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!