Update

Hi Everyone~

Well, first off, I have to start by letting you all know that my husband said that he would start posting things if I gave him the log in information. Well, he has the info........ (Haha. Had to give him some grief) but seriously, he said that he will help with the postings, so I'm going to hold him to it.

I have an update on Ava this time. As many of you know, when she was born, she took in a lot of fluid & had to be taken to the NICU after she was born. (Hardest & longest time of my life!) As she grew, she was always very raspy & snored really loud, louder than her dad. We visited with Dr Carlson about it & she said that it was due to the fluid that she took in & that she would grow out of it. When we went to her 2 year check up, Dr Carlson gave her a clean bill of health & then asked if we had any other questions. My first question was, "When is she going to grow out of this raspyness?" "Huumm" Dr Carlson said, "she should have grown out of that by now. Let me take a look." She looked in Ava's mouth & referred us to a Specialist for her tonsils.

We met with Dr Cink at the Ear Nose & Throat clinic. He visited with us & said that he doesn't like to do surgery until the child is 3 - 4 years old, (Ava is 2) and most of the time, when he sees a child, their tonsils are between a 2 and a 3. (Tonsil sizes are determined on a scale from 1 - 4. 1 being the smallest, 4 the largest) He said that he would take a look & we would go from there. He took one look in her mouth and then in her ears & said, "well, they are a 4+, we'll do surgery and remove both the tonsils & the adenoids". There is an opening in the back of her mouth that is about the size of a fingernail, that half moon shape. He asked us if she snored, if she quit breathing in her sleep, & how she ate. We haven't witnessed her not breathing while sleeping, but the other two are definitely things she has issues with. Anyway, surgery is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at Avera. Thanks to Grandma Lynne, Ava will have the best surgical team & the best care the hospital can offer.

I'm OK with the fact that she will have surgery. I know that in the long run, it's the best thing for her. What I'm having issues with is the fact that it's my little girl & that they will be putting her under. I know that she will be in great hands, it's just the "worry wart" mom in me. My head tells me she'll be fine, my heart says, "that's your baby".

I'll keep everyone posted on how everything goes! Wish us luck & send lots of prayers please.

~until next time~

We made it!

Well, WE made it through the first week of Kindergarten & are nearing the end of the 2nd week. Mollie really seems to like school. She talks about her teacher, all the other kids, the things they do & her favorite part, recess! Ava can't figure out why she can't go to school with Mollie!

Her teacher's name if Mrs Andresen & seems to be really good with the kids. We had a curriculum meeting with her last Thursday night. WOW! They have these things called a "Smart Board". What an awesome teaching tool. It's a big white board attached to the wall & a projector on the ceiling that is run through the teachers PC. The lessons are projected onto the board. You touch the screen to make it advance from picture to picture, you can draw pictures, shapes, letters, etc on the board with your finger or use specific pens for it. It's the coolest thing, and my explanation doesn't do it justice. I told Jill, if we had access to those when we were in school, we would all be a lot smarter! Technology is AMAZING!

We walked the kids to school the first day, I had a tough time on the walk to school, but Mollie didn't see it. She was so excited to be going to school. After that, Jill & I took the little ones to the zoo. It was the perfect day for it. It was cool & mid-morning, so the animals were out & about. Very active. After the zoo, we had some lunch, very short naps, then it was back down to the school to meet the girls. It was so nice out, that we hit the pool with the kids after that. The water was a tad bit chilly, but we had a blast anyway.

I called Dr Cink's office, the Ear, Nose & Throat specialist, & set an appointment for Ava for next Wednesday to have them look at her tonsils. Poor thing is miserable. Hopefully they will have a quick & painless solution! Keep your fingers crossed for us! She is LOVING the fact that she gets to go to Char's every day to play with Eyan & Brody.

Elleh is rolling all over the place. Look out world! Here she comes.

Mollie had her first soccer game last Saturday & scored a goal again! She also started Sunday School on Sunday. We keep her busy. Mollie & I are starting a Girl Scout troop together. I'm excited. I think it will be fun for us. If you need cookies, let me know!!!

Have a wonderful weekend! Post you later!

Well hello there~

It's been a while again. This time, we've been busy preparing for Matt & Rachel's wedding.

