Halloween 2013

Halloween 2013 is officially in the books!

It didn't just rain today, the skies opened up and poured down upon us! So I thought we would for sure be washed out all night. The rain and Riley staying home from school led to a mellow day at home that was much needed. While Riley took a very long nap, the Keags and I made pumpkin play dough.


And then by about 3 o'clock the sun came out and it ended up being a really beautiful night to trick or treat. We went in Sa's neighborhood with Addie, Sa and Nana. Both girls had a blast! We took the wheelchair because Riley is still not 100%. But she was as happy as can be! And Keagan literally skipped down the street and was very happy with her full candy bag.

















Happy Halloween!

My Little Princesses

Both my little princesses got to wear their costumes to fit the part today. Snow White had her Halloween party and parade at school. And Cinderella was home sick from school so she also just had to dress her best.

The Halloween parade at John Wesley is always one of my favorites! I'm so sad this is our last year doing it. The rain moved the party into the gym but the kids didn't mind.














And then I took a sick Cinderella back to the doctor for the 173rd time this month. An ear infection explains why none of us got any sleep last night and makes me so sad for her! That's why I let her keep the costume on to take a nap. Her crib is covered in glitter but it's totally worth it for the princess.

Im really, really hoping November is a very healthy month for us all! After today we are at least facing one less health issue. I happened to top off the day by getting a small amount of skin cancer cut and cauterized out of the skin on my shoulder blade! That was supper fun. I'm not one to usually have a queasy stomach, but the smell of your own burning flesh isn't so pleasant. Now I know.

And I also know that we have one more day to get as much mileage out of our Costco Disney costumes as we can! That means the rainy clouds better move over cause we've got some princesses coming through!

Absolutely Infectious!

Yesterday was the best Sunday of the whole year! It was the Primary Program in Sacrament meeting! That means the children's organization takes over our main meeting and they sing wonderful songs and each child has a speaking part. There's nothing like hearing great gospel truths coming from some of the sweetest little faces!

Keags and Rys did great! Keagan almost knew every word to every song and did great saying her part at the microphone: "Jesus paid the price for my mistakes. If I repent I will be clean." Riley smiled, waved and swung her arms like the choir director as she stood on Gama Linda's lap on stage. When it was her turn to say her part she grabbed the mic and smiled big while she moved her mouth open and shut. Gamas read her scripture for her. Both girls were excited to be up on stage and waved at me in the audience several times! I was so proud of them and wished this Sunday could be once a month!

Afterwards so many people stopped me to say how darling both the girls are and how great it was to see Riley up there participating! Everyone mentioned her infectious smile and several said she made them cry. It really made me thankful for a loving and supportive Ward! It seems just what the Savior would want for this single mom with special kids to have lots of people to love them and help teach them the gospel!


After a yummy dinner with the Frenchs where they gave us our birthday gifts (Keags has been begging Miss Taryn for her stepping stool) things turned sour on a great Sunday. I had to go to the urgent care for stupid but nasty rash all up my left foot and leg and behind my right knee. And guess what?!.....

It turns out I have POISON IVY!!! I've never experienced this intense burn, itch and pain before. I've been absolutely miserable for 2 days! After I had been with Riley in the ER and away from Keagan I decided to take Keags to the park for some quality one on one time. I guess that's where I was exposed.

Good glory this is the last thing I need! I have way too many things to do to be this miserable and this drugged up and exhausted! I guess it's a fitting end to a crazy two weeks around here! After I get rid of this awful infection I'm just praying we coast right thru the holidays into the end of the year with no more unusual happenings. Boring and normal sounds great right about now! In fact boring and normal are quite underrated. They don't have poison ivy! Excuse me while I go dip my leg in more Calamine lotion.

Trunk or Treat

I'm so backwards in my thinking sometimes and Im not sure everyone would agree with me today. But that won't be the first or the last time for that! Last year we didn't go to our Ward (congregation) Trunk or Treat because Riley just got out of the hospital. So with this being something we really look forward to and Riley still not at 100% health and still weak and tired, I kept her home from school today. It was so she could rest and then she would be able to go tonight. So our whole family could go tonight. And after seeing the smiles on my princesses faces it was totally worth it! Plus this afternoon I got to hold, cuddle and kiss a sleeping Riley for over 2 hours as I caught up on all my shows as a huge added bonus!

As soon as we started getting dressed Riley started giggling and Keagan got super excited! They were both so thrilled to be their favorite princesses and looked darling! I've never seen a prettier Snow White or Cinderella! Riley had a small seizure after a fall on our way out the door but nothing could stop her from showing off her costume!

We had dinner outside with nearly 400 of our closest church friends, visited the 13 booths of games for kids and then loaded our bags full of treats while trunk or treating! It's been a heck of a week so all three of us needed a little fun tonight! Hopefully it also tuckered us out enough for everyone to get a full nights sleep for the first time in over 10 days. Princesses are supposed to sleep, right? Especially ones that are all sugared up!


















When we got home way past the girls bed time, Riley just cried and cried that this mean momma made her take of her costume. That led to probably the sweetest twin moment to date as Keagan wanted to "hold" Riley to calm her down! Cutest princesses ever!

Brown Eyed Girl

Keagan had her 5 year old well visit today. As my girl did the vision and hearing test for the first time I had another surge of disbelief that she is so old! She weighs 36.8 pounds and is 41.5 inches tall. That means she has come a seriously long way from her micro-preemie days! She once weighed in at 3.5 pounds and was an incredibly sick tiny baby. Now she is very healthy despite a minor case of asthma. This little girl is a pure miracle and one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive!

She sat and chatted with doctor Reed about how much she loves school, how she has lots of friends and loves her sister Riley. She did it all while rockin her own style of course!








