FrankenDad

For those with a weak stomach, look away now!

Here is a pic of my Dad's hand post-op. For those who don't know, he had surgery to restore the blood flow back to his hand after falling 17 feet into a creek 2 & 1/2 years ago. The infection got into the bone and at that point the goal was to save his arm. While doing that there was a lot of damage done to the vascular system. We hope that it heals nicely and he will have more use of his hand just in time for some good fishing this summer.

So again.....hide your eyes if you don't want to see this!!!!

Something's a Little Fishy.....

and its name is COHEN! We had swim lessons this morning for the first time. My little man was ready to take off and swim all alone! He put his face in to blow bubbles and then put his head all the way under! He would sit on the side and jump into my arms. I couldn't believe how much he loved the water. It wasn't hard to get him out of the pool because we were FREEZING! The water was warm but I think we just never warmed up from being outside in the frigid cold. He was so cute all bundled up in his towel saying "BBBBRRRRRRRRR!" with his little teeth chattering. We enjoyed spending the morning together doing something new. Thanks so much to Amber (Sophia's Mommy) for suggesting it! Now Cohen is snoozing away and I am waiting for Claire to get home. Nanny decided that she would pick her up from school and bring her home. It's a peaceful afternoon for now........

Why I put my stock in Children's Mercy!

As you know, Claire went in for an ultrasound a few weeks ago. I reported the results were "inconclusive" but didn't report the full truth. Because we were waiting on a second opinion, we chose only to tell a VERY select few people. The original tech (in Springfield) was "unable to detect a uterus or ovaries" was what I was told. As you can all imagine, I was devastated. My MAIN JOY in life involves carrying and raising children! (Well, not so much carrying with Cohen but that's neither here nor there.) I couldn't imagine knowing at the age of 3 that your daughter would never be able to conceive! But I had made peace with it and talked to God a lot. I knew for a fact that he was with us every step of the way. I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. We went today for a second opinion in Kansas City......and guess what?????? IT'S ALL THERE! The found everything and nothing extra! Dr. Spade said that everything looked very good and right on track! We still have the MRI on March 17th just to rule out anything with the pituitary gland. Claire was AMAZING today. We didn't tell her where we were going as we have decided it is much easier that way. We pulled up to the parking garage and she said, "HEY, wait a minute! This is the doctors office!" Once I convinced her that we HAD to go in and show Daddy how she could change the color of the ceiling, she was sold. She was so cooperative and sweet. We were so proud of her today. She is just growing up so fast. We ate at the Crayola Cafe and got a few little treats at the Crayola Store and headed home. We stopped in to visit Papa who had surgery today to hopefully restore some blood flow to his hand! We are waiting for our own wing somewhere! But, that's our story and we're sticking to it! Thank you Jesus for always putting the peace in my heart that I need to deal with this stuff. I couldn't do it otherwise!

Pancakes with Pop!

Claire and Daddy before School!!!

This morning was "Pancakes with Pop" at school. Claire was excited for Daddy to take her to school and she wasn't exactly pleased to see him go. My mom said that when they dropped Drew off, he was very aware that the day wasn't a normal day so he started to panic. Claire instantly sensed this and started telling him, "Now Drew, it's going to be okay." She comforted him and even did her impression of a bull in order to put a smile on his face. I couldn't be more proud of my girl if I tried! Don't get me wrong....she keeps me HUMBLE! But man I love her!

I used the opportunity to spend some quality time with my little boy. We played with the train table, read some books and even squeezed in a little Baby Yoga! I find that I don't spend near as much one on one time with Cohen as I would like, but I have learned to TREASURE the moments I get with my little man. I love his little personality. My favorite book to read with him is "Hug." It is a picture book about a monkey who sees all kinds of animals hugging their mommys. He goes to each set of animals and asks, "HUG?" Then at the end he finds his mom and they live happily ever after. Every single time I read the word "hug" Cohen throws his arms around me and lays his head on my chest! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! He is such a sweet little soul.

Here is a picture of him eating a new grilled cheese recipe I got from my "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. (Thanks Uncle Broshus and Aunt Scotti!) It is full of recipes that use vegetable and fruit purees in order to sneak in extra vitamins and nutrients. Cohen LOVED this new sandwich! Claire on the other hand asked me if I had burnt it. I said, "No, why?" She said,"Well, is that why it tastes so bad?" What is crazy is she is my GOOD eater! She loves fruits and veggies...apparently just not on her grilled cheese sandwiches!

And Grammy, this pic is for you!!! Cohen has CURLY hair! It is usually straight when he gets up in the morning after sleeping on it but after baths....it is crazy curly! It is fine and blonde like mine was but he's got his Daddy's curls! He's gonna need his first haircut but we will wait for Grammy. She gave Claire her first haircut at 8 weeks and believe it or not, she needed it! All this Grammy talk makes me miss her. Love you Grammy!!!!!

If you don't watch Ellen, you won't get this. If you do....this is Claire's impression of the "marshmallow game." Tune in to Ellen tomorrow if you want to see what I'm talking about. They play the game everyday and it is hilarious!

