Finally...something to talk about

REAL SNOW!!!!!! and a lot of it

just kidding....these photos were from last year at this time and the massive SNOW STORM IN GA 1-2008 (we were soooo excited). Check out Camden's face.

But finally, here in PA, we had a total blanketing of snow. I think there is about 5 inches out there. I know that is nothing like what all of our family has back in Indiana-I think they got about 12 inches! Now, that is a lot of snow!!! But compared to what we experienced last year in Georgia at this time (and were very excited about), this was a massive amount of snow.

REAL SNOW!!!!! So much more fun!

School was canceled for Broderick and John was initially on just a two hour delay. But, the University ended up closing as well. Our neighbors said that our kids were outside before their kids were even moving in their beds! She and her husband are debating though, "which Frye group is more excited about this fluffy white cold stuff - the kiddies or the parents"....I think the jury is still out on that one. The boys played outside for a short while this morning until it started raining, which was about the time I finally got Adalynn all bundled up. It has continued to rain and sleet most the day, so I am sure the roads will be a mess in the morning. I hope that means just a two hour delay for Broderick and not another cancellation. Each day he misses school gets tacked on to the end of the year. I think they had a few 'built-in' days, but today will probably end up being added. Right now, he doesn't get out of school until mid-June.

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Late last week, we still had snow on the ground from the last snow storm that went through. The sad thing is that all of the snow we have had has not been good packing snow. We have not been able to build a snowman or anything. But on Friday, the warm temperatures caused some of the snow to melt and it was perfect for snowman building. It was 50 degrees outside and we built our first snowmen. The boys were very excited and Adalynn just kept staring at them and saying "snowman". I tried several times to get her to touch the snowman's belly or give him a kiss. She would just yell "noooooo"!! The dog was also scared to death of the snowmen. He growled at them later that evening when I took him potty. I ended up having to walk him to the other side of the deck for him to do his business.

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I can't believe Adalynn is almost 20 months old. That sounds so big and grown-up. She is definitely starting to look more toddler like and the baby-ness is quickly fading. She is also growing hair!!!! Yea!!!! We are so excited. It seems like it may be curly like Camden's was at this age. His stayed curly for awhile and has a lot of texture and body now, but all the curls have been cut off. I look forward to her curly hair lasting a little while longer. There is definitely no rush in cutting it! Isn't it adorable??? Can you believe how much she looks like Camden?

ADALYNN's CURLS

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CAMDEN and BRODERICK CHRISTMAS 2005
CAMDEN Spring 2006....CHECK OUT HIS CURLS

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She is definitely a very busy little lady. I find myself getting frustrated with her so much and thinking to myself 'the boys didn't do this' and 'I don't remember the boys doing that'. But then it dawned on me...I was working! They were at daycare and/or with a babysitter all day long. I am sure they were just as ornery, but because I wasn't with them all day and all night long, it didn't seem as bad. There are days Adalynn drives me nuts. I love her with all my heart, but UGH!!! Being a mommy to a very independent, strong willed little lady is HARD. I am sure it will continue to get harder as she grows up. The pastor who spoke at MOPS the other day, said "get them through 2 and 13 alive and you'll be fine". Adalynn is so close to 2 and she is really beginning to act that way! She loves getting into the cabinets and making a mess of the baggies, napkins, and paper plates. She also loves to pull the dishtowel off the stove and soak it in the dog's bowl (only then to wipe the wall's or suck the water out of the towel herself). Her favorite thing by far, though is playing with the salt and pepper shakers on the kitchen table. Sometimes, I have to just laugh at her or I am going to scream. John and I are both convinced that she can get away with a lot more than the boys ever did. Especially at night, when she tells daddy to "lay-pillow" as he is getting his things ready for the next day and she is wide awake in our bed. One of these days she will sleep in her own bed and I am sure I will miss these days!

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Adalynn is definitely adored by her brothers. They find all her antics quite amusing and are constantly asking "did I used to do that, mommy?" They love her to pieces!

Camden plays with her all the time some of the day, but he gets frustrated with her breaking his Lego creations, scribbling on his paper, or hijacking his remote control and turning it off his Dora. She also loves to steal his cars and take all of his tools from the tool bench.

