The Turners 5

2010 First Day of School

2010-08-18T10:11:00.003-04:00

Jackson and Emma started the new school year today and we now officially have a 2nd grader and a 4th grader... ugh. They are growing up so so quickly. Two weeks from now and Brian will have his 1st day of preschool. :-)

How long has it been?

2010-07-22T08:29:00.004-04:00

I'm never here anymore. But I just had to stop by and post the shortest of videos. Emma is in summer camp right now and is learning so much! She is going to be competing in at least 4 routines this year, maybe 5. One of those routines is with the junior company, which is the age group above Emma. Apparently my little dancer has been kicking butt this summer and proving herself to be one tough cookie. So proud of my peanut!

Party time

2010-02-11T14:03:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. It's been ages since I've created a new post. What can I say? I'm lazy. Or crazy busy most every minute of the day. But nonetheless, I've finally carved out a little time to post a couple pictures of our littlest love monkey. Brian had a Valentine's party today at school. They also had a little lesson on Chinese New Year, in honor of their classmate and our buddy Allie. Heather came to class and read them a book about CNY and also had a couple projects - it was really cute. After the cny lesson was done we went downstairs for the party. The kids sang a couple songs - so cute! It is so fun to see them all up there really having a good time. Brian is taking after his older brother and is a big hit with the girls in his class. He has a great class - all the kids are sweet and very nice. But Brian love Haylie. A lot. And she loves him. A lot. It is beyond precious. And I have to say, Brian has good taste! Haylie is so sweet and oh so very cute. I'd be happy for them to grow up and marry each other (yes, I realize how crazy that thought is). It's just fun to joke around about it. But seriously, check out her cute little face. And yes, she is as sweet as she is beautiful.

Heather with the entire class.

Brian with Jhourney and Haylie. Two beautiful girls - good job Brian.
And Brian's favorite person, Haylie. Beyond adorable!

school pics

2009-11-13T12:19:00.004-05:00

The kids got their school photos back the other day. I was worried about them because this year we had to pay in advance and Jackson is not known for taking the best pictures. His photo last year looked like a thug. Luckily I didn't have to buy those in advance. But this year's photo is a huge success! I think he looks soooo cute. And really old. Seriously, he hadn't even turned 7 yet. But alas, he is 7 and a 1st grader. Where does the time go?

And miss Emma's photo - a cutie for sure. This girl may take awkward photos at home, but put her in front of a professional and she's batting near 100% so far. Here she is 8 and in 3rd grade.

The baby of the family...

2009-10-15T00:02:00.000-04:00

turns 4 today! I know I say it every time one of the kids has another birthday, but the year has just flown by! Brian is just one of the sweetest kids you'll ever meet, and I'm so thankful to be his mom. He's a funny, loving, kind, and very smart little boy. He's also proving to be an excellent student, just like his siblings. His teachers sing his praises pretty much every day I go to pick him up from preschool. Warms my heart. He is such a different kid than Emma or Jackson, his personality has been different from day one. But he fits in our family so perfectly. Like that last puzzle piece that you love to fight over. He is truly a joy to be with and a hysterical ball of energy with lots of things that "mommy, I hafta tell ya somethin' "- he leads with this phrase every time he needs our attention. We make fun of him saying that all the time but the truth is, I'll miss it when he doesn't say it anymore. A few other things he says that crack us up is when he counts he says five-teen instead of fifteen. He says he has the cough-ez or that he has a "tomach" ache. I have always held onto the little things like that, and it is funny at the time. But it's a bittersweet moment when they grow up a little and start using the correct words or phrases.
Brian and Jackson are going to share a birthday party this year since they both wanted a Star Wars themed party. It is Brian's first time inviting friends from school and I know he is really excited. It will be crazy having a house full of boys running around with pretend lightsabers, but Dave will be so proud!
I'm sitting here typing out this post recalling just what I was doing 4 years ago, and I have a few tears. It's still hard to think he's the last baby in our family. Just doesn't seem real sometimes. But he's the perfect ending to our family. Like the icing on the cake :-)

I've got tile!

2009-08-22T21:45:00.003-04:00

So I've been saying that I wanted a tile backsplash since our first house in Crystal Lake. In each house I said I was going to do it but never got around to it. Well third time's a charm! I finally found tile that inspired me to get the job done. I bought the tile without Dave's approval while he was in PA with the kids and was really worried how he'd react. It definitely wasn't what he expected, me neither actually. And when it came in I second guessed myself for a few days. I also ended up having to change a couple things on the fly, but all in all it turned out so much better than I had anticipated. And Dave loves it, too. I wish I had done it sooner.

"before"

"after"

Back to school, back to school!

2009-08-19T09:57:00.003-04:00

Jackson and Emma went back to school today. Emma took forever to fall asleep last night in anticipation of the day - it was so cute! They were both really excited to go this morning. It's fun to see each year start fresh, and look forward to how much they'll change and grow. And I didn't even get emotional this year. Now when Brian goes to preschool in a couple weeks, I'm sure I'll lose my mind.
Here are pics from this morning.

On a side note, Emma had her gh stim test last week and did well. It was a rough day, but she hung in there and now it's all behind her. I go on the 24th for the results. Fingers crossed.

New test date

2009-08-05T10:54:00.002-04:00

Emma will be having the test done at Levine Childrens Hospital on August 13th. They have more specialized equipment to help locate a good vein for the IV so we're hopeful she won't endure multiple sticks like yesterday. I won't follow up with the dr for the results until the 24th, but I'll be sure to post what they find.
Funny thing about yesterday though was that they measured her before the test. Dave said they had her at 46 inches tall. If that is truly the accurate measurement then I don't think we'll have anything to worry about. The whole reason for this test was because at Emma's last check-up she was 45 1/4 inches tall, which dropped her down to the -2% for height. The dr. said since her growth had stalled again we should really do this test. They measured her twice that day to make sure it was accurate. So a month later she's 46 inches? If she grew 3/4 of an inch in a month we'll have worried for nothing. But, at least we'll know for sure. I'm guessing they either measured her w/shoes on or rounded since it wasn't an official check. But time will tell.

Thanks for keeping Emma in your prayers. She recovered quite quickly yesterday and had a normal day.

Growth Hormone Stim Test

2009-08-03T15:19:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: no dice. they couldn't find a vein that would last more than a few seconds. Poor girl got poked multiple times all for nothing. So now we have to reschedule for another day to have the procedure done at Levine Children's hospital. So not happy about that.

Tomorrow (tuesday, aug. 4th) Emma is having this test. I can't explain it well, so I'll copy and paste the medical definition

Definition

The growth hormone (GH) stimulation test measures the plasma level of human growth hormone (hGH) after the administration of the amino acid arginine and/or GH-releasing hormone. It measures the ability of the pituitary to secrete GH.

How the test is performed

An angiocatheter (IV) is usually placed in a vein, typically in the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic, and an elastic band or blood pressure cuff is placed around the upper arm to cause the veins below the band to swell with blood.

A needle is inserted into the vein, and then removed while the angiocatheter is left in the vein. The band is then removed to restore circulation.

Your blood will be drawn 5 times. To prevent multiple punctures of the vein, samples will be taken through the IV line instead of repeatedly re-inserting the needle.

The first sample will be drawn between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., then an intravenous (IV) infusion of arginine is started and continued for 30 minutes. After the 30-minute infusion, GH-releasing hormone is administered intravenously and then four more blood samples are drawn at 30-minute intervals.

Why the test is performed

This test is typically performed to identify hGH deficiency as a cause of growth retardation.

Normal Values

A normal peak value is at least 10 ng/mL; 5-10 ng/mL is indeterminate; 5 ng/mL is subnormal. (A normal value rules out hGH deficiency; in some laboratories, the normal level is 7 ng/mL.)

Note: ng/mL = nanogram per milliliter.

So that was taken from "How stuff works" website. It was the least medical of all the explanations I could find. The reason Emma is having to have this test is her growth had stalled again. She is closely monitored by an endocrinologist and up until now she had been holding her own. Even though she was tiny, she was at least maintaining her own growth curve. After this last appointment her dr. said she was in the -2% for height. I didn't even know there were negative percents! Emma does know about the test and she gets more nervous as each day passes. She does like the attention and drama (no idea where she gets that from - LOL) but I think she truly is scared. It won't be a big deal I don't think once the IV is in place though. Her dr. did say she'd feel pretty yucky but could eat as soon as the test was over. I will send her with a packed lunch I think. Dave is taking her so I can keep the babies here, and also so she doesn't see me upset. I'm not sure why, but I think I'm having a harder time with this than warranted. But she's already been put through a lot at such a young age, I just wish it was all behind her.

Please, if you think of it, pray for Emma tomorrow. She will be there from 8-11 or 12. I'll post how she does once they get home.

What a difference....

2009-06-06T20:44:00.013-04:00

a year can make! I was just perusing some old photos and realized that other than the last day of Emma's preschool I have a picture for both the first and last days of school so far. It is so neat to see the changes in the kids from the start to the end. It is also astonishing when you see how different they are in the photos because it's so gradual to us living it day to day. I've even been lucky enough to have them wear the same clothes on the first and last days for the most part. That's pretty fun. Just thought I'd share in the fun with the photo "diary" of the kids growing up...sniff sniff...

First day of preschool (she was very ready to go, I wasn't)

Not last day but during summer after preschool...can't believe I forgot to take a picture on the last day!

First day of Kindergarten...

Last day of Kindergarten

First day of preschool for Jackson and 1st grade for Emma

Last day of preschool for JB

another of Emma on first day of 1st grade (anyone have the veggietales singing in their head right now?)

Emma on the last day of 1st grade (the biggest change for her I'd say so far)

first day of Kindergarten for Jackson and 2nd grade for Emma

last day of kindy for Jackson and 2nd grade for E....(huge change in Jack!)

I definitely hope to keep this going with them, for as long as they'll let me. And now I'm going to stop typing and go get some tissue!

We Have A Bruiser!

2009-05-29T15:57:00.004-04:00

Well most of you know that our youngest son, Brian, is by far the biggest of the Turner children. He's always been close to the top of the charts for height and weight. Even though he was a month early he weighed 6 lbs 12 oz at birth. He would have easily been 9+ lbs if born near his due date. And from the get-go he's been a healthy kid. He's grown so fast it was astounding to us. He even caught up enough to now share some clothes with his brother who's 3 years older than he is. But unfortunately, my title to this post is misleading. See, I'm not referring to Brian's size....scroll down and see what I mean...

Doesn't that just hurt to look at it? OUCH!!!

Zoey

2009-05-20T11:34:00.004-04:00

Update: Zoey is going to be just fine! She had her last blood draw last night and her red blood cell count was back up to 30%. This test made it clear that it was an infection that made her so sick. So the medicine is working and we get to keep our sweet little girl for a very long time! Yay!

Zoey is a sick little kitty. On her first birthday we had to rush her to animal emergency because she was extremely lethargic and falling over. We were afraid she had feline aids or leukemia but those tests were negative. Her red blood cell count was less than 10%. Under 8% is fatal. Had we not brought her in when we did she would have probably died overnight. She is currently receiving a blood transfusion to get her cell count back up. This is only a band-aid and they still need to figure out what's making her so anemic. Hopefully it's just an infection that can be treated. If it's not, we'll have no choice but to put her down. We won't know more until later this evening...

A better attempt

2009-05-05T11:27:00.003-04:00

Here is Emma's performance from Asheville. They danced pretty well and the video is much better quality. Her jazz routine comes on right after the tap.

Competitions are done for the season. We're still unsure of what Emma will do next year. Her dance teacher said she can stay on the team she's on now, but she's most likely too old for it. They check birth certificates. I think technically she was too old for this team this year but she squeaked by somehow. But if she's with girls her own age she sticks out like a sore thumb (and by that I mean the cutest sore thumb anyone could ever hope for). So we'll see what next year holds. Emma has her recital on May 16th which will include these two dances as well as a ballet routine. And Jackson has his recital on May 30th - check back for videos of both of them. I can't wait to see Jackson and a whole group of goofy boys doing hip hop - should prove to be very entertaining!

