Her Grand Finale

Last year Kaydree didn't get a Birthday Party with her friends because we had a lot of planning and activities for her baptism. She had a celebration last year with her cousins and both sets of Grandparents, so this year I wanted to let her celebrate with her friends also. I have to admit that I am not very good at enjoying Birthday celebrations that I am in charge of...but seeing how happy she was, made it all worth it!

My parents came up to help with the party and watch Kyce. Kaydree asked Grandma to make her Red Velvet cupcakes. Kaydree wanted to do a craft so my friend JoDell came through with her vinyl letters with less than 24 hours notice. check out her blog: http://parkerjaneboutique.blogspot.com/

As my parents were packing to come up here, I quick called them and my dad cut these boards out of some scrap wood that he had. I think that the girls did a great job decorating them. They turned out really cute!

Then we went over to Lifetime Fitness for Gym and Swim Time.
Kaydree was so nice to allow Karsyn to join in on the fun. Karsyn loved being taken care of by all of Kaydree's friends. She definitely plays the little sister role very well.
Even Kaydree was very good at including Karsyn. We are still a little taken back when we realize that our little baby girl is now 9 years old. She likes to remind us that her time living in our house is 1/2 up. It makes us feel the importance of making the most out of our time with our beautiful little girl before she grows up, too fast!

This is the last of Kaydree's Birthday posts for this year.

Grandpa and Grandma's Birthday Gift

For Christmas Grandpa and Grandma Koch gave Kaydree, Felicity, an American Girl doll. I really didn't think Kaydree would be into them, however it was really the only thing she asked for. Five of her friends have them and her Kansas Koch cousins, so she is really into them now! I thought she was getting too old however just the other day on Family Feud the number one answer for, "What age do girls stop playing with dolls?" was 12. So I guess I was wrong.

For her Birthday, Grandpa and Grandma brought her to the American Girl Doll store in the Mall of America to pick out some things for Felicity.

She chose to have Felicity's ears pierced and her hair done. She also got a hair kit for her.

Benjy and My Dad were floored by the huge store, the prices and the services. They are thinking they should have developed the business! Grandpa was very impressed with the quality of the merchandise. Grandma just loved that Kaydree smiled the entire time!
Karsyn was pretty sad that she doesn't have an American Girl doll yet. Even though it was Kaydree's Birthday trip, we got her some little stick on earings for her Generation Doll and then as you can see, she was pretty happy. It ended up being a night of fun for all of us and the girls are already planning their next trip!

Does His Hair Resemble?

Have you ever read the book, Hair, Hair by Dr. Seuss? Hair, Hair it's Everywhere! So many people compliment/comment on Kyce's hair. I have to admit it, I have cut it 3 times and sometimes I just don't know what to do with it. With the girls I could do bows and a little pony tail on the top, but with Kyce I wonder if I can start putting hair gel in it yet or cut it high and tight? So Benjy and I had fun playing around with it!

Does his hair resemble this?
Or does it...

resemble this?

but then again,

it does look close to this, again...

It does get fuzzy like this sometimes....

and then Daddy decided to try his own hairdo on Kyce. Pushed forward and popped up in the front!
We love our little Monkey... but we decided he resemebles his Daddy the most! At what age can I send Kyce with Benjy to get a hair cut?

OH DEER!

When the doctor asked my dad what he did for work, my dad said, "I am retired. I feed the deer and pheasants." We all kind of laughed, but it is true. My dad has been retired for almost 1o years and he is right, feeding the deer, pheasants, turkeys, chickens, cat, birds and whatever other animal that comes around has become his hobby. When we got to my parents from the hospital we were greeted by a total of 16 deer. There is always something so neat about the wildlife we see at their house.

We could sit for hours watching it out the windows. We told them they should start naming the deer because they know exactly the time that they always show up!

That Sickening Feeling...