Things got done & they were married on Saturday night, August 1st, 2009. It was a beautiful ceremony. Pastor Nate gave a wonderful sermon. Rachel was stunning as usual. Matt cleans up pretty well himself! Katlyn was a little princess, and Eyan, well he was a very quiet 2 year old. He had Jill & me nearly rolling in the pews. What a ham! The reception was a ton of fun. Even with all of the fun, I'm glad it's over. Rachel is a wonderful addition to our family! We're excited to have her!

Mollie is getting anxious. School starts in a little less than 2 weeks. She has started to mark off the days on the calendar in her room. She can't wait for school to start, but isn't very fond of the early to bed & early to rise times. I'm excited for her, but a bit sad also. Knowing that my little girl is starting this new chapter in her life pulls at my heart strings. I sometimes wish that I could freeze time & she would stay my little girl forever.

Ava is LOVING the fact that she gets to go to Char's more & more every week. She likes to play with the kids & apparently throw sand. If there was a way to collect what I wash out of her hair every night, we would have a sand box the size of our back yard I think.

Elleh is 3 months old today. I can't believe how time flies. She is sleeping through the night, as long as she's in the swing, and is a very good eater. We tried cereal for the first time last night. It wasn't a huge hit, but wasn't a disaster either. I don't think she was quite sure what to think of it. She has a "bumbo" seat that she loves to sit in. It sits her upright & helps with posture. She tried to get out of it the other night! Scared the bejeebers out of me!

I would like to ask a favor of all of you that read this blog. Please say some extra prayers for my uncle Jeff. My dad's youngest brother was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last week. He is going to be facing some pretty rough times in the weeks ahead & could use some extra prayers. It has metastasized to his liver, bowels, spine & bones. He has said that he's ready to fight this thing with all he's got! Jeff has a 12 year old son, Hunter, that he is fighting for!

Well, I have a 3 month old little girl that thinks I'm starving her. I suppose I should help her out!

Take care!

Oh My!

I have NOT been very good at keeping this up to date & for that, I apologize. WOW. 3 kids & a husband are a lot of work! Here's just a few updates.

On Monday, May 4th, 2009 @ 7:45am, we had another little girl! Elleh Rebecca weighed 7lbs, 9 ozs & was 21 inches long. She had dark hair believe it or not! We're both doing great. Poor Rob! 3 girls....Karma. It's a WONDERFUL thing! Elleh is a great baby & Mollie & Ava LOVE being big sisters & little mothers. Poor Elleh.

Mollie played soccer again this Spring (I may have mentioned that before) She seems to really like to play. Gymnastics is done for the summer, but will start again next Fall, about the same time as kindergarten. She went to VBS @ church in May, and did swimming lessons again in June. She will start Golf lessons this month! She's a busy kid. She turned 5 at the end of June & had a great time at her birthday party. Daddy took her to see Dr Carrie for her kindergarten appointment. He said that she did really well with the shots.

Ava is having a blast going to Char's on a part-time basis. She loves to play with all of the other kids, although she & Eyan seem to have some major issues. They have a LOVE/HATE relationship. She will start going to Char's full time when Mollie starts school & Char has a full time opening.

Elleh is such a good baby. She has her days & nights figured out for the most part, loves to nurse, and has begun to smile & coo at us!

We just got home today from a very impromptu trip to Tennesse to help Rob's grandparents celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. It was short notice & at first, was just going to be Rob flying out with his mom & Mike. After thinking about it & visiting with his mom, then me, we all decided that this occasion was to BIG to miss & we would attempt to drive to Tennessee with the 3 girls so that we could all be there. AMAZINGLY, it went great. The girls were so good & real troopers. The ceremony was so beautiful & very special. I can only hope & pray that Rob & I make that same goal in 44 years! His grandparents have set such a wonderful example of what true love really is. We will cherish the memories of being able to witness such an amazing accomplishment that too few get to experience any more! The visit with family was wonderful, but way to short. Lynne's sister Sharon (Shay to all of us) was there from California & her other sister Janet was there from Texas. Of course her brother Mike & his little guy Jake were there too! I got to meet some distant cousins & other relatives. We missed those that couldn't be there for whatever reasons, but know that they were there in spirit. We'll just have to get together sometime soon. While we were there, Rob & I took Mollie & Ava to BMS (Bristol Motor Speedway) & took some pictures. They thought it was pretty cool. Ava kept saying "boogity boogity boogity"! It was halarious!

Well, I suppose I should keep unpacking, putting things away & do some laundry. I will do my best to keep this up to date & post some pictures.

I hope that everyone had a WONDERFUL 4th of July. We sure did. Thank you to everyone for the sacrifices they have made so that I can live the wonderful life I live! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Out for now!