She's (almost) famous

2009-05-03T10:14:00.001-04:00

check out this link....and then read the names at the bottom...

http://www.heraldonline.com/143/story/1293965.html

Jackson takes a dive...

2009-04-30T19:19:00.003-04:00

I got a call from the school nurse today. It was 12:17. I hate when I see the school number come up on caller ID. My stomach does a flip. Am I the only one? Anyway, I answer the phone and the nurse proceeds to tell me she has Jackson in the office. Immediately I'm thinking some crazy illness has hit because Jack never goes to the nurse (unlike his sister who goes if the wind blows too hard). She then goes on to tell me that he had fallen on the balance beam outside on the playground and hit his front teeth. She wanted to make sure he hadn't lost his baby teeth yet. I told her he hadn't which made her feel better. I guess I should have been more alarmed than I was, but I figured she'd make me come get him if it was bad. So I hang up and go about my day. When Jackson gets home from school I finally get to see the damage. And while at first glance it doesn't look too bad, if I touched his teeth they instantly started bleeding again. And he winced in pain. I was surprised that his front right tooth had come down quite a bit. I figured it would have been pushed upwards, but apparently he hit the gum line which pushed it down instead. He's got swelling and gashes on his lips and cheeks. But it's all inside so you don't notice it just looking at him. I decided to call the kids dentist just to make sure there wasn't anything we needed to do or be worried about. The receptionist told us to come in right away. Um, okay - that freaked me out. We got there and they immediately did an x-ray. After that the dentist came over and first looked at the x-ray. He saw it and said "Youch." Then he came over to J and took a look. He said that what he was worried about was a root fracture but we had been spared that nastiness. His teeth are really loose and the dentist said they wouldn't tighten back up and he'd have to learn to eat without using those teeth until they fall out. He's just now about to lose his first tooth on the bottom so he may end up loosing all 4 front teeth at the same time. Wouldn't that be so cute? For those that aren't squeamish - here's a picture. It doesn't do the damage justice. But it's the best I could get.

Can you see how the tooth on the left (his right) is lower than the other one?

Emma's first win

2009-04-11T08:13:00.004-04:00

Emma's first competition. She is the one far back corner on the right. They are great little tappers!

Praise

2009-04-08T11:23:00.002-04:00

Our God is so good. He tangibly answered prayer and I feel like He's holding my hand. With all the illness going around I was so afraid Emma would get sick before her competition last week. I prayed and prayed for her to stay healthy at least until Sunday. I knew that if she did get sick it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I just didn't want to put any more pressure on her dance teacher or fellow teammates. The little ones just don't adapt as well when one person is missing in the formation. Well, let me tell ya - not only did she stay healthy through competition, she's stayed healthy entirely! The rest of us all had something. Three of us had strep, the boys had the flu, and yet Emma remained completely unaffected. How amazing is that? I'm sorry, but you just cannot deny God's hand in that. By any logical expectation she should have gotten something, but she didn't. And her dance team took first for both tap and jazz in their age group, and their tap won third place overall in the junior division. Very exciting!
Another reason to praise our loving God is Emma is growing! We had a follow-up appointment with her endocrinologist yesterday and she has grown almost a full inch in 6 months. Her dr. said they should grow about 2 inches a year, so she's right on track. So for now we're in a holding pattern and just letting her be. If she has another drop in growth like the one that dropped her from the 50-75th% to below the 3rd%, then we'll go ahead with the growth hormone study to see if she has a deficiency. If she does, then we would go ahead with the replacement hormone most likely. If she does not, and the hormone replacement would be solely for esthetic purposes then we would forego that option. But who cares about that for now! She measured in at 45 inches tall and 47 pounds (although that was fully dressed in jeans and two shirts, but hey - we'll just ignore that fact). Those measurements still keep her below the 3rd % but she's maintaining a steady pattern and that's all that matters for now. Yay!
Jackson, while the sickest of us all, remained in good spirits throughout his quarantine. He never complained, ate well, took his medicine without a fight, and kept busy most of the time. You'd never have known he was as sick as he was if the Dr. hadn't told us. He's such a good little man! I'm just so thankful he wasn't miserable.
And just one more reason for praise(really there are too many to post). Brian is potty trained! And he did it himself! We still allow him to wear pull-ups simply because he's afraid to poop on the potty (sorry for TMI), and he's constipated most of the time so we never know when he'll go. I just don't want to clean up that mess. But he hasn't peed in his pull-up in almost a week, and he's telling us when he has to go now. So I'd call that done. I'll be honest, I was a little sad to see the last diaper go. I know, I'm pathetic. But I LOVE having babies and I think the Lord knew I needed a cutoff made for me because I'd have probably had at least one more if it hadn't been decided for me.
The kids have spring break next week but we'll be staying home this year. But Dave and I will be traveling in May on a much needed vacation. Our first "true" vacation since our honeymoon 12 years ago. We're both soooo excited.

Well, that's about all I have for now.

Wow

2009-03-31T15:03:00.001-04:00

Jackson has been feeling somewhat under the weather for the last few days, but nothing major. He took a nosedive today so I decided to take him to the dr. He tested positive for both strep throat and the flu. I feel so unbelievably sad for him. He must feel just miserable.

So all three kids are on Tamiflu, and I'm praying like mad that Emma stays healthy because she's got a dance competition in Asheville this weekend.

Nothing like a little stress to make the week go by faster, eh?

Has it been 10 days already?

2009-03-12T18:26:00.002-04:00

According to my ticker to the left it has been 10 days since I stopped drinking soda. I would have only guessed it to be 3 or 4 surprisingly. It's not nearly as hard as I thought. Now this isn't to say I won't have soda ever again, in fact I'll probably have it tonight. But Dave and I have stopped buying it or keeping it in the house. I will only allow myself a soda when we eat out. And because we're both trying to shed a few pounds, that's not very often. Tonight I'm going out with a group of moms I met at Jackson's preschool last year. A very wonderful group of ladies, actually. And we're going out to dinner for a little girls' night. I had planned on having soda tonight, but now that I saw that ticker I'm thinking I don't need it obviously, so why tempt myself. We'll see.
But I'm excited for my girls night out tonight. Doesn't seem fair to get to go out to dinner tonight, considering in exactly one week I'll be in Charleston with 11 other women enjoying a few days of R&R. But I'll take while I can!

sweetness

2009-03-02T12:16:00.003-05:00

My sweet husband went to the store for me on his way home from work. That alone is such a blessing to me. But on this day, he also brought me home these....

and with them in his hand he said "I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you." Wow - am I not the luckiest wife ever? He - is awesome.

Snow Day #3

2009-03-02T11:53:00.008-05:00

Picture post...

We've hit a new phase of life...

2009-02-19T17:47:00.002-05:00

I don't know who's more upset, Emma or me. See, we've entered into a new world - Emma is grounded. For two weeks. For lying to me. I'm at a loss. She's lied before, but she was young enough to punish in the toddler-way. Even taking away a privilege seemed sufficient. But not so much anymore. Last night Emma and I were getting ready to go to gymnastics - her favorite activity of the week. I told her to go to the bathroom before we left. Her first mistake was talking back to me by saying "I went when I got changed" - which was at 4:00. It was now 6:00. My response was - I didn't ask if you needed to go, I said go. Do not talk back and just do what I ask you to. So she trots off to the bathroom. At the same time I went into my room to change quick and came back out. I was in there maybe all of 45 seconds. When I come out of my room, Emma is already getting her shoes on. I knew there was no way in the world she could have undressed out of her pants and leotard, gone potty, gotten re-dressed in said leotard, washed her hands and been out in time to be putting her shoes on. No way in the world. So I immediately know she didn't go - so I asked her "did you go potty?" She responded "I did." My response - trying to give her a second chance "Are you sure you went - that was awfully fast" and she quickly responded with "I went!" Damn. She must think I'm so dumb. I called her over to me and said oh so sternly - "you're not telling me the truth, are you?" She stared at me blankly for a moment, and I just about lost it. Sensing this, she finally says "I didn't go." I told her she didn't get to go to gymnastics and sent her to her room. Once she was upstairs I talked to Dave about it and we both felt that keeping her from gymnastics wasn't the right punishment, since we're paying for her to be there. Instead we decided she wasn't allowed to play with her best friend (or any friend for that matter) for two weeks. What's hard about that for her is her friend lives across the street. So Emma has to see her outside playing and she doesn't get to - that'll sting. It's weird - she's not even 8. Where did I go wrong? And why did she choose this to mess up on? All I asked her to do was pee! Sheesh!

New look

2009-02-09T15:46:00.002-05:00

Do you like it? If so, head over to www.leeloublogs.blogspot.com. They have free templates you can use or you can request custom templates for a cost. She's also doing a ton of stuff to support two babies that have been in the NICU for months. Maybe you'll want to enter one of the drawings to help support these families. I don't know baby Mia, but Kayleigh is a baby here in Charlotte and I "know" her parents (i.e. read a lot about them, and have seen their work around town). Both babies were near death, more than once, and have had an uphill battle. As of right now they're both winning the battle and it's great to read how strong the love of God has made these families.

So go forth and enjoy!

I know, I know...

2009-01-06T11:39:00.009-05:00

It's been way too long since I blogged. I have excuses - do you want to hear them? Didn't think so. I haven't meant to be away so long, but life is life and it happens.

We had a wonderful christmas this year. We spent a week in the mountains with my side of the family. Got to spend some good time with my brother's kids - I just don't get to see them enough. And the adults got to hang out and play games. I love that my family likes to play games - it's so much fun. And while we could watch movies together every night, it's just not the same.
The kids did pretty well for themselves this year, despite the budget constraints. The highlight was Jackson and Emma getting pogo sticks - from Santa. I thought they were a little weirdo for requesting them, but they love them and can actually get on the things. Unfortunately the weight requirements for the sticks are 40-80 pounds so they don't really make them bounce much. But at least they'll get to use them for a long time. Sadly for me that means I cannot play with it, too. I had a pogo stick when I was a kid and I loved that thing - I used to count how many jumps I could do in my basement. I'm sure I drove my parents nuts. I think my highest was in the 140's - yes I was (am) a dork!
The week of New Year's, our good friend Alison and her boys came for a visit. Oh how I wish they lived near us. The kids play so well together and enjoy the same things. Only Emma went off on her own now and then since she was the only girl in a house of boys. And speaking of Emma, while the boys were in town she lost two teeth! And thank goodness she did. I had a call into the dentist to see if she needed to have them pulled. The two top front teeth just didn't want to come out before her permanent teeth came in. Just like what happened with her bottom teeth. This poor girl has such a small mouth that there just isn't room to wiggle. So we spent a good hour one evening wiggling and tugging one of the teeth and finally it came out! She was a superstar - seriously. I was pulling hard and most kids wouldn't have put up with that. I kept telling her I would stop anytime she wanted me to. She kept saying "don't stop until it's out!" She was determined to get it out. So we got one out and decided that was enough for the evening. The following morning, after discovering her $2 from the tooth fairy (hey, she worked hard for that one - worth an extra dollar in my opinion) she decided it was time for the other one to come out. This one was the tooth that has been sticking straight out for some time now - pushed out by the permanent tooth coming in behind it. I was so glad she wanted it out because it was obviously out of place. So we sat and worked on it again, and this one was even more difficult than the first. But once again she was the bravest little thing and we got it out. And yes, the tooth fairy gave her another $2 for that one as well. ;-)
So now school has started, I have Sarah during the week again, and Brian is back to solo-play. And I'd make a pun saying he's pretending to be Han Solo, but that would be inaccurate. He's pretending to be General Grevis, Anakin, or Obi Wan usually. Dave is so proud.
Sorry to slow up your computer, but here are a ton of pics from the last few weeks. Sorry they're not in any kind of order - enjoy!

The pic above is of Emma in a dress I wore as a kid. It fit her just like it did me in the picture below. Funny thing though - I think I'm 4 in that picture. Emma is 7 1/2. I also think it shows she doesn't really look like me, even though most people say she does. But if you look at the last picture I do think it shows there is a little of me in Brian. I had to add that one because it surprised Dave and I how much it looks like Brian. Weird how kids change who they look like from year to year. I've stopped trying to figure it out!

