on him to make sure it would fit. It definitely fit...and he definitely is not having anything to do with it. So, Megan, I guess we will be returning the giraffe costume sooner rather than later. Thanks for the offer though! Let's just say we're not really Halloween people and I guess we accidentally passed that on to our kids. McKenna is looking forward to trick or treat night. I'll have to wait to tell you what she's going to dress up as because she says "you're not supposed to tell anyone, they have to guess".

So for now, "Happy Fall" to everyone. We'll have to get back to you on the "Happy" Halloween part!

I really should probably be ironing or finishing laundry right now, but sitting down every night to post something on this blog has become a great way for me to wind down, look back on the day, and once again appreciate all of the blessings in my life. Of course some days those blessings are a little easier to find than others...but they are always there.
Today Cooper and I spent the day together. McKenna loves her new class at school and didn't want to miss out on anything that had to do with Ms. Lorraine's class. I can only hope that she maintains the same attitude about school for the next 12 years. Cooper and I ran all kinds of errands. We stopped to get his haircut, shopped for a new TV, and went out to the house for awhile, and braved the Farmer's market. Mimi was kind enough to pick McKenna up at daycare and bring her home so I could get some stuff squared away with the new house. (I would go into greater detail but it's too painful to recount at the moment. Let's just say I will be SOOO....glad when we are done with this project.) After a quick trip to Target for a wedding shower gift we were back home for supper, baths, and Sesame Street. Cooper has started to really enjoy Elmo so it's fun for us to watch him react to seeing Elmo on the TV. McKenna was the first one in bed tonight since she skipped out on a nap. A nap that I would have gladly taken for her if given the chance. Cooper followed quickly behind her, stopping first to make sure his music was turned on before heading to his crib. Sometimes I am amazed that he is my child. McKenna was always a challenge to get to sleep. Not Cooper. Thank goodness for small favors.
I tried to get some good pictures for tonight's post, but couldn't really catch anything new. I'll try harder for tomorrow. I know I haven't been very good about pictures lately.
Though it's only Wednesday, we're all looking forward to the weekend. Saturday is my cousin Nicole's wedding shower AND the Penn State vs. Ohio State football game. I'm sure most of you will be tuned in so let's hope for a good game and another win for State!

Last evening I had the rare treat of taking McKenna to her gymnastics class minus one mischievous little boy. Cooper usually keeps me preoccupied as he runs around the gym during McKenna's class. I try to keep my eye on what she's doing but it's not always easy. So last night I finally escaped without Cooper and could fully concentrate on McKenna. She did well on the floor exercises and was a little hesitant on beam but she seems to be progressing along. I was most amazed when I sat and watched her on bars. Anyone who knows McKenna will tell you that all her life she's been scared...of just about anything. I guess that's why I'm so surprised by her lack of fear when it comes to gymnastics. Last night she jumped right up to the bars, grabbed on and did a "skin the cat". I couldn't believe my eyes! She did it! It was one of those little moments when you're so totally proud of your kids. I know it was just practice, but I couldn't help but smile inside. And I couldn't help but remember when I was just a little older than McKenna. I spent my summers at the playground (along with some of you who I know will be reading this) swinging from the bars and "skinning the cat". Watching McKenna last night so small and so innocent was almost enough to take me right back to those playground days. What I wouldn't do for one of those warm afternoons when all you really had to worry about was who you were going to ride bikes with that evening. As we look forward to moving to our new house I'm really looking forward to the friends McKenna and Cooper will surely make there. Our goal when we set out on our house hunt was to find a neighborhood that would give our kids the kind of childhood we had growing up. The kind where you could walk out your front (or back) door and be surrounded by friends. I hope their memories will be as fond as mine and their friendships as lasting.

Could We PLEASE Rewind the Weekend?

