MERRY CHRISTMAS!

An Official Graduate...and other news

I couldn't narrow down my favorite photos...so this post has several collages...you can click on them to enlarge the photos.




The kids are enjoying the snow here in Pennsylvania. But after our trip to Georgia last week, I now realize just how cold it actually is. Adalynn and Camden enjoyed time outside catching snowflakes while Broderick was at school on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, we woke up to several inches on the ground. Broderick had a two hour delay. We dropped him off at school at 10:45 and dismissal on Wednesday's is 1:30. We picked him up, and we began our trip south. Broderick and Camden were a little disappointed that we were leaving and that they didn't get to play outside in the snow, but were exciting about seeing friends.

We arrived in Georgia to a balmy 70 degrees. We definitely didn't need the coats, gloves, and hats that we started our trip with. The kids did great on the ride despite some technical difficulties with the DVD player. We finally were able to get one to work, so they just shared in the middle. One of these days we will invest in a ceiling mounted one...the cords of the portable ones get really annoying. If anyone has any advice or suggestions, we are open.

We spent Thursday visiting friends, going to the school, stopping by campus, and eating at one of our favorite restaurants (Barberitos)! The boys loved playing with the Tadda kids and we enjoyed spending time with them as well as with Allison and Michael. Friday morning was spent the same way and we were able to visit with Ryan and Missy. Both are fighting harder than ever, but still loving every precious minute they are given. It was great to see them both and witness the outpouring of love that is showering down on them. The Lord knows, they definitely deserve it!

On Friday afternoon, John officially graduated. His family (his mom, dad, sister, and nephew) drove down from Indiana to help celebrate his special day. The Tadda family went to graduation with us and then Allison and Michael came to dinner after graduation. It has been a long road...and we are glad it's over! I am so proud of John for achieving this prestigious degree. I know it hasn't been easy (trust me) and I know he couldn't have done it without me ;) hee hee...though he says he would have finished faster and politely, I would beg to differ.

On Friday night we left Athens and headed to Jackson to stay with the kids' godmother and my best friend, Heather. We had a blast hanging out at her house and doing absolutely nothing on Saturday. The boys loved playing outside in the beautiful weather in her fenced in backyard. On Saturday night, the boys had fun skyping with her husband and their godfather, Jesse, who is in Iraq. We enjoyed spending time with her before she headed to Indiana to spend Christmas with her family. We all left Sunday morning after a delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We made it back home early Monday morning. Well, I should say that we made it to the parking lot behind our house. Our road was a solid sheet of ice, so we didn't even attempt to drive down it at 1:00 in the morning. Broderick had a two hour delay, so he made it to school on Monday despite the 14 hour car ride.


other news....Adalynn is still pottying in the toilet. She rarely poos in her diaper. She tells us she has to poopy even when we are driving...I can't believe my baby girl is growing up so fast. I can't remember the last time I changed a stinky diaper. Yea!!!!!


And here's an attempt at photos in front of the Christmas tree...which wasn't exactly successful-cute, but definitely no good shots of the three of them. We also took photos outside of John's office, which we used for our Christmas card (which I will post in a few days).


Thanks for checking in on us and celebrating John's graduation with us. We are definitely proud of his accomplishment. We hope to see many of you soon when we come to Indiana!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Forgot this....

Well, I forgot to post this picture this week, so I thought I would add it now. Her first chocolate pudding experience.

I will post more pics when we get back from John's graduation...yes, he is officially graduating. We will head to GA this week for it. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again (yes, I know I was just there).

Lastly, if I don't have your address and you want a Christmas card (that I custom made) please email me with your address. I have some of them, but if you are an on-line cleft buddy-I may not. email me at frye.shannon@gmail.com


I will be posting the card here later this week for all to see, so if you are okay with that-then just think of that as your Christmas greeting from us.

Until then, enjoy the countdown until the BIG DAY! I know we are more than ready here!

This is HUGE!!!!!