Happy Birthday baby Ellie!

2008-12-20T13:59:00.003-05:00

There is a new member of the family! Elizabeth was born this morning via c-section to Dave's sister Jodi and her husband Jeremy. Both mom and baby are doing great! Ellie was 9 1/2 lbs and 19 1/2 inches long. She is beautiful! We are so happy for them and can't wait to see their sweet little girl in person. Anyone want to come watch our kiddos so we can go to Pennsylvania?

Here's a picture of her...

Emma's school pic

2008-12-14T11:30:00.003-05:00

I just found the cd with Emma's school portrait on it. We didn't order Jackson's (for good reason) so I can't post his. Let's just say hopefully it's not a sign of the future - it looks like a mug shot - chin up, attitude on his face. We kept the proof for memory-sake, but wow. Not something I'd pay money to have. ;-) Luckily we had just gotten professional pics of the kids this summer, so we've got good ones of him that are recent.

Here's Emma's though. Probably the best school pic so far for her.

The House of Ick

2008-12-14T08:37:00.003-05:00

Well it finally happened. Our house fell victim to the wonderful world of stomach bugs. It has been a very loooooong 5 days, and I'm not going to say we're done yet, but hopefully we are. Emma and Brian were the main victims, although Brian only got sick a few times and then he was right as rain. Emma on the other hand really struggled, had a trip to the ER, and lovely meds to help her along. Both kids seemed better for a full 48 hours, and then Emma got sick again. This time it was much like Brian - just one more time and then she was good to go. Weird. So far Jackson has escaped it, and I pray it stays that way, but I'm not holding my breath. Dave and I seemed to either skip it, or just have mild symptoms. It started on Wednesday, it's now Sunday, and I'm trying to figure out when I will know we're done. Sarah comes back tomorrow so I'd love to know we're not going to expose her to anything. And my mom is coming for a visit as well. Please, if you would, pray we're all healthy and stay that way for a while - thanks!
In other news, the kiddos wrote their letters to Santa yesterday. What a riot! Both older kids want a pogo stick - huh? Where'd that come from? And they both want Wall-E toys - which I've never seen anywhere. Jackson asked for new choles (clothes) and Emma wants a dress and a necklace. Oh, and she wants an Easy-Bake oven...yikes! How many things can Santa say no to? It was so cute though to watch their little brains at work. Brian sat and drew on his paper. He said "I'm going to write the letter D" - and he did! Dave and I were surprised that he could do it. I have always underestimated my kids though...not sure why. They're all pretty darn smart if I can say that w/o sounding boastful.
I have our christmas cards printed, but no letter to go along with it yet. Trying to decide if I'm going to write one this year. So much to do in so little time. Is it just me or did Christmas show up lightning fast this year? Sheesh! I don't have a singe present bought yet - yikes! Oh well, the kids won't even notice. We're spending christmas with my parents and my brother and his family, so cousins will be a good distraction. I'm really looking forward to our week with them.

So Merry Christmas everybody! Hope everyone has a wonderful, memorable holiday season.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T17:44:00.002-05:00

Sorry I'm so behind, but I just wanted to say I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving holiday. We have had a great time in Pennsylvania, and it will be sad to leave. But next time we come up, there will be a new baby to adore and spoil rotten! We are so excited for Jodi and Jeremy. Can't wait for baby Ellie to get here!

I'll put more up when we get back in town....

Tagged...

2008-11-04T12:19:00.002-05:00

I have been tagged by fellow Oct. 05 momma Kristi and I'm supposed to tell you seven things about myself that most of you don't know. Problem is, those who know me personally will most likely know these things. So I guess this is meant more for the fellow bloggers out there that have never met me in real life.

1) I went to college for 4 years, but didn't graduate. (that was 11 years ago and it still bums me out)

2) I do not like any kind of fruit in my baked goods.

3) Part of me really wants to live in Seattle. If it wasn't so far away from everyone...

4) I have three cats and one (large) dog, and I still think about more pets. (this might scare those close to me)

5) I am a MAJOR germ-a-phobe.

6) I have never been a big reader, however I've read 14 books in the last three months. 10 of those since the middle of September.

7) I can play the violin (not well) and I want to buy a piano for the kids (but really it's for me).

So, like I said, a lot of you know all this already, but some of you wouldn't.

I have no idea who to tag, so forgive me if I repeat someone.

I tag Kristen, Dave, Heather, Adrienne, Jacinda, Angela, and Julie. So if you've been tagged, you're supposed to tell us 7 things about yourself we don't know, and then tag an additional 7 friends that have web pages. Enjoy!

A bit overdue...

2008-11-03T10:55:00.006-05:00

but here's Jackson through the years in photos. It's hard to believe from looking at the first photo that he would be so healthy now. He's come a long way in 6 years! And I forgot how cute he was as a baby/toddler! (okay - I didn't forget, just hadn't seen these pictures in a long time). Of course now he's a handsome young man. Ahhh - it's just not right! :-)

Isn't he just the cutest? Oiy - how did we get such good looking kids? They must take after their daddy!

Jackson is flying through kindergarten. We had his first parent/teacher conference and she said he is doing really well. His reading is insane - during his reading eval he read the sight words all the way through 4th grade. His comprehension needs to catch up, but it's crazy how well he reads. And the fact that he learned all on his own. We did not teach him how to read. Preschool did not teach him how to read. It's just the way he's wired. They are going to put him in a 1st grade reading group to start with and see how that goes. He's doing well in all his other subjects as well. He also got the comment "he keeps us entertained" on his report card. It is honestly the exact same comment his preschool teachers made last year. We all know how funny Jackson is. He is full of personality!
And if I can get sappy here for a moment...I love this kid so much it hurts. When I look at him I am just overwhelmed with all the possibilities of what he could become as an adult. I have no doubt he will be amazing.

Happy Birthday to my sweet big man!

2008-10-27T13:00:00.002-04:00

I cannot and will not forget to post a birthday blog for Jackson! Even though we are somewhat focused on Emma's good news (see post below), we must remember to praise God for one of the sweetest, most genuinely kind kids you'll ever meet! He's an amazing boy with such character. I will be coming back either tonight or tomorrow and posting pics of Jackson over the years...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON!!!!!!!

The results are in! (And they are good!)

2008-10-27T10:42:00.002-04:00

She's completely healthy!!!!!

The endocrinologist called this morning and went over all her test results. No Turner's syndrome, kidney, liver, thyroid all normal. The entire blood panel was totally normal! Can you believe that? Let it sink in for a moment....okay, so maybe you don't need a moment, but I sure did. I couldn't believe it when the doctor said it in her asian accent - I was afraid I heard her incorrectly. But nope - she's perfect! The Dr. did say that the only test that gave her any information was the bone age x-ray. It gave Emma a bone age of 6 yrs, 10 months, close to her actual age. Because of this, it showed that Emma is going to be pretty tiny as an adult. Her adult height will be 4'10" - without growth hormone replacement. We will be doing what's called a "growth hormone stimulation test" where they will put in an IV, give her two stimulants, and proceed to draw and test her blood every 20-30 minutes for 2-3 hours. Based on the results of this test we'll know if she's a candidate for the growth hormone replacement. If she is, the meds will gain her about 2-3 inches. Not much, but a significant difference for a girl to be at least 5 feet tall. Dave and I haven't had a chance to talk about any of this much, so no idea on if we'd have her take it, but I'm guessing we would. The Dr. gave her the diagnosis of idiopathic short stature - meaning short stature with no known cause. I can live with that!

Thank you everyone for praying for Emma. It's been a crazy ride and I'm ready to get off!

Update

2008-10-24T15:23:00.002-04:00

After going to the mailbox today and still no results, I decided to call the office. The nurse put me on hold to go get her chart. Took a long time, because her chart was on the dr's desk. She said "the results are in, but the doctor is still reviewing them. I'll have her call you when she's back in the office on Monday." Phooey.

On a bright note - Emma hit a goal at occupational therapy yesterday. She learned to tie her shoes! I literally had tears in my eyes. It was a priceless moment.

No News Yet...

2008-10-22T11:33:00.002-04:00

I see people are checking the blog regularly so I wanted to let you know that we haven't heard anything yet. I'm taking this as a very good sign, believing if it's something major they would call rather than just mail the results. And since we haven't heard anything from them, and the results haven't come in the mail yet, I'm praying no news is good news at this point. Although I won't lie to you - I'd like to get the results sooner vs. later.

Thank you all for praying for us. Emma is such an amazing little girl I know she'll handle whatever ends up being thrown at her.
Please continue to pray - we feel them and need them!

Thank you all so much!

The United Tour!

2008-10-19T21:57:00.003-04:00

Last night Heather and I went and saw two christian music legends in a joint concert. Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W Smith on the same stage! It was music history (to those of us who love and follow their music). We had a wonderful time and it was an amazing concert. We were so close you could see the sweat. At one point Michael was introducing a song that H and I had just joked about, so we laughed (somewhat loudly) and he caught it - kind of funny moment - he stopped the song looked toward our direction and went "okaaaay....let's try this again" and then started the song. It was hilarious - and just goes to show how close we were. Oops!

I have some close photos to share, and I also have video clips before they went around and said no video allowed. I felt bad I had recorded some, so I won't post it online just to honor the artists. But if you would like to see a clip I will see if I can figure out a way to share it with you. Just know it was so amazing to see them on stage together.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

2008-10-15T08:59:00.006-04:00

Well it happened. Even though I petitioned, pouted, refused to change the calendar...it happened anyway. Brian is three today! He is such an amazing little guy, full of energy and spirit. And when I say spirit, I mean attitude! :-) He definitely knows what he wants, and we do our best to accommodate him. As long as it's within our normal allowances, it's not worth fighting him on small stuff. But we obviously hold our ground when needed - and he's not a fan of that. But all in all he's a sweet kid with a huge personality and we treasure him. I really should get him in for his three year well-check, but haven't gotten around to that. I'm pretty sure he's 39 inches tall and about 35 pounds. Nothing like his older siblings. As we always say, thank goodness he looks just like his dad!

Here's a photo journal of the last three years (abbreviated, for sure).

for those curious

2008-10-08T10:19:00.002-04:00

I just found this on the web...

http://www.icd9data.com/2009/Volume1/780-799/780-789/783/783.43.htm

Emma's encounter form had a diagnosis code of 783.43 so I decided to google codes to see what it said. Very basic stuff, but to see the word "failure" associated with my child hurts a lot.

89!!!!!

2008-10-08T10:10:00.002-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen...I have an announcement to make. Emma Turner's morning glucose number was an 89! That's before eating breakfast - an amazingly healthy number. I am so elated by this small victory. What it says to me is while she might be hypoglycemic, she's most likely not diabetic. I realize this was just one test on one day, but I'm taking any and all positive signs as an opportunity to celebrate. Join me, won't you!

Back from the appointment

2008-10-07T17:07:00.000-04:00

We're back from the appointment...I'm in tears. The endocrinologist suspects the same thing we/pediatrician did - Turner's Syndrome. It's still not a diagnosis until the test results come back, but to have a specialist confirm it is enough to make me tear up.

We did her blood draw today, as well as test her sugars. She came home with a meter so we can test her here, too. She's pretty upset by the whole thing - but only the needles part. She still seems to be somewhat oblivious to what's going on and I'll keep it that way for now. She did say, however, that she did get bothered by people always saying how small she was. That's the first time I've heard her say it bothers her.

We won't know anything for two weeks. Two week wait - thought I was done with that!

I'll keep you posted as I find out anything.

Today is the day...

2008-10-07T08:25:00.003-04:00

Alright everyone out there...today is a big day. Emma has her long-awaited appointment with the pediatric endocrinologist. We have been waiting 4 months for this appointment, and now that it's here, we're all a little nervous. I'm also anxious to find out what is going on with her. I have this feeling that this appointment will shed a lot of light on our little girl. I had reserved my concern about her having Turner's Syndrome, telling myself that it was highly unlikely. It felt good to kind of forget about it for a while. Then we had her evaluated by physical and occupational therapists back in August. I was very surprised by the results. Turns out Emma has the visual perception of a 5 year old, and the motor coordination of a 4 1/2 year old. That's a 2 1/2 year delay. The major downside to this finding is it does make Turner's a more likely diagnosis, however I'm still holding out hope that they're not related.

