Prayers are needed ...

Check out Mckmama's blog ... http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ ... to read about little Stellan who is back in the hospital with heart problems. He is struggling and needs your prayers. This family is an amazing family and could use all the support and love anyone can send. Thanks ...

Birthday Message ... 3/24/09

Happy 2nd Birthday, Riley Doodle!

We love you and are so proud to have you part of our family.

Riley's Bubble Party!

Riley had a bubble party for her 2nd birthday. We decorated our backyard with bubble blowers, balloons, and balls. We hung balloons from the trellis and made a "balloon forest", which the kids loved. Of course, the balloons did not take long to get tangled up ... but once they learned not to go crazy under the balloons, it worked out perfectly. The bubble blowers worked like a charm, filling the backyard full of bubbles for them to chase around. And last, we made a ball pit with the pool which they all loved playing in. For the food, we had round Ritz crackers, round Jello Jigglers, juice boxes and of course, birthday cake! The party was finished off with presents and party favors (mini bubble tumblers and pinwheels). We had a great time celebrating Riley's birthday with her.

Happy Birthday Big Girl!

Let's get this party started!

All the kids in the "balloon forest".

Riley doing her best to blow bubbles ... she could not figure out how to blow without putting her mouth on it!

Look at all the BUBBLES!

Our version of a ball pit.

How many can we fit in here?

Reagan and her friends were playing "fashion show" under the balloons.

They found a lady bug, and they all were so interested. I could not resist getting a photo of them all circled around the ladybug!

Beautiful Reagan!

The cake ... chocolate cake with white butter cream icing! YUMMY!

Make a wish! She did great blowing out the candles, like an old pro!

It did not take her long to sneak a lick of the cake!

Look at that piece of cake ... luckily she ate only about a fourth of what I gave her.

Reagan enjoying just the icing part of her cake.

Present Time!

Oh, what is in here?

Thank you for all the great gifts everyone!

Spring Break 2009

Spring Break has come and gone.

What a beautiful week we had! The weather was perfect. We spent a lot of time outside ... blowing bubbles, playing with rocket balloons, riding bikes, and enjoying the warm sun at the park. It sure was nice having everyone healthy so we could have some fun around here! We are glad that this week has come to an end, as DADDY is finally home on Saturday! We are looking forward to seeing him and having some of these fun times with him.

Morning time bubbles in our pjs.

Riley posing for Reagan to take her picture next to their sidewalk art.

Shooting off rocket balloons with our friends at the park.

Relaxing in the grass, under a shady tree!

Aren't they beautiful?

Reagan and her friend, Brielle, getting all dirty in the sand.

Riley, my little monkey. I DO NOT like her climbing on this, but I had to get her picture before I made her get down.

So, here she sits, at the bottom of the climber! Notice the dirty, black feet ... proves they had a great time!

The Never-ending Cough & Wheeze

Poor little Doodle Bug.
She just can't seem to get better.

We went to the pediatrician (again) for a follow-up due to her being put on a steroid for her cough & wheeze last week. Of course, it has gotten worse, not better. The doctor said she should have been a new kid since being on the steroid, so they decided to forgo the Albuterol syrup (which we have been taking on and off for about a year now) and start breathing treatments. She now has to take Albuterol through a nebulizer every four hours and Pulmicort twice a day. I was very nervous about her doing a breathing treatment, as she is almost two years old. Having to hold a mask to her face for 15-20 minutes has to be a nightmare ....

To my surprise, Riley is a trooper. She has done five treatments so far and sits in the chair, watches Baby Einstein and does her treatment with very little arguing. She even will hold the mask most of the time! What a girl!


I was so excited that last night was the first night she has slept through the entire night in over a month! When 7:00 rolled around this morning, Reagan came in my room and started asking questions. I opened my eyes and literally jumped up ... I could NOT believe that the sun was already up. Being woken up by 5:00am everyday for a month stinks. What a good night sleep we all got last night.

Down and Out, again.

Sorry for the lack of posts, as the girls have been under the weather this past week. Riley started the "flu bug" last Monday and is still feeling crummy. Reagan got her symptoms Wednesday night (at 1:00am ... thanks Rea) and continued to show her insides last night (Saturday). Mommy is exhausted and we now have the CLEANEST bathroom in the world, as it has been disinfected three times in the past few days, ceiling to floor!

When we get sick around here, mommy calls for lazy days. We blow up the air mattress, get our "sick" pillows (old ones, not our good ones) and blankets, and lay around watching TV all day long. I always know when they are feeling better as the air mattress turns into a trampoline.

We are hopefully on our way to being healthy, as we have a big ole' trip coming up in 17 days!

Little Miss Mischievious

While doing dishes, mommy noticed Riley was being awful quiet. Here is how I found her ...

The funny part is that she put on her own shoes, crawled through the doggy door, opened the sandbox, and climbed right in. If it wasn't for her distinguished laugh that I heard through the open window, I would of had a hard time finding her!

(excuse her scraggly hair ... we usually have it pulled up)

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Every year, mommy's family has a big Mardi Gras celebration in Sulpher, Louisiana. We NEVER get to go, but know that it is a lot of fun for everyone who attends. Maybe one year we will be able to go. Until then ...

Reagan made a Mardi Gras mask at the Phoenix Children's Museum. She was determined to cover the entire mask with jewels. I think she did a darn good job!