Last week I blogged about getting back to a Normal Routine and that life was starting to feel somewhat normal again, Little did I know..Everything was about to change in an instant, again. All week I was cleaning and getting ready for an exciting weekend. Benjy's Parents were flying in from Washington, my family was coming up from Iowa, Kansas and Southern Minnesota for Kyce's Baby Blessing. On Thursday night we were enjoying the evening as the girls were excited helping make preparations for the weekend. I was fighting off a cold, my friend Tanshea had stopped by to bring over some adorable clothes for Kyce, Benjy was out with the missionaries and life just seemed to be in a normal routine. As we were finally getting ready for bed at 11:17 P.M. the phone rang and I said to Benjy, "Who is calling at this time of night? Something is going on." I could hear him answer the phone and with two words, "Oh, No!" I immediately had that sickening feeling that something was very wrong. Due to my Grandma's deteriorating health, I not only assumed something must have happened to her, we all are kind of expecting it so we are trying to somewhat prepare ourselves for it.
Benjy got off the phone and looked sick, himself. He said, "That was your mom, they are taking your dad by ambulance from Marshall to Sioux Falls because he is having chest pains. They think something is wrong with his carotid artery."
How far can a rubber band stretch before it breaks? I hit my breaking point at that moment I felt like I had been stretched too far to hold it all together and I admit, I went into hysterics. So many thoughts started racing through my head. What was the last conversation I had with my dad? Will I see him again. I said to Benjy, "He is going to be okay, right? Because Heavenly Father wouldn't take my Mom's brother and husband within months of each other, right? right? He doesn't give us more than we can handle and my mom couldn't handle losing my dad, too." Of course Benjy said to me..."Kristen, we don't know what the plan is.." Then I immediately dropped to my knees and didn't know if I even had the words or thoughts to start praying, so I asked Benjy to start praying. Almost immediately I felt peaceful but only for a couple of minutes and then I stated to panic, again, so I called my Aunt Karen. She kept telling me,"It will be okay, Krissy, it will be okay." Usually I feel like I have the kind of faith to stay strong and keep it together but for some reason, I couldn't keep it together. I don't know if I was tired, hormonal or just plain scared to death.
I wanted to jump in the car and drive the 6 hours to see my dad. All I could think is that if he was still okay, I wanted to see him and hug him and tell him I love him, just in case something happened. I knew he couldn't answer his phone so of course...I had to text it! Technology...today. I finally got to talk to my mom and she said they wouldn't know any more until morning, so I should try to sleep. It was the longest night ever. Right away in the morning I started packing and getting the kids ready to leave. At times like that it is very inconvenient to have a dog. We couldn't think of any, "dog people," to ask to take Charlee and in mid conversation with Benjy, the phone rang and JoDell said, "We can take Charlee." I felt horrible having to take her up on the offer but we didn't know what else to do at the last minute. Again....thank you so much JoDell and John. Benjy had a huge work day that he had to rearrange and we had to break the news to his parents that we were going to reschedule the blessing. They were, of course, so understanding and sent their thoughts and prayers our way.
My dad looks great here. I have to say walking into that hospital room and seeing my dad hooked up to the monitors and laying there looking so helpless, it just brought me to tears, however I was so thankful that I could hug him and tell him I love him. Benjy was able to give my dad a blessing before his angiogram and it was so reassuring and finally brought me the peace of mind I needed.

Here we are waiting to meet with the Vascular Surgeon. We were in better spirits and we laughed at my dad. He acted like he was imprissioned in his hospital room.

Dad had to walk around with a heart monitor on.

Here he is walking out of the hospital, today! I truly believe that all those prayers offered up in behalf of my dad and our family made a difference. I don't know exactly how they did, but during the blessing, Benjy was able to administer, it was said that we could feel the love and support from so many. I think we all felt lifted up by the love and support of so many family and friends especially at a time when we needed it the most. And maybe, just maybe in the miracle that my dad walked out of that hospital, today!
So what is the prognosis? Well... we have some mixed feelings. We know that one of his grafts from his quadruaple bypass from 10 years ago is completely blocked however his body has created it's own natural bypass. The doctor says, ("it's unusual." I wonder: Miracle?) The round circles are the wires they used to close his chest. We all thought the pictures were interesting.

We also now know that his carotid artery on the left side is competely blocked and they can not fix it. It is too late. We also know that his right side is at the high end of 50-69% blocked, called moderate blocking, because of the risk they will not fix it, until it is 70% blocked. In order to fix it they would have to run more dye through his body which they say they can't do right now because of his diabetes and the possibility of renal failure. So at this point they are going to wait until there is a benefit of fixing the artery that will out weighs the risk of the surgery. Right now, his risk of a stroke is even with the risks associated with surgery. So in three months they will reevaluate the status of the blockage and decide if the risk of stroke is greater. Confusing? We all think so, too! Does it make us a little nervous, yes, but we are remaining optimistic that everything will be okay, until they fix his right carotid artery.

To sum it up: We are all so grateful that we can be with Mom and Dad in their home tonight. We are all looking forward to celebrating his 60th Birthday with him on February 10!
Words can not express our gratitude to all of you that have pleaded with our Father in Heaven in our behalf and kept us in your thoughts.

No Better Way to Start Your Day...

especially on your 9th Birthday. Kaydree is our early riser and she always likes to be up by 6AM on her Birthday because she was born at 6:14AM. The problem this morning was that she read her clock upside down and thought it was almost 6 but it really was only 4:58AM. She came upstairs all perky and excited while I was feeding Kyce and I said, "Happy Birthday, but get back and bed, you need to sleep longer!"
About 15 minutes later, Benjy's alarm went off because he is teaching Early Morning Seminary this week to High School students from 6-7 AM. He said to me, "You know she isn't going to fall back asleep so I think I will take her to Seminary with me and out for breakfast."
Kaydree was so excited to hang out with cool High School Students and it happened to be one of their Birthday's too! Then her and her Dad went to breakfast just the two of them! She was pretty excited!

Then her day just got better when Karsyn, Kyce and I brought her Subway for lunch. She is the Subway Queen. It is her favorite place to eat along with Applebees.