T - 2 1/2 days

Just a short note. I'm posting 1 more time before the next little Brown arrives. It's getting to be the end of my last work day before this little one joins us & the nerves have SET IN. I'm pretty certain that I haven't been this nervous with any of the kids yet & I'm not sure why this one is any different. Anyway, just wanted to tell everyone to have a great weekend & I'll post some pictures next week!
Later~

T - 6 days

Hi Everyone~ Well, I'm on the "OFFICIAL" countdown! 6 days until delivery. I was at the Dr yesterday & Dr Gaetze told me that Monday's the day! WOOHOO. I managed to keep my blood pressure down, stay off of bed rest, and just stay healthy. Dr Gaetze would have liked to see me gain more than 12 pounds, but all in all, I am so proud of myself! I was a little worried, (so was my dad) about my blood pressure for a while there. We're on the home stretch & before all of us know it, we'll be letting you know if the next little Brown is a boy or a girl. Mollie informed me yesterday, after asking for a brother all along, that she has changed her mind & now wants a sister. Lord help us!
Through all of this, I can't THANK my husband enough for being so great! I know that's cliche, but it's true. Especially this last month or so. I have been really uncomfortable, not sleeping well at all & CRABBY! I complain so much that even I'm sick of hearing it. I don't know how he puts up with me, but thank goodness he does. He still loves me too! Ha ha.
The other person I need to Thank is my dad. He's been awesome through all of this! My Dr's appointments have never been an issue. He's worked around all of them, and even put his fun plans on hold for me. He's supposed to be at Lake Erie right now trying to land the "BIG ONE", but decided to stay so that if he needed to be here, he was. I'm feeling bad that everything is going so well & that after it's all said & done, he really could have gone & had a great time, but I thank him the same for sticking around for me! (I still think I'm his favorite oldest daughter) I have a feeling that next year when this trip comes up, I'm going to owe him BIG time. Wink wink!
My parents & my in-laws have been great. Between them, they kept the kids for us most of the weekend so that Rob & I could tie up a bunch of loose ends & get things done around the house. I still need to pack the girls & us, and get our hands on a new car seat, but that's the easy stuff. My plan is to have that feat taken care of tonight so that I relax & enjoy the rest of the time with no worries. Mollie & Ava are both so excited to have a sleepover at Grandma's house! I hope Grandma & grandpa are ready for them!
Wright & Evelyn made it to Sioux Falls last week. It's so good to see them. The girls are LOVING all of the attention!
I'm off early today to go take a tour of JFK Elementary School with Jill, Mollie & Grace. I can't believe that it's almost time to begin this new journey with Mollie. It will be nice to share this with Grace & Jill. I think it will make things easier on all of us!
Well, the next time I "Blog" will be with fun & exciting news. I can't wait to share it with everyone!
Post you soon!

T - 2 weeks

Hi Everyone~ There isn't a whole lot to report this week. Not much has changed other than we're a week closer to the next little Brown joining our excited family, and the fact that I'm that much more uncomfortable. Poor Rob. I'm sure that he's sick to death of my complaining! He's a saint for putting up with me! Boy, it's hard to explain to a 4, almost 5 year old that 14 days is a long time to them. We're trying. I was at the Dr yesterday & my BP was 121/68, which is normal for most people, but for me is EXCELLENT! My next appointment is Monday April 27th, (Happy Birthday James) at 9am.
Speaking of the 4 almost 5 year old.... she had her 1st soccer game of the season on Saturday afternoon. WOW! I don't know what happened between last Fall & Saturday, but what a difference. She was volunteering to play & right out there in the middle of everything! The timid little girl who was afraid to kick the ball or be kicked last Fall is GONE! She scored the first goal. Boy was that exciting!
Mollie had to have a new bike this year also. The 12in bike that she rode all last summer is officially to small. The seat was all the way up & she was still kissing her knees. I found a GREAT deal on a brand new bike that was still in the box at a used kids store. We brought it home last night & daddy, along with his 2 little wrenches went to work putting it together. Mollie now has a 16 inch bike & Ava is DYING to ride the 12 inch. Hopefully it will be nice enough outside when we get home tonight to let them ride!
Happy Birthday yesterday to Grandpa Wright. Mollie can't wait for them to come & asked him last night on the phone if they would be here tomorrow.
Happy 3rd Anniversary to Mike & Lynne! Have fun on your date night!