The event of the year just occurred at our house this weekend. One of the most exciting parts of our move...one of the reasons Broderick and Camden even chose to leave Georgia and move to Pennsylvania with us. Yes, you guessed it...

IT SNOWED!!!!

Now, you have to realize it has been about 4 years since we have seen snow. The boys do not remember it at all and of course Adalynn has never been around it (unless you count the random flurry in GA as snow). They were so excited. I do have to admit, though, that John and I were too!

We spent most of Saturday out shopping and getting our family picture taken for our Christmas cards. It began snowing late Saturday afternoon and just watching it fall from the sky was enough to send the boys overboard. Once you were able to actually see it on the ground, it was a whole different story-they went nuts!!! We even went to Wal-Mart Saturday night looking for snow boots and sleds. They didn't have sleds in stock yet, and we couldn't find snow boots in the right sizes. We left empty handed. The roads were a little slick and our van had its first anti-lock brake test as slid and we missed our turn.

The boys were out of bed and standing at the window (jumping up and down and shouting) before 7:00 the next morning. They were amazed that there was snow EVERYWHERE. Now, in all actuality, there was very little snow. Barely enough to cover the ground and definitely not enough to even attempt a snowman. But, it was perfect for them. They were bundled up and ready to go outside before 9:00. Based on their actions, you would have thought that they have never seen snow :) --which is mostly true. Camden wanted to know "what that popping noise was" as he trudged up the sidewalk and crunched through the snow and Broderick had no clue how to even make a snowball. Boy, do they have a lot to learn! They only lasted outside for about 15 minutes (and Adalynn less than that, since she refused to keep her mittens on). It was perfect though. It was just enough to get them excited about what is to come.

The most important question came from Camden, though! He wants to know why Santa didn't come...he always comes when it snows!!!! Well, as we all know-Christmas is right around the corner!




Thanks for checking in on us....here some other photos from this week! Enjoy!!!!

watching the Polar Express in PJ's with a fire and hot chocolate (of course)

She finally has enough hair for pigtails! Now, she even asks for them and doesn't pull them out!!!

So excited!!!!! Adalynn loves hiding from Broderick and Camden
and is beside herself when the boys pull the blanket off her head!

Adalynn was looking way too cute by the Christmas tree with a Christmas tree on her head!



She loves yelling at the singing and dancing reindeer!



Christmas is right around the corner. We can't wait to see many of you!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am just a few days late in wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, not too bad considering the craziness that has been our life over the past few weeks. Things have actually slowed down a little bit. Nobody got sick, except me (but it was just a cold). We enjoyed quiet days at home playing play-doh, loving on the doggie, cooking yummy food, and decorating for Christmas. The boys have enjoyed having daddy home the past few days and we were all grateful to not have to travel for Thanksgiving (though we missed being with family).


On Wednesday the speech pathologist came to work with Adalynn again. She really doesn't think she needs to be seen, but because they can't use the word "monitor" with early intervention, she will continue to receive services. She hopes to change it from once a month, to once every 3 months. She said she would be the happiest to visit her every 6 months. While she was here, Adalynn said "moo, bye, love you, hello, puppy, daddy, back, more, turkey, crayons, green, no (a new favorite), purple, click, candy (also a favorite), yuck, and dot-dot-dot." The speech pathologist eventually stopped recording what was said, because it was a little overwhelming. Adalynn will repeat almost anything that we tell her. Some things are clearer than others, but she definitely has the /b/ and /p/ sounds that we were worried about. Hopefully I will get her on tape and upload it here, so you can all hear her talk. It is adorable.

On Thanksgiving Day, we cooked a turkey and all the fixin's. I even made my first ever pecan pie (I had no clue that it was so easy). John made homemade rolls with Camden's help, and the boys were both very interested in the turkey. Camden asked way too many times "why did they have to kill it?" and Broderick just wanted to know where it's head was. He also thought it was weird that turkey's insides were in bags (we had to explain that it was just the way it is sold-only dead turkeys get their insides put into bags). We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home and have enjoyed the leftovers for the past few days.


