Lane, Rachel, Kamden & Berkley Smith

1 Year for my Princess

2011-12-27T12:56:00.001-06:00

Well, I can hardly really call her a princess. She is my rough and tough little bulldozer. We don't stay in one place for more than 30 seconds, unless there is food involved!!!

Here are the 1 year stats for the little monster:

Height 28.5 inches (41%)
Weight 22.5 pounds (60%)
Head - i can't remember the cm size....but it was 97%. LOL

Dr. Cureg was quite impressed by her walking skills. And the fact that if she either fell down or lost her balance that she was able to correct it so quickly. She giggled and laughed and jabbered away. And then they pricked her finger and that nurse got a stern yelling! We got 3 shots, all the nasty ones that totally suck. I love when they tell you what to look for in 7-10 days to see if she has a rash from the MMR or actually has the chicken pox. Great. So on top of the 103 degree fever for the next 4 days we get to look forward to THAT!!

And the biggest news.......we only need to get 4 more teeth. Just four folks. That would be the 2 top incisors and the 2 bottom incisors. She has all of her molars already plus 4 teeth on top and 4 teeth on the bottom.

Tonight we will celebrate as a family. I bought a small princess cake (that Kamden picked out for her) just big enough for the 4 of us!!!

A few photos....

2011-12-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos. They're not even all downloaded yet, that's how far behind we are!! BUT, it's progress :) So maybe next week we'll get the rest done!!! Merry Christmas to you all and have a very Blessed New Year.

I want to remember this moment forever.

2 peas in a pod!!!!! Trouble and Trouble jr.

Buddies!

Grandpa Kevin teaching Berkley about corn!!

Aunt Arica and Berkley

No photos, just words

2011-12-16T12:59:00.000-06:00

Sorry to dissappoint. I mean, who wouldn't want to come here and just stare at photos of my uber-gorgeous kiddos?!?!?

So the good news is that I treated myself to a new camera - so the pics have been plenty lately and they look great. The bad news is that they live on that little blue card in my camera and have yet to be downloaded to Photobucket. SO....someday.

Let's see, since I've been absent what's happened. Well, the month of November. Berkley got like 6 teeth. She was not pleasant during this. Kamden turned into a teenager. Well, not really. But he's been very into the "radio music" lately. Should I be concerned that one of his most favorite songs is "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj?? So we traveled in the wee hours of the morning to Paullina on Thanksgiving morning. After about 2 hours of bliss it turned into Mom going nuts. And suprisingly, the only thing that made the 2 in the back quiet and content was if Daddy blasted Gangster Rap from his XM Radio. I don't know if it's the rhythm that gets them?? Whatever. It worked. And I kept my sanity.

Then we all took our turn getting sick. Mom had a sinus infection. Then Mom had the flu. Dad had the flu. Kamden had the flu. Berkley had the flu on top of getting FOUR more teeth. Then Berkley got an ear infection. Thanks to modern medicine it only took 1 dose and she was this smiley, happy little Berkenheimer again. I love her so much more when she's not the crazy teething girl!!!

Let's see - what else happened. We Christmas shopped. Mostly in shifts, during lunch hours, because that's how we roll. But it's done and we're ready. Billy (our elf on a shelf) has been quite helpful in getting a certain little boy to eat good supper and clean up his toys.

So that was November. OH - I almost forgot. The first weekend of November we got to see my very favorite people, the Hunters from Alabama!!! It's always so nice to see them and catch up. We went out for supper on Saturday and even got to watch the LSU/Alabama game with them. It didn't take me long to start saying "Roll Tide"

So that's it. Since I have no pictures to share....and I'm at work...I'll leave you with the below photo.....thanks to December being a slower month for me that I can catch my breath. Oh but don't you worry. My budget for 2011 got set at a whopping $3 million. Yup - I'll be working my little tail off all year to hit that number. The board in the photo below just became our most recent digital unit. We're now up to 22 locations I believe that are digital in Des Moines. Yay us.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

Happy Halloween......

2011-10-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

......from the two cutest kids I know (ok, I might be a titch biased).

September

2011-09-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

Somehow the month of September has come and gone. We've been busy little bees. Today is my last 1/2 day Friday afternoon and I'm currently trying to get caught up around the house while I"m on a conference call on my cell phone. Story of my life!! So here's another random hodge-podge of photos.

Enjoy!

Making Taco night fun :)

Giant carrots from the garden!

Punky learned how to crawl - at lightning speed.

And pull herself up on things. Which results in plenty of crashes too.

But whenever Grandpa Freddie sings to her she falls right to sleep!

Mom, What do you mean exactly when you say 'get out of there'

Spirit week at school. This was crazy hair day. Mouse and hair spray....he thought he was cool stuff.

My attempt to get two crazy hair kids pictures. Punky just had hairspray in her hair :)

Like a monkey looking for food......

And the final attempt - where I gave up. We could probably enter this in those 'creepy family photo' contests....

Bday, Adventureland, The Farm, Summer....just Life!!!

2011-08-16T22:08:00.000-05:00

I don't know where the last month went. So below is a very LARGE photo dump of what we've been up to. Mommy & the kids spent 8 days in Germantown on the farm while Daddy went fishing in Canada. Kamden turned 3 - complete with a trip to Adventureland with his cousins. Berkley is growing like a weed. We got the start of the deck built. A broken hand (including surgery) for Chops has halted that for the time being though!!! Berkley cut her two bottom teeth. Kamden moved up to the 3 year old room at school. He learned to pump his legs on the swing which has been the highlight of his summer. Daddy's garden is producing nicely....which somehow keeps Mommy busy ??? The weather has been cool the last few days which makes it feel like FALL. Sorry summer, but I'm totally over you and your ridiculous 100 degree temps with 100% humidity. Bleck. No thank you!!!! Some friends are soon having babies - and some friends are pregnant (although no one knows yet). My only "sister" is one of them and I'm SO excited for them!!!!

Waiting for our turn on the Tea Cups

We were all wet and needing a nap. Quick train ride first before we left for the day :)

Ryan, Arica, Landon, Lainey, Rachel and Kamden. Only a few tears at the end because of that darn waterfall. Overall I was VERY proud of Kamden!!!!

Happy Birthday Buddy!!!!!! Hope you enjoy your new Bike.

Even Punky got a ride.

Trip to the park with Daddy after church on Sunday

This was one of those 120 degree day with the heat index. We lived in that little pool!!!

Green Beans!!!!

Exhausted!

Grandma Dana put Kamden right to work.

Picking Cucumbers!!

And just in case you didn't know - this is what God looks like.

Medical Update

2011-07-15T13:11:00.000-05:00

Last Friday was Lane's scan up at Mayo. It's funny how quickly those 3 months went by!! This morning at 8am was the follow up appointment in Des Moines to hear the results.

Dr. Isaak thinks the scans look great. He was very pleased with how things are going. The one area of narcrosis we saw in April has sort of collapsed on itself and doesn't seem to be an issue. Dr. Isaak said that he will continue to watch that area, but his thinking it that all is looking good.

I can't believe how many brain pictures we've looked at the past year!! This was pretty good to look at. I love when there's little to no white areas!! It still amazes me when it's first pulled up. Mostly because there's just this giant hole in the front. I mean, seriously, it's brain that's just gone. We are so unbelievably lucky.

I am happy to know that we can have another 3 months of just living life and enjoying the rest of the summer.

And Kamden will be happy that he gets to see Paxson in October :)

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

My little firecrackers.

Kamden driving the boat.

Berkley was not impressed at first. So she took a nap.

And then she woke up. I think if she could talk at this moment she would be say "Mom, what the hell did you do to me??"

Kamden enjoying the boat ride.

Daddy & Kamden on the jetski. Or as Kamden called it, the "little blue boat"

Berkley prefered to hang out in the shade.

Kamden building sandcastles.

Here's the picture of the new cabin. You'll have to look back at previous years to see the difference between the old place and the new one. It's very nice!!!!

All about Berkley!!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

Baby Girl is GROWING like a weed. She had her 6 month checkup today. Wowsa- 19 pounds 6 ounces (95th percentile) and 26 1/2 inches long (60th Percentile). My little round chubber!! I had to look back to see how big Kamden was. I couldn't believe it - he was a whole pound BIGGER!!! I just had to giggle. Apparently I just have big babies :) Berkley eats 2 meals a day and has 4 bottles each day. She rolls both ways and can sit up completely on her own now. She jabbers non stop and does whatever Kamden does. Smiles when he smiles and cries when he cries. And when he sings the ABC's at the top of his lungs, she joins right in with her screaches and screams. Also at the top of her lungs.

It's super cute - and often gets old very quickly!

Messy eater.

Sleepy girl.

Hey you dinosaur. I"m gonna get you!

Oh, I got you so good.

Oh dear. Dinosaur = 1. Berkley = 0.

but I got right back up and am ready for more.

What you lookin' at, punk?

Kamden's Park

2011-07-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

So here's a few pictures of Kamden's new "park" in the backyard. These pictures are a little out of order....

Add caption

It was a rough start......

Seseme Street Live

2011-07-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

I don't know how long ago this was....but I'm guessing about 2 months?? We somehow lost the battery charger to our camera, and it took quite awhile to get a new one ordered and delivered. So here's a picture dump. This was our venture to Seseme Street Live downtown at Wells Fargo Arena.

Kamden's favorite part was the popcorn :)

365 days

2011-06-15T09:02:00.000-05:00

In 365 days our lives are not what they were. It's hard to believe that it was only 1 year ago. Part of me feels like it was just yesterday, but part of me feels like it was a lifetime ago.

Its good to remember, but we do not dwell. I no longer think about that day. I no longer have dreams about being in that little room. Life is too busy. I'm too occupied by living in the now. Taking care of my children, enjoying my job, and living each day today.

It's easy to get caught up and lose perpective. Each time that has happened something has snapped us back to remember to enjoy every moment. Even if it's a moment of a 2 year old throwing up and a crying baby. Fevers, boo-boos, temper tantrums. Incredibly trying times when you start to wish your life away "when he's just 5 he'll be over this stage and things will be better." Something snaps us back. A bad scan, a headache, a reminder that being thankful for the now is what our life is about.

365 days.

I sat in that room. 11 weeks pregnant. Throwing up into a trash can because baby girl was really hard on my body. I was still trying to absorb the other baby. Dealing with that in my head while I tried to process everything else.

Dr. Boarini came in. My mom held me so tight and my dad knelt down beside me. I couldn't even cry. Not at first. I just sat there staring straight ahead, trying to process what I'd just heard. It took a little bit for it to sink in. I had to go outside. Get some fresh air and walk in the parking lot while I tried to process what had just happened. Looking for the positives - he survived the surgery and had no side effects. It was then that I made up my mind to try and find the positive in each situation. And we began celebrating the small victories. Things could have been worse. Oh man they could be so much worse.

We got to go see Lane. We did not tell him what we already knew. It was hard enough to process, and he needed to sleep well and heal his body.

365 days.

That I laid in bed with my mom the morning after. She read me scriptures and I said "I can't believe this happened to my family."

But it was a new day. And each day is met head on that way.

We don't talk about it anymore. We are too busy living life and moving on. God's given us a gift that many people don't realize. We see things differently than other people. There's no need to dwell on the bad - there's too much good happening.

Our daughter was born. Kamden became an official big boy and was potty trained. We enjoy spending time with our families and our friends. Going fishing, Going camping this summer. Playing outside. Looking at the lillies every morning because they are big and yellow and beautiful. Watching Berkley smile and giggle and learn how to grab onto things. Sit in her high chair like a little bird and just stare at Daddy.

365 days. We've learned alot. I hope the next 365 are just a Fabulous.

Thank you all for your support and prayers through the past year. We appreciate them all.

Lane, Rachel, Kamden & Berkley

Roly Poly

2011-06-02T09:14:00.000-05:00

Berkley finally made it all the way over last night!!! She's been able to get from her front to her back for awhile now. And the little chunky monkey has been trying SO hard to get from her back to her front - but that darn chubby arm always gets in the way!!!!

Good Job Berkley Potatoes!!!! I think Kamden was the most proud of her. Just a few days over 5 months.

Mother's Day

2011-05-25T21:38:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day was too good for words this year. On Sunday we got up and went to church at 8:00 like normal. Afterwards we packed up Daddy's truck, made a quick stop at HyVee for supplies, and headed East to do a little fishing. One of Lane's friends from when he worked at the radio station has this pond in their backyard. It's AMAZING!!!!!!

Daddy & Kamden getting settled

Perfection. Lane would cast and hand the pole to Kamden and say "reel" By the time Kamden reeled it in there was a fish on it - he was thrilled :)

Us girls took a different approach to the afternoon. This was when we were just getting set up.

You've all seen Forrest Gump, right?

Yeah, I know - I'm too cute for words.

Smart move bringing the umbrella for Miss Berkley. My little hot baby. I kept removing clothes the longer we were there!!! She laid under her umbrella while Mommy got some sun. Then we both took a little snooze, ate some food. It was a little slice of Heaven.

Nice days!!

2011-05-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

We had a couple weekends of super nice weather already this spring. Though it seems to be an endless battle with the wind in Waukee, at least it's not freezing cold anymore. Maybe it was because we were cooped up inside with a new baby, but this past winter seemed tooooooo long!!