I am definitely worried and stressed, and even Dave is as well. That's when I knew I wasn't overreacting. When I saw him stressed, I knew it was okay for me to be also.

Her appointment is at 2:00 in Charlotte. I have to work tonight, but the minute I have a chance I will update here.

PLEASE pray that Emma is perfectly healthy and that her size and other concerns are a totally benign quirk (for lack of a better word). I have complete faith that whatever we find out we'll be able to work through, but I'd much prefer my daughter not have to struggle.

Thank you for your support....

Random Cuteness

2008-09-24T09:07:00.004-04:00

I thought you might all like to see the cuteness we endure every day. Zoey and Henry are now 4 months old and have come into their personalities. They are super sweet, super cuddly kittens and everyone in the house loves them. Even Macy is learning to tolerate them pretty well. Greta, of course, wants to lick them to death and they don't stick around for it, but they get along surprisingly well. Anyway, on to the pics.

Apparently Henry thought Greta's bone looked pretty tasty.

Doesn't it look like Henry is smiling? Too sweet!

Pictures don't lie

2008-09-17T22:14:00.002-04:00

Okay - Here's the answer...

Yup - that'd be over 6 inches we cut off sweet Emma's hair. I was going to trim it, and mentioned to her that if we cut it a little more, her bangs (that we started growing out over a year ago) would be the same length. She loved the idea of cutting it shorter - took me completely by surprise. I was all for it. We have had a bit of trouble teaching Emma that her identity isn't in her hair. She always got so much attention for it that I was ready for her to just be Emma. Not the girl with the really long hair. We'll see if she keeps it shorter or grows it back out.

What do you all think?

Any Guesses?

2008-09-14T20:46:00.002-04:00

Can anyone guess what this is a picture of?

First Day of School!

2008-08-21T20:50:00.004-04:00

I literally got to live out that infamous scene in Finding Nemo. Emma and Jackson woke up and came downstairs into our bedroom to wake us up. They were both soooo excited. It was adorable.
Emma is in second grade now and growing up really fast. She's starting to branch out into a few different activities as well. After her season of dance last year, she was honored by being asked to join their competition team for this year. We are very excited for her to try this out and see if it's something she really wants to invest her time and energy into. She'll take ballet, tap, and jazz on Friday afternoons for two hours. She starts tomorrow and is really looking forward to it. This afternoon we also visited one of our town's gymnastics gym. Emma has been begging us to take gymnastics, and we finally caved. They let her take the class today to see if she liked it. She was sooo overjoyed the entire class there was no way I could deny that joy. It was great to see her try stuff that would normally scare her, but she was determined to try everything and do her best. I think it will actually be a great source of self-esteem for her. Busy busy girl though. We've decided (I think) to forgo her doing fall soccer since she's already in two other time-consuming activities. Maybe we'll let her do spring soccer. We'll see.

Jackson did amazingly well on his first day. Not a fear, tear, or worry from this little man. He was so confident and social, as always. He really takes pride in his reading, and was showing off a little reading his book in the hallway (what they do waiting for the bell to ring in the a.m.). It was funny to see the looks from other parents watching him read that book without my help. I was probably a little prideful myself, but I'm still in that blown-away mindset that this kid taught himself how to read. He just amazes me. Jack also starts dance class tomorrow. Now before you envision him in a tutu, let me clarify. He is taking an all-boys hip hop class. We're trying to give him some cool points for later in life. Actually, it's just because this kid loves to move, and loves music. So hopefully it will be a good fit. He will also be playing soccer, both fall and spring most likely.

Brian did not do well yesterday with the kids gone. We went over to Heather's house to play with Allie and her daycare kids. It took B almost 30 minutes to finally let go of me and go play. He was so sad yesterday. He actually cried on my shoulder for 5 minutes in the morning when I told him they were gone. He was almost unconsolable. But he did much better today. We ran a few errands, and played with the kittens. He even played by himself for a little bit. I think he'll be fine once the routine sets in.

I've been off blogging for a while, and we had some fun during that time. It was amazing to see Jennifer and her girls. Made me realize just how much I've missed that girl. We lived together for over a year before we had kids. Dave even said having her here was the most natural house guest we've ever had. It took no time at all to feel like no time had passed and the only thing different was the 5 noisy children running around. I miss them terribly and will definitely not let 4 years go by before seeing them again. Hopefully next time we can get Scott and Dave together. They would get along really well I think.

Okay, enough babbling. I know there's lots more I forgot to post about, but I'm tired and needing sleep.

Not much going on

2008-07-25T08:57:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone...didn't want to leave you all wondering what we've been up to, just not much to blog about. The kids have been somewhat trying the last few days. I think they're bored with summer already. I understand it to a point, it's been so hot that they haven't felt like playing outside much. I went back to work a few nights last week and today is Dave's last day for a week. We'll spend some time around the house organizing (it's in major need of an overhaul) and do some fun stuff with the kids. We were going to see about taking the kids to "A Day Out with Thomas" but it's too cost prohibitive right now. We'll try to do it when it's back in town around the boys' birthdays. Dave and I have a weekend in Asheville planned next weekend to see Steven Curtis Chapman play at the Biltmore. We're going with Jeff and Heather and it will be a great time. I'm not sure how well we'll handle the concert, as I hear the few concerts he's done so far have been quite emotional (understandably). But it will be fun nonetheless. And the kids will stay at my folk's house. We'll pick them up on Sunday and also pick up Jennifer and her two girls. I am unbelievably excited to see them - it's been over 4 years since I've seen Jenn. Considering we used to be inseparable as teenagers, I'm sure it will be an entertaining reunion. So I'll be neglecting the blog for a little bit, and when I come back I'll have lots of pictures to share.

So what do you think about the new background? (Aside from hating how long it takes to load?) I wish I knew how to do creative layouts and siggies, but I don't even know where to start. Luckily for me, there's free stuff out there so I don't have to learn!

See you in a couple weeks!

New Babies!!!

2008-07-14T17:27:00.003-04:00

We finally have our last two babies to complete our family for a good long time. Here they are!

Introducing Henry and Zoey...

Woof.

2008-07-08T09:05:00.003-04:00

What a shit-tacular day yesterday (sorry Dad). But it deserves that title. The day started out fine, other than being a Monday. I had a few things on my checklist to get done, but other than that it was a pretty easy day. I won't give you every detail of what went wrong, but let's say a lot. I'll just share the biggest ones. First I received a phone call from the neighborhood HOA mgmt. group. Turns out our pool opened last weekend and we knew nothing about it. And they weren't sorry about that either. I suggested they find a better way of communicating with the residents, which went unacknowledged. So she tells me she needs us to sign a liability waiver in order to get a key (there's no lifegaurd). Fine, so she emails it to me. Only, she didn't. She did, however, email me jpegs of all the city and county logos (most likely what's on their letterhead) and a copy of the pool rules. Thanks for that...however we can't get a key until we get and sign the waiver. So I emailed them back and I'm still waiting for a response. The kids are sad because they know the pool is open (hard to deny when you drive by and there's a slew of people in it) and these little delays are frustrating. The thing of it is, had we known about the pool opening, we could have gotten the waiver signed and gotten our key before the actual opening, like so many of our neighbors did. We could have used it the entire weekend. But, oh well. I could be there right now if they'd send me the stupid waiver. Grrr.
Okay, so while that is annoying, it's not a big deal in grand scheme of things. I understand that. Just frustrating. Even more frustrating was the next phone call I received - all of 5 minutes after the last one. It was the pediatrician's office. We had taken Emma a few weeks back to check on her growth. They wanted her to go see a specialist since she had fallen further off the charts. They were going to set up her appt for me but warned me it would be September before she got in. That stunk, but what can you do. They said they'd call us with the date in a few days, and if we didn't hear from them to give them a call. Well we left for TN before they called and I fully expected a message on our machine when we got home. Nada. So I called them - last Tuesday. They called me back - yesterday. The girl who does it was on vacation. Anyhow, she says that Emma's request must have been put in the wrong folder because she hadn't seen it until that morning. Greeaaat. She said she got her appt., but the first available was for OCTOBER 7th!!!! So because of their stupid mistakes we have to wait another whole month to get in. Total crap. This leaves me feeling very defeated. Not sure yet what we're going to do about it, but we're thinking. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to share.
And the last, and by far the worst thing that happened yesterday. I have joined Facebook (it's awesome btw - a great way to reconnect with long-lost friends...) and with that I have been able to reconnect with some great people. Unfortunately, while chatting with a friend, I was informed that a good friend of ours from "back in the day" had committed suicide just a few weeks ago. Bryan Graham, a sweet soul, quiet, introspective, insanely creative, genuinely kind. At least that's how I remember him. He always gave me the funniest birthday presents - and they never cost a dime...he would just gather up random fun stuff from around and put it in a shoe box and give it to me. I remember for my 16th birthday, he gave me a "Rules of the road" handbook and a brick so I could drive fast. He was kidding of course, and there were a few other random things in that box, but I don't remember them all. He was in Jeff and Heather's wedding. We went to Jeff's lakehouse together as a group and had a bunch of fun. I'm just sad. I realize we had completely lost touch after college, but I still considered him a friend. I told Jeff and Heather about it last night and Heather said "don't you wish you could just rewind life to before that point and stop it from happening?" I couldn't agree more. I would do it for Bryan, and I'd do it for Blair. It really sucks that at such a young age we've already lost friends. But I hang on to my current favorite verse - We also glory in tribulations,knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4

Me, Jeff, and Bryan at the lakehouse.

Please pray for Bryan's family. His parents and his brother and sister have got to be hurting and trying to understand why. Pray hard.

Like I said - a crappy day

Long overdue

2008-07-05T11:42:00.008-04:00

I know I'm long overdue for an update. It's been one crazy summer so far. We got our new playground and the kids have been loving that. Then Emma's birthday. Then we had a family reunion in Pigeon Forge, TN with some of my wonderful cousins and aunts/uncles. And now the neighborhood pool just opened up. Next week my mom is coming for a short visit and to attend a baby shower for our friend Shannon on Saturday. This weekend, aside from the 4th, we are working on the kids rooms trying to make them look more lived in by adding paint and wall decor. They are enjoying picking stuff out. It's sad that we've been here for 18 months and still haven't accomplished that much. But I'm definitely in project mode, so as long as the funds are available, I will start tackling small projects here and there.

Like I said, we've been pretty busy so far, and it's going to be busy pretty much until school starts on Aug. 20th. We'll have a week here or there without much going on, but mainly we'll be on the go. So forgive me if I don't post as often over the next several weeks.

The reunion was wonderful. I had a great time and it was nice to get to see people I hadn't seen in at least a decade. I'm glad we'll be able to keep up the reunions and maintain some connection with family. It felt weird for me during the reunion because I didn't really "know" anyone. Having spent what felt like soooo much time with all of them as a kid, I realized that we all grew up and went our own ways - understandably. But I just remember so vividly spending time with all of my cousins when we'd visit Iowa, which seemed like we did often. And my cousin Maria and I used to spend a week at each other's house in the summer. Life was fun back then and I enjoyed having a big family. I think that's part of why I wanted more than two kids. I wanted my kids to have people to play with at home and at family gatherings too. I think we accomplished that! Now that Dave's sister is adding to the cousin count, we'll have more family to play with.

Anyway, I'll leave with a few pics. Too many over the last few weeks to post them all, but I'll pic the good ones.

Special Day

2008-06-15T08:56:00.005-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!!!!!

You are such a blessing to our family and we're so thankful for you! You are an absolute joy and such a sweet "little" girl! I can't say little anymore now that you're 7! Time has surely flown by and I cannot wait to see how much you change next year.

Emma's ballet recital

2008-06-11T19:25:00.003-04:00

I finally was able to download video from the recital. Sorry if it takes a while...

4 days down!!!!

