Sweet Emma Moment

We bought Emma a cute Halloween costume this year, but Friday night when I put on my Snow White costume she decided she wanted to be twins. So we pulled out her costume from two years ago and she loved it.

Happy Birthday Chase!

Chase turned two this month. He was so excited for his party. I put up his Mickey Mouse banner, and he stared at it most of the day. His favorite gift was his birthday balloon. Chase is a joy to have in our family. He loves giving kisses (right on the lips), and he is quite the jokester. His favorite game is to call you someone else's name. He thinks it's so funny.

Football Star

Jackson played football for the first time this year. He loved it! He played for the Scarlet Knights, and scored his first touchdown during the second game. The last game was played at War Memorial Stadium and he was so excited.

Pumpkin Patch

I love this time of year. I especially love all the fun fall activities. Here are a few pictures from the Pumpkin Patch.

Typical Chase tantrum

Random Funny Quote
Jackson: Everything's going good, no one got hurt yet (while playing outside with Emma)

Totally 80's Halloween Party!

We hosted our first ever Couple's Halloween Party last night. It was a lot of work, but so much fun! We went with the "totally 80's" theme. We ate dinner, played games, and enjoyed great company. Here are a few pics.

I'm Back!

Well, it's been two years since I last updated this blog. My new goal is to blog at least once a month so I can document what's going on our family, and post cute sayings from my kids.

I have to say that my new friend, Maddie, is my inspiration. A few months ago I came across her blog. She is amazing, and because of her blog I want to do better to document the stories of my family.

So, here's my first post...

Jackson starts second grade tomorrow. I can't believe he is old enough to be in second grade. Emma will start kindergarten, too. It's crazy! We had a great summer swimming, traveling, and playing; but I think they are ready for the structure of school. We'll see how the first day goes.

Cute sayings:

Jackson: My eyes are wet. I don't know why they're wet. Oh yeah, it's because I'm crying. (This was when Steve & Dave left for Utah)

Celiac Disease

I put off blogging for a long time, and I think it's because I didn't want to have to write this post.

Back in January Emma started to have a really bloated tummy. I thought it was because of all the juice she was drinking. One weekend my parents came to visit and my Dad was concerned because her veins were beginning to poke out in her stomach. The day they left I took Emma to see the pediatrician. I thought he would say I was overly concerned, but I was shocked when he told me to take Emma immediately to Mercy Hospital. He was worried that she could has something like liver disease, a blood disorder, etc.

I dropped Jackson off at a friend's house and headed to the hospital for the longest 4 hours of my entire life. I remember sitting in the hospital and praying over and over again that my sweet little girl would be healthy. Fortunately for us, Emma's blood work and catscan came back normal. The next two months were followed by several visits to our pediatrician and Arkansas Children's Hospital.

I will always remember the day that Emma was diagnosed will Celiac Disease. She had been running a fever the Friday before and we went back to the doctor. They said she had a bacterial infection and sent us home. The next Monday her fever was worse and she was becoming lethargic, so we went back to the doctor again and after more testing learned she had pneumonia. That afternoon the gi specialist at Children's Hospital called and said that Emma's blood work came back and she had tested positive for Celiac Disease. It was a hard day.

Six weeks later Emma had her biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and we started her new diet. For a while we called it "silly-yuck" so she could understand it better. It was a really hard adjustment, but now things are going great. Emma has gained 3 pounds in the last two months (before she hadn't gained even an ounce in over a year). She is eating so much better and overall is a happier little girl.

I would never have chosen this experience for Emma, but I am so grateful that she was diagnosed so young, and that it wasn't something worse.