Daddy & Kamden watching the tractor across the street. Beautiful to watch - hard on Mommy & Kamden's noses & eyes!!

Somebody had a little too much fun playing with their alphabet stickers.......

We went to the Duck Derby one weekend at Jordan Creek Mall. 32,000 ducks were dumped in the water.

Fishing practice in the backyard.

This picture CRACKS ME UP!!!! She looks like such a little spiffet in there!!! This was the last time this swingset was used before we took it apart and gave it to the Dingel family!!

And here's why we took it down - thanks to Uncle Sam and his nice little tax return, Kamden is getting a new playset in the backyard. He calls it his park. That's a whole new set of pictures and a whole separate post. It's been an experience to say the least.

Easter

2011-05-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of our first attempt at rice cereal - and Easter weekend.

One morning I woke up to find Kamden keeping Berkley company in her bed. Don't be fooled - we still don't sleep here....this was a RARE occassion!

Aunt Ashley helping Kamden dye Easter eggs.

April? Where did you go?

2011-05-06T12:51:00.000-05:00

Wow - March 31st was really my last post?? I'm not 100% sure how the month of April went by so quickly. I do have lots of photos to upload and will hopefully get to that soon!!

So April - what did we do?? I couldn't even tell you. I know that Easter was in there somewhere. We went to Rockford for the weekend and hunted lots and lots of eggs. Aunt Ashley and Aunt Kylee helped Kam dye easter eggs which was lots of fun!!!

Daddy went turkey hunting for the first time, but the weather was cold and rainy so he didn't have any luck. Grandma Dana and Grandpa Freddie came down that weekend to help mommy with the little ones.

The past week takes the cake for total yuck. Kamden has been battling a snotty nose for a few weeks, which then turned into a cough, which then turned into a 104.4 fever. Yikes!! So on Sunday we went to the Walk In Clinic and were sent on our merry way with no medicine because it was a "virus." The next day was worse so back we went to the actual Pediatrician. It was decided that Kam has inherited Mommy's awful allergies. After a Z-Pack we should be good to go. He always was put on Zyrtec for 6 weeks with the possibility of all summer. Poor little guy. Next step is to see an allergist to determine what exactly he's allergic to (I'm guessing dust, grass and pollen!). And then hopefully we can get ahead of the game with a seasonal allergy shot to give the little bugger some relief!!!

On Tuesday, Berkley had her 4 month exam and shots. She weighed 15 lbs, 13 oz. (90%) and is 25 inches long (76%). I can't remember her head circumference, but I know it's 86%. She's my big girl. My big, happy, smiley girl. Until the next day. Fever for her too. Grandma Smith came down to rescue us. She helped Berkley out during the night, and then stayed home with her on Wednesday while Kam was at school.

Wednesday - no one had to go to the doctor. Yay!!

Thursday - after an awful day at school for Miss B, and two straight hours of blood curdling screams (and my baby girl does not cry!) at home, we went BACK to the walk in clinic. Ear Infection!!! Yuck. After 2 doses of Amoxicillan she's doing much better.

So that's how May started out in our house - OH and add in there that Mommy, Berkley and Daddy all had pink eye. Daddy was even lucky enough to get ti TWICE.

We are tired, our house is full of germs and a complete disaster; however, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Today it is 72 degrees and sunny. Saturday is supposed to be the same. We can open the windows and blow all those germs out of the house.

Pictures Galore!!

2011-03-31T20:31:00.000-05:00

Here are a whole bunch of pictures...in no particular order!! It's been awhile since we've uploaded! Blogger has a new format tonight, so bear with me if things seem a little off!!

Things are going well (knock on wood). Berkley has almost 2 full weeks of daycare under her belt. Which means soon she'll likely get her first illness!! Hopefully with Spring right around the corner that won't happen!

What do you do when you find a Halloween dog costume in the garage?? Put it on and make yourself a gate of course!!

Church ran a little long one Sunday....the kids look thrilled to be home.

Stretch!

Watching TV. Likely some sort of dinosaur show.

Oh Berkley!! Watch out so those dinosaurs don't get you!! Don't worry, I'll protect you!

Puhrmann's stopped to visit on their way to watch Andy play basketball. Can you believe the "little" guy on the right is my Godson??

Daddy went ice fishing in Canada :)

Berkley's first day of "school!"

Swingin' and singin' songs.

Even Berkley got to come outside once and watch Kamden chase bubbles.

Eatin' lunch at Bass Pro.

Peek!

The favorite at Bass Pro is watching the BIG CATFISH!

But beware of the bears!!!

What a Day!!

2011-03-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

Well, maternity leave is officially over. Back to the grind. The bills don't pay themselves, right? :)

The alarm went off this morning at 5:30...and by alarm I mean Kamden. My REAL alarm was set for 5:45. Berkley was up around 4:15 to eat and I sat there wondering if this was it for me for the day. So I'm thankful for another hour + after that.

I showered, dressed, got ready, pumped, got Kamden dressed and ready, got Berkley dressed and ready. Daddy helped get us all put together. I got Kamden's breakfast, Berkley's bottles and we were ready to head out the door by 7:15. I took - and this is not an exaggeration - my purse, my pump, my thermos for milk, my water bottle, Berkley's bag, Kamden's backpack, 2 containers of cookies (cuz, you know of course it's my treat day THE DAY I come back!), and the kids. Somehow we made it to school and I got them all unloaded and settled and I made it to work by 8am.

As I sat in our weekly Monday Morning Meeting I thought to myself "I'm ready for a nap!"

So I made it through the day. Daycare called halfway through and said Berkley was doing great. I needed a Doctor's Note to allow her to sleep in a swing because of her reflux. Made me laugh. But whatever. So I called the doctor and had them fax a note over for me. Like I'm 12 and can't give my OWN child permission to sleep in a swing. Again, whatever. The girls are great and take good care of her so I'll abide by their silly rules :)

I got the kids picked up and made it home. Lane was making fish for supper. We ate, cleaned up, I put in a load of laundry, picked up Kamden's bedroom a little, came down to hang out for a bit, gave Berkley a bath (with Kamden's help, of course!), Lane gave Kamden a bath, I washed bottles, snuggled with Kamden during snack time, gave Berkley her bottle, Lane took Kam to bed, then Berkley went up. I made bottles for tomorrow, pumped, fast forwarded through the majority of Dancing with the Stars. Update the blog so that I remember this day forever - and now, off to bed I go!!!

Whew.....I need a drink, or a vacation?? Is it fair to have 3 months off work and then need a vacation after 1 day?? Probably not. I'm guessing by Thursday I'm going to be tired. And possibly a bit testy.

I decided this evening that I'm a bit like Superwoman. Or maybe Wonderwoman.

All we can do is pray...

2011-03-10T14:40:00.000-06:00

In the world of the internet, it's funny how you can be connected to something so far away, about someone you don't even know. A fellow blogger and dear family friends of ours have suffered a tragic loss. On Monday afternoon on a highway in Alabama, a young woman and her 15 month old son were killed in a head on car collision. This woman was the sister in law of Dax & Holly Pugh and the little boy was their nephew. I cannot imagine the pain that Dax's brother must feel of having his family taken from him like this. All you can do is trust in God's plan that they were needed as angels and He just could not wait any longer.

Dax & Holly had a baby girl a few weeks before Berkley was born. On Monday, with nothing on television and the kids fast asleep, I sat at the computer and thought I'd check her facebook page for new pictures. I instantly saw the posts of people praying for their family. I closed my eyes and asked God to comfort them in whatever had happened. I ask that you do the same. I know that you do not know them, and nor do I. But that doesn't matter. This man, family, and town could use a few extra prayers to help give them comfort and peace.

Sweet Baby Girl

2011-03-01T20:38:00.002-06:00

Hard to believe that 2 months have gone by already. And more so - hard to believe that 2 months ago was my last night of sleep! haha Berkley Lou is doing quite well. We have found that her reason for hating her crib and never sleeping well in it is due to a little acid reflux. WHICH explains oh so well why when you put her in the swing she sleeps like a champ. Just having her head and legs elevated in that position helps alot!! She did get a perscription today to help with the reflux - so we'll see how that goes.

Stats!!
Weight - 13 lbs 2 oz - 90th percentile
Height - 23 1/4 inches - 75th percentile
Head - 40cm - 75 percentile

Sweet baby girl, at 2 months I can't say there's really much you like to "do." You coo and smile at us, especially Kamden. You love to be in your swing or the vibrating chair. You eat about 4 ounces every 3-4 hours during the day, and take a 6 ounce bottle before bed. You have that bottle around 8pm and then go to bed about 8:30. On a "typical" night you sleep til about 4 or 4:30. Bathtime is your favorite.

You have big, beautiful eyes and no matter how fussy you are, you calm down when your Daddy holds you.

PS - sorry about those stinkin' shots today. I know that made you mad!! :)

Baptism

2011-02-22T20:38:00.005-06:00

Berkley Lou was baptized on February 20th, 2011. She wore a beautiful white gown, white tights and little while shoes with crosses on them. Her GodParents are Justin & Cayen VanLaere and Kylee Smith. After the service, everyone came to our house for a Baptism feast!! We were so thankful for everyone that came to celebrate with us - and more thankful that everyone made it safely home!! While it was 50 degrees in Des Moines, up North was seeing ice, sleet and snow!!

Schuknecht's.

Justin & Cayen and Kylee

Mommy & Daddy with Berkley

Schuknecht girl cousins!!!

Total BFFs. Considering the first time these two met almost 2 years ago was a complete and total disaster - they get along quite well. I think there was maybe only 1 tiny scuffle all weekend which is pretty darn good for a couple of 2 yr olds!!! Kamden & Paxson had a great time playing together and is already talking about when we are going to Paxson's house!! I told him SOON :)

A Whole Month???

2011-02-22T20:21:00.003-06:00

I can't believe an entire month has gone by with no new pictures uploaded!! Sheesh!! What a slacker :) haha Okay, so in my defense - the average of 10 minutes of "me time" I get each day after the kids go to bed is usually spent trying to gather my thoughts and then go to bed myself!!

We've been busy, to say the least. Kamden went to spend a few days with G&G Smith up on Rockford, and then Miss B had a baby shower up there the following weekend. The next week we had almost record setting temps for February, and one day got to 68 degrees!! Wahoo. We officially have no snow at the moment which is fantastic. I'm sure we'll get another storm or two yet this winter, but at least it's nice to see the light at the end of the Winter Tunnel!

Kamden and Berkley are both doing well. Berkley has gotten over alot of her fussiness and is getting into a decent routine. Kamden is still going through a jealousy adjustment period. He has good days and bad. And while he loves his baby sister and loves to help keep her occupied and "play" with her and help Mommy, he also gets very jealous when he needs some Mommy time to himself. I suppose that comes with being 2 1/2!!

Shorts & a T-Shirt in February?

Helping Daddy.

Riding Kylee's horsey.

Saying hello to Riley Dingel

Sherri Fischer & Barb Dingel threw Berkley a fantastic "meet & greet!!"

Lyla Paulus, Berkley Smith and Addalynne Dingel = Trouble x 3

Kamden looks like a giant.

Eating supper...standing on his stool. Whatever.

Wearing Daddy's coat and hat.

Herky!!!

Things I've learned in the past 4 weeks

2011-01-24T12:13:00.002-06:00

1. My house is just messy. I could literally follow everyone around picking up all day long and my house would still be a mess. There are always dirty dishes on the counter, and clean dishes in the sink waiting to be put away. Part of this is because we're all home alot more. I suppose when I go back to work there'll be a little less 'stuff' around.

2. My washer and dryer run at some point every day. Wow - laundry for 4 people is nuts. Again, this will change somewhat when I go back to work. Part of it is still my crazy hormones and me sweating through clothes!!

3. Babies poop - alot!!! Holy smokes. The thing I remember most about Kamden is that every time I took off his diaper he would literally shoot pee and poop on me. It was unreal. While Berkley doesn't so much do this, the girl is just a pooping machine!! I guess that means things are working properly.

4. We hate sleep here. Berkley does not sleep awesome like her brother did. Although maybe that means when she's 1 we won't have to go through that year of hell like we did with him either. I sleep in short, little bits of time. And alot of it is on the couch. She has this complex about being in a bassinet or bed and when she's there - we don't sleep.

5. Along with the whole sleep thing - she could be the LOUDEST sleeper ever. Some poor guy someday is going to need earplugs. Last night I slept with a pillow over my head. She grunts, groans, snorts, and growls. We really need to get it on video to show people how aweful it sounds.

6. Kamden is awesome. While he tests his limits daily and has your typical 2 year old melt down sessions. He's such a stud muffin. The things that come out of his mouth are so amusing. And the things he does and gets excited for are so precious. And boy oh boy does he love his baby sister. He is so proud to show her off whenever we go anywhere, and he loves to "help" by reading her books and bringing her toys.