Valentine's Day #13

Today Brian and I celebrated our 13th Valentine's Day together! I was laying in bed this afternoon nursing a TERRIBLE migraine headache while Brian had Cohen outside playing. Claire was at Nanny & Papa's house and our power had gone out for a bit and it was SILENT. I couldn't help but think about our first V-day together.

It was 1996 and we were Sophomores in high school. Brian had been sick that day so I was totally bummed. I had finally managed to nab THE Brian George! He was finally MY VALENTINE and he was at home. Sick. In Bed. BUT, he sent his mom over with my gift. Little did I know that she would be my mother-in-law and the grandmother to my children! She brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a teddy bear and a picture frame. I think there was some other stuff, but that's not what stands out. I remember the exact feeling that I had as I sat in my room and looked at those flowers. Since 7th grade I had been "in loooove" with that boy and I was sitting there looking at flowers that he sent me! For years I wished that he would finally see me as something besides just a friend. It is wierd to look back and think about all of that. It's amazing that a Jr. High crush could turn into a beautiful life full of love, laughter, children and friendship!

The next year was very different. There was a school dance that night but we opted out. It was the ONE dance of 13 that I didn't go to! Things had changed in my life. A few months before, October of 1996, I was involved in a very serious car accident. My best friend Kim and I were unharmed because there was an angel there that night. We were spared, but 2 of the 3 young girls in the other car were not. It was a night that changed my life forever. I went through a serious bout with depression over the next few months so a high school dance wasn't something that was on the top of my list! I was afraid to leave my loved ones for fear that I may never see them again. I spent the evening at a basketball game cheering on my big bad boyfriend and then we may have watched a movie or something but pretty uneventful!

#3 has left my memory completely. This is why we have an anniversary book that my mom got us for our first anniversary to write down what we do every year. BY FAR the best anniversary gift we have ever gotten because it's so easy to forget the little moments!

#4 was nice because we were "getting back together" after a SHORT but very valuable break-up. It was a time of growth for both of us. We decided that we were better off together! My gift was a jewelry box that played "I Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis. (This will later be the song that our wedding party walks into played on the piano by the talented Uncle James!)

#5 & #6 Again, it's left me.

#7 was a very exciting one! This year, wedding plans were in full swing! I remember being sick sitting in bed watching all of my chick flicks of the year.."The Wedding Planner" "My Best Friend's Wedding"....you get the drift!

#8 2003 our first Valentine's Day as a married couple! We went to Kansas City and stayed downtown. We shopped for a while but it was FREEZING! So we decided to enjoy our super nice hotel room and order room service and a movie.

#9 2004 We went back to KC and stayed near the Plaza this time. I was sitting in an ice cream shop resting my tired feet when something happened for the first time. I heard a voice say, "how far along are you?" HOORAY! Someone had finally noticed that I was carrying our first child! I was 4 months along and was sooooo proud of my baby bump.

#10 2005 We spent the night in while Grandma Connie watched the little one. It was a very relaxing and quiet evening. This would be the first (and possibly last) time that we used our wedding china.

#11 2006 OOOHHHH this was a bad one. We had made plans to go to KC and eat at....ummm I think it was Capital Grille. Supposed to be great steak. Well, I had mashed potatoes and sprite because I threw up ALL the way there. I fell into the super comfy bed and only got out for dinner. It wasn't pretty but it was worth it because 7 months later we had our perfect BIG baby boy!

#12 2007. Neither Brian or I can remember what we did last year. Is that sad or what? We decided it must have been really impressive!

So now here we are! We went to dinner and a movie on Saturday because we think fighting the crowds on this one night is annoying. My hubby did surprise me with a certificate for a massage this morning!!! I can't wait to schedule it! He's getting a homemade apple pie! Just a little look back at our history! I hope everyone had a great day!

So Fun!

This morning I took a call from Dr. Spade in Kansas City. She was just following up with me about a few questions and I made the mistake of stepping around the corner for 2 SECONDS!!! Here's what I found! Guess I better add Honeycomb cereal to the grocery list! You can tell we all have a BAD case of cabin fever! We can't wait for spring!!!!!

Life Group

I am so thankful for the way that God has been working in my life lately. Our church recently switched to a small groups format where we meet the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month instead of having evening service. I wasn't really sure about it, and we probably would have not gotten involved. BUT when our neighbors and good friends Tony and Carmen agreed that their Life Group would meet at their house and invited us to join....how could we say no? All we have to do is walk across the street! God got us there, and now we are building relationships with some pretty great people. I am so excited to get to know them even better and I feel so comforted to know that there are 5 other couples that will be praying for our need over the next two weeks as we prepare for Claire's second ultrasound. And I get to pray for their needs and watch God meet those needs (in due time!). Our fearless leaders are high school sweethearts and the parents of 5 wonderful children. I feel they have so much to offer us as we meet the challenges of marriage, parenting and our walk with God. There is just so much to learn and to look forward to. My heart is full of hope and joy because I know that God holds my future in his hands. He is there to listen no matter how big or how small the need. I am just feeling so loved today, and let me tell you.....that's a great way to feel on an icy cold Monday morning!