Broderick did great for his EKG and his echo cardiogram. He even came home with an ultrasound picture of his heart. It was really neat to see the 4 chambers and he thought it was the coolest thing. Even though he was extremely nervous, he did awesome and I am sure he can't wait to show his picture to all his friends and his teacher. We should hear something in the next few days about the tests, but John said you could definitely hear the murmur.

As far as my tests go....my blood work came back fine. Everything was within normal ranges. My CT scan still showed two spots on my right lung-they called them 'nodules'. Now I have to get the original scan from my doctor back in GA, so the radiologist has something to compare this one to. Without that, we can't determine if they grew or changed in the past year. I am still waiting to have my MRI on my brain. I can't schedule it because of an ear surgery I had when I was a teenager. I had a bone replaced in my inner ear and without being certain what type of prosthesis was used, putting a huge magnet near my head isn't safe. I have contacted the doctor that did the surgery, but since records are destroyed after 8-10 years, I have know clue what was used (and they couldn't help me). My parents don't remember either so now I have to have an X-Ray of my head to see if they can figure out if there is any metal in there...so for now, it is still a waiting game.

Thanks again for checking up on us. Enjoy all the photos!





preparing the turkey...


decorating the tree....

taking a much needed nap (with Chase)...

playing play-doh...(yes, this was just before she decided to eat it)
sporting their Colt's gear...

Camden loving on Chase-this was just way to cute not to share....


saying cheese and wishing EVERYONE a very Happy Thanksgiving...

If it's not one thing, then it is ten others....literally!

OUR CRAZY LIFE!!!!!

Sorry for the delay in posting. Yes, I am finally home-but things have continued to be CRAZY!!! I mean really crazy!!!!

Despite being my grandpa's funeral, we really enjoyed seeing everyone in Indiana. We even had time to go visit the other great grandparent's, John's parents, and my dad and his girlfriend. I spent a lot of time with my my mom and even I got to meet my new niece, Madyson (Maddy). Adalynn thought she was adorable! We also got to see lots of family that I haven't seen in years including meeting a cousin for the first time ever (sad, considering he is in highschool) and seeing another that I haven't seen since she was a toddler (she is a freshman in college now). I really hate that it takes funerals to get people together, but isn't that always the case. Hopefully we will get ourselves in gear and plan a family reunion!

The KNIGHT family

Addie...meet Maddy.

meeting Maddy for the first time. Isn't she a doll?

I really enjoyed my week in Georgia and seeing Missy. Many of you may already know, but things are really looking up. I think she more or less told the Hospice people to leave her house, she was NOT dying. Things so far are going much better. She is getting chemo and her blood work is looking a lot better than before. The DIC seems to be resolving itself. You can check her page for the most up to date information. For those of you who don't know, her son Ryan also has cancer and I know them because Ryan was in my class a few years ago. His mom, Missy was the speech pathologist at the school I used to teach at. We just clicked, and have stayed close since then. She is such an inspiration and one of the strongest women I know...definitely a hero!

I also was able to see several of my old friends and spent some time back at Bethlehem. Boy, do I miss you all. My students from last year were almost beating down the doors to see me. It was quite amusing. I don't know how many times I heard "Mrs. Frye, is that really you?" The weirdest part of the week though, was having only one kid. There were times that I wasn't sure what to do. Adalynn did great, but really was confused about what was going on. I think she really just wanted to be home. We had spent the whole previous week in Indiana for my grandpa's funeral and then left for Georgia the day we returned. She was very good the entire time, but there were times you could tell she just wanted to be home.

While I was in Georgia, I found out that my other grandpa was hospitalized. He didn't look the best when we had visited him the week before, and I knew that it was bad, but it still surprised me. I guess when your blood sugar is over 500, a hospital stay is definitely warranted. He finally made it back home after over a week in the hospital. I just pray he modifies his diet, stays up on all his medication and that he continues to be able to breathe (he has COPD and is on oxygen 24 hours a day to top it off).