7. You are a totally different mom with 2 kids!! While the first week or so at home was nuts, but adjustment period in general is so much quicker. I think because you're used to not having much of a life claimed to yourself anyway, so it doesn't bother you as much. It's funny to talk with new moms and remember that I felt the same way about so many things. I now know why the 2nd kid is usually tougher :)

8. Nursing makes you eat like a horse. Kamden & I made cookies on Thursday last week and they're almost gone. And I've taken down almost a whole container of Rainbow Sherbet since Friday. I eat handfuls of shaved ham out of the fridge in the middle of the night. Sometimes I throw a piece of cheese in with it!!! hahaha And yet, I lost 7 pounds last week. Yay for me. Only 10 more to go and I'm at "pre-Berkley" weight. Granted, the chicken skin, flabby grossness is still there. But that usually takes a bit longer to go back to normal!!!

9. As comfortable as I am with things right now, it worries me to think that we've just gotten the hang of things and then in 8 weeks I'll go back to work and we'll have to learn all over again. With all the things I do each day I think to myself "and how will all this get done when I'm gone from 7:30 - 5:30 each day??" Don't get me wrong - I think stay at home Mom's are saints. Mostly because I could never be that person. But at the same time, I have to still do all the things that they do and also work full time. Which means doing laundry early in the morning and late at night and getting groceries over my lunch hour. It's nuts to juggle it all really!!! But - somehow we do it :)

New Pics!

2011-01-24T11:08:00.003-06:00

What do you do when Daddy is at a meeting and you're not allowed to lift the 30 pounder?? Well, when he falls asleep in the chair like this for nap - you just leave him there!!!

Little jealous of Berkley's chair!

Our house looks like Toys R Us vomitted in the living room - and Kamden chooses to play with Daddy's Radiation mask.

All clean and in Ducky Jammies after bath time!

One day I put her in the swing and she just stayed in this position!

Snuggle Time with Daddy.

Little Miss after her first time at church. Such a sweetheart!

Great Weekend

2011-01-17T10:52:00.002-06:00

What a fantastic weekend we had!!! On Friday, Gma & Gpa Smith came to babysit so we could go to Mommy's Christmas party at work. I was pretty proud of us that we stayed out til Midnight!!! Wahoo for us :) And Berkley was such a champ. She had just gone to sleep right when we got home, and she slept until 4:30!! Boy did it feel good for mom to have 4 1/2 hours of sleep at one time.

On Saturday we hung out at home and played. The kids were both so good. Mom was able to get the house picked up a little, and even a little laundry accomplished!!! Kamden helped me make Pizza Snacks for supper and ate like such a champ.

On Sunday morning we made our first attempt at church with 2 kids!! SUCCESS :) Mom was pretty proud that I got up, got ready, pumped, got Berkley dressed (in tights and a dress, no less), got Kamden up and dressed and all 4 of us out the door by 7:50am. Kamden was good in church, even partaking in the "AMEN" part a few times!!!

After church we spent the cold day playing, wrestling and reading books. Daddy made us Mahi Mahi for supper with cheesy mashed potatoes which was delicious!!! I know alot of people are fine with eating fish while their pregnant, but I chose not to. So to eat it now is like a little slice of heaven for me :) Kamden actually ate an entire hot dog, 1/2 an apple, and some cheesy mashed potatoes. He did such a good job that he got to have some popcorn for his treat.

We did get a super cute picture of Little Miss in her church dress and tights, so we'll get that uploaded soon. Today Kamden is at school, Daddy just left for a meeting, and Berkley is sleeping in her swing. Think I'll watch a little Jersey Shore to relax :)

Have a great week everyone!!!

Happy Friday!

2011-01-14T08:59:00.003-06:00

Well it's been a crazy couple of weeks in this house!! After getting home from the hospital and getting semi-settled, Mommy came down with Mastitis. Talk about feeling like you were hit by a train!!! I was achy, had a fever and chills, and awful pain on top of the already 'not fun' pain of recovering from the surgery!!! Whew :) I got on an antibiotic on Friday, and by Sunday morning was calling the OB doc on call to see what to do. They told me to take more Ibuprofin and more Tylenol and hopefully it would be better. Then I heard about this trick of putting cabbage leaves on the infection. So off I sent Daddy to Hy-Vee for some ice cold cabbage!! Who would've thought that after only 30 minutes I would feel relief!!! By Tuesday I was getting back to normal with no fever. Wahoo!!!!!

Berkley is doing very well. She's such a great baby. I've been so very blessed that both my babies were good eaters, sleepers, and poopers!!! It scares me to think that she'll be an "I hate sleep so I'm going to be up every night" after she turns 1 like her brother was!!

Kamden never stops talking. Never. He just babbles and babbles on and on and on. Lots of times Lane & I just look at each other and laugh beccause there's nothing we can get him to do to have a couple minutes of peace unless he's asleep!!! And the things he says. My goodness. This morning he told Lane that he was dreaming about bubbles. And lately we've had a little issue with him saying "nutsack." Apparently he accidently hit Daddy once and it must have said that word and now it's a favorite!!! Ugh. I suppose it's better than the F-word, but still. I can't wait to get the note home about having time out for saying the word "nutsack!!"

We've had many visitors since we've been home. It's been nice to see everyone!!! And now it's our turn to go visit. Jared & Lisa Ringus welcomed their little boy, Colten Charles, yesterday. I'm fairly certain that him & Berkley will fall madly in love one day and get married. :) We are very excited for them!!

Last Saturday, Berkley had her baby photos taken. There are a few up on the website already if you'd like to take a sneak peek. It's www.creativeconceptsiowa.com - click on proofs - and the password is berkley. Ben Lochard from my office did a GREAT job. I highly recommend him if you're looking for inexpensive, creative photos!!! Once they all get uploaded to his site you'll have to check it out because some of the ones he did were just amazing!!!!

Berkley Lou getting ready to head home.

She loves the swing!

First bath at home.

Grandma Dana putting Kamden to work scrubbing the floor :) haha

Proud Mama moment!! I was doing a load of laundry so I laid Berkley on the floor in her room. Kamden insisted that she needed a story and got some books from him room to read to her. He thought she really needed to start learning her types of trucks :)

Reading books with Grandpa Freddie.

Reading books with Grandma Smith.

This sign was on the door at school the day after Berkley was born.

Meet our Daughter!

2011-01-01T14:27:00.003-06:00

Berkley Lou Smith arrived 12/27/10 at 7:30 am. She weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. After a 4 day hospital stay we all came home on Thursday. Wow, mom forgot how fun the recovery is from this surgery!! Especially now that there's a 2 year old at home as well. All in all I think I'm healing well. I got a shower yesterday and made it up and down the stairs quite well. I'm still pretty slow moving, but I bet by this time next week I'll be feeling much better :)

Kamden is quite smitten with his little sister. He did not like it the first time he saw me in teh hospital bed with tubes and wires going everywhere, and he did not like it when the nurses would come in to check my incision. He would stand between me and them, put his hand on my leg and say "MY Mommy!!!" Such a little protector :)

Here are just a few pictures. Time is limited these days. So more to come later!!

EARLY morning - we left for the hopsital at 4:45am.

Right before they got me up to go to the Operating Room.

Proud big brother.

Berkley Lou Smith

Mommy & Daddy saying hello while the doctors put me all back together. I had the BEST and they all did a great job.

My guess was 7.4 and Dr. Osborn guessed 7.7

Proud Daddy cutting the cord.

Vidoes

2010-12-23T15:03:00.003-06:00

I posted a couple of videos below; although I wasn't sure how to write next to either of them!! The first is from this past Monday. We took Kamden to Chuck E. Cheese for a night of pizza and games. He had such a blast. He ran around and played games and ate two whole pieces of pizza!! It was a great night to spend with our little man before he has to share our time with his baby sister :)

The other video is from Halloween. As we were walking to the next house, Kamden saw a big group of kids and started saying "Trick or Treat guys" while trying to give them something from his bucket. Such a giver....he never did really get the point of that whole trick or treat thing and really just wanted to give people stuff!!

Daddy & I went to our last Dr. appt this morning. Thankfully, my doc is on call all weekend, except Christmas during the day. So if I would go into labor he would likely still do my surgery! If not, we have to be at the hospital at 5:15 on Monday morning!!! Holy smokes!!! Not like we'll be sleeping much that night anyway, but we will have to leave our house a little after 4:45 hahahaha :)

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. We are very thankful and fortunate to not have to travel this year and are very much looking forward to hosting Christmas in Waukee. After quite a tough year, I don't think I've ever looked forward to the start of a new year more than I am now. Clean slate - fresh start - better year!!

God's Blessings to you all.

Kam and Daddy go Boat Racing 2010.MOV

2010-12-23T15:00:00.000-06:00

Trick or Treat #2 2010.MOV

2010-12-23T14:56:00.000-06:00

Pictures as promised....

2010-12-15T20:22:00.002-06:00

PROUD to be wearing the big boy training underwear - So far he's doing really well.

The 3 amigos at Schuknecht Christmas.

Big Mama

It looks like Kamden is stepping on his head....but I assure you that he didn't. New game of "climb up and down Daddy" is a big hit :)

Sometimes we go a little crazy after we celebrat a potty victory!!

Huh, I push the buttons on this book and my ornament sings! COOL :)

Pretty tree

Well, we're down to 12 days. This weekend will be the big push of getting the final things done. Of course, those of you that know me well and my anal retentive list making tendancies - you can only imagine how LONG the list is!!! Hopefully baby girl hangs on to get us through Christmas. I've been having contractions the past 2 days, but nothing consistant.

When you say your prayers today, please include my dear friend Nicole. Nicole & I worked together almost 4 years at the Roadhouse and were quite close. In November she had sent me a message on Facebook to call her. That day they had found a tumor in her brain. Her surgery is scheduled for Thursday. I can only continually pray that God gives them a different outcome than he did us. And if it's not, I pray that God can grant them with a sense of peace and understanding that we must trust that whatever He chooses as our life path is for a reason. And though it may not seem fair to us, we need to continue to trust in Him and live our lives to the fullest extent that we can. Nicole and her husband, Chris, have a 4 month old baby boy. Please pray for comfort for them all.

I can't sit still!!!!

2010-12-12T09:49:00.002-06:00

Must be getting close to baby time. I think I baked something almost every night last week. Cookies, muffins, etc. Today I'm making another pan of chocolate chip bars. And possibly some type of cookie later. And then I need to clean all my cupboards. Wait....what??

We had a "blizzard" yesterday. Meaning first we got a bunch of freezing rain but then just a little snow that blew around like crazy!!! We did venture out yesterday morning to finish up the Christmas shopping. It was nice because there weren't very many people out on the roads. Until we got to Jordan Creek mall and it was pretty busy!!

Kamden was SO good considering we drug him in & out of the car 4 different times. Then we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Mama got her fried pickles and was as content as can be. Kamden even tried a couple of them :) After a quick potty break/diaper change we were in the car about 30 seconds and NAP TIME! And we must've been tired because Kamden slept for 3 hours!!

And then the biggest part of the day - we were playing down in the basement and Kamden told me he needed to potty and was holding his butt. I grabbed him and ran up the stairs. And he Pooped on the potty!!! Wahoo!!!! If people could've seen Lane & I dancing around saying Good Job and Wahoo and giving high fives they would've thought we were on drugs. But we wanted it to be a SUPER big deal so hopefully he keeps it up!!!

Our 8:00 church was cancelled this morning. The late service is still on but we are serving in other ways. Mama read her Joyce Meyer Bible this morning, and Daddy is out helping the neighbors get their snow blown. What a nice guy :) It wasn't that long ago that he remembers how awful it was to scoop with a shovel so he's eager to help others!!!!

Kamden is running around in a shirt and underwear. Forgotten Chicken & rice is in the crock pot for supper.

Should be a great day!!! Pics should get uploaded soon to share!!!

Whoa!!!

2010-12-06T21:30:00.003-06:00

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last entry?? Holy smokes!!! The sad thing is that I don't even have new photos to share because we haven't uploaded in so long!!

Much has gone on since my last post. Mommy moved into her new office, we had Smith Thanksgiving that weekend. The next week we went to Paullina for Thanksgiving AND Christmas. Mom & Dad made their yearly trek over to Orange City to a movie. Funny how we live in Des Moines and the only movies we get to see are in Orange City, Iowa!!! But we saw "Unstoppable" and it was pretty good!!! Kamden enjoyed playing with his cousins, as always. It's funny how he tries to do everything that they do!! And of course he didn't want much to do with his Christmas presents.....Landon & Lainey's were way cooler!!

When we came back from Thanksgiving we had "Death Week 2010" at the Smith household. Mommy got on antibiotics on Tuesday morning for strep & a sinus infection, Kamden went in Wednesday afternoon with a left lung infection, and who knows what Daddy had. He was just plain sick!! So in the course of 3 days we had 3 Dr. trips and 3 antibiotics!!! By the weekend we were just starting to get better!!!

Grandma Smith was down this weekend for the Carrie Underwood concert. Mom & Dad got a Friday night out which included PF Changs and then a trip to HyVee. When did we get so old that date night included getting $140 worth of groceries??? The funny thing is it felt SO good to have them all put away on Friday night. On Saturday Mommy did a million loads of laundry and cleaned & organized while Daddy went to Cedar Falls to sing in the 50th Anniversary Glee Club Concert. Sunday we put up the Christmas tree which was interesting. Kamden didn't really want to help much, but he did admire our work when we were all done!!!

