Dancin' Queen

Kaylee started dance class today.  She is doing a combination tap and ballet class.  I have a feeling this is totally going to be her thing.  She loves to dance.  Nathan's hopes of her being the next Mia Hamm dwindled when she started dancing on the soccer field last year.  However, during dance class, she glowed.  I hope she continues to enjoy it.  Now, if we can just work on her listening skills!!

Fun with Friends

I had a great time last night with my friends from college.  We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then went bowling.  It had been like 10 years since I went bowling (other than playing on the Wii).  It was not a pretty sight.  The gutter is my friend.  Please check out my friend Jennifer's blog for some great pictures of last night and college.  I love these girls and had so much fun!!

Allergy Update

Nolan tested negative for Celiac disease.  Yea!!  However, the doctor referred us to an allergist today at Dallas Medical City.  We were lucky enough to get in today.  Quick synopsis:  We spent about 3 hours at Dr. W's office.  It was very educational.  They first did a complete history and interview. Then, the doctor examined him and looked over his latex reaction.  After examining him, he said, "I am going to have one of my team members take the kids into another room to play because we have a lot to talk about."  My heart sank.  I began the worrying process.  He started by educating us on all allergies.  Then, he discussed what his concerns were for Nolan.  We were told what to avoid and that we would become very acquainted with Whole Foods.  He had one of his educators come in and teach us several things such as: asthma signs to look for, allergy signs to look for, how to use the EpiPen we were given along with a DVD to take home, and 5 yellow credit cards that list all the ingredients he cannot have.  There is a card for milk, wheat, soy, peanut, and egg.  Each card has about 20-30 items to avoid on it.  We were also given instructions on how to bathe him and treat his eczema.  We were given three prescriptions and told to avoid all of these foods for a month.  Then, we will go back and meet with him.  We may be able to begin re-introducing some of the foods (wheat, egg).  However, milk will not be re-introduced until he is at least 4 and that will be a Food Challenge in the office.  He will be closely monitored by medical professionals as spends several hours taking sips of milk every few hours.  Anyway, there is a TON more information, but my brain is overloaded right now.  I promised an update, so I just wanted to give everyone  a quick rundown.  I tried to go to Sprouts tonight and had a bit of a mini-meltdown as I picked up every label to read.  Almost everything I picked up had something on one of the yellow cards.  We may live on fruits and veggies around here for awhile.  Thank goodness Nolan loves fruit and he is getting most of his nutrients from Alimentum right now.  Thank you for all of your support during this new era in our lives!!

Allergies are no fun!

Please say a little prayer for Nolan.  We are waiting on some test results for him.  We went to the doctor last week and she sent us to get bloodwork done to determine what all he is allergic to.  Well, to start off with, we know he is allergic to latex now.  He had a reaction to the latex gloves they used when drawing the blood.  He has all of these sores all over his arms.  You can see where the nurse's fingertips were touching him.  They look like little burns on his arm.  Then, he had scraped his knee last week and I put a band-aid on him.  What started out as a sore the size of a pencil eraser turned into a sore bigger than a quarter and you could see where the band-aid was stuck to him.  The band-aid had latex in it.  So, now we have to find latex-free band-aids.  We got some results on Friday.  Nolan is mildly allergic to egg whites, he is never to let a peanut touch him, and allergic to wheat, corn, and soy.  Those last three things are in every label you pick up!!  I am having a hard time finding snacks for this boy!  We should get the rest of the results today or tomorrow and then discuss more of this with the doctor.  They are testing him for Celiac Disease.  I can live with food allergies, but if it is Celiac disease, which is basically a gluten allergy, that is something he can never outgrow. And, the whole family will have to change our diet to avoid cross-contamination.  At least he is a very happy little boy!  So, please say a little prayer for us.  I will keep everyone updated when we find out.  

 

I like . . .

Dr. Pepper not Pepsi

Fox News not CNN

the Angels not the Yankees

Mac not PC

Dogs not cats

Letterman not Leno (Nathan likes Leno.  This means there is a lot of channeling flipping around 10:35!)

Sean Hannity more than Rush Limbaugh

Hot dogs not hamburgers (unless it is In N Out burgers)

CSI not Law and Order

Baseball not basketball

Nike not Addidas

Lounging by the pool not swimming

Grey's Anatomy not ER

Facebook more than myspace

Taco Bueno not Taco Bell

Hannah Montana not Sponge Bob

Chicken not fish

Wii Fit not PS2

Running on the treadmill not outside

Saturdays not Mondays

Target not Wal-Mart

RV camping not tent camping

I like Mom's chocolate pie, the beach, family dinners, Nathan's work ethic, Nolan's laugh, Kaylee's smile, finishing homework, watching a child finally "get it," Days of Our Lives, American Girl, finding a good deal, wine, Costco, Gymboree, Ann Taylor Loft, Sprouts, teaching, coffee, warm brownies, bare minerals makeup, traveling, time with girl friends, and cooking.