I can't believe that it's Sunday night already! This weekend was a productive and fun one, but it went by way to fast. Friday evening Earl had to work late so the kids and I ran errands and went for groceries. Saturday was a marathon day beginning with a trip to pick paint for the front door, ordering furniture, TV shopping and how could I forget...PACKING, PACKING, PACKING. I actually can't take much credit for the packing part because Earl did most of it. I had a good head start on him though so I don't feel too guilty.
Saturday afternoon we headed over to Mom and Dad's to "watch" the Penn State game. I think Pappy and Daddy got to watch the game, but Mimi and I were busy keeping track of McKenna, Cooper and Tighe.
Today the kids and I went to church while Earl stayed home to disassemble the beds and do some more packing. The praise band was awesome and so was Pastor Larry's sermon. He talked about not worrying about where God is taking us. If we're unsure we only have to look back to see how far He's brought us and what he's brought us through. Definitely words to take to heart.
Cooper kept us laughing this afternoon with his own silly little giggles. He has a new found love of playing ball with Tucker. Please excuse my messy house as you enjoy the video. Hopefully Cooper will bring a smile to you also.

So, with the lunches packed, the clothes picked out for the week, the nap mats washed and two little ones sleeping soundly I think I too will head to bed. And, since we can't rewind the weekend, I guess we'll look forward to the new week ahead and welcome whatever it might bring.

Could It Really Be True

It doesn't seem possible but two weeks from today we will be the proud owners of our newly built house. At the outset of our house hunt I didn't want to build a house. I was actually pretty set against it. But, when we couldn't find anything that met our needs and our wallet we sent up a little prayer. And the rest is history. We found a great builder who's become a great friend. I'm not sure how Ed stuck it out with us (well mainly me), but he promised that building wouldn't be a bad experience and he pretty much made good on his promise. I'm not sure who I'm going to talk to on a daily basis when Ed's not calling to discuss trim or cabinets or wall color...but I'm glad to be done with all of that. And I'm sure Ed is glad to be finished too! We've been so lucky to have so many of our friends involved in helping us through this process. Everyone from our realtor friend, Ann to Megan our insurance agent and Wendy our lawyer. We are so grateful to have friends in these positions who are willing to help us.

It's sad for us to pack up and leave our first home. It's the house that we worked hard to fix up to fit our style; it's where we returned to after our honeymoon; the home we brought our newborn babies. We have so many great memories of this house. Our neighbors have been a blessing to us and are like another set of great grandparents to our kids. We will certainly miss them more than words can describe.

We have a lot hopes and dreams for our new place though and we're excited to get moved in and spread out a little. McKenna is anticipating many play dates with all the little girls that live around us (and there are lots). I'm not sure what Cooper or Tucker will think...but something tells me that they won't skip a beat.

So for now I better go get packing!

Are they really brother and sister???

There is one thing that will never cease to amaze me about my children....just how completely different they are. Hard to believe that they share the same DNA and the same parents. Most of my friends and family say Cooper looked just like McKenna when he was born. That is definitely where the similarities end. McKenna was a mild mannered, fairly good natured toddler (except for the ugly cry). She would sit and play by herself or watch Baby Einstein while I cleaned up a little. I never covered a single outlet or put a latch on a cabinet door. I never had to worry that she was getting into something she shouldn't or wandering too far from me. Cooper on the other hand has managed to turn our world a little upside down. Let me recount the things he did just in the last 2 hours. Since I've been home from work he has escaped out the garage door while I was getting the trash together; fed the dog most of his supper while I wasn't looking; colored on the dining room wall with a crayon McKenna dropped on the floor; put the Swiffer duster in the dog water; unloaded all the books from his toy chest; repeatedly banged on the cabinet door because it had a child proof lock on it; took McKenna's pajamas out of her drawer.....I think that's it, but I'm sure there's more. Oh yeah....he laughed right at me when I put him in time out for pulling McKenna's hair---how could I forget that one. And now finally, he sleeps peacefully. Which I guess reminds me of all the great qualities that he has that his sister didn't have at his age....he goes to sleep without a fight at 7pm every night (and he sleeps all night!) Aunt Carol was right when she said my second baby would sleep better than my first. He eats like a pro - something we still are working on with McKenna. And above all, he keeps us active!! No sitting down to read or watch TV with him around.
I guess it's good that my kids are so different. That's what makes them unique and balances our family out so nicely. They both have their challenges, but as long as they are happy then so am I. (Tired....but happy).
Have a good night!