2008-06-10T15:44:00.002-04:00

I am proud to report that Brian has been paci-free for four full days! And he's halfway through day five. On Friday when I put Brian down for his nap, I just never gave it to him. And he never asked for it. He talked for a few minutes and then fell asleep without incident. And the same thing happened again at bedtime. So I told Dave not to give it to him on Saturday at nap while I was at work. Not a problem. In fact the first time he asked for it was yesterday. It was while I was changing him and I'll admit, I panicked at first, not sure what to tell him. But I just said he didn't need it anymore, and he said "I'm big boy?" Yes, sir, you are. When he went to bed, he didn't even mention it.

I think I'd call that successful, wouldn't you?

We already had a plan in place. We were going to "forget" them at Grandma's house after our visit next week. I thought it was going to work just fine, and was looking forward to it. But, alas, he's one step ahead of me. I think I should get used to that!

The Girl Does It Again...

2008-06-03T15:58:00.002-04:00

Found out last night at Emma's art show that she had been chosen to receive this award. The breakfast/ceremony was this morning. Oops. But nonetheless, this girl is awesome! This award is different than the "terrific kid" award. This award only goes to one student in the class who has displayed the key characteristics throughout the year. I tell you what - this girl is setting the bar high! Way to go Emma!!!

Lots of pictures!!!

2008-05-28T18:58:00.007-04:00

I have a couple things to update you all about. I apologize it's taken me so long to post these, but the passing of SCC's daughter took a bit of priority. I still cannot imagine what they're all going through, but I'm sure they're trying to regain some sense of normalcy - if that's even possible.

Anyhow, after my post about all of the big things changing with Brian, we started by moving him to the big boy bed. So I'll post a few (ok, a lot) of pictures of that transition.

And I only have a couple pictures of Emma after her ballet recital because they wouldn't allow any flash photography during the performances. I did take video, and as soon as I figure out how to load it on the computer and then onto the blog I'll post it here. She did a fabulous job, and was such a beautiful ballerina. My heart swelled watching her on stage, and at that moment I decided that I would keep her in ballet for as long as she'd allow it. I won't force her to keep doing it if she hates it, but even though it was expensive and time consuming, it was so worth every minute. I am a super-proud momma!

Okay, enough rambling...here's the pics.

Isn't she just so beautiful? (And no, I'm not biased!)

That is Emma's 1st grade class. I was lucky enough (and yes, there is some sarcasm there) to go with her on a field trip to the botanical gardens. I took some really neat pictures while I was there, but can't figure out how to mark them so they're not copied. I'll post them when I figure that out.

I couldn't finish a post without a picture of Jackson! See that scrape on his lip? He took a major tumble a few days prior and was gushing blood everywhere. It looks worlds better here, but we probably should have had it stitched up. We didn't even take him to the dr. I am currently putting Mederma on it because it has left a scar on his face - and let's face it - his face is just too pretty to have a scar on it! Okay, too handsome. Totally worth $18 to make it less noticeable.

So how is everyone else out there?

Happy Anniversry...

2008-05-24T22:01:00.001-04:00

to us! Today we celebrated 11 years. It was a great day.

Dave, I love you with all my heart. Thank you for loving me.

Unimaginable Tragedy

2008-05-22T16:20:00.004-04:00

Maria Sue Chapman

I read the saddest thing this morning...Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter was killed in an accident yesterday evening. You can read the story at www.stevencurtischapman.com or most news sites.

For those of you that don't know, SCC's music has played a major part in my life. I've been listening to him since the late 80's and have always been able to gain something from his lyrics. This is a horrible tragedy, and while I do not know them personally, it feels very close to home.

Please pray for the family, their son especially, and anyone close to them. This has got to be a parent's worst nightmare. I know their strength is in the Lord and He will see them through, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt for a long time.

Wanna come play?

2008-05-10T13:34:00.002-04:00

So, in just a few short weeks, anyone that wants to come play on this...

...just give us a call. We'd love to have you!

Crossroads

2008-05-07T22:34:00.002-04:00

Brian is growing up way too fast for me. We're at this major crossroad with him in a few different areas. Three major changes are coming and I don't know which one to do first. He's already moved into his big boy car seat, as you can see in the post below. Now we have to 1)move to the big boy bed, 2)take away the paci, and 3) potty train. Seriously - why are we running into these all at the same time for him? I really don't know which one we should do first. And to be quite honest, I don't really want to do any of them because that's just one step closer to not having a "baby" anymore. Don't get me wrong, I know Brian is far from a baby, but he's our last and I'm just sad to let go of these last glimpses of babyhood. I still struggle from time to time at that thought, but God is slowly giving me peace about it all, thankfully. So now as I look back at what I wrote, I think I should go in that order...bed, paci, potty. What do you think?

And of course I can't post about Brian without leaving you with a super-cute picture of him!

The seat is here!

2008-05-04T20:43:00.003-04:00

Emma's new seat came in the mail a couple days ago. She was terribly excited to check it out!

everyone took a turn trying it out...it's crazy that Brian is on the same slots as Emma and Jackson...he's got the longest torso!

Nobody will ever say that they aren't safe! Some think we're crazy to have a 7 year old still in a car seat. It would be different if she was the size of an average 7 year old though. I should send this picture into Britax as an advertisement!

She's super happy with the seat. The fact that it's pink just made her day. I think I win mommy of the year award from her!

Yay!!!!

2008-04-28T16:34:00.003-04:00

Double yay! Car seat problem solved! I was talking to my sil and Heather about the issue. Heather wanted to know what it looked like so I went online to remember the name of the pattern. I did a google search and clicked on an online retailer that popped up first. I was so shocked to see they had the color we wanted in stock, on sale, and there is no shipping fee or sales tax! I called Dave and he told me to just get it without much thought at all. Soooo....I did! I got a Britax Regent in Madison for $239! Emma will be one happy camper having a girly seat, and Brian will be super happy to have the big boy black seat. I figured I would get the girly one so Emma would enjoy being in a 5-pt harness even more. Brian will use her old seat until it expires and then I'll just put the black cover on the new shell. It will work out fabulously.

And just so inquiring minds don't have to ask...here's what her new seat looks like...

Isn't it so pretty...any girl would be proud to ride in this seat. I hope she loves it. I'm kind of excited about it too. When we had Emma baby products hadn't gone the route of gender specific yet. So all of her gear was navy blue...nothing girly for her. So it's fun to get to buy one thing girly for her. Even if she is almost 7!

It's been a while...

2008-04-27T19:50:00.003-04:00

Not much is going on around here. I'm really happy about that. School is winding down, only 6 weeks to go. I'm really looking forward to the summer. I'm selfish - I like to have my kids with me. Work is going well, other than leaving Dave with the kids all the time. I've recently gained more responsibility at work doing their cash office on the weekends. This is one job I used to just love at Bed Bath & Beyond, so I'm happy to have the opportunity to do it again.

I'm not so happy about it for this coming weekend though. I'll be doing it for the first time by myself, which isn't a big deal really. I just don't want to screw it up. But the real reason I'm not happy about it is this Saturday, May 3rd, is Britax's warehouse sale. It's in the morning, from 8-12, and I have to work! It wouldn't be a big deal except I really need to get a new seat for Brian. It would be great to not pay full price for that crazy seat. I keep racking my brain trying to find a way to get there. Dave would go for me but the kids have soccer in the morning, including team pictures. He could go afterwards, but he wouldn't get there until after 10:30, and what we need will probably be gone by then. They don't do this sale every year, so when they do they usually sell out before it's over. Pooh. I'd even be resigned to it with less angst if I could get my work discount online. The seat we want to get we only sell in one color and it's not the cutest. We have other colors online, but I don't get my discount online. Grrr....

Anyway, didn't want you all to think we fell off the face of the earth...just nothing too interesting to write about.

Hope you are all doing well....drop a line and let me know how you're doing.

Oh, for those of you that care...I've lost 12 pounds! Woot woot!

New hobby?

2008-04-10T01:00:00.003-04:00

So I've always been into scrapbooking, however since having kids and the invention of the digital camera, I have been much less productive. I found a great new site called scrapblog.com and it lets you do digital scrapbooking - for free!

Here's my first (and meager attempt) at a layout. At least the pics of Dave are fun to look at! He's so cute!

We had a great time in Asheville. Very relaxing and fun to get to spend some much needed time refocusing on each other. I love you Dave!!!

Our TERRIFIC Kid!

2008-03-28T19:11:00.006-04:00

We had the immense joy of seeing our sweet little girl be presented with a school award on Friday. Emma was chosen to be her class's "Terrific Kid" and we got to attend the ceremony held at school. It was so neat to see all the kids so full of pride knowing they were being recognized for their special talents. Emma was beaming from ear to ear. The principal read each teacher's description of what made these children "terrific." I have to say, the things Emma's teacher said about her made me burst with pride. We couldn't ask for a sweeter girl, and she's smart to boot! We just wanted to share our Emma's achievement with all of you!

On the mend

2008-03-26T14:10:00.002-04:00

The boys are back to normal - crazy as ever. Miss Emma just got back from the Dr. and now she has an ear infection. I thought those things weren't contagious. I know, they're not. But sheesh!

Emma has her Fun Run at school tomorrow, and the Dr. said it was fine for her to go. So she will still participate. Heaven forbid if she didn't get to go. So much angst from such a young girl! We'd better keep an eye on that. Oh, and for those familiar with Emma's growth issues, today at the dr. she weighed 41 pounds fully dressed (with shoes). Yay! Still significantly small for her age, but at least she's gaining.

Something else fun is happening on Friday for Emma, but it's a surprise for her, so I'll post about it this weekend. Hopefully I'll figure out how to post video and share it with everyone.

The "P" word

2008-03-18T08:41:00.005-04:00

I had to take Brian back to the dr. yesterday for a follow-up visit. I had taken him on Thursday because he had the same thing Jackson had, but much worse. Turned out he had a double ear infection, red/raw throat, and he was wheezing. So she put him on Omnicef and prednisone and breathing treatments every three hours. We made it through the weekend and he seemed to be getting better. And he is, however when we went back for his follow-up, she said she still heard a lot of junk in his chest, so she wanted a chest x-ray. Can you see where this is going? We had the x-ray done (and I'm not going to dwell on the trauma that caused both Brian and me) and went back to the dr's office for the report. Miss Wendy came in the room (after a 45 minute wait) and said she didn't like what she saw. Brian has inflammation/fluid/congestion in his right lung. She also noticed how he was holding his breath a lot and told me that was his way of changing the pressure in his lungs to get more O2. Poor little man! I had no idea he was that bad. He's actually been more normal through this illness so it wasn't totally obvious how sick he was. She basically said it was borderline pneumonia and gave him a high dose antibiotic injection. She also told us to continue the omnicef and the nebulizer treatments and come back on Thursday. So we're just hoping that by Thursday she'll hear some improvement in his lungs and we can put this illness behind us. Although Emma did wake up with a cough and runny nose this morning, but I'm not so worried about her just yet.

I'll leave you with a couple pictures. The first one is a drawing done on the magna-doodle (or 'drawing board' as Brian likes to call it). Brian drew this picture all by himself! It's supposed to be of Joe and Blue from Blue's clues. I'm still in awe that he can draw a face like that at his age!

The one of Emma is of her her first "friend from school" phone call. I felt it necessary to document when the "socialite" behavior first started. Dave and I are sooo not ready for this!

Illness has returned

2008-03-11T10:44:00.002-04:00

The boys are sick. Jackson started out with a little cough on Thursday last week. I decided to keep him home on Friday just in case it turned into something worse. He started running a very low temp (99.8) mid-day Friday - he usually is around 97.8 normally. So I was glad I kept him home. On saturday he was fever free and just coughing a bit. He sounded much worse through the evening and on Sunday his fever jumped up over 101...I decided at that point to take him to urgent care because I knew a few kids in his preschool class had the flu. We waited almost 2 hours just so the Dr. could tell me they were out of flu tests and he most likely had the flu. Fine. Monday morning before he woke up I went to CVS and filled the scrip for Tamiflu and went home. Got Jackson up, took his temp - it was 98.4! No fever. He was much more alert and happy. So I have to believe he didn't have the flu but just a cold virus. He's still coughing a lot, it's getting productive, so hopefully he'll work it out soon. He's also pretty congested, but it's not running and it's not slowing him down any. I will continue to keep him home from school though. There's no need to expose the class with something else - they've had enough illness this year.