Fun at the Beach

We have been enjoying time in the central California beach town of Cayucos. Nathan's aunt lives there and it has been a family tradition for their family to attend the 4th of July parade and festivities. Nathan's parents rent a beach house and we gladly join them for many fun family activitites. Here are just a few pictures from the week. I will try to post more later!!




Daddy's little surfer girl

Nathan and I at the parade

Kaylee posing in her wetsuit

Can you tell she really loved the wetsuit?

Nolan is thinking, "Sister, get off the Boogie board."

Future Lil' Surfer Man

Kaylee, Me, and Nathan geocaching on the beach

Nolan running to the water to see what Daddy is doing

Daddy and Kaylee going out to Boogie board

Kaylee and Tia Marlene checking out the seals from the pier

Wedding #2

Kaylee was the flower girl for her Uncle Dustin's wedding.  Here are some pictures from the beautiful wedding.  It was an outside wedding and was just gorgeous.  Then, there was dinner and dancing in the ballroom.  Enjoy!

 

Kaylee

The back of Kaylee's dress

The "boys"

Kaylee and Ely

Kaylee and Nolan walking after the wedding

Dustin and his niece and nephews

Nolan dancing with Kelly during the dollar dance

Kaylee and Nana dancing

"Mom, my feet hurt!  I'm taking off my shoes!"

Nathan dancing with his Mom.  This is a rare occurrence to see Nathan dancing, so I had to get a picture!

The grandkids

For my mother-in-law's birthday, Mandy and I took all of the kids to get the pictures made together.  We thought it was going to be a fiasco to get all four kids to smile and participate, but they did amazingly well.  Here are the four grandkids . . .

Wedding #1

Kaylee was the flower girl for Nathan's cousin's wedding. I don't have time to write much now, but here are a few pictures. I will write more later!


Kaylee's hair for the wedding

Can you tell how proud she is of her dress?

Daddy and a tired Kaylee. She danced until about 10:00p.m.

Isn't she beautiful?

Kaylee and her cousin, Ely. She is the flowergirl for her Uncle Dustin this weekend and Ely is the ringbearer. Kaylee keeps telling everyone that she is the flowergirl and Ely is going to be the "dingleberry." I have no idea where she picked that up!

Smurf Girl and Daredevil Boy

Kaylee and Nathan had a Daddy and Daughter day on her last day of preschool.  As they were driving home, he thought she seemed really quiet.  He looked back to see her coloring herself with a blue marker.  It was everywhere!  He was less than thrilled to take her home and try to get all of the marker off!

Nolan is my climber.  I know he is trying to scare me to death.  Today, I was able to catch some shots of him climbing to his favorite climbing place in the playroom.  Seriously.  I know my hair is getting more grey everyday!

These are a little out of order and some of them are not too clear because I was trying to hurry and take the pics to catch Nolan in action.

Here he is after climbing over the couch.

Kaylee needed to get in on the picture action.

Smurf girl

Here is the first picture I caught of him climbing up the couch.  He is on the arm of it here.

And, on the back of the couch.  "Oh man, she sees me.  She is going to make me get down!"

"I'll just hurry and take a little peak to see if I can see Daddy mowing out there."

"Hmm . . . maybe I should just balance and walk all the way across the back of the couch."

On a different note, I am so ready for school to be out!! 

We do not get out until June 5 this year and the students are 

beginning to lose their minds.  

And so are the teachers!! ;-)

My Little Man

Nolan is now 13 months old and he is a handful!  He is a little climber who is sure to give me a heart attack.  I find him standing on top of chairs and the back of the couch leaning against the window!  And he is so proud of himself.  He jabbers all the time, I just don't know much of what he is saying.  Right now, he says, "Taint ew,"  for "Thank you."  "Daddy, Momma, Kay-ee, Ball, and I uv ew," are his favorite things to say.  He is a charmer!!

   

Home Away from Home

In January, we bought a new travel trailer.  We are very excited to start using it.  We have only been on one trip so far.  We met my parents and Papaw in Fredericksburg one weekend.  That was so much fun.  The kids loved it.  We plan on using it quite a bit this summer with a trip to Idaho and California planned.  The best part is that we can save money by stopping at roadside parks and getting in the trailer to make a sandwich or go to the restroom.  The worst part, however, will be the gas prices!  It cost a whole lot just to go to Fredericksburg.  It will not be in our possession for about the next 3 to 4 weeks because it will be getting fixed due to the lovely hail storm that came through here.  So, after only one trip, it has to go visit the doctor!  

The full 26 foot trailer

The kitchen area

Couch, dining table.  You can see our "bedroom" behind the couch.

Refrigerator, door to bathroom

The kid's bunkbeds.  Kaylee is really excited about these.  

Nana

My Nana passed away last Friday, March 14, 2008. She was truly an amazing woman. I shared a lot of special memories with her. She and I were even in the same social club at ACU. I just pledged 48 years after she did! Below are some pictures of her and the speech I delivered at her funeral.