I just adore this girl! She is hilarious! She says the funniest things with an attitude and personality all her own. She dances and flips almost as much as she asks questions. She loves chicken and French fries, pretend play of any kind (waitress, grocery store, family) and school. She has such a sweet soft side that melts me and a stubborn side that she got honest from her mother. She is smart beyond her years, can be a fantastic helper and is a wonderful friend and big sister. I could not be more proud of the darling 5 year old my Keagan is!

At her appointment I told her she's not allowed to get older. She gave me a half grin and said "mom, you're kidding!" But I sure wish I wasn't!

Too School for Cool

All morning both girls were excited that Riley was going back to school for the first time in a week and a half! But Riley fell asleep around ten so I figured she would miss her eleven o'clock start time and just stay home one more day. That was until she woke up at 11:10 and went straight to get her backpack and dragged it to me! That smarty pants was determined to go to school today! Everyone missed her and she was thrilled to be back! But it wiped her out. Hopefully she sleeps good tonight so she can go back tomorrow. I know she wants to!

Slowly But Surely

My Riley's contagiously darling laugh never sounded so good! Tonight was the first I've heard it in a good week. And I was over joyed to have my Riley back!

Reason #971 as to why being in the ER all weekend stinks: Riley caught a cold with a fever, cough and asthma flare up. So yesterday and last night were still very rough. But today was a trip back to Dr Reeds to get a steroid and things were lookin up! I felt amongst the living again today. Thank heavens! Literally!!

Probably the only good thing about Riley being sick is to hear Keagan pray for her sister. It's gotta be the sweetest thing to listen to a five year old say "heavy Fader peas bless Riiiiley sleeps good and doesn't cough or frow up. Peas bless she's better!"

The sweet prayers and the cuddles are the only things being sick has goin for it! Everything else including having to watch my baby be miserable and the lack of sleep is for the birds! But hopefully that's all on its way out! Real fast and real soon!

Home Sweet Home!

After one heck of a week I am going to bed a happy girl!

It's been since Wednesday that I had both my babies home. Tonight all three of us are home and relatively healthy. After their bath we all cuddled up and watched Snow White for the first time. They were completely entranced. Now they are both asleep and I have a huge smile on my face because all is right with the world when I have hugs and kisses from my babies! I'm so thankful to Nana, the Fosters, Gama Linda, Taryn and Kirk who got me through the crazy. Plus lots of love and prayers from such wonderful friends and family!

We still have to get Riley healthy but, hopefully we are back to our (not so) normal life and routine! Happy, happy, happy!

Their Dad's Visit

Since this blog is for Keagan and Riley to have copies when they are older, I should mention they had a great visit with their dad and Grandma Debbie this past week. Except for when Riley got miserably sick that is. But they were able to do a ton of fun things together. Build a Bear, golfing, the carousel, Old McDonald Farm, bowling, go carts, the aquarium, swimming, china town, etc. I was really looking forward to getting a good break but Riley's little body had other plans. Hopefully when he comes back in six months we can make up for it!

No Fun!

3 days in the ER
7 needle sticks
6 X-rays
6 enemas
5 doses of Zofran
4 bags of fluid
1 catheter
1 abdomen ultrasound
A gazillion vitals checks
And my poor baby is miserable! So that means I'm miserable too.




Today we should have been at a BYU football game! But instead we were at TCH in the ER all day. And that's after spending the last two days in the ER at St Luke's in the Woodlands. My poor Riley bug. Her GI tract stopped working this week. No poop since Sunday, about 20 throw ups, some serious dehydration, lots of missed medication, a fever and one exhausted and lethargic baby!

Our great pediatrician sent us on Thursday and Friday and then last night I promised the doc if she threw up again I would go down to the med center for an ultrasound today. They ran every test possible and ruled out all the big stuff. Riley just has one heck of a nasty virus! Hopefully in a couple of days she will be better. And hopefully we will all get some serious rest too!

Practically Mine

I held and loved these two (and their sister) as babies just yesterday! I consider them to practically be mine. Tonight I was privileged to watch and hear my two gorgeous nieces at their choir concert. My Whamy and Belly both have such amazing voices on the stage and in their own lives. I'm so thankful I get to be a part of the audience that cheers them on!

Love you girls! And my Beanie too!

Partaaaay!

Since both girls love their gymnastics classes at Bannons, it wasn't a difficult answer when Keagan begged for a gymnastics party and Riley agreed!

We really had such a great time! We had friends from each girls school, from church, cousins and family friends. We ended up with 28 kids and they all had a blast! Plus a lot of sweet moms, Sa, two Grandmas (Gama Linda and Grandma Debbie), the girls dad, and even Riley's darling teachers Miss McGown and Miss Kramer all joined in the fun! All the kids had full reign on the huge gym for an hour then we had our Tinkerbell cupcake cake and celebrated with the big 5 year olds in the party room! It was definitely a success!









































Instead of asking for presents we asked people to bring books to donate to the patients at Texas Children's Hospital. I'm thrilled that so far we have collected 68 books plus a bunch of coloring books and crayons!

The girls had spent the morning riding go karts with their dad and Grandma Debbie. So after a fantastic party and dinner they were tuckered out! When Keags and I went to tuck Riley in bed, Keagan climbed in Riley's crib and wanted to lay with her and kept hugging her. She told Riley "happy birthday Riley! I'm going to hug you forever now!" I'm pretty sure my heart almost burst!





I'm not quite sure I've realized my little tiny babies are actually five! It seems so old and so monumental! I'm so thrilled at all they have accomplished, learned and loved in the last year! And I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for each of them! Love you birthday girls!