Also, while I was in GA, Broderick got his first report card, had his first parent teacher conference, and even had a doctor's appointment. I had to make sure John got the FULL experience :)!!! His report card was FANTASTIC. He is excelling is all academic areas. The only concern the teacher mentioned at his conference was his eagerness to answer EVERY question. Often, forgetting to raise his hand or even let her finish the question. Were working on that! His well check went okay. He was very devastated to learn he had to get another shot, especially since we thought he was done for quite sometime. He weighed 68 pounds and was 54 inches tall. Still putting him the 94%/97% for both weight and height. The doctor did find a heart murmur that has never been noticed before, so Broderick is scheduled to an EKG and an EEG next weekend.

On Sunday (11-16), John met me (and our friends, the Tadda's) in Virginia. Because I messed up my flight, they had to drive me there so I could get home. THANK YOU TADDA FAMILY! We enjoyed an overnight stay at a hotel (with a pool) and the kids loved seeing each other again (first time in 4 months). Everyone had a blast and we were all sad to say good-bye on Sunday morning, but we each had to return home and I was hoping, back to normal. Yeah, right-what in the world was I thinking.

Monday was fairly normal. I spent a lot of time cleaning, doing laundry and just trying to get things back to normal. Camden wasn't feeling well and was running a slight fever and Adalynn was also starting to feel yucky. At the time, I just thought that the crazy weeks had gotten the best of them. John was very excited to have me back at home and I definitely enjoyed sleeping in my own bed! Tuesday was a fairly normal day as well. We went to story time at the library (which ended up not happening) and spent the afternoon around the house.

Wednesday is when it started getting crazy again. John woke up to find that the furnace had quit sometime in the middle of the night. By the time I woke up it was a mere 59 degrees inside our house. I called the heating people, but of course it would be between 2-5 before they could come. I had to cancel Adalynn's dentist appointment (for 2:15) and reschedule it for a 3rd time. She was starting to feel really yucky that day, so I guess it was a good thing. She had a constant runny nose (which was made worse by the freezing cold house) and was very fussy. Fussier than she had been in a long time. The heating people finally made it that afternoon and of course had the furnace running again by just flipping the switch-go figure!

On Thursday, I had a scheduled doctor's appointment. John was planning on being home to keep the kids, but ended up having a teleconference with NASA concerning a grant he has applied for. You really can't reschedule with NASA, so I just took the kids with me. He was able to make it to the doctor's office just as they were taking me back to get weighed, so it ended up being okay. The appointment was concerning my CT from about a year ago. Click here to see original post It was titled "I'm Normal", well I guess I am not normal. When reviewing my own records I saw that my CT scan revealed a few spots on my lungs. Although, my doctor in GA didn't say anything to me about this, when I read through my records (which I got when I left GA) I noticed the report and the radiologist's findings. My new doctor in PA is ordering more blood work, another CT, and an MRI of my brain. I'll let you know what happens.

To be sure the craziness continued, on Friday morning I got a message from my neighbor (who kept Camden while I was gone) that she and 2 of her children have pertussis AKA Whooping Cough. ACK!!!! I immediately call our pediatrician who puts all three of the kids on a precautionary antibiotic. Of course, both Adalynn and Camden were showing beginning signs of it (but it is really hard to tell the difference between the beginning of whooping cough and the common cold/respiratory infection). I guess only time will tell. I can't imagine the pain of what she is going through, especially since she has 4 kids under the age of 4. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

The weekend has gone fairly normal. I did go get all my blood work done on Saturday morning and then we all went to John's office and to Sam's Club. Today we have finally caught up on all the laundry and have just lounged around the house. I pray that next week gives us all the much needed break. We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at our own house this year, not traveling, and just taking it easy. I REALLY hope that my mom comes and spends it with us.