Broderick on the other hand loves spending time with her. His favorite game is "chase" in which he runs around on his knees and lets her chase after him. He also loves carrying her, but up until recently she would fight him and he didn't get to do it very long. Now she will put her head down on his shoulder and will even lay in his arms on the couch. What cuties!!!!

Overall, she really is a SuperBaby and is such a blessing in our lives. Despite the day to day frustration I may have with her personality and her fight for independence, I enjoy every moment of it. I am so excited to watch her grow and develop and to see her personality start to shine through. She is an amazing little lady and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to spend this time at home with her.

It's the Little Things

It is the little things in life that we take for granted. The daily blessings that are so often missed. Just living life itself is a blessing, no matter how hard things seem at times.

Things continue to be busy here, but busy is still a blessing.


We are blessed with many things, but most importantly the three beautiful children that amaze me each day.

AND

~The beauty of the snow covered landscape and a gorgeous sunset!

~The joy of playing with a baby doll (and then pulling the bottle out of her mouth because it is funny to listen to her cry).




~The unexpected facial expression when taking pictures of Camden's amazingly blue eyes.


~And watching Broderick continue to grow and become the young man that he is-- interested and curious about everything that is around him.





And all of you....one of the biggest blessings that I never expected. I am so grateful for the love, support, and encouragement you have provided over the past year and half. It is all the little things that you have shared, written, and said to help make this journey "a beautiful journey" as our new header says. (Allison & Abby---notice the shirt!! and everyone else....noticed the HAIR!!!!)


....these are the things that we are blessed with on a daily basis.

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The kids all had dentist appointments over the past few weeks. Everyone got a good report. We did learn that our local water supply is not fluoridated, but at least we are blessed with clean water. At this point, no one needs flouride supplements, but the kids will be monitored.

Adalynn does have a significant underbite, but it is all related to the scaring of her palate causing it not to grow as quickly as her lower jaw. But, we are blessed with knowing that it can and will be fixed when she is older. Her teeth seem to be coming in in the correct place, which is a huge blessing even though one is facing sideways (see the close-up picture).

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Adalynn had her 18 month well-check (though a month late) and also got a clean bill of health. She weighed 21 lbs. and 3 oz and was 32 3/4 inches long. The doctor was pleased with her weight gain and she even jumped from the 5% to the 10% on the growth chart. She is still around the 75% in height. It is a blessing that she continues to be healthy and other than her cleft she has not really been sick (except for several stomach bugs, pink-eye, and a UTI at 6 weeks old).



She has been having night terrors which have been absolutely miserable for all involved and we are at our wits end! She used to sleep so well and now it has been a joke. She is convinced that her bed is the worst place in the world. She ends up in our room before the night is over about 99% of the time. And even then, she still doesn't sleep well. I wish I could do the "cry-it-out" method, but we tried that years ago with Broderick and it was miserable! The boys both sleep in their beds all night long and by themselves, so I know this isn't forever-but at this point in time we are all frustrated.




And though we are all blessed with good health, there are many who are not. Ryan and Missy are still fighting for their lives. Cancer is such a horrible thing, but to have the strength, courage, and faith that they do is another blessing. Having them in my life is a HUGE blessing. Love you guys and praying for you constantly!!!

And John's dad is struggling as well. He has been fighting a respiratory infection/cold for a few months and after a recent trip to the ER and a diagnosis of pneomonia, they also noticed some abnormalities with his heart. The doctors now believe that he has had several small heart attacks, and it is possible that he has congestive heart failure. He is currently in the hospital undergoing tests to see what the next course of action is. Please keep him in your prayers.

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Blessings are all around us, but it is always the little things that we so often forget to be thankful for. Please remember to count your blessings!!

Finally....our snow pictures-Another Scrapblog!!!

Bath and Bubbles

One way I have tried to start meeting people is by joining a local MOPS group. MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. It is usually ran out of a local church, but not necessarily by the church. I was involved back in Georgia before I started teaching and I was very excited to get involved here. Adalynn and Camden go to their classrooms while I get to fellowship with a group of moms twice a month. There are about 75+/- moms that attend the MOPS where I go. There is always a fantastic breakfast and usually a great speaker and fun craft. This week's speaker was a professional organizer, so I spent most of the weekend trying to organize. You should see my sock drawer! :)

The above picture is Adalynn looking way too cute before we went to MOPS last Thursday. She still isn't so sure about being left in her classroom and starts crying before I even hand her over, but by the time I am half-way down the hall she stops. The ladies there say she does fine, but she is always crying when I pick her back up. Hmmmm??? They do tell me that she does great the entire time, but starts crying again once the moms start showing up to pick up the children. I guess I just need to be faster and try to be the first one there. I know that they have had to come in and get other moms to handle fussy babies, so I guess I can assume that Adalynn doesn't cry too much or they would come get me. Camden loves going and does great in his classroom. He complains every time we go, but once we get there, he is fine.