Only THREE weeks from today until Baby Smith arrives. I don't know if I'm more excited to meet her, or just to be able to call her by name. We had it narrowed down to 2 and decided in the truck on the way to PF Changs Friday night between the two.

So that's really all. Hopefully soon we can upload photos and share. We also have some great videos but are having trouble getting them to upload too. There's 1 of trick or treating that's pretty cute. And tonight after we all got home Kamden & Daddy were having a dance party in the kitchen and I snuck around the corner and taped them. It was so much fun and the 3 of us laughed for quite awhile.

There is nothing in this world that I would trade for that memory. Absolutely nothing.

Catching Up

2010-11-15T20:38:00.004-06:00

These could be the most random, hodge podge of pictures I've ever posted. We've been pretty busy once again these past few weeks. Today, Mommy spent the day moving into her new office. It's probably the most physical activity I've had in awhile, and I didn't do much!!! But it's nice to be in a new place. All clean and so far free from awful, poisonous spiders!! Wahoo :)

Two weekends ago we went to Paullina for the weekend for the annual pheasant hunt trip with the Alabama crew. Then after we got home, he headed to Kansas with his Dad & Uncle Darwin for a few days. Kamden was a VERY good boy for Mommy during those 3 days. I don't think I've ever said "Thank you God" so many times in a row when each morning I woke up to my alarm instead of a little boy asking to "play toys" at 2am :)

Kevin, Lane & Darwin

Lane went to the Wisconsin game a few weeks back with the Prough family. Here's a picture with Karl of the football he got - signed by all the starters :)

And how long ago was this?? Well, Vicki has been here TWICE to clean since the new carpet came in - and she only comes every other week. But thanks Jared Ringus for coming to help move all this into the kitchen area for us!!

One last shot of the old - well, not old - but CRAPPY carpet that the builders installed in this house. UGH!!

And that night when we got home - Kamden knelt down and said "niiiiiiice carpet"

And since it's almost Thanksgiving, we better make sure to post the pumpkin carving pics!!

Being silly - helping Mom. Well, not really helping. More like saying 'yucky -I don't yike it' over and over.

All Done!!!

2010-11-03T21:48:00.004-05:00

As Kamden would say "Daddy all done!" Today was day 30 of Radiation treatment. Lane even got to keep the mask as a souvenier! Kamden thought he looked pretty funny when he put it on at home. Tonight we went for supper at Johnny's Steakhouse. My friend Jenni came to hang with the Kam man for a couple hours. I think they had a pretty great time, considering when she got up to head home that Kamden pushed her into the chair and told her to 'sit down.' :)

All the ladies at the Cancer Center were all pumped for Lane and how well he handled the treatments. He even got a certificate saying he "graduated" from Radiation. Too funny. Now we just live our lives and wait. We won't know how well the treatments worked until February or so. After a six week break, his Chemotherapy dosage will be stronger, but now he will only take it 5 days a month instead of everyday.

****UPDATE ON THIS: Lane just got back from seeing the Oncologist and the plan now is to just wait until after the next MRI to see how things look before continuing the Chemotherapy. With his low grade tumor he said that they don't expect to see it come back for many years, so they will stop the Chemotherapy for now and wait until February******

I'm going to type out something we recieved from our Care Coordinator. She has been amazing to us through this whole ordeal and a great rock to keep everything in perspective. Most of the time things go quite well, but there are times that the anger sets in and you just need someone to talk to. There are times I will click through someone's pictures on Facebook and I'm just consumed with anger. Why do they get to have it all? How come this happened to us and not them? Why do they get to be so happy, and some days it feels like God himself kicked me directly in the gut? And there really are no answers - so we just keep our Faith strong. It's not from anything we did or didn't do. There is some lesson that we will learn from all of this, we just don't know what it is yet.

"From a tiny seed the acorn becomes a towering oak. It symbolizes the hope of things to come as well as represents the strength found deep inside, yet to be recognized. It is said that the strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.

A mighty oak lives within you and today may you celebrate all that you have been through and achieved. Throughout your journey you have faced each obstacle with fierce determination, a positive outlook and steadfast faith. You have continually proved all that cancer cannot do........

Cancer is so limited

It cannot cripple love

It cannot shatter hope

It cannot corrode faith

It cannot destroy peace

It cannot kill friendship

It cannot suppress memories

It cannot silence courage

It cannot invade the soul

It cannot steal eternal life

It cannot conquer the spirit.

-----Anonymous

Ducks & Elephants

2010-10-24T10:15:00.003-05:00

Here's sort of a hodgepodge of pics from last weekend up in Rockford and other randoms!! Kamden was not so sure about his Halloween costume again this year, so Aunt Kylee put her costume on and practiced Trick or Treating at Grandma's house!!! Hopefully he will remember when it's time to Trick or Treat around the neighborhood next weekend!!!!

Yesterday Daddy went to the Iowa/Wisconsin game, and despite the upsetting loss, had a great time. Thanks so much to Prough's for inviting him along!!! And a great big Thanks to Karl Klug and all the Iowa starters for the autographed football. It will look great up on the mantel in our "Hawkeye Bar."

This week should be busy as usual. Mommy has to go to Minneapolis for work on Wednesday & Thursday. So Daddy & Kam will get lots of bonding time in :)

Not the greatest picture of us, as Mommy & Daddy aren't showered or really even quite awake yet!! But our little Elephant was ready to go!

The trunk piece snaps over so it covers the bottom of his face - but then how do you eat your goodies right away??

Paying at the Rockford school park.

A couple good reports from school on potty. They are looking more and more like this - although I wish he was dry every time he went potty.....I'm thinking over maternity leave I'll really get gung ho with it. Like I won't have enough to do during those 12 weeks, right??

One morning Kamden was up early so Daddy took him downstairs to watch Curious George - this is how I found him when I came down to get his clothes changed....

Daddy really missed his calling by going into Sales. He should have been a photographer. On all his hunting/fishing trips he takes such great pictures. We even blew up 3 of them to put on the wall in our "outdoors room" in the basement.

Andy Heard with his ducks!

Daddy with his ducks.

All the ducks.

It's beautiful......

2010-10-20T21:33:00.002-05:00

I promise to post pictures soon. Tonight I"m just too tired to upload. Lane was up early with us today so he has been sleeping since a little before 8:30.

My. Carpet. Is. Beautiful!! Lane really picked it out and he did a great job. Kamden knew right when we got home that it was different and bent down to feel it and said "niiiiiice carpet" Then later we both had to take our shoes and socks off to feel it with our toes!!

He has been very inquisitive lately asking "what that Mama?" on mostly everything he sees. Even the stuff he knows what it already is!! We have gotten some very good reports back from school lately on his counting, shapes, and manners and especially POTTY. Poop - not so good, but that will come in time. It's so cute to hear him say "please" "Thank you" "Excuse me Mama" and "Sorry" for things since they've been really pushing good manners.

I think baby gained a pound today. Well, not really. But I feel stretched tight as a drum and even had trouble with my maternity pants cutting off my circulation when sitting in certain positions. That's usually about a "last couple weeks" type of thing....I'd hate to have to break out the sweatpants for work already!!! hahaha

The time is really starting to count down now. Lane said the other day "it's like I know we're having another baby, but it's not really real to me yet until she gets here." Well - buckle up buddy because it'll seem real to you in no time!!! Part of me wonders how the hell we're going to handle all this. A Toddler, new baby, jobs, bills, a house, Cancer. Seems like a little much, but I guess we'll manage. We always do.

Enough rambling for one night. I should probably attempt to get Lane from the couch to the bed!!! Goodnight all - new Kamden pics to come soon!!!

Suprise Weekend!!

2010-10-12T21:51:00.003-05:00

What a great weekend we had!!! Lane had plans for his buddy, Zach Kaduce to come for the weekend to hang out. They tried and tried to get Justin VanLaere to come as well, but it just didn't work out for them. Well -lo and behold first thing Monday morning of last week I had a text saying that it worked for the whole family to come...but they wanted it to be a surprise. I didn't say a word. And about 10 minutes after Zach arrived on Friday night the doorbell rang!!

Wahoo :) Let the fun times begin! Kamden & Paxson played so well together. The first night they stayed up past 10pm. Whew! On Saturday morning we went to the Waukee Fire Dept pancake breakfast. Mama, Cayen, Pax & Kam all got to RIDE A FIRETRUCK!! The two boys said "whee" throughout the whole thing and Kamden still talked about it on the way to school today! Then we left the big boys at home to do their male bonding thing while we took the kids to a pumpkin patch. They had a petting zoo, bounce houses, horse rides and hay rids. The kids had alot of fun. And thankfully they both zonked out on the way home :)

After everyone headed out on Sunday, Daddy went shooting at the shooting range in Waukee and Mama relaxed awhile and then taped the 1/2 bath for painting. I had Columbus Day off. Though, I would hardly call it a day off - up at 5am, Kamden to school, headed to the office for a couple hours, got groceries, ran errands, came home to paint the bathroom, 3 loads of laundry and made homemade pizza for supper. T-i-r-e-d!!!!!

Paxson & Kamden playing in the basement.

Sitting in the big firetruck.

Zach really liked the big firetrucks too :)

Doing a little coloring after pancakes.

Playing at the park Saturday night after supper.

3-2-1 blast off!

Kamden loves animals - from a nice, safe distance. This was a rare occassion where he was OK to get down...as long as they didn't get to close. Granted, he called them dogs - eh, close enough.

Kamden: "Dude, our mom's are so dumb. They make us sit here and try to get us to smile." Paxson: "I know, but if you resist, she'll give you some sort of snack to bribe you to smile."

All ready for the hay ride.

Mama & Kamden during the hay ride.

One night I was getting laundry out of the dryer while Kamden was playing in his room. I went to check on him and found this - reading Elmo book with 2 pacifiers in his mouth. I suppose it's time that we get rid of these....ugh

Update on Mom & Dad:

Lane had treatment #14 today. After tomorrow he's half done. Wahoo :) Still feeling pretty good. Last week he was tired a few days, but doing OK so far this week. He still has all his hair, but I can't imagine he'll have it too much longer. At least we know he looks good with a shaved head from after his first surgery :)

I am tired and uncomfortable the majority of the time. Sleeping has become a problem the last couple weeks. Baby is nice and active which is reasurring. Trying to keep up with Kamden or having to hold him is pretty hard on me. I can only imagine how much longer Dr. Osborn will allow me to lift him. I have to go to Minneapolis for work in a couple weeks, and when we get back I have my last 4 week appt. After that we're down to every 2 weeks already. 11 weeks from yesterday is my scheduled surgery. Hard to believe where the time has gone with this one.

Time for bed. Goodnight all :)

Totally Random

2010-10-03T19:24:00.003-05:00

Here are a few totally random pictures from the past week or so. Nothing too awesome or fancy!!! We had a nice week, and this weekend Gma Dana and Gpa Freddie came!!! We painted baby girl's room and got her crib set up, washed clothes, cleaned out closets, and did lots and lots of work!!! I'll have to get some pictures of her room this week because it's just SO DARN CUTE!!!

Not much else is new. Lane has 7 days done with treatment and doing quite well. In the next couple of weeks the tiredness will start to hit him, and then he will also lose his hair. But he was bald after surgery and looked great! So he'll likely just shave it off when he starts to lose it :)

Other than that we are just enjoy the awesome fall weather. We have lots of things we'd like to do with Kamden. Next weekend is the Waukee Fire Dept pancake breakfast - Kam's two favorite things: pancakes and firetrucks :) So we figured we better go to that!!! It's been nice to have some relaxing weekends at home and watching the Hawks play.

Mama made Kamden a BIG pancake one Saturday morning.

We were working in the basement guest room last weekend and noticed all the toads and frogs stuck in the egress window. So Daddy went to save them and someone thought they were pretty cool stuff!!!

One was really big! Yuck.

Daddy got a hunting game for the Wii. Kamden thinks he's 'shooting' here but mostly just giggling when the announcer comes on. For whatever reason he thinks that part is pretty funny!

Daddy went fishing late one afternoon and caught a bunch of crappies. Kamden loved to look at them and even touched them!!!

Cheese!

First Night/Day 2

2010-09-24T19:54:00.002-05:00

Well, Kamden decided last night that NO ONE in our house was going to get a good night's sleep. I got up with him about 2:45 and then Daddy joined in a little before 4:00. I think he slept a litlte while in that time, but he was so restless and couldn't lay still. Makes me wonder if he was having growing pains in his legs ??!!?? Either way.....today was my last 1/2 day of the summer, and instead of being productive and getting things done - I slept the entire afternoon!!!!! And so did Daddy :)

Lane was quite nauseous in the night last night - but I wonder if Kamden hadn't woken us up if he would've just slept through it. He did end up getting sick around 5:30 and then felt much better. His taste is starting to get a little sensitive as food didn't taste the best tonight...but hopefully that comes and goes!!

Tomorrow we are excited to watch the Hawks - and Daddy can slowly try his first beer to see how that goes!!!

We are thankful for all the prayers - please continue to pray for Lane to fight through the nausea and fatigue and continue to feel OK.

Treatment Day!