Nana and Papaw's wedding picture

Nana and Papaw this past June after Papaw's chemo

Nana and Nolan

My words cannot do justice to what a truly amazing woman my Nana, Lorah Dean Richey was. We are all grieving the loss of a remarkable Christian lady. She was a grandmother, mother, wife, sister, and friend to all of us. I am sure each of you here today could share a special way she touched your life. When I was considering what to say today, one theme stayed constant. She was the most selfless, generous woman I have ever known. She always put everyone else first. Today, I’d like to share some examples.
First of all, Nana was a great cook. I don’t mean just a good cook. It was fantastic. I remember many holidays awaiting the beautifully presented dinner. Her carrots were the best. No offense, Mom, but you still haven’t perfected them. Even though she says she has given us the recipe, no one else can get quite the same taste. It must have been her special love for her family that she poured into that recipe. Throughout all of the holiday meals, there was always one assurance. Nana would always be the last one still eating! We were always waiting for Nana to finish eating. But, I know why she was always last. She loved to listen to everyone’s stories. And she was the best listener. She would put her fork down and for that moment, all of her attention was on you, while she slowly sipped her coffee, of course. Nana loved her coffee. I am not sure I ever saw her eat a meal without drinking coffee. When everyone started to leave the table, she would finish her meal and then start the hard work of cleaning.
As Nana would finish cleaning the dishes after a meal, we would all start setting up a game at the dining room table, usually Boggle. To this day, I am not sure I have EVER beat Nana or Papaw at Boggle. With their 2 large, well-worn dictionaries setting on the table, they were ready to protest any word they had never heard of. Papaw would try to sneak a few “new” words in there and I can hear Nana saying, “Oh, Doyle. That is not a word. Look it up!” She loved games. She was so patient with her grandchildren when teaching us new games. She and Papaw would do the Daily Jumble in the newspaper everyday. There was always friendly, loving competition going on with them. And, oh, how she adored Papaw! What a fabulous example of true love. I use to love to watch them on the couch. Papaw laying one direction and Nana’s head on the other end of the couch as they rubbed each other’s feet. (And if you ever saw Nana’s feet, Papaw must have really loved her!) Or watching her rub Papaw’s head. Mom even saw her do this just last week. And Nana gave the best backrubs. It is truly a miracle that her hand did not fall off with how many backrubs she gave Kelly and I. And they were long! She would lay between us and rub my back and tickle Kelly’s back (we were picky grandchildren, but she never complained.) Just when she thought we were asleep, she would try to sneak out of the bed and we’d say in whiny little voices, “Nana, I’m not asleep yet!” And she’d come back and rub our backs for probably another 30 minutes. What an incredible grandmother!
Another example of her unselfish spirit was that she would take her grandkids to swim at the country club all afternoon. She would sit in the hot sun for hours as we would request, “just 30 more minutes!” You see, Nana didn’t swim. Not because she was afraid of messing up her hair -- she couldn’t swim.
But, she could paint. She was an amazing artist. Although her paintings were never finished in her eyes. And she could always see something else that needed to be done. Kelly and Sara, you did get this talent from her. But there are a lot of other, not so wonderful traits we would tease her for giving us. Every ailment we have in the family seems to come from Nana. David’s diabetes, my broken tailbone, Mom’s low blood pressure, ALL our bad feet. She was good natured with all our ribbing. Sometimes she would even join in, saying, “Well, they didn’t get that one from me!”
And I wish I had Nana’s singing talent. I loved to sit next to her at church and listen to her sing as she praised the Lord. She used her voice to glorify Him. She was an example to all of us. She showed us what a Christian wife and mother looked like. She led by example, and she was a wonderful teacher.
She taught in Comanche for 21 years. And she taught her children and grandchildren daily. She would read to us every night when we stayed with them. She even encouraged a reluctant Brandon to read. There were always people coming up to her in the store saying, “Hi, Mrs. Richey.” When we asked her who they were, she’d say, “Oh, I taught them many years ago.” And she probably attended their sporting events. Nana loved to watch sports. Any sport. Figure skating. Baseball. Golf. She spent a lot of time in the stands cheering on James and David. I believe the Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks may have just lost their biggest fan. Nana would stay up to watch the last innings of the Rangers games.
She didn’t just watch sports, she attempted to play golf. She wanted to spend time with Papaw and have a little friendly competition, so she took up golf. She just couldn’t keep up with Papaw. You see, Papaw’s a little impatient. She got used to just hurrying up to keep up with him. Once, when she was trying to teach Kelly and I how to play, she was so used to just jumping in the cart and taking off, that she took off while I was attempting to put my golf club back in the bag. With my club half way in, I chased after the cart while Kelly just turned around and laughed at me. She finally told Nana to stop. Even with her being 70 years old, I could not keep up with her on the golf course.
Whether she was sending someone a birthday card, cooking for a family at church, rubbing someone’s back, or just giving you that reassuring smile, you knew she was doing it with love in her heart.
We will most miss her generous spirit. Her smile. Her calm voice. Her soft hands. And her huge heart. We love you, Nana.