Continuing to Count My Blessings

I'm so glad to be back home tonight. After just one night away from my family it feels great to be back and going through our evening routine. Going away just for a short time always seems like a good idea, but when it comes right down to it, I really hate it. I wasn't even gone three hours until I felt that horrible pang of sadness sitting at lunch with my friends in Allentown and watching the little boy and girl across the room from me. At my conference I had the opportunity to meet some incredible parents of special needs kids who will make you appreciate your healthy kids in the first two seconds you meet them. They are amazing people. So you can imagine that last night I couldn't get home fast enough. Unfortunately, both kids were already in bed but at least I had the chance to kiss them before I turned in for the night.

Tonight I continue to count my blessings. As I was sitting down to write this post McKenna came over to me and wanted to tell me a secret. My first thought was that it was something silly like tonight was her doll's birthday or that she wanted a snack. But she brushed my hair back from my ear and said, "I love you, Mom". Those have to be the sweetest words that you can ever hear from your own flesh and blood. Those words fill me with such pride and love. And they remind me that all the trials and difficulties of the day, all the little duties we must get done are all worth it, just to hear those little words from that little heart. And it makes me grateful and thankful for the many, many blessings that have been brought into my life. And on that note I would like to ask those of you who haven't already heard of Stacy and Spencer (or have already been following their blog) to please continue to pray for them. They lost their baby boy last week and still continue on the path to healing. You can visit their blog and read their story at http://sgirl79.blogspot.com/

Thanks to all of you who are a blessing in my life. And Mom, since I know you'll read this...I have a secret - I love you!

Funny...It doesn't feel like fall

It might not feel like fall as the temperature soared into the 70's today. But there was no denying it this afternoon as we spent time with friends at Ard's Farm Market. Ard's is one of our favorite fall hangouts and fall is definitely our favorite time of year. Today was a special day at Ard's as we helped celebrate Connor's birthday party. Connor and McKenna have been friends since they were just a few weeks old. It's hard to believe that they are turning 5! It seems like just last year when my friends and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch for the first time. McKenna was only 9 months old. I have such great memories of taking the kids there each year. Cooper was able to enjoy himself a little more this year and I'm looking forward to taking them for years to come.

We spent a lot of time visiting the goats, the pig, and everyone's favorite...the bunnies. Cooper was amazed by the goats and even tried to climb the fence to join them in a game of soccer. The kids also had a great time playing in the corn bin and racing rubber ducks. We picked up a few pumpkins on our way out for carving sometime next week.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Philadelphia for a conference with a group of nurses from the hospital. I hate to leave, but it's only for one day so I guess I'll survive. I know that Earl and my mom will take good care of them. It's just that I like to be the one taking care of them!

I hope you enjoy the pictures. Happy Fall!

Make Your Mess Your Message

"Make your mess your message" were some of the first words I heard this morning as I was busy getting ready to face the day. Rarely do I turn the TV on in the morning and when I do it's usually tuned to the Disney Channel or PBS. But today for some reason I tuned into Good Morning America and I actually sat down to watch it. Those of you who have been unfortunate enough to be in my presence this week know that I've had better weeks. Between the new house, Cooper being sick, packing and working, I've been a little stressed...and a little high strung. I guess that's probably why God decided I needed a couple of doses of reality. Let me tell you they came through loud and clear. So, back to Good Morning America.... There was a short piece about the co-anchor, Robin Roberts, and her battle with breast cancer. Her message was the simple one that titles my post tonight - Make Your Mess Your Message. How perfect is that? Five short, simple words that remind us all to take the bumps in life, learn from them, and go out and tell others. And it reminds us that there is a lesson in all of life's difficulties should we care enough to look for it.

My other reality check came through my friend Megan's blog and a story she told about a friend of a friend. To make a long story short, a couple our age had a baby on Tuesday. A baby that they only had for 16 short minutes. To visit their website dedicated to their baby boy absolutely makes you understand all the blessings we have in life. And I'm sure they will never know just how much their loss has influenced others. I know that it made me stop and remember what's important and to thank God again for the blessings He has given our family.

And so I've hugged my kids a million times tonight and let go of the little things that would usually be driving me crazy right now. It's been great to be reminded that God is Good.

Feeling Much Better

I don't have much time to write tonight since tomorrow begins the great race to start packing for our move. Well, actually I have packed some stuff, but not nearly enough.

I just wanted to report that Cooper is feeling much better today. He's still coughing but a trip to the doctor confirmed that his lungs are fine and it's just an upper airway thing. He still had to get immunizations today so I'm sure he'll be back to being miserable tomorrow. But, what are you going to do.