2010-09-23T19:01:00.003-05:00

Finally - almost 4 months after this whole ordeal started Lane had his first treatment today. The radiation part only took about 10 minutes and he said he didn't feel a thing. He would see flashes of light when the radiation hit his optic nerve, and would smell it when it hit his sense of smell. And he tasted a little metallic at one point too.

They gave him an antibiotic and anti-nausea medicine to take each night with his Chemo pill. He will take the first of each of them tonight. Hopefully he can sleep OK and feel alright in the morning!! The Chemo pills are a little scary just because when you look at them you know they are the strongest thing there is. It just kills everything you've got, but the good thing is that it will also kill those Cancer cells so that hopefully they don't come back for a long, long time!!!

Other than that it's same old, same old around here - and I love it. After such a crazy summer it's nice to have a few months where we can just hang out at home and be together!!! The fall weather is so awesome - minus all the stinkin' rain - and as much as I don't like snowy winter, I'm very much looking forward to this year to meet this little babe that beats me up every day!!!!

Thank you all for the many comments, cards, prayers, gift cards, and extra help provided. Hopefully we can get through the next 6 weeks OK. One doc said the treatments will make him not feel the best for a bit - but he should be feeling great by Christmas.....perfect timing!!!!!

Much love to all -
Lane, Rachel & Kamden

As Promised....

2010-09-16T15:57:00.002-05:00

So far I've had a fabulous day!!! A massage in the morning, then I met Lane for lunch, we went to US Cellular and I got a new phone. Then Shopping!!!! Thanks for the birthday money everyone because I had GREAT luck :) Then I went to Home Depot to pick up the carpet samples. YAY.

Baby girl at 19 weeks.

Baby girl (today). 24 weeks 4 days. (only 14 weeks 3 days to go!)

Sometimes it's not worth the fight....

So the little car came with us into the house - we call this "Seseme Street at the Drive Inn"

Here's a few pics of Kam's new big boy room!!

The rocker will eventually go to baby girl's room. Notice the 'collage' of truck stickers all together. Mama had them spread around the room so nicely - but "play trucks" is a fun activity and this is where they all get stuck!!

And here's baby girls room......yikes.

....we've got a LONG ways to go!!! Paint, organize, move the closet down to the store room, wash clothes, put the crib together, etc. etc. etc.

A Sacred Day....

2010-09-15T20:29:00.003-05:00

Today is an especially special day - and no, Hilary, not because it's your birthday - but because today is, in fact, MY LAST DAY OF MY 20's. OH how you've been so good to me, my dear 20s. We sure did have ALOT of fun. The latter end was so much different than at first. After getting married, buying a home, and now child(ren)....it really explains my "old tiredness" all the time!!!

But I'd have to say I'm fairly pleased with all I've accomplished before turning 30 tomorrow. And among my list of getting a pregnancy massage, lunch with Lane, getting a new phone and doing some shopping I PROMISE to upload photos and add them to the blog.

Don't get overly excited - I think we've taken a whopping 7 pictures in the past 2 weeks. Last week Mama had "death week" as I like to call it. First a sinus infection followed my influenza. Needless to say I was at home more than I was at work last week by far!!! Grandma Smith had to come down Thursday to take Kamden away because Daddy had a meeting and my care of him would have been me asleep on the couch while Kamden had free reign of the house!!!

Kamden has been a ball of crazy fun (?) lately. His 2 year molars are coming in and I think they are part Devil. Seriously. They can turn him into an evil child and I wonder if lazer beams will shoot out of his eyes sometimes!!! And then last night he threw up 4 times, ran a low grade temp for a little while, fell asleep at 7:30 and today is a new kid. Hopefully that means the molar came through and we can all sleep good tonight!!! Tonight he was so pleasant. Saying please and thank you with no whining and being goofy. He can say the silliest things...though he is one tough kid to understand sometimes!!! During his bath he turned around to me and said "Hey You Mama. You stinker" haha What a goofball. His new thing is also "helping" He helps me make the bed, he helps me do laundry, and no matter what he drops on the floor, he will go get the dust buster and say "clean it up Mama" And then tell me "good job Mama, you did it!!" when I'm done.

On a quick Lane update note: he's doing VERY well. As of now it looks like treatment should start next week Thursday. Dr Isaak is very pleased with how the final MRI looks and told him today that it looks like that 2nd surgery darn near got all the tumor out. So that is reasurring. Lane has also been cleared to drive and in about 2 weeks he can attempt his first drink since Memoral Day. I, on the other hand, have to wait at least until December 28th when maybe someone sneaks a Rolling Rock into Methodist for me?? haha Just kidding - I suppose I can wait until I get home. :) After all I've been through during this pregnancy, I think that first one might taste pretty darn good!!!

Until tomorrow........

Big Day for the Smith Fam!!

2010-08-31T19:51:00.002-05:00

I do have new pictures to upload but haven't gotten around to it yet. Hopefully tomorrow Lane can download them during the day and I'll get them posted.

This morning was the official announcement of my promotion!!!! What a great day!!! Five years ago I started with Clear Channel as a temp and am now onto my 3rd position with the company. What a great opportunity for me and our family. While I am still doing my Charting and Public Service Responsibilities, my new title is "National Import Manager." I will handle all the National Business that comes to the Des Moines Market from other Clear Channel Offices or large Agencies. The National business makes up about 25% of our annual sales for the market, so I'll be one busy gal!!!

I've known about this for about a week. And it was a tough one to keep quiet!! I'm so excited to get moving on this and am looking forward to where this will take me down the road.

God works in so many mysterious ways - and this opportunity couldn't have come at a better time for our family.

A few pics....

2010-08-25T21:02:00.003-05:00

With the weather finally out of the 100+ degree range with the humidity, we've been able to enjoy some nights outside. Poor Mama, however, doesn't get to be out for more than 10 minutes or so before my eyes swell and I sneeze like crazy. Darn allergies!!!! As much as I love fall, I cannot wait for the first hard freeze to make this all go away!!!

Lane is recovering well from surgery. He gets his staples out next Tuesday and that will help alot. We made a quick day trip up to Rochester last Monday and had a fairly decent report. I guess 'fairly decent' means we didn't really learn anything new or get any bad news - so that's a huge plus!!!

The next few pictures are all from our baseball night in the backyard the first night it was nice out!

Some people might think I'm crazy. I'm sure my co-workers definately think I'm nuts with my constant sticky notes and lists and super anal organization. But when you're a busy working Mama - that's just the way life is!! So here are all of Lane's drugs.....I had to put a note under each one so I knew what it was, when to take it and how many. It worked out GREAT!

The next 3 pictures are for Aaron Nash - who's all the way up in Alaska and needs to know what Lane's new scar looks like :) So here you go Nash!! Enjoy!!!

There really are no words.....

2010-08-19T08:03:00.002-05:00

I grabbed the mail today on the way to take Kamden to school. Inside was a $100 gift card to HyVee with no card, and no return address on the envelope. Whoever you are - we ask God to bless your life beyond belief. Your thoughtfulness and kindness to our family is so wonderful and we forever thank you - whoever you are!!

Home Sweet Home

2010-08-16T15:45:00.001-05:00

We left the hospital this morning shortly after 10:30. We had a nice drive....after deciding that we would need gas about the time we stopped for lunch, Lane informed me that he was hungry for Taco Tico in Mason City. Obviously he didn't have to twist my arm much!!! We had a nice lunch and then stopped for gas and headed on our way. We got home about 3:00. Lane is napping on the couch and I've started unpacking and laundry and will take a nap myself here shortly!!!

It feels good to be home!!

Super Sunday!!!

2010-08-15T20:27:00.002-05:00

Lane had such a good day. Yesterday was tough as he was in so much pain it was even hard for him to talk, but today he got his head dressing taken off and the pressure was way down. We met with the surgeon and he is very pleased with how well Lane is doing. In about a week he gets to come off the anti-seizure medication, and then in about 2 weeks he can be weaned off the steroid.

He will be released tomorrow morning from the hospital. We may or may not have an appt with the Oncology team up here before we go, but if we can't get in, then we'll just come back in a couple weeks. Then just a check-up in 3 months!! Things have been much clearer for us after this surgery as to how long he can't drive, lift things, etc. All nice to know!!!

He is now getting a shower from the nurse which is much needed!!! Smiths took Kamden home with them today for a couple days. It will be nice to get home and get settled and then they'll bring him home. My parents are here with me tonight. This afternoon while Lane relaxed we went shopping. OH did baby Girl make quite a haul. And so did her big brother!! We found such great sales so I got Kamden a bunch of clothes for this fall/winter. Baby Girl got clothes, sheets, etc. Needless to say it was some much needed fun!!

Thanks to the VanLaere family for visiting tonight!!! It was GREAT to see you even though it wasn't our regular fun weekend of river floats, etc!! :)

Thank you all so much for the prayers, texts, and messages. Hopefully this will be the last surgery in our family - until December 27th!! We just said today...2010 has been a wild ride of a year for us!!!

Much love to you all and forever thanking Our Father-
Rachel

Saturday

2010-08-14T12:38:00.002-05:00

Things are going well. Lane has been able to take a few naps today. We just heard that a bed came available on the 9th floor so they will be moving him to a 'regular' room in the next hour or two. He still has quite a bit of pain and just like last time, he's at the point where his right side of his face is starting to swell. His right eye is almost completely shut now, so the nurse brought in ice to help. I bet in a day or two it will be much better.

It was so hard to make the decision whether or not to do this surgery. I guess you never really know the right answer until after the fact, and I think so far in this case we have made the right answer.

Lane has been given the option to give permission to use parts of his tumor for research. He figures if it can help someone else - what a great idea!! They will put some of his tumor into rats to see how it grows and to see how they react to different treatments. Science is so amazing to me. But I think what pulled us through this was a little more POWERFUL than Science. All our angels were in that room yesterday, and I think Angel baby probably held his hand through the whole thing. Maybe that's why his/her sister was bouncing around like a jelly bean all day yesterday. She knew her counterpart was close by watching over Daddy.

Long day!!!

2010-08-13T23:09:00.002-05:00

It's 11:10pm and we just got to go in and see Lane!! he's awake, knows who we are and can move all extremities and has speech. he's super groggy from being out for almost 15 hours..and is on some good drugs for the pain and will help him sleep. This mama's been up since 4am and time to hit the hotel!!! Prayers were felt today, keep them coming.

God bless all of you -
RLS

So far, so good.

2010-08-13T20:23:00.002-05:00

Lane is just getting finished up with his surgery to get to recovery, and then the ICU. At about 7pm the surgeon came to speak with us and said that everything went very smoothly. He thinks he got about 95% of the original tumor amount out. He had no seizures or hemoragges during surgery. He is not awake yet, so we don't know as of now if there was any damage to motor skills or other areas. But we are praying that our sweet Lord will bring us through once again and he will be okay.

Right now all I can do is REJOICE. I want to scream "Thank you Jesus" from the top of this hospital for pulling him through this with nothing major so far. Sitting here all day, I watched as two families got the devastating news that their loved one had a problem and likely would not make it. That was hard to watch. All I could do was say a prayer that God would wrap his arms around those families to give them comfort and peace.

On a lighter note - if you saw the news reports, no, we didn't get blown away in a tornado. there was one just Southwest of Rochester on the ground and we had to sit in the hallway for over an hour to wait it out. I guess we really never will forget this day.

Baby girl was in rare form today, bouncing around and stretching her little arms and legs. Grandma Smith even got to feel a kick!!! I think she's going to be a fiesty one like her brother. I suppose to be our kids you have to be!!

Please continue to pray that God heals Lane and he has a smooth recovery from surgery. Please pray that he knows who we are when he opens his eyes, and is able to function as normal as possible. Please pray for a good nights sleep for all of us. And mostly please Rejoice to our Lord for getting us this far with no severe issues.

Forever praising our Lord -
The entire Smith & Schuknect families

Surgery Update

2010-08-13T17:37:00.003-05:00

I have been away from Lane now for just over 11 hours. What a long day. They just came in to let us know that they have finished, and are beginning to close him up. After that they will do another scan (the 3rd today). I will update again later tonight. It might be late before I have a final update. As of now things have gone well. Please pray that when he wakes up that continues.

Pray-Pray-Pray

2010-08-11T21:22:00.002-05:00

After meeting with multiple doctors and many countless hours of prayer and thoughts, Lane has decided to go ahead with the surgery up at Mayo in Rochester. It will occur this Friday (August 13th) at St. Mary's Hospital. Lane has been up there all day meeting with Oncologists and having his pre-op physical. I will go up tomorrow later afternoon so that hopefully we can have a relaxing (kid free - yay!) night of maybe supper and then SLEEP!!! We have to be at the hospital at 5:30am on Friday. Surgery will be long. They thought he would even be under for 2 or 3 hours before they make the first cut - simply because of the MRI's that will be taken throughout surgery. The surgeon thought the whole process could be close to 8 or 9 hours. I will try to update how things went that night after he comes to, but after surgery and then recovery time, it might be late before we get to see him.