As I told you all in the previous post, Adalynn has learned how to blow bubbles. I was so surprised that she could force enough air out of her mouth to do this successfully. I think this is huge for a cleft affected child. Of course, I called John in to show him her new talent and he said "yeah, I know...she was doing that the other day". Go figure?!?! Doesn't he know how important it is to tell mommy these things?


Can't you tell just how proud she is of herself? Check out that smile!!!!


Adalynn loves bath time!! At our house, baths are a very special occasion. Everyone usually takes showers and it has been that way since Broderick was little. When I say little, I mean tiny-infant-newborn little! His first "real" bath was a shower. Camden and Adalynn were the same way. On this evening, Broderick had Boy Scouts and Camden was upset about not being able to go-so a bath was a great diversion. He and Adalynn had a blast! I didn't get any good shots of them together....but here are some great ones of Adalynn "What do you want?" She is such a serious little lady!

Here I asked her to show me her nose. Looks more like she is trying to blow kisses...but cute nonetheless!
She found her reflection! Check out how dark her hair (what little of it there is) looks! It is finally really starting to come in.

And I leave you with a picture of my big boy cleaning up. Broderick has had a lot of homework for Boy Scouts lately. On Saturday night, he had to help with dinner from beginning to end (which included dishes and cleaning the stove). He had fun cooking country fried steak, mashed potatoes (with gravy), and mixed vegetables. He didn't want to touch the meat and peeling potatoes was really hard, but had a lot of fun chopping the potatoes into pieces to boil and helping with the gravy. He then had to write a reflection about the evening. He wrote...."It was fun. No I don't want to do it again. I liked the gravy the best". We told him that he did such a great job that we were going to make it a weekly chore for him to help with dinner. We'll see how that goes!

I have tons of sledding and snow pictures to share, so I am working on another ScrapBlog. I hope to have that posted in the next day or so. The kids (John and I, too) had so much fun. I can't believe this is the first time our kids have really been able to enjoy snow. I loved living in Georgia, but there are definitely perks to living in the north!

more pics

Just wanted to share a few more pics from Christmas.


Broderick and Adalynn chatting while playing at the mall.

Camden found some sort of cucumber spa eye thing in Mamaw's trunk...he called them his spy glasses.


just wanted to show you all what a pretty profile Adalynn has (and this is on her cleft affected side).

me, my mom, and Adalynn right before getting her ears pierced.

Here I am checking the position of the marks before they did the actual piercing. Doesn't Adalynn look super serious?

and yes, she was scared to death...but once it was over with she was fine. She cried for about 30 seconds and then was extremely happy with her blue sucker. Now, she just fights us when it is time to clean them...anyone have suggestions?

I will post again soon-Adalynn has learned how to blow bubbles and I got some great pictures of her doing so. I think this is another huge thing for cleft affected children. This means that she can shut her airway off enough to force air out of her mouth. Yea Adalynn!!!!

Christmas update

Just wanted to let you all know that we had a great Christmas, but it has been a rough start to 2009! We spent Christmas quietly at home and then left for Indiana the next day. Our visit to Indiana was cut short when Broderick came down with the stomach flu after my nephew had it. He vomited on and off for most of the 10 hour car ride back to PA. We made it home just in time to watch the ball drop and then everyone was more than happy to sleep in their own beds. Adalynn started vomiting the next day. She was miserable and still isn't quite herself. Although, I wanted to visit longer, I am glad we decided to come home...but now we feel like we are just waiting for our turn. So far Camden, John, and I seem to have missed the bullet. Hopefully it stays that way.

Because I had way too many pictures to share, I decided to do it via ScrapBlog. If you haven't tried it...be sure to check it out. It is a lot of fun and you can even have your albums printed and bound. So here it is....ENJOY!!!!