Does she look excited or what?I kind of broke a school suggestion of not bringing in fast food. Only on her Birthday!
We have really enjoyed how much Kaydree has grown this year. She is becoming quite the young lady. She isn't our LITTLE girl anymore and it is kind of sad and yet so nice at the same time. She is such a great help around the house and she has taken on the role of being a big sister and does an amazing job at being a great role model for her younger siblings. She is a hard worker in school and at soccer, loves reading and learning at church.

We just love watching her play soccer. She is a little scrapper sometimes and smaller then most of the girls, but she is very aggressive and determined to excel.

I guess Kaydree and Benjy were laughing all the way to Seminary about Karsyn's comment from last night at Dinner.

Karsyn to the family at Dinner: "Everyone, I have a problem."

Benjy: "What is it Karsyn?"

Karsyn: "I don't really want to talk about it."

Benjy: "Did something happen at school?"

Karsyn: "No, I am just a little Jealous about something."

Benjy: "What is that, Karsyn?"

Karsyn: "Well...tomorrow is Kaydree's Birthday and she is going to be getting all of the attention."

Poor Karsyn: We all laughed so hard and yet I am not sure it was funny to her.

Last year Karsyn wrapped a box of raisins for Kaydree. This year she gave her a Neopet and an old plastic necklace of hers. Despite her jealous feelings she hugged Kaydree, wished her a Happy Birthday and told her that she loved her!

I asked Benjy which is worse:

A child who acts out for attention after a new baby comes into the family

or

A child who just verbalizes all of the lack of attention she is feeling?

Either way... at times we feel sorry for her, at times we get frustrated with her and at times we just laugh at her. However, most of the time we just try to hug her a little tighter and tell her how much we love her a little more!

Kaydree on the other hand seems to love being the oldest and now that she is 9 she is counting down the days until she can start babysitting so that she can have a cell phone!

Where does the time go?

Motherload...

Motherload as defined on the web dictionary as a slang word for: A very large amount of something valuable. The value is in finding deals...

What did one pay for this cute shirt,
4 pairs of zip up pajamas, (necessity for quick night time changes)

3 onsies and 2 pair of matching pants,

3 long sleeve onsies, 2 more pairs of pants and 3 bibs, (got this set in newborn size from Mary Lensing-loved it, so I decided to buy more for 3-6 month size)

5 piece set: onsie, blanket, pants,bib, pajamas.

Snow suit
4 full outfits. Perfect for church!

If I had paid full price I would have paid: $190.87, almost $200.00 worth of stuff. So the question is...how much did I pay?

The answer is...$49.80

Feeling Normal Again..

After being pregnant and on partial bedrest, having an earlier then expected delivery, losing a beloved Uncle to cancer, sickness, nursing which gives me an unbelievable appetite and sleepless nights, I can say I am finally starting to feel like life is getting back to a normal routine. Joining the gym has really helped! That has always been a part of my weekly routine, at least since I was 16 years old. After not being able to go to the gym for 6 months...I was sooooo ready to get back. It helps relieve the everyday stresses in life and after developing gestational diabetes, I am even more conscientious about getting enough exercise. Now that I am feeling great, again, here are some pictures that show what we have been up to lately...

My friend JoDell and I had a baby shower for our friend Lindsay. Can you believe she is due in 2 weeks. She looks so tiny and fabulous!

We played the poopy diaper game. It was fun melting the candy bars in the diapers and watching everyone gross out when they opened the diaper.

I wanted to get a picture of Kaydree and Karsyn's wild hair last night. They both looked like "ragmuffins" which is a term of endearment in our home. Meaning, you look tough but so cute at the same time. Kaydree was too embarrassed to show off her crazy hair.

I had to capture this sweet moment with the men of the house. They looked so cute all snuggled up together! Like Father....like Son..

Our Little Man's Necessities.

I use to think the only things we needed in order to bring a baby home were diapers, wipes, blankets and clothes. I was wrong! We have discovered a new way to meet the daily needs our our child they are:

a swing that swings side to side, rather than front to back. It puts Kyce to sleep almost everytime. Having his little Glow Worm buddy next to him helps, too!

Thank you Tanshea for lending it to JoDell, Thank you JoDell for lending it to me and who knows who the next lucky baby will be? I hear by 5-6 months they are ready to move on..so we will gladly pass along this little piece of heaven..

Ahhhhh, the vibrating bouncy seat! We used this very seat for both of the girls and it was the one item I did not get rid of and are we ever so thankful. Right after Kyce is in his delirious state after eating he loves to hang out in the bouncy seat for his "activity time."
And the newest addition to our MUST HAVES... is the BUMBO! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma. This little seat didn't exist when we had the girls. Kyce loves the independence of sitting up that it gives him. He doesn't last in it for very long, his little head gets too heavy, but we can see that it will be very useful in keeping a happy independent baby!
We are just enjoying each and every moment with our little man...and with all that hair he does tend to look like a cute little old man..too cute!