Please pray for guidance for the doctors and nurses and all the hospital staff. Please pray that the surgeon can get out what needs to come out without hurting Lane. Please pray for me to stay healthy and be strong. Please just pray.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE." Jeremiah 29:11

I'm TWO

2010-08-09T20:10:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday, Mr. Kamden turned TWO. Hard to believe that 2 years ago today I was still in the hospital!! And now, oh how I look forward to those 4 days of "peace" when Baby Girl comes along!! haha

On Friday Ryan, Arica, Landon & Lainey went to Adventureland for the day, and then we went out for supper that night. It was alot of fun and the kids were all well behaved!! Then the three amigos played and played and finally crashed for the night. On Kamden's birthday he slept until 8:45am!!!! WOW - and so perfect as I was planning that he would skip nap that day. He did really well for never having missed a nap ever!!

Sunday you could tell though. All he wanted to do after his 3 hour nap was lay around and watch movies - which was awesome. We did go out and play in the pool - all 3 of us - for about an hour. Then came in and layed around the rest of the afternoon :)

Here are a few of the pictures. I have now reached the point in pregnancy where it doens't take long for my back to have pin point pains and I need to go stretch it out.

Feeding Grandpa Smith an alligator!

For a boy who LOVES trucks - I was pretty pleased when I got to HyVee to pick up his cake. It was a big hit :)

Mama - Firetruck!!

And oh, how this red frosting stained his little hands and mouth!!! haha

It's a......

2010-08-05T14:02:00.002-05:00

GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you sense the excitement in my typing???

What a blessing :) Though I would have been equally pleased with a boy! When we first started today they said the heartrate was 153 and I said "oh, then i bet it's a boy" because it was less than the 160 is has been so far!!

Doctor Osborn says things are looking great. I measured at 19 weeks...so just a couple days ahead since I'll be 19 weeks on Monday. Only 20 to go since surgery is scheduled for December 27th!!!

Our appt at Mayo Clinic went very well yesterday. No decisions have been made, but we were given alot of good information to think over and talk about!

Today we are simply celebrating and trying to hold the excitement of meeting our baby girl in December!

Pictures and Update!

2010-08-02T21:04:00.003-05:00

Heading to NW Iowa last weekend.

We were SO happy to get there and visit the park :)

On Saturday, Kamden got to play with his cousins almost all day. They went to the Pool and played and ran and wrestled and jumped and screamed and giggled.

On Sunday, Kamden was so tired he needed to sit down to play with the fridge magnets.

But by far the highlight of the weekend was all the sweet corn we ate.

And the even BETTER part was feeding the husks to the sheep. "sheep eat corn" was definately the phrase of the weekend.

Oh, and swinging. Kamden can sure get that Grandma Dana to push him for a long time in that blue swing :)

This picture was from a couple weeks ago when Grandma Smith came to paint Kamden's room. At the end he felt the need to help her out. :)

And update on our lives lately. The last 3+ weeks have been a little bit of a whirlwind of emotions. Without getting into too much of it. On Wednesday of this week Lane & I will be heading up to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for a consultation with another brain surgeon. After doing the CT Scan (which looked great) the Oncologists did an MRI to see what they would be treating. It was with the MRI that they realized there was more tumor left from the last surgery than we had expected. While it's hard to tell what is swelling, and what is still tumor, the conclusion from multiple doctors is that there's anywhere from 20 -40% of the original tumor still in the brain. Mayo has an MRI machine that they use in the operating room during surgery to ensure that they are getting more of the tumor without hurting the remaining brain tissue.

This is not an easy decision to make. There are so many factors that go into something like this. The biggest one is hurting Lane. It would be different if our kids were older, but having a 2 year old and a soon to be newborn makes it a little tougher. We ask for your prayers to come strong in the next few days and we try to decide what is best for our family, and mostly for Lane.

The first obstacle was finding out that our health insurance is out of network and therefore nothing would be covered at Mayo. I feel like the past 3 work days have been spent on the phone talking with insurance people. The Vice President of Human Relations in San Antonio for Clear Channel ended up involved, thanks to a very persuasive phone call from our President. After a few tears I found out today at 5:15 that we are fully covered at Mayo just as if we were in Des Moines. And nothing else had to change with our insurance. Thank you God for people that care enough to make a phone call and help us out of a tough situation.

We will keep you all posted as we know more. This week is very busy with Mayo on Wednesday, Ultrasound on Thursday and Kamden's birthday this weekend. Please pray for us.

Love to all,

Rachel

Sleepy Monday!

2010-07-26T09:06:00.002-05:00

Good Morning!! We had a fantastic weekend hanging out as a family. On Saturday we went out for lunch and then made a trip to Walmart to pick up some things we had ordered online. After we got home Kamden played outside the rest of the afternoon while Mom & Dad cleaned up the garage and got some things organzied!! On Sunday morning we went to church and then hit up the park, took a long nap, and played in the afternoon. Daddy made fish for supper so Mama threw in some pickles which were DELICIOUS!!!

Medically, we are on hold for treatment until we hear back from a doctor up at Mayo. At that time we will most definately update everyone on what's going on there. I know it is hard for people to wait, but please be patient.

Another busy week is upon us. Funny how Monday I'm always the most tired!!! You'd think after the weekend we'd be good and rested :) hahaha

Oh well - have a great week!

Random

2010-07-20T21:02:00.003-05:00

Here are a few random pictures from the past week or so. This weekend Mama started painting the Den (as you can see behind me in the first picture). The color is called Ground Nutmeg and it looks SO awesome in there. We finally go it all cleaned up and put back together last night. I just have some touch up work to do and it's done!!! Daddy went to the Twins game on Saturday with some friends so me & Kamden hung out. It was 110 degrees that day with the heat index so we stayed in the house and played!!

Mama at 16 weeks!!

Kamden was mad that he wasn't in the picture.

Swingin' in the backyard.

Playing "where daddy go?"

Tuesday

2010-07-13T08:08:00.002-05:00

Lane had his MRI yesterday afternoon. The poor guy has such bad luck with nurses finding his veins...he had to get stuck in each arm before they finally got it!! After that he went over to the Radiation Center and got fitted for his mask. The mask is like a plastic netting that is fitted over his entire head and neck. He will lay on the Radiation table and they'll put that mask over him and bolt it down to the table so that he is unable to move and they can ensure that the radiation hits the same spot each time. The Pharmacy also called and the first round of Chemo pills has been ordered and is on the way. Sounds like treatment could possibly start sometime next week if everything is ready.

I am currently researching counseling groups to help me work through some of this. I think it's time to talk to someone who isn't connected to us at all. Hopefully it will be beneficial.

Once i get the recent Kamden pics uploaded I'll be sure to post - and hopefully my 15 week belly picture. Time seems to be an issue right now and there are just too many things on my plate and Kamden is such a handful these days!! But I'll get to it soon :)

That's a Good Lookin' Brain...

2010-07-07T20:44:00.003-05:00

Those were the words we heard today from the surgeon. Granted....the Cancer cells are still in there even though the tumor is gone, but it was still GOOD to hear. I'm afraid it would have been a little disheartening if it had already started to grow back.

It was a little hard to sit in the room today. Mostly because I kept thinking 'how did we get here?' It was only 4 weeks ago that my phone rang at work and I had to get down to Methodist Hospital immediately to meet Lane because they had found the tumor. It's hard to not think about how life would be different if Dr. Boarini had come into that little room that day after surgery and said it was benign. But he didn't. So we just deal with it.

Lane was also cleared to drive today. I can't tell you how much of a relief that is for me. Mostly because my office is located right smack in the middle between home and the hosptial. So coming all the way home to get him, then to the hospital, then back home to drop him off and back to work is such a waste of gas.

The next step is an MRI on Monday and meeting with the team of Oncologists again next week. He is set to start treatment around the end of July as he should be fully healed from the surgery by then.

We are still recieving cards and notes in the mail and appreciate them so much. We haven't gotten around to the Thank You's yet, but we will. Once treatment starts and we get into a little routine that will be high priority :)

Proud Daddy Moment....

2010-07-06T21:22:00.004-05:00

....helping Kamden reel in a big fish.

A REALLY big fish!!! Good Job Kamden :)

Kamden doing "his" kind of fishing at the Clear Lake Carnival. **NOTE** Mama is unshowered and pregnant in the next 3 pictures...in SUPER humid weather!! haha

Hey look Mama....I got one!!

Here's my fishy!!! Now I get to pick a prize --- of course I picked a penguin :)

Tomorrow is our follow up with Dr. Boarini. Hopefully things are healing as they should be and he will cut down the steroids and anti-seizure medication for Lane. The big side effect of the potent steroid is unbelievable acne all over. And as long as he's on the Dilantin he is still unable to drive. His scar is healing nicely and it's amazing how fast his hair has grown back.

I also go to the doctor on Thursday. It will be nice to hear the little bugger's heartbeat and see how things are measuring. I really need to get to the basement and dig out my maternity clothes...but just haven't gotten around to it yet. All the pants are getting pretty snug, and alot of my 'normal' shirts are now too short!!!

On a side note - a great big CONGRATS to Tyler & Valerie Dingel on the arrival of their baby girl, Addalynne Grace. At 5 lbs 12 oz she's one cute little peanut :) We visited them tonight and once again Kamden was "I hold Mama" multiple times. He's going to be a great big brother!!

A few pics...

2010-06-29T19:57:00.003-05:00

I only got a few pictures of the kiddos this weekend and then my camera battery died...ggggrrrr.

Here's Kamden being goofy.

Kam & Pax plotting something sneaky....

Getting ready for Dance Party USA!!!

Kamden showing Landon & Lainey his new window crayons!!!

Another Blessing

2010-06-28T19:12:00.002-05:00

My OB doc called me this afternoon that my tests from the Quint Screen all came back normal. Words cannot really express not only my relief, but my instant Praise. There is still another blood test to do at around 18 or 19 weeks that checks for a neuro type of defect, but we need to wait until then to do that as it's too early.

It was nice to recieve a good call today. The nurse and I talked for quite some time about Lane's diagnosis and what that will mean for me and the baby. Basically as long as I continue to eat and rest I should be OK. I just need to be extra careful if I go along to a radiation appointment that I cannot be anywhere near that. Otherwise we are just rockin' and rollin' and baby is growing nicely. It's funny how different pregnancies are. At 13 weeks I look like I did at 20 weeks with Kamden. People weren't lying when they say you grow much faster after the first one!!! hahaha

Or maybe it's all the food I've been shoving down my gullet lately......nah, that definately can't be it.

Goodbye Stitches!

2010-06-26T21:31:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning, I drove Lane down to Dr. Boarini's office to remove his stitches - all 57 of them!!! It was a pretty painless process and his scar looks so great without that black string in it.

So far we are enjoying our weekend at home. This afternoon the VanLaere family drove down from Rochester to spend the day with us. Kamden & Paxson had such a good time playing and dancing together. Needless to say it went MUCH better than the last time those two were together - and Kamden cried the entire weekend!!! My boss, Tim, stopped over around 4:00 with one of THE MOST AMAZING meals I may have ever eaten. If his wife ever feels like she needs to move into my house and cook for me full time, she is more than welcome too!!! We ate Chicken Cordon Bleu, delicious salad, ciabatta bread, and ooey gooey brownies. Justin & Cayen stayed to enjoy the deliciousness with us. And we even put vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries on our brownies. YUM!! Grandma & Grandpa Schuknecht also stopped over in the afternoon with Pat & Ed. They were in town for the weekend so it just worked out perfectly for them to come by!! Tomorrow Ryan, Arica, Landon & Lainey are coming for the day. Kamden loves Landon & Lainey SO much. I told him today that they were coming and he said "yeah, yeah, yeah" and clapped!!!

This week should be more routine. I will work all week, and have my 1/2 day on Friday. We have our first Radiation appointment on Friday morning. And then Friday night we get to go see Sister Hazel downtown at Nitefall on the River. There's just something about watching your favorite band in the summer with the Des Moines River in the background. It'd be nice if we could enjoy some adult beverages - but since neither of us can right now I guess we'll be a cheap date!!

Hopefully this week we will get working on our hundreds of Thank Yous. The amount of love and support we have been shown in the past two weeks is still so astounding that we don't know where to start. May God shine down and bless each and every one of you for all that you've done for us. While you are praying for us, I am praying for each of you.

Back to Reality

2010-06-23T21:25:00.003-05:00

I guess you could say it's my new reality.

Today I went back to work. It felt good. You might say I'm crazy, but I was happy to get up early, get ready, take Kam to school and head into the office. Something about the everyday routine that just feels right. I wasn't swamped, I wasn't overwhenlmed. I just worked. I got alot done and crossed numerous things off my list.

I think it's called my new reality because my eyes are so wide open. Life is just different now. Maybe it's "less" stress because I haven't had to cook, get groceries, or even clean my house in two weeks. Maybe. Or maybe it's the fact that I think I'm just a different person than I was two weeks ago. My heart beats just a bit slower and steadier.

Maybe it's the random acts of kindness that just warmed my soul. Tonight I brought home 4 bags of food from work. Steve & Kelly Burke made us DELICIOUS enchiladas with chips & salsa. And sent home a sand bucket of toys for Kamden. The 3 bestest cousins in the world stopped over tonight to just hang out. Even though Scotty terrified my child to tears most of the time ;) Maybe it's the gift of seeing our favoritest (yes, that's a real word!) band in the whole world next weekend, compliments of Dave & Xan McNelly.