So I always pray hard when a cold bug comes into the house because Brian still trends towards asthmatic with any kind of virus. Jackson used to be this way, but he's grown out of it mostly. Since Jackson started coughing last week, I have been waiting for it to hit someone else - all the while praying it wouldn't be Brian. Emma is still doing well, Dave and I are fine, but Brian started coughing last night. He's definitely got it, but so far no fever and no breathing treatments have been necessary. Keep fingers crossed that he's old enough to fight it...I would love not to have to break out that nebulizer again...

Happy Birthday Michelle!!!!

2008-03-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

Hope you enjoy turning OLDer like me!!!!

Happy Birthday Maria!!!!

2008-03-04T09:11:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Pia
Happy birthday to you

I promise not to mention how old you are...because I'm older than you!

And way to go on the weight loss - that is awesome!!!! (I'm a bit envious!)

Oh, and I know I'm a day early, but I had to do it while I was thinking about it, otherwise I would have been late!

Committed

2008-02-21T13:27:00.002-05:00

And I'm not sure how to define that word...either it's committed in the institutional sense (as in I should be) or in the determined and definite sense. Today I made a big step in furthering my weight loss/health goals. Dave and I joined our local gym a few weeks ago, but today I signed up for one full year of personal training. The thought of that is honestly overwhelming, especially as I sit here in slight agony from this morning's workout. But I know me...I need someone else to kick me in the tush, otherwise I'll give up.

I am really motivated now...I even ran on the treadmill this morning instead of just walking quickly. I hate to run, so this was a big step for me. I burned over 600 calories in an hour. It felt great at the time, but I'm a little out of it now. Hopefully I'll regain some energy before I head off to work tonight.

As of today, my weight loss is 4 pounds...only 36 to go!

Emma's first sleep over

2008-02-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to post these for over a week now. Emma spent the night at our neighbor's house down the street. Addison is in kindergarten at the same school and we pick her up a couple days a week. The girls are great friends and it's so exciting to see these relationships forming. They had a great time and I think Dave and I had a harder time with it than she did. She came home the next morning begging us to have another sleep-over the next weekend. We've decided to delve into the world of giggling girls slowly - we'll let her have a friend over in a month or so.

Enjoy the pics!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2008-02-07T19:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year from the Turner kids! (Thanks Auntie Heather & Uncle Jeff for the cool threads!)

blogger's block

2008-02-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

I am seriously struggling with what to write about. The kids are good, Dave is good, I am good. Dog is three shades of crazy - to the point that I'm considering talking to our vet about drugging her out of it. I know it sounds harsh, but you should really see this dog. She's nuts. And it's a pretty sudden change...it's weird. I hate thinking that we've done something to her to make her act this way. But we've don't exactly have the best track record. We've done everything we know to do to keep the peace, all for nothing. Even the days that she's getting adequate exercise she's still a looney. So, I'm going to call the vet. I'll keep you updated.

So, I guess I did have something to write about...pooh.

future possibilities...

2008-01-25T08:28:00.001-05:00

So I've been told many times that I have cute kids. Of course I agree, but I'm also their mom, so I am kind of biased! However, we get a ton of comments about Jackson specifically. Most people who know him will say how gorgeous he is - his eyes are amazing. And how much personality he has (isn't that the truth!) - he's a very outgoing and friendly kid with an enormous imagination. I've even had people tell me that I should get him into modeling or acting. I thought about it, but never considered it seriously. I just didn't want to force anything on him at such a young age. I always thought that if he ever had an interest, we could pursue it, but not until he was old enough to have an opinion on the matter.

Well on the way to school today, Jackson was chatting away in the back of the van as usual. Then he started singing in the most high-pitched voice ever. I asked him "Jack, why are you singing so high like that?" and he responded "Mom, I want to be a movie star."

So there ya go. He's just given me his opinion. I asked him if he really wanted to do that and why. He said he did because he loves to make people laugh and act silly. I still don't think I'll do anything about it right now, but it sure did make me think more about the possibility. Is it possible to raise a young actor to maintain family values and morals? Looking at the current celebrity society - I have my doubts.

But he is one cute little kid. And he does make us laugh. A lot. A lot a lot.

Let's check in ladies!

2008-01-24T21:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, so we've been doing the diet/body challenge for a bit now. How are you ladies doing at this point? Any butt kicking needed? I think I might need it! But - I just joined the local gym, and I'm also going back to work part-time, so I think I'll be back on the ball here shortly. I've only lost 2 pounds, but I guess that's better than nothing!

So check in and let me know how you're doing!!!

certain things about the south I cannot grasp

2008-01-17T10:11:00.000-05:00

Now, I will be the first to admit that while I may have grown up in the mid-west (or north, as it is referred to here), I've never felt like I belonged until I moved to the south. However, that does not mean I can forgo all the habits and mentalities of northern living. Life for instance, I still don't quite understand the term "fixin' ta" - actually I think I'd spell that "fixin' tuh" but you get my point. And why if the meteorologist predicts any kind of precipitation and a temperature anywhere near 32 degrees, the grocery stores become overwhelmed with alarmist shoppers fearing the end of the world. So, we got to experience this to a whole new level today...these pictures are for my "northern" friends and family...you'll understand.

This "storm" caused school to be delayed 2 hours today. Mind you, the streets and sidewalks were not cleared by anyone.

Frightful, isn't it? Sheesh. Although I shouldn't complain. After we got the school-wide phone call alerting us to the delay (at 6:00 am), we didn't have to get out of bed until after 8:00. And the kids are off Friday and Monday. I like sleeping in.

Wowie! Owie!

2008-01-04T08:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my first session? Piece of cake. Last night's full hour session? Ouch. Funny thing about that hour session - it lasted an hour and twenty minutes. Hmmm. But my trainer Emily was wonderful and full of encouragement and advice. She was kind enough to say that I'm not as bad off as I make myself out to be. And she said that I'm actually pretty strong considering I haven't worked out in 2 years. Sooo, today I can hardly walk up the stairs - but it's weird. I'm not sore at all, just weak. Like my legs know what to do but I can't make them do it. I'm trying to decide if I go in today and just do some cardio or if I take one day off to recover and then hit it hard again tomorrow. Alison and her three boys are coming today around lunch time, so that may keep me from heading out this evening. They're staying for over a week, so I won't be using them as an excuse not to go past today. We'll see how the afternoon plays out.

On a totally different topic - holy hannah is it cold here!!!!!! I'm soooo annoyed at this weather. It really feels like Chicago right now and I'm just not happy about it. I know I have no right to complain considering it was 80 degrees just a few weeks ago and it will be close to 70 by next week, but we're not supposed to get this cold! I'm not mentally prepared for it! Luckily the kids are all set w/heavy coats, hats, and gloves. Can I just say thank goodness for mittens? Jackson tried his best to figure out how to get his fingers into the right holes of his gloves but there was no chance. He couldn't understand how to keep his fingers apart. And he kept curling them inside the glove. Luckily we still had mittens from last year and they still fit him (surprise, surprise). I just didn't have the patience to sit there and try to teach him how to do it, plus we were late for school.

Okay, I must go clean my house a little bit for our guests. They deserve some consideration! Later taters!

Let the games begin!

2008-01-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

Soooo, I had my first work-out at bally's last night. They called me in the morning to schedule a time to come in and tour the gym and whatnot, and then said, "do you want to fit a workout in while you're here?" I couldn't very well say no... so I let the ever so insanely muscular trainer have a whack at my fat flabby self. It was actually a wonderful time, not to say that I didn't work. But he made me laugh during the session and I didn't even realize I had done 100 crunches! He kept having me do sets of 20 in different positions and before I knew it he said "that's 100." I laughed because with all my c-sections, I didn't think I could do 10 crunches, let alone 100. I did a few of their circuit machines after doing about 10 minutes on the elliptical machine. Tonight I go back for the full 1 hour session. This time I have a female trainer (I think Dave is much more comfortable with that) and she used to be a body builder. I'll admit - I'm a little scared of her. But apparently she's really good at motivating people and gets quick results. That's exactly what I wanted.

The guys I met last night were of course trying to get me to commit to signing up for membership, and I'm tempted, but I want to try it out for a few weeks before doing that because it's a pretty long drive. I need to see if the perks are worth the drive, or if our local gym would be sufficient. We'll see.

So, my team members are Maria and Kristen (and I'm trying to coerce Heather into joining in as well). Let's get it going ladies! Did you sign up with Discovery Health yet? Are you working out? I've got a long way to go before I'll be happy with putting on a bathing suit, and only 4 months to get the job done. Git r done. (sorry, had to say it)

Updates

2008-01-01T19:21:00.001-05:00

I promise - an update with lots of pictures is on the way...life is just a little busy. But I'll get something up in the next day or two.

who's going to join me?

2007-12-17T11:06:00.000-05:00

I've never been one for new year's resolutions. But I have to say, if there was ever a time where I needed one, it's now. I've spent a total of half a year in bed when you combine all three pregnancies and bedrest. I was in bed for 16 weeks with Brian. I lost almost all muscle mass and my metabolism went in the toilet. Now I know what you're all thinking...Brian is 2 years old now. But let me be the first to say that while baby weight comes off easily for me, putting muscle back on doesn't. I have been struggling with my weight for the first time the past 18 months and I'm now certain that I'm not going to win unless I do something pretty significant. So, I've decided to participate in the Discovery Health National Body Challenge. You can see my countdown to sign-up on the right side of this page. I need a buddy, or two, or three! I can't do this kind of thing on my own - it's way too hard to stay motivated. So a buddy is a must. And it's also why I'm posting it here - so that there's documented proof of my goals. Please don't let me forget them! And with that said, if you do want to be my buddy, believe me, there will be no quitting! Nope, not me, not you.
If you decide to sign up for the body challenge, a great perk is a free membership to Bally total fitness for 8 weeks! I think that's perfect for me because it's just long enough to get me through the winter months before it starts getting warm enough to get outside to exercise. Unfortunately, the only downside for me is the closest facility is about 25 minutes away, but I already talked to Dave and he said he'll support me in it. At least it's only 8 weeks being that far, and if I get into a good routine, then I'll join the local fitness center since I'll know I'll actually use it.

So who's with me???? PLLLLEEEEAAAASE??????

Famous family

2007-12-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

My cousin is famous, once again. Check her out on the follow up story...

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=106290@wcbs.dayport.com

My oh so pretty puppy!

2007-12-07T21:05:00.000-05:00

I realize that I am so far overdue for an update on Greta. But honestly, she's a bit of a crazy puppy and getting a good picture of her isn't so easy. I mean, I've tried, but not a whole lot of success. Lately she's been behaving a bit better. Of course, we took her to the vet last week and had them cut out some organs, so that probably has something to do with it. Or maybe she knows she starts obedience school tomorrow and is trying to play us. I dunno, but I don't care. I'll take a calmer dog any day. Now, don't be mistaken - this girl still has a good case of the crazies, but she's slowly getting better.

Anyhow, onto the more important things. As mentioned before, Greta had her surgery a week ago. Yep, that's right. Our sweet puppy girl is now a sweet puppy it. Gender neutral. Poor thing. But, our vet is a rock star and Greta did fabulous. The fastest recovery I'd ever seen. She's already completely back to normal. Sad thing is Dave and I both worried ourselves crazy over her. She's definitely turned into a member of the family. Before they took her back for surgery they put her on the scale. A girl's worst nightmare, unless you're a Great Dane and size matters! Proudly, Greta hit the scales at 75 pounds! She's only 6 months old! And the vet says she's still just a tad skinny. Hey, we're doing our best! The girl can eat!

Okay, on to the pictures. I did my best to take a few shots that would show how big she is. Emma was happy to be a reference. For the record, Emma weighs 40 lbs and is 41 inches tall. And the last photo is my new favorite.