I wanted to post this picture of McKenna tonight since I think it's absolutely adorable. She filled her chart at school and got to pick a prize from Ms. Lorraine's prize box. And so I present the sun glasses....

And just to prove that Cooper is on the mend, here's one of him and Daddy horsing around on the floor....

Looking forward to sweet dreams

I can't promise that this post will make any sense at all since I've had minimal sleep the last two nights. Cooper is fighting a cold and cough. We spent the last two nights camped out in the living room, trying not to keep the rest of the house up. Let me just tell you how long a night can seem when you're in a recliner and measuring the time in 20 minute increments. That was our night last night from 10pm until about 6am when Cooper finally slept for about 2 hours. But enough whining.
We did manage to make it through the day successfully even though Cooper only took a 1/2 hour nap. My mom graciously watched the kids so that I could go do a little shopping for the new house. It was the best 2 hours ever! We spent the rest of the day at home where I actually was able to make some lasagna and a casserole for this week. And some really yummy pumpkin bars. Earl made it home around 7:30 and was greeted by Cooper with Baby Einstein cards in hand. He must have made Earl go through those cards 6 times before he finally gave up and moved on to something else. His favorite tonight is the fish. He makes his little mouth move like a little fish...so cute! McKenna and I watched a little TV and then it was off to bed. McKenna was out in minutes. Cooper on the other hand only slept long enough for me to iron 2 pairs of pants. And now he's sleeping soundly in my arms...for the next 14 minutes. Someone get some sleep for me tonight!

Today we spent a fun day visiting with our family in Lewistown. It had been a long time since I had seen Pappy Richard so we stopped at Elmcroft first for a very long overdue visit. He was excited to see the kids and to show them off to the other residents.

"Hey, Pap - wait for me."

Chillin out with Great Pappy

After our visit with Pap we went to have lunch and play awhile at Amy's. McKenna was super excited to be able to spend time playing with Zach and Jase. They even surprised us with a "boys fashion show" of sorts when they dressed up in their camouflage hunting gear.

By this time Cooper was so tired he needed toothpicks to keep his eyes open so we headed for our last stop to see Mom-Mom and Pappy Landis. I wanted to pick up a few things for McKenna at the Bon-Ton so Pappy braved it alone with Cooper for an hour. We returned home to find Cooper crying hysterically and Pappy trying his best to comfort him. Apparently all went well for the first 45 minutes, but went down hill fast from there. I knew Cooper was tired so we quickly packed up the car and headed for home.

All in all, it was a relaxing and fun day. I'm glad that we took the time to go see everyone. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

A good babysitter is hard to find...but not impossible

They say good help is hard to find, and I guess that's true....to a point. But we are lucky to have MANY great people who help us out on a regular basis. One of our favorites is our babysitter, Amanda. Our family has known Amanda for many years since she has been friends with Uncle Shane for a long time. But it wasn't until this summer that we seized the opportunity to have Amanda do some babysitting for us. You might wonder why I'm posting about our babysitter tonight and including pictures of our sleeping children so I'll get to my point. Tonight Earl and I had to run some errands which consisted of going to Lowe's for some more lights for the house (And checking out the new Kohl's in Selinsgrove). Instead of dragging the kids out I decided to call and see if Amanda could come and play. She's great with the kids. We came home to art projects made of fall leaves and squiggly eyes, lots of books and toys out and one sleeping baby! Amanda said she put him to bed at 7:15 because she couldn't keep him up any longer. Apparently he kept going to the fridge and then to Amanda and then back to the fridge until she finally figured out that he wanted his bedtime milk. After that he was out for the count. I'm so glad that he's a better sleeper than McKenna. Soon after we were home it was off to bed for McKenna also. They seem just as tired this week as I do. Luckily tomorrow is the last day of school and work for the week. Friday we are looking forward to going to Lewistown to see Great Pappy Richard and our other family. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures after that. Here is a great picture of McKenna and Earl playing opossum though! Can you believe we still have the pink bear??? Check out her favorite Penn State blanket, too. She stole that from Earl! It is probably the most comfortable blanket we have and she loves it.

Well, still lots to do in preparation for tomorrow. Is it Friday yet???????