Maybe it's the fact that I just looked down and realized in the 10 minutes I've been typing, I've somehow eaten an entire 1/2 of a watermelon. Good grief - by the time this baby comes I'm going to be a whale! **giggle**

How can I be stressed? How can I worry? God has scooped up my little tiny family in po-dunk old Iowa and held us in the palm of His hand. Yes, Lane has cancer. But somehow it's so easy to look past that and see all the wonderfulness around us.

A small ray of sunshine...

2010-06-21T20:39:00.003-05:00

We got a call around 5:30 today from Dr. Heddinger, our Oncologist. The path reports came back from Mayo and they called Lane's tumor a Grade 2!! Though it's still cancer, and we will still have to fight, there are ALOT more posititives with a Grade 2 than a Grade 3. Hopefully the tumor is slower growing when it comes back and will be less aggressive. There is even a possibility that we may not have to do Chemotherapy. Dr. Heddinger hadn't even spoken to our Radiation Oncologist when he called, so they are unclear as to what plan of action will be taken and what treatment will be best for Lane. I will be sure to update when we have a plan!

One good thing with a Grade 2 is that we will qualify for National Programs around the country. When we first met with the Radiation Oncologist he had mentioned that since Lane is young that maybe we'd be an exception being a Grade 3, but they usually try to get people in Grade 1 or Grade 2 into those programs first as their life expectancy is longer and they have more of a chance to beat this.

Again, words cannot express the outpouring of love we have felt. The visits, calls, gifts, food, it's ALL amazing. My fantastic aunt Pat set me up with a *much needed* salon visit to Estillo tomorrow. Clear Channel delivered delicious Jumbalaya, cornbread and watermelon for supper. Clear Channel Radio gave us a VERY generous gift card to Dahl's. And numerous other gifts. I have no idea how to even go about repaying everyone. I guess I will try to pay it forward for someone else. I hope to be a mentor for other young families who have to go through something like this. And try to help them as much as everyone has helped us.

In the book I recieved from our Oncology Care Coordinator I found an awesome saying and thought I would share:

***Cancer is so limited,
it cannot cripple love,
it cannot shatter hope,
it cannot corrode faith,
it cannot destroy peace,
it cannot kill friendship,
it cannot suppress memories,
it cannot silence courage,
it cannot invade the soul,
it cannot steal eternal life,
it cannot conquer the spirit.
-----Unkown

May God Bless you all and enrich your life with a thousand blessings each day.
Rachel

A few pictures...

2010-06-19T15:26:00.003-05:00

Kathy was the best at taking pictures through the whole process. So I'll have to scan and share them later on. Here are a couple pictures I took of Lane this morning just because I know alot of people were curious as to what this incision looked like.

It's amazing how fast his hair has already started to grow back!! I suppose once we start the treatments it will come out again, but that's fine by me! You always wonder what people would look like with no hair, and let me tell you - Lane is one sexy beast :) hehehe

The "shark bite" incision. It's amazing to think that just a few short days ago someone was digging inside his brain.

Of course, little baby Kam keeps things like normal. Well, nothing has ever really been normal for us so I should say he keeps things interesting!!

The game this morning the dump out his piggy bank and then put all the change back in. Over and over and over.

We have had a nice, relaxing day. Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Jorgensen for the wonderful food package that arrived this afternoon. Fruit, goodies, cheese & crackers....YUM. I guess if this had to happen to us, now's the time. Nothing better than people bringing food constantly to a pregnant woman!!

THANKS also to Clear Channel for mowing our lawn. And from what I hear they've got food covered for us for the next week. We are looking forward to it.

Love to you all -

Rachel

A good nights sleep!

2010-06-18T15:46:00.002-05:00

I think last night was the most sleep most of us have gotten in over a week. Lane was up alot in the night having to go to the bathroom, but he recieved so much fluid the past few days that it's expected.

This morning I took Lane & Kamden to Kam's school to enjoy "Doughnuts for Dads." It's hard to realize that Father's Day is Sunday!! Kamden & Daddy enjoyed their doughnuts and OJ together, and I'm so glad that they were able to do that!!

Yesterday we had quite a few visitors. Chops, Mitch & Adam came to the hospital right before we left. After we were home a bit we saw Jim, Deb & Jayden Jorgensen, and then Bobby & Sherry Fischer came to take Kevin & Kathy out for supper. Today Josh & Traci and the kids stopped on their way back to Kansas City, and Jared Ringus stopped over again too. It's been nice for Lane to sit and chat with people.

I had an ultrasound again this afternoon and some bloodwork to check on baby. It's basically the check for Down's Syndrome and other birth defects. I figured that with how the pregnancy started and the shocking news we've had since, that I think Mama might be OK with not having any more surprises for a little while. So we find out the results of those tests in a week. Good or Bad - I obviously can handle it and will love the little bugger no matter what :)

Please continue to pray. It's hard to sit and wait for treatment to begin. But Lane is doing a good job resting and letting himself heal. Please pray for Lane and the rest of our family members. And please pray for favorable test results for Baby Smith (which, by the way, I totally think might be a girl.....but we won't know for awhile).

Bless you all for all the messages, cards and support.
Love, Rachel

We are Home!!

2010-06-17T16:43:00.002-05:00

Lane was discharged from the hospital today around 3:00. We made it home with all our various crazy shaped balloons in tow! Needless to say Kamden is in 7th heaven playing with them all. Thank you for them all, for the plants, care packages, cards, visits, calls, and messages. I was so exhausted when I got home from the hospital last night that I didn't even sit at the computer - and today I had 87 messages!!! Thank you all. Obviously I will not be able to respond to them all, but I sure wish I could. And I know Lane feels the same way.

We have had quite a few visitors which lifts all our spirits higher than you can imagine. It's nice to see Lane smile and laugh with his friends. He needs that little bit of 'normalcy' right now.

I am doing well. You know, I've always been a big believer that God does everything for a reason, and I think when he made me he knew this was coming down the pipe 30 years later. While I can cry at the drop of a hat - I am one tough cookie. I guess my stubborness and the fact that I can pretty much figure out ways to get what I want will come in handy now. I am being strong because I have to. I cannot break down and hide in my room forever, because that sweet little boy needs me and so does the baby. I have forced myself to eat on time, drink milk, take my vitamins and sleep.

On Monday we will call for the final Pathology report. As of right now most of the docs are calling it a Stage 3. Though we won't know all the exact details until Monday. Stage 4 is the worst, so we will have a fight ahead of us. Radiation and Chemo will begin after Lane's healed from the surgery. We met with a counselor for the John Stoddard Cancer Center this morning and there are so many programs for us to be involved in. She has seen lots of other people who have had the same thing as Lane and are doing quite well. The fact that he's young and otherwise healthy is our biggest benefit right now. The Chemo will be a pill and the side effects are just not what they used to be. So that's good to know. He can be around me & Kamden and not worry about sickness, etc.

I feel like I've completely rambled all over the place here, but I guess I'm entitled. Five or six hours of sleep each night is maybe not enough. Crawling into bed tonight with my hubby will probably make me sleep like a baby.

Please continue to pray. Pray for healing for Lane. Pray for the 25% chance that this tumor will never grow back. Pray for our parents and siblings to have comfort and peace. And pray for strength for me. God Bless each and every one of you. The amount of love we've felt from all over the country is astounding.

It's a New Day

2010-06-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

We are thankful to the Lord that today is a new day. Lane is doing well and in good spirits. I sat with him for about 2 hours this morning. He had some graham crackers and juice and is in a good mood. He is eager to get the results back on the tumor to know how we will begin the fight. Please stay positive. The one thing we do not want is for people to make it come off as worse than it is - mostly because we still do not know all the answers. So we pray. We pray for the results to come back and then we fight. Lane & I are strong and we can do this.

For those wondering and who have asked, we are at Methodist Hospital. He is currently in the ICU but will be heading to a 'normal' room just as soon as they have one ready for him. After Kamden's nap today we will go get him and bring him to the hospital to see Daddy. I know Lane really misses him right now.

Please continue to hold us up in prayer. I know many of you prayed for strength for me yesterday because I feel strong as ever today. Please pray again for good test results from the Pathologist, and please pray for Lane to heal. God works in mysterious ways and he is hearing all your prayers.

Much love to you all-
Rachel

Surgery Update

2010-06-15T20:13:00.002-05:00

Lane's surgery went very well today. The outcome, however, was not exactly what we had hoped for. The tumor in Lane's brain was malignant. We do not know exactly what kind of cancer it is, or how agressive it is. Basically right now we just have to wait for the report to come back from the Pathologist.

At that time we will likely begin Radiation. The doctor thought that Chemotherapy will also be likely after that. Basically it's just too soon to tell and we have to wait and see.

By around 5:00 he was up in the ICU and was awake. We all got to go in and see him multiple times. He could move all his arms and legs, he knew the year, the President, etc. And he can see. His head is wrapped in an extremely tight bandage and he was receiving morphine about every hour for the pain. He was pretty groggy but still wanted to make sure that I had been trying to contact people. Ashley called most of the people on his list, but I am not as tech-y smart as her and cannot figure out how to call out on his phone.

Today was rough. There's no way I would have made it through without Kevin, Kathy, Mom, Dad, Ashley and Pastor Joseph there will me all day. My boss picked up Kamden, fed him, and brought him to the hospital for us. It sure felt good to hug that little boy tight. I know that Lane will be happy to see him tomorrow.

Please continue to pray. Please pray for successful healing for Lane. Please pray for the outcome of the Pathology tests to be on our side. Please pray for Peace for Kevin, Kathy, Fred and Dana and all our siblings. And Please pray for strength for me. I need to be strong for Kamden and Baby.

I love you all and your support has been amazing. Your messages, texts, emails and calls have been what pulls me through.

God bless each of you.
Rachel

The Power of Prayer

2010-06-15T05:14:00.003-05:00

We are truly feeling all the love, support and prayers around us. I think God has sent all his angels that He could to surround our home and protect all those inside.

Surgery is scheduled for 12:30pm. It should take between 2 1/2 - 4 hours. After about an hour of recovery I should be able to see him. We will start the phone calls, texts and I will update the blog as soon as I possibly can. We may have some of you help pass along the word for us.

I love each and every one of you and my heart is so full of your thoughful words.

Trusting in God,
Rachel

A Test of Faith

2010-06-13T15:12:00.002-05:00

This post is one of those things you pray you never have to write. It's hard for me to even think of where to start.

About a month ago, Lane started getting headaches in the morning. They would come almost every day and just dominate him. Sometimes he could've even get out of bed. He went to the doctor and he passed all his neuro tests they did there. He told him to keep a diary of the headaches. About a week ago he started to notices his vision was becoming blurry. He went back to the doctor and he scheduled a CT Scan. That was last Wednesday morning. After the Scan they kept him and did an MRI. Lane immediately knew that something was wrong. After a few hours the doctor called with the results: A large brain tumor (about the size of a newborn baby's head) on the front, right side of his brain. We had to immediately get down to Methodist Hospital to meet with the Neuro Surgeon.

Wow. Talk about shock. After meeting with the surgeon we felt a little better. He basically said there are alot of positives, starting with the size. That means it's likely a slow growing tumor and could have even been there for 25 years. We do not yet know if it's Cancer, but we are trusting in God that whatever the outcome of that is, we will fight and deal with it then. The location is also a positive. He said it's the best place to have an issue, because that part of your brain really doesn't control much of anything. And the tumor has already replaced parts of his brain so if he's lost anything, it is likely already gone.

Wednesday night was pretty much a fog. By Thursday morning it had sunk in a little more and we really struggled that day. First off, it's a hard phone call to make to a loved one. What do you say? Do you just blurt it out? Every person I called thought I had lost the baby, and my response left most people speechless.

So on Tuesday Lane will undergo an Craniotomy. It was hard to not think of the worst case scenario. On Friday we met with a sub pastor (ours is on vacation) and another gentleman. We took Communion, prayed, read scripture, and were annointed with oil. When Lane & I left there, we had such a sense of Peace. We are in God's Hands. We are trusting in Him to carry us through this and come out better people on the other side. We will be better spouses, parents, friends and Christians. Our Faith has been tested and so far I think we have stood strong with God as our Defender.

Please keep us in your prayers. I will update the blog just as soon as I can on Tuesday night and let everyone know the status.

If you have a moment please look up Psalm 91 in your Bible. We have read it multiple times and it will help us through.

My Miracle Child and the Angel Baby

2010-06-01T12:09:00.003-05:00

Well folks - I guess it's official. We are going to be a family of FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had our confirmation appointment this morning and things are looking good. I've officially dubbed this little guy or girl my Miracle Child. Here's the whole story:

On Wednesday, April 28th I had gotten up to get Kamden some juice out of the fridge and gagged. I thought it was a tad strange, as I was only 1 day late, to be gagging but didn't think much of it. The next day over my lunch I bought a pregnancy test and it was an instant positive!! I went home that weekend for my Godson's confirmation and told my parents the good news. Still, I couldn't get over that I felt nauseous and sick already so soon.