Here's Emma with her puppy. These two will be best buds once Greta stops knocking her over!

The main reference shot. Look back in the archives and you'll get a good idea of how much she's grown.

Okay - this is hilarious, but it's seriously one of Greta's favorite places to sit. Weird, I know.

Who could resist this sweet little face?!

Look what I did!

2007-12-02T18:20:00.000-05:00

This is kind of a two part post. One is to show off my handiwork on the house, and the other is to show off the pics from the camera Dave bought me for my birthday!

I worked all day today, with some aesthetic help from Dave telling me to move something up or down. It was a lot of fun, but took so long. I'm very glad to be out of the midwest and in the south because doing this in 50 degree weather was still pretty cold! I know, I'm a totally weak, spoiled little girl. Yeah, don't care. I don't like the cold!

Okay, so here's two pics...one w/a flash and one without

So the camera Dave got me is a digital SLR - something I've really wanted for a very long time. I love taking pictures and have always wanted to make it a hobby. Dave made that dream come true for me (like so many other dreams in my life!) and now I'm a tourist in my own house. My kids are lucky they like taking pictures - wait, no, that makes me lucky. Anyhow, I'm sure to be posting lots of random pictures from here on out.

Cracker Jack!

2007-11-14T18:33:00.000-05:00

Jackson had his 5 year well-check this morning and all is well (nice play on words). He measured in at 40.5 inches tall and 37 pounds. Another peanut...that put him in the 10% for height and 20% for weight. Amazing, considering he was in the 40-50% just last year. I swear I feed my kids! If anyone saw Jack eat, you'd think he'd weigh at least 50 pounds by now. But Dr. Hansen wasn't concerned, and neither am I. I think Jack is doing really well this year and I'm just excited he's been so healthy. After talking a bit about Jack's history w/the dr. we decided to do another allergy test - this time a blood draw. Mainly because he had some small things show up on his test a few years ago, but nothing definitive. I also mentioned how when he eats ranch dressing, if it gets on his face he gets hives. That was enough for him to want another test done, so off to the hospital for that. Jack rocks though, just a few tears, no screaming or fighting it. I even had him look once the blood started to go in the small tube and into the vial and his exact words were "that's cool" said in the middle of his tears. He's so cute. Good boy.

So a funny story, and you know if Jack's involved there's going to be a funny story. The nurse took us back to do the height and weight check. Jack thought the scales were cool and he wanted to count all the stickers on both of them. Then we had to go into the bathroom and he had to pee in a cup...okay - you'd think this is where the story comes in, but no. He thought it was funny and commented on how he had a lot in his cup - he was proud. After that we went over to do the eye chart. The nurse asked him some questions about shapes and then pointed to the chart and had him identify each symbol line after line. About the third line down there was the shape of a crescent moon. She asked him what that was and he said "chrysalis" so matter of factly the nurse looked at him like "huh?" With his lisp I don't think she understood what he said so I repeated it. She literally bent over laughing - and I said "can you tell what they've been talking about in preschool?" We laughed for a second and then she continued to the chart with colors on it...a green line and a red line (I was actually interested in his response since my dad is colorblind). She pointed to the green line and without missing a beat Jack's response was "verde." I thought - here's where we see if miss nurse can follow it...she giggled a minute, and then pointed to the red line and of course Jack said "roho." At this point a few nurses had stopped and watched all of it and they were all giggling at Jack. One asked "what preschool does he go to? I think my niece needs that school!" I thought they were joking so I laughed along. A minute later the nurse comes into our room w/a pen and paper and said "so what school does he go to?" Wow.

All in all it was a good appointment. Jack really seemed to like Dr. Hansen, so that makes us feel good about switching. I just could drive 45 minutes back up north to Dr. Flannery even though we really loved him. I just pray Brian's appointment goes as well on Friday...(I'm scared!)

Can You Say CUTE!!??

2007-11-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know, I'm his mom and I'm biased - but come on - you tell me this isn't just the cutest little man you've ever seen!? Okay, so you might tell me he isn't, but I bet he's the cutest you've seen today! These jammas used to be Jack's, and I had gotten them for him at the consignment sale a few years ago. I loved Jack in them so much I almost didn't give them to Brian because they were kind of a special memory for me. But Dave gave him a bath tonight and decided to put them on him and comb his hair just so, and then call me up to see this sweet little thing. Oh how my heart just melted!!! How is one mom so lucky to have two such adorable boys! Seriously - teenage years are going to be worrisome! Oh those poor dads of little girls (oh wait a minute - we have one of those too!) I'm sure we'll have our worries on both sides of the equation.
Anyway - I just had to share his cuteness with all of you. Enjoy!

Blasted!!!

2007-11-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

On Halloween, I wanted to carve one more pumpkin for our front porch. The kids were at school and Dave was home so I grabbed a pumpkin left over from Jack's party and got ready to carve. We had a bunch of those carving kits you can get with patterns and all the tools you need. Well I knew what I wanted to carve so all I needed was the marking crayon that came in the kit. I couldn't find one anywhere. We had three during the party and I know we kept the kits pretty well accounted for so I assumed they had to be somewhere. I asked Dave if he had seen them and he said he hadn't. Oh well, no biggie. So I use a regular crayon hoping it works as well, which it does not, but I get the job done. Now I was ready to do some carving! I knew Dave had put the carving pieces and the scoopers in the dishwasher so I opened it up to get what I needed. And holy sweet savannah to my eyes what did I see? A totally GREEN dishwasher!!!! Can you figure out how???? It took me a minute, but then I realized what happened - I know where the marking crayons were - or in this case where they had melted onto everything!!! I'll spare the details of how it happened to shield my loved ones... It was actually funny for a bit, until we realized that a simple rewashing of things didn't clean it up, nor did many loads empty on hot, or using vinegar, or this or that...we tried everything. We had lost most of the kids cups, utensils, our plastic cups and bowls, and lots of gladware. It was a disaster. We had pretty much given up hope and were looking at homedepot.com for a new dishwasher, which totally sucked because we hadn't even paid off this one yet (it's only 6 months old - we decided to trade out the builder's dishwasher for one that actually cleaned our dishes and didn't sound like a jet engine in our kitchen). It was nauseating for me to even think about doing that, so I decided I wouldn't consider it until I knew I had exhausted every possible cleaning idea out there. Well we found a suggestion on some message board about this cleaner called "Bar Keepers Friend" but you can't just go to the grocery store and buy it. At least not our grocery store. But their website said Linens 'n Things sells it, among others. I immediately went in and bought two cans of this stuff, plus some dish gloves and scrub brushes. I figured I'd rather spend $30 dollars on cleaning products that might work instead of replacing a $900 dishwasher. Just a thought. I get home and I'm so anxious to see if this stuff works I barely follow the instructions. It just has to work!!! So I make my paste and start scrubbing. Immediately the cleaner starts to turn green - it's coming off!!! I continue to scrub and scrub and scrub - I went through all the cleaner I had bought and had to go get more. It didn't matter though, it was working! In the end I spent over 6 hours inside my dishwasher, but it's saved! Unfortunately a lot of it is stained green still, but the waxy film is gone and the green doesn't rub off on anything we put in it. I felt very thrifty in putting so much effort into it, because believe you me, I sooo did not want to do that much work when first thinking about our options. Most of me wanted to just say heck with it and go get a new one. But when I thought long and hard about our current financial status - not such a great idea to go into more debt just so I didn't have to use a little elbow grease! Can you say lazy!? Geesh. Obviously we made the right choice. It'll be a fun story to tell at parties and such in the future (once a certain someone can embrace the humor in his error ;-).

Below are a few pictures to elaborate the story. Unfortunately, in our panicked state we didn't think to take a complete before picture - with the overwhelming amount of green in there - dishes and all. It was quite a sight!

Halloween Pics

2007-11-02T13:01:00.001-04:00

I won't take up much time but wanted to post the kids' halloween pics. Emma was Snow White, Brian was a cute dragon, and Jack was Thomas. I still can't believe we made it this long w/o him wanting to be Thomas. The kids had fun and the neighborhood was just the right size for our kids. Big enough to feel like they were out for a while, but not too big where we were walking all evening. I'm sure next year will feel different when more houses are built. Enjoy the pics!

Going private???

2007-10-29T17:22:00.001-04:00

I've been toying with the idea of making this blog private, which would mean only invited friends or family would be able to view it. I just wanted to get some feedback to see what you all thought about it. I would give warning before doing it so you'd have time to send me your email so I could add you to the list. But I honestly have no idea how many people actually read our blog so I'm wondering if it's even worth it. I dunno, what do you all think?

My cousin is famous!!!

2007-10-18T17:37:00.000-04:00

If only it was for a different reason. Check out this video of her interview about reconstructive surgery after surviving breast cancer.

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=104477@wcbs.dayport.com

Michelle - you ROCK!!! I'm so proud of you and how well you've handled this whole thing. You have so much support and are such an inspiration to all of us! I have been and will continue to pray for you and Gregg.

Happy, Happy, Birthday Brian!

2007-10-15T09:58:00.001-04:00

Well, the day is here. My littlest one is two years old. Sniff. We had a very small non-party last night with Heather, Jeff, and Allie. A few presents and a little cake. It was nice. We also went to the zoo on Saturday. I'll post pictures of that soon. Brian had a great time and is enjoying all his gifts as I type this.
So now we start the year of tantrums and time-outs. I've never been a fan of the ages 2-3. So we'll be happy when his next birthday rolls around. Not that I want to fast forward through it, but I know it will be a harder year. I'll look forward when he can talk a bit more and tell us what he wants or doesn't want. Right now the screaming isn't my favorite form of communication. But it will get better - it always does.

The Tooth Fairy

2007-10-07T18:30:00.000-04:00

Well - it finally happened!!!! Emma has lost her first tooth! Those darn teeth have been loose for almost 4 months. I thought for sure that at least one was going to fall out in August when the kids were in New Jersey and I would miss it. Nope, not so much. Two months later and it still hadn't fallen out. So with Emma's permission I started to twist it a little here and there. I asked her if it hurt, she said a little but I could keep going. I think that girl really wanted to get a visit from the tooth fairy. She was so brave. It took just a little prodding on my part (I'll spare you the gory details) and it came out pretty easily. I don't even want to guess how long it would have taken to fall out on it's own. So we have finally graduated into that next stage of parenting with Emma. She's turning into a very intelligent, compassionate, discerning young little lady! She really wanted to share her tooth fairy money (1 whole dollar!) with her brother so he wouldn't be left out. I was proud. Maybe we're not bad parents after all! Just kidding...

Here's a few pictures of the fun night...warning - there's blood in a couple. Sorry.

You can see just how desperately these teeth need to fall out. See the adult teeth behind them?

Barely hanging on...

And it's out! Emma was unbelievable brave. Probably because I didn't torment her like I was with threats of a wrench or pliers... sorry dad.

On the phone with Grandma and Papa D. You can see how proud she is.

And the good news is the adult tooth is already moving forward. Not that it has enough room to come all the way to the front, but it's better than where it was.

To prove how uneventful this was for her, Emma asked me today that when the other one gets loose enough if I would pull it out the same way. That's my girl.

It's October!!!!!

2007-10-01T19:02:00.000-04:00

It's finally October. I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. Although, I probably change my tune say around February when I'm dying for spring. But truly, the fall holds so many wonderful things and I just cherish this time of year.

Two very important things happened in October for the Turner family. Our boys were both born in this month - even though neither one was actually due in October. I remember being pregnant with Brian during the summer and when the complications started I thought the fall would never get here. My mother-in-law June brought me a gift during one of their visits. It was a yankee candle and the scent was Autumn Wreath. She gave this to me with a very specific reason in mind. She knew how much we were looking forward to fall because it meant Brian would be here. And when the candle was burning, it did just what she had hoped. It made me forget about "today" and just focus on the joy of the season to come. It helped me so much and to this day it's one of my favorite gifts. I am especially fond of that candle scent, and I've already started burning it again this year. I did wait until September, but not a day past!