Thanks again for all your prayers. I am so glad to be home! We still ask for continued prayers for Missy and Ryan, for our neighbors, and for us. Thanks for checking in on us. I will try to get caught up on all the blogging I missed soon. I've missed you all!

A quick update, thank yous and the biggest thank you!

Just thought I would write to give everyone a quick update...

Shannon and Adalynn return tomorrow (YEAH!). So to the big thank you is to my wife. I knew staying home with the kids and getting them up and ready for school, carting them around to all of their activities, etc. is hard work. After dealing with just 2/3 of our family I have a renewed respect for just what she does on a daily basis. Most of it is done behind the scene and to be honest I have taken that for granted as I have been focused on adjusting to the new job. So thank you, Shannon, and I love you and am very glad to have you back tomorrow.

A thank you to all that have helped out this week in PA: Jewel, Danielle, and Jessica. Without your help this week would have been harder than what it already was. Shannon and I would also like to extend our thanks to all those who have visited Ryan's (superryan.blogspot.com) and Missy's (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/missymorgan) websites and sent prayers and well wishes as the family deals with a difficult time. If you have not visited Missy's site after Friday afternoon there was good news posted. The DIC is resolving!!!! While still not out of the woods this is very good news. Continue to pray for the family and send them well wishes. Shannon will update everyone on her adventures in the next few days.
Thanks for visiting, John.

Thanks for the prayers...more are needed.

As they say, when it rains it pours...

We returned safely from Indiana early Saturday morning after spending time this past week with family to mourn the loss of Shannon's grandfather. While driving back Shannon received news that Missy, one of her close friends from Georgia, had been sent home with hospice care. Saturday afternoon, the boys and I took Shannon and Adalynn to the airport so that they could go to Georgia and see Missy. Please say a quick prayer for Shannon and Adalynn as they are traveling away from home and that they return safely at some point this next week. Also, please pray for Missy and her family as they deal with the inevitable and that they find comfort during this difficult time. Please visit Super Ryan's blog (link is in the right column) for updates on Missy's condition.
Thanks, John

Trick-OR-Treat

Well, Halloween didn't start out on the best note. I got a phone call from my mom that morning saying that my grandfather had died in his sleep. Yes, he was getting old. But, still this was a little unexpected. We are making plans now to head to Indiana for the arrangements. It wasn't a very good start to what turned out to be a fun weekend.

Broderick marched in a parade at his school that afternoon and then I was able to help out in his classroom (with Camden and Adalynn in tow) for his party. The best part was when another parent came over and asked me if I was a teacher because I "sure sounded like one". Yay! At least I know I haven't lost my touch. The kids in his class were wired, but had a blast doing all the activities. It was a lot of fun.

The kids loved Trick-OR-Treating on Friday night. We just went in our neighborhood and only went for about an hour and a half, but boy did they end up with more than their fair share!!! It was crazy. We even went home and dumped our buckets once. Even Adalynn had a blast and would not let go of her pumpkin. She was right with the boys going up to each door and getting her candy. It was so cute.

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And finally, on Saturday night Broderick marched in a local parade with his Cub Scout Pack. They worked hard on their "Pirates of the CUB-arean" floats and Broderick looked too cute as a pirate. I wish he would have been a pirate for Halloween (NO MASKS NEXT YEAR...they only lasted 15 minutes). Can you believe I bought his pirate costume at the dollar store for a dollar? I just dressed it up with things we had at home. I think we'll go there first next year to find costumes. Broderick was so proud of himself for walking 2 miles (John was with him) and loved passing out candy to all the kids. Camden, Adalynn, and I watched the parade and had a lot of fun waiting for the boys to pass. It was a great ending to a not so beginning of Halloween.

It will probably be next weekend until I post again. Please pray for traveling mercies for us as we make the 9 hour trip and for all the family that will be traveling as well. Also, please pray for my mom. She lived with my grandpa, so it has been really hard on her.