So Brian turns 2 in just two short weeks. It's hard to believe the youngest one is no longer a stumbling toddler. He is the epitome of the "terrible two's" but Dave and I are still blissfully wrapped up in this little man. I can't imagine our family without him, and to think - we almost didn't have another child. So glad we changed our minds on that one!

Jackson turns 5!!! How crazy is that!? I cannot even fathom him in kindergarten next year. That picture blows my mind. I'm excited for him to go, now that he's been going to preschool and loves it. It will be a fun time for him. We will be having a big birthday party for Jack on the 27th, so if you're near the area, please feel free to come on by. We have established big parties in our family for milestone years - 1, 5, 10, 13, etc. So this is Jack's year for a big party. We are looking forward to it!

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of the boys when they were babies. Just look at how far they've come. Our God is awesome, isn't He?

This is Jackson - it's surprising we even thought about more babies after this. (can anyone say retraction?)

And of course Brian. Oh how I wish I could rewind time!

Here they are now! Don't pay attention to their hair - they were in serious need of a barber!

Doggy love

2007-09-24T14:12:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to give you a few cute shots of Greta. She's such a sweet baby girl. And she's getting soooo big! Now if only I could figure out how to stop her from eating the cat. Hmmm, anyone got any ideas on that?

How can you resist that sweet face?!

The one above just shows off how well behaved she can be. Sitting next to a bowl of food and not eating it? That's gotta be a good trick, right?

Woo Hoo!!!!

2007-09-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

I had Emma at the dr. on Saturday for a nasty cough (no, that's not why I'm cheering!) and they weighed her while she was there. Get ready for this.......38.9 lbs!!! Yeah baby! She's soooo close to 40 pounds - the weight minimum here in SC to ride in a booster seat. I was planning on keeping her in the regent for as long as possible, but the poor girl is the only one in first grade still in a car seat. And she's finally got an opinion on the whole thing. So, I guess I can let my 6 1/2 year old ride in a booster once she hits 40 lbs. But, considering it took her like 3 years to gain 5 pounds, she's probably got some time to wait yet. But I won't tell her that now. We'll just keep checking her weight now and then. She's so excited about it - it's so cute!

Quick

2007-09-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to take a quick minute to let you all know that Emma's dentist appointment went really well. She actually had fun while she was there. She has no cavities and the dentist said she's doing well. He isn't worried about her baby teeth not falling out. He said they'll come out in time, so no need to worry. He did say she had significant overcrowding with her baby teeth and it will only get worse when all her adult teeth come in. Braces here we come!

Hold me closer tiny dancer

2007-09-13T18:00:00.000-04:00

As promised here are a couple pictures of Emma in her ballet gear. Could she be any cuter??? She loves ballet class and has met a new friend named Carli. And even better is I have made a new friend w/Carli's mom! We spent the entire class today talking and getting to know each other. She is about to have a little boy this week so they won't be at class next week. Maybe Emma will get to know another little girl that day. It's fun to see her try new things and really enjoy them.

Jackson is loving school and is sad on the days he doesn't go. Too bad we couldn't afford to put him in for a full week, but he's really enjoying his MWF class.

Brian is crazy talking! He went from not saying anything and having us just a tad worried to talking up a storm. Now it's just a matter of trying to figure out what he's saying. It's a wonderful time having him to myself three days a week. We spend a lot of time reading books and reciting shapes and colors. He's just a little sponge right now.

Greta is doing well too. She's hit the terrible two's right now so we're trying to figure out how to keep her from running laps around the house. Walks don't seem to cut it, but we're trying different things. She's also lost all her baby teeth already and her adult teeth are coming in.

Speaking of teeth, Emma has her first dentist appointment on Monday. I realize we are very late in starting this routine but I had good reasons that I'll spare you for right now. Just pray for her to have a positive experience. They are going to look at her bottom teeth since her adult teeth have started to come all the way through but she hasn't lost her baby teeth yet. Makes for some really tight quarters! I'll let you all know how it goes when we get home.

First day of school! Wake up! Wake up!

2007-08-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

Gotta love a good Nemo quote.

Well, we're well into the swing of things with school and it is going so well. Emma is already settled and getting good reports from her teacher. Jackson is a total hit in his class. His teachers say he's a laugh a minute (anyone surprised by that?) and that he's doing so well. On his second day he told me he could walk into school by himself. Such a big little man!

The only downside to the past week is we're already dealing with our first virus. So not fair. But fortunately it's just a cold for the boys. Emma seems immune so far. I would have never thought she'd be the one w/the super-strong immune system. I guess all that illness early on did her well!

Greta is getting huge too. She's a great addition to our family. Her only issues are totally related to puppyhood, so we've got high hopes that she'll outgrow them soon. One thing we need to figure out how to control is the standard great dane affection moves. She likes to walk between your legs and also lean up against you. The leaning thing isn't a problem for Dave or I, but it could really hurt the kids. And while walking between our legs isn't a problem for us now, it will be soon. She tried to do it to Emma this morning and picked her right up! Poor Emma! She thought it was funny, but we were also right there to catch her. It's hard to figure out what to do because she's just trying to show affection. How do you punish affection? I can't do it. So, for now we'll just have to stay close when she's around the kids.

My folks are coming in to town tomorrow. Saturday is college football season opener - at least for the turner house. Our two teams we root for are NIU and Iowa. And this Saturday, they are playing each other at Soldier Field! Oh how we wish we could have been there to witness it in person, but luckily we get it on cable. My parents don't get it so they are coming here to watch it, and play with the kids of course! I can't wait for them to get here. Our only dilemma is who do we root for? Hmmm....

Ok, onto the pictures. I wouldn't dream of posting without pictures!

So how is everyone out there? Leave a comment and let me know how you're doing!

Later taters!

Lots of kid pics

2007-08-19T09:10:00.000-04:00

Well, the summer is over for the Turner household. Jackson starts preschool tomorrow and Emma starts first grade on Wednesday. We are excited for the year ahead, because we know it means big changes in our kids by the end of it. With two years of school under our belt w/Emma, Dave and I feel more prepared this year about sending two kids off. I know Jackson is ready - he needs to go. I'm really looking forward to seeing him mature socially this year. I'm also looking forward to him having his "own" friends. It will be fun to have kids to invite to his 5th birthday party this year, other than neighbors. Don't get me wrong - we absolutely adore all of our past and present neighbor friends - but you get the idea. He's never had a group of friends that were just his. It'll be sweet.
Emma is all set to start her new school. They did finish construction on time (can you believe that!) and she will be among the first students to ever attend the new school. She was assigned a teacher a month ago, but just this past wednesday I received a phone call from a new teacher that had been hired the day before telling me she was reassigned to this new teacher. They wanted to make the class size smaller, which I appreciate, but poor Emma had been practicing her new teacher's name for a couple weeks and now she was going to have to learn a new name. But - no worries - it's an easy name. And we got to meet her on Friday night. Apparently Emma hit the jackpot because even the principal was so excited to have found this teacher. She has studied literacy in New Zealand and is evidently exceptional. She definitely left us with a very positive impression. When we brought Emma over to meet her she bent down to Emma's level, gave her the biggest hug, and told her how excited she was to have her in class. Emma of course ate this up and left feeling excited for school to start (well, even more excited than she was - if that's possible!) So we now have very high hopes (beyond what we already had) for this school year for Emma.
And finally - Brian is talking up a storm. He says lots of words and a few sentences too. He will also finally say Mom - FINALLY! What mother has to wait almost two full years before she hears her baby say this most important word?! It's just not right! Hee hee hee. But the good news is he no longer is behind on his communication and we don't have to worry about speech therapy for now. Yay!

I realize I don't give credit enough to the One who has blessed us abundantly. Let me just say now that we know and are truly in awe of how much the Lord has blessed us and we just wanted to publicly point to God and praise Him! He is a loving and giving Father!

OK, on to the pictures! These were taken just the last couple days. Some of Emma and Jack's sibling affection (it amazes me still how well these two get along) and some of Brian after he enjoyed a yummy pile of chocolate teddy grahams. What a mess! And the last picture of Brian is my new favorite shot. He's so awesome!

and I guess I'd get in trouble for not including just one picture of the puppy.

So that's all for now. I'm guessing the next couple of weeks will be hectic trying to get into a routine but I will do my best to post some updates. Definitely when Emma starts her ballet school in a couple weeks.

Much love everyone

Pics of Greta

2007-08-08T00:08:00.000-04:00

These are for Alison and the Pierce boys. They requested new pictures of Miss Greta. So here they are. She's getting so big!!!!

Also, just wanted to wish Mr. Nathan Pierce a very happy 1st birthday!!!!! We love you!

Updates galore!

2007-07-27T19:47:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post lately. But I tell ya, having a puppy is far more work than a newborn I swear! Not bad work, just always busy. We watch her like a hawk to avoid accidents so it's like we're constantly running around the house all day. And they told us she'd sleep a lot! Ha! But all that aside, Greta is just the sweetest thing! She loves to play, hates to be in her crate, is a total scrounge (even though we've never given her a single scrap). She loves her food - she practically begs to be fed all day long. And when it is meal time - watch out. She will take a finger off without even knowing it if it happens to be in her way! She is slowly learning what is okay and what is not. She has the potential to be the best family dog ever. On the downside, she has something wrong with her front legs - especially the left one. We think it's something called knuckling over. We'll take her to the vet tomorrow and see what's up. Please pray it's nothing too serious. We're all very attached to her already and that would be a devastating blow to say the least.

Ok, onto Jada Hoyt. I'm very late in posting this, but the biopsy results came back and Jada is perfect. They said it was nothing more than trauma from delivery most likely and is completely benign. There is nothing more for them to worry about and they can now just enjoy her.

And the Turner children are all doing so well. Jack and Emma will be leaving next weekend to spend a week with Dave's folks, and Brian is going to my folks. Dave and I will have an entire week to ourselves - at our own house!!! If it wasn't for Greta, we'd have no responsibilities to think about! While we know we will miss the kids terribly, we can't help but be excited for our time just the two of us. I think all 5 of us will have fun.

The pictures above are of Greta (at 10 weeks old) and of my garden. Did you see that huge caterpillar I found on my tomato plant? He was so much lighter this morning when I first saw him. I forgot to go take a picture until 7:30 tonight, I'm lucky he was still there! The garden is way out of control. It looks horrible right now because we had a few wind storms that pushed all my supports over and I have no idea how to get in there and straighten them back up. And the cucumbers look pretty lousy too. I don't know why, if it's lack of water or too much water. I was gone for a week and have no idea how much water they got. We've probably gotten a good 20+ cucumbers from it already. And I just started getting tomatoes! They are soooo yummy! I love having both in my garden, but next year I think I'll only do one cucumber plant and maybe 3 tomato plants instead of the 10 I have now!

Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well!

Update on Jada

2007-07-12T13:45:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all of you praying for Jada. Michelle and Steve took her up to Milwaukee yesterday to see the specialist. She didn't know what it was either, but said they would biopsy one and send it in for tests. Steve said Jada did really well with the biopsy and didn't even cry (other than the numbing shot). They will hopefully hear something in the next week to ten days. Keep on praying!

New pics of the baby

2007-07-10T21:16:00.000-04:00

I love saying that! We are all soooo excited about the puppy and can't wait to bring her home. We've named her Greta and get to pick her up on Saturday. So here are the latest photos from the breeder. Isn't she so cute?

We'll make sure to post a new picture of her every week so you all can see how big she gets. I hear they literally change almost daily, so it will be fun to document how quickly she grows.

On a side note, I just got home from 5 days in Chicago visiting Michelle and Steve Hoyt. They had a new baby - Jada Marie - on June 13th. I got to go play with her and spend time with her mom and dad. They are doing so well as first time parents. I was very impressed! Jada is a good baby and so cute. I'm a dork and forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures to post of her, but I'll try to pester Michelle for some soon. Pray for them. They are taking Jada to a pediatric dermatology specialist tomorrow (wed.) because they found some strange lumps on her arms and her back and her pediatrician had no idea what they were. I'm not sure the derm. will know either, but just getting her seen will offer some comfort. Pray that the doctor knows what is going on and that it's a treatable problem. Also pray that Jada is comfortable and in no pain. Thank you!