Now fast forward to Saturday, May 15th. We had a great day at home. That night Lane went to Prairie Meadows for CA's bachelor party. He hadn't been gone long and Kamden & I were sitting on the couch. It felt like a bubble popped in my tummy almost. All of a sudden I knew something was wrong. I looked down to see pants full of blood. Needless to say I freaked out. The call to Lane went something like this "Hello?" "YOU NEED TO COME HOME RIGHT NOW!!!!" Not the best way to start off a phone conversation!! I called my mom wondering what I was supposed to do and she told me to go to the ER. Now, this will put the pieces together any of you friends of ours who had missed calls but no voicemail from us - or for the poor guys at the Bach party wondering why Lane just bolted out of there. We were frantically trying to find a place for Kamden to go. Thankfully, our neighbors are awesome and said they would take him. I decided I should call first, and after I talked to the on call OB doc he said that since I wasn't having any pain that we didn't need to come to the hospital. He said to make a clinic appt for first thing Monday. So we waited.

On Monday we went in for an ultrasound. They could see pregnancy, but no baby. They decided blood work should give us the answer. So they took blood - that afternoon they called with my level. It was at 60,000. I didn't think much of it. I went back 48 hours later and they took blood again. My level had raised to 75,000. And my progesterone was at 18 (10 is normal/average/good). The nurse said I needed to come in again the next day for another ultrasound.

So that takes us to Thursday. We go in for another ultrasound. Basically thinking we'd had a miscarriage. And I had come to terms with it. I wasn't excited about it, but I figured that whatever happened was just fine. So the nurse came in and talked about my hormone levels. She mentioned that they were extermely high for us not being able to see anything on the ultrasound on Monday. The doc came in and we started. The tears for me had already begun to flow. And then he said "there it is, and there's a good heartbeat." Well, needless to say Mama lost it. The nurse was rubbing my arm and Lane was rubbing my shoulder while I sat there and sobbed saying "Thank you God. Thank you God. Thank you God!!" I guess you could say it was a pretty big moment in my life.

And then the doc said "oh, here's why your levels are so high. you have two sacs!" My head instantly came up off the table and I looked at Lane and said "don't throw up!!!" I knew what that meant....mostly because my girlfriend Sherri from high school just gave birth to twins and they were each in their own sac. I said, "is there a baby in there??" And the answer was no. So there we had our explanation. It's called VANISHING TWIN SYNDROME. Meaning that I carried twins up until about week 6 and the blood I had that one Saturday afternoon was me losing one of the babies. It sluffed out for about 3 weeks and is about done now. The doc said today that there was a little left when he did my exam, but not much.

So that's the story of my miracle child and the angel baby. I have had alot of emotions come through the past 3 weeks or so. Going from thinking I lost the baby, to pure joy knowing it was OK, and feeling sad for the one that didn't make it. So this is part of my healing process. To put this all down - the whole story - for everyone to know. I've come to accept that it's OK and I am SO thankful for the 1 baby. We saw the heartbeat today and also heard it. It was beautiful sound to a proud Mama's ears. And someday, when he/she gets older I will tell them about their brother or sister that left us. And that even though Mama didn't get to know that baby, that I still love it more than anything.

Lots of pictures

2010-05-25T21:15:00.003-05:00

This has probably been the longest I've gone without a blog update! Sheesh! Last week was pretty rough on the Smiths. I'll elaborate more another time. Mama is tired and ready for couch time :)

On Friday night Ryan, Arica, Landon & Lainey spent the night before heading to Uncle Andrew's graduation from Simpson. It was nice to have them and the kids did SO GREAT playing together!!

Aunt Arica & Kamden on the swings.

Lainey got a little risky on the slide!

Landon - he's officially a 1st grader now :)

Total BFF's.

All 3 monkeys.

The Waukee Fire Dept does training, etc on the street behind our house. While we were at the park they showed up and it.was.awesome!!!!!!

Mama, what's in there??

You made homemade blueberry muffins for me?? Don't tell Daddy, he'll eat them all!

It was hot on Sunday. And humid. Daddy had to mow. The Mama stayed in the house in the air - cuz that's what Mama's do best. It's okay, he was rewarded with the homemade blueberry muffins.

We got the sprinkler out for the Slam Man to enjoy in the heat.

He never really got too close - yet managed to get completely soaked.

Daddy & Kam surveying the sprinkler situation.

Time for a juice break after all that running.

Instead let's fill the dump truck up with water!

Great idea Dad!!!

And so it begins.....

2010-05-14T20:34:00.003-05:00

The note we got home from school today was scary yet refreshing:

Parents - we are going to begin potty training all of our Ladybug Friends. We will be rewarding them with M&M's as this has worked in the past. If you do not want us to begin potty training or the use of M&M's please let us know and we will find an alternative option for your child.

More power to you folks!!!! I wasn't going to start until he turned 2, but I also understand that they change daipers all day long and are probably sick of it!!

And then there it was: "Kamden pottied twice on the potty today."

When I picked him up I said "Did you use the big boy potty??? And he ran into the bathroom and said "Potty, yesh" and was quite pleased with himself.

He has never done that for me....and probably never will.

Guess I better go buy a potty sometime in the future.......

Catching Up

2010-05-10T20:11:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay. For an entire week I searched and searched for my camera and had no clue where it could be!! Well, I found it on Saturday in my diaper bag of all places!! Just in time, too, because we went to see Finley Hyde that morning and I really wanted a picture of that tiny little cutie!!!

Daddy has his gallbladder surgery last Wednesday and he's doing well. He's been "sponging" himself off and gets to take an actual shower for the first time tomorrow. Needless to say we're all looking forward to that! Good thing Mommy has no sense of smell :) hehehehe

Mother's Day was great. We had Chinese for lunch, which came with a nice red rose for Mom. The best part was that Kamden was hungry early so ate and went down for a nap before Daddy got home with it. So Mom & Dad got to eat a whole meal...in peace.....it was fabulous :)

Sometimes the best naps are taken with Mama.

Reading a book with Dad.

Finley Hyde. She's still pretty darn tiny!! But SUPER cute. I just wanted to snuggle her all day!! :)

This is from Confirmation last weekend. Can you believe that once upon a time these 3 little shiesters used to terrorize me?? I guess they're not so little anymore. And the young one pooed all over me when he was only 5 days old. Oh memories.

Bret with his sponsors, Rachel & Liz.

I'm a Ladybug!!

2010-05-04T11:09:00.003-05:00

Sorry I don't have any new photos to post. Last week and weekend was a little hectic as Mom & Kamden went to NW Iowa for my Godson Bret's confirmation.

Yesterday, Kamden moved up to the Ladybug Room!!!! What a big boy. He got to play in there a little bit the week before and the teachers said he did really well. They have a similar schedule to his old room, except their lessons are longer and a little more detailed. They do more kinds of crafts - he will now be introduced to GLUE!!! Eeck!!! And the best part - the spend ALOT of time outside. Yesterday they were outside for 1 1/2 hrs in the morning and then from 3:00 until pick up time (which, for Kamden, is about 2 1/2 hours!). Of course, we've been having a few meltdowns at home because of being SO overtired. He just plays so hard with those big kids that it wipes him out.

Oh - and maybe the 2nd BEST part of the room. There's a potty and they work on potty training. HOORAY. I suppose it will help for him to watch how the big kids use the potty and not diapers. I've decided to not even attempt to sit him on a potty until after he's two, but at least it's reassuring to know that they will continue to work with him during the weekdays!!

So that's all that's new in our world. Daddy is having his gallbladder surgery tomorrow, so say a prayer that all goes as planned :)

Girls, Girls, Girls!!!

2010-04-26T20:33:00.005-05:00

A whole new crop of young ladies blessed us with their presence last week. On Tuesday night...Hazel Luella Dillavou made her appearance. You've seen pics on the blog before of her big brother, Gus. Then Taylor Ann Engels suprised everyone by arriving a whole month early. Last we heard she was still in the NICU, but doing fantastic!! Her Mom & Dad are Marc & Lynsey. And then, on Thursday Mama's phone beeped at work and I sure was not expecting to see that Finley Marie Hyde had ALSO arrived about 5 weeks early!! She was only 4lbs 15 oz and also in the NICU. Her Mom & Dad are Jack & Jenn. They got to come home on Saturday and we're super excited to visit them soon!!!

Whew!! So we felt it was only fitting to go to Perry on Saturday to visit Hadley Millang!!!! It's hard to remember that they are so small at first!!

Here's Lane holding Hadley.

Proud Mama Ashlyn & Hadley.

Adam, doing what he does best, entertaining Kamden.

SO tired after school some days!!

I think it really brings out the creative juices in this position!!

Re-arranging the pots & pans for Mom.

What have you been up to???

2010-04-19T20:54:00.003-05:00

It's the dreaded question. When you run into someone you haven't seen in years. What have you been up to?? Seriously?? Do you really want to know?? Well, you asked....so here it is.

Last week Joe Mauer stopped by. Yup, he came to our house. He signed autographs and we played a little catch in the back yard. Then, he grabbed his blanky and went to build a tower?? Wait...what?? I could've swore that was the REAL Joe Mauer....

So I've never had this urge. This urge that when I get home from school I can't take it. I can't even wait to get my coat off. I just need the good stuff. I need the good stuff RIGHT NOW.

I need the Peach flavor so badly, that I'll risk missing my mouth to get it all over my face. I just need the Peach, mom.

And then it really gets me. It gets me deep in my bones. That I just have to lie down and give in to the urge. Because HyVee Peach yogurt has that effect on me!!

The Peachy-ness is just.so.delicious.

So Daddy kept busy with many outdoor activities this weekend. Here he is right after planting new bushes and a new cute little tree on the corner of the landscaping. Mostly because Iowa winters are the devil and have killed our other bushes. Oh...and if you'd like to see the "mall" in our backyard...just look past Daddy. See it?? I call it the mall, but it's a school. Holy Moses it's huge. In reality...this picture only shows about 1/2 of it. Someday I'll try to get a picture straight on. Because it really is beautiful.

The lilies are just starting to come through the dirt and my favorite time of year is upon us....when the FLOCKS blume!!

Now, do you remember when we were little and we would really think that when we got older life was going to be just like the movies?? That Brad Pitt was going to come over the horizon riding this magnificent horse, and then he would whisk you away. And together you would go live in the mountains and life would just be magical?? Well guess what - that's crap - because no matter where you live or how totally awesome your life is....you will probably get MICE IN YOUR GARAGE!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, like "I see your nest" and "I hear you scurry when I open the door you wretched little vermin" G.R.O.S.S There have been 3 casualties of this war. I swear if they get into my house I will probably sleep in my office.

This is a cast iron skillet. It's sitting on top of our fish cooker in the garage on a super windy day. Why? You may ask...

Because Friday night Daddy made BLACKENED FISH and it was maybe the best thing - ever. To the point where I'm already starting to plan when we can have it again. It was heavenly :)

Mom of the Year!!!!

2010-04-14T08:46:00.002-05:00

Okay, not really. Since this is my "baby book" I need to document our morning activities today. We have been at home the past 2 days because on Sunday night Kamden woke up with a very barky cough. Turns out he had the start of Croup so we had 2 days of Oral Prednisone and couldn't go to school. Now - mom and dad both have sore throats and are achy. Which means we have caught his virus and probably won't get Croup - but just feel like crap for 3 or 4 days. Ugh.

So this morning we get to school just like every other day. I shut the car off, hop out and go to open the back door to get Kamden out. Click - locked. Total panic ran through my entire body. I tried every door - looked inside at the keys in the ignition and my purse in the front seat. GREAT!!! I ran inside that thankfully Brittney, one of the directors, ensured me that this happens "all the time" (I highly doubt that!) Still, we tried to call a locksmith but no one answered. I started to freak out and called the Waukee police. Well, the daycare address is technically Clive so they couldn't help me. I had to call the Clive police. They sent someone right away...but their located on 86th & University which is super far away from daycare - and with rush our traffic, it took forever!! To the point where I called them AGAIN to tell them to hurry! She showed up and tried to get him out - no luck. Too new of a vehicle which is harder to get into than older cars. GREAT AGIAN!!!! So we called a locksmith - they could be there in 15 minutes. In the meantime, Rachel from the baby room was entertaining Kamden with a lively game of Peek-a-boo. He was just hanging out, smiley and waving whenever he saw me! Then another Clive cop pulled up and had a different tool. Since the keys were in the ignition he couldn't push the button to unlock (damn new cars with their security!!!). So he got a different tool, jammed it into the side of my car and was able to click the manual lock!!! WAHHOOOO!!! By this time, Kamden was screaming. I dont' think he liked the police officers too much!!

Hugging me tight as ever - we went into school. Usually we eat at home, but since he's been home with us for 2 days I figured drop off would be tougher, and it helps if he's occupied eating breakfest. Poor kid was starving! I said "do you want breakfast?" and he nodded and said "Yes, eat peez!!!" He sat down to eat and was smiling and laughing with his friends when I left.

Good grief - I was only 25 minutes late to work and my nerves are about shot. My adreniline was pumping so fast I probably could have broken a window with my finger!! Funny how your instincts kick in when your child is "in trouble." Even though he was fine and safe the whole time - I was still on pins and needles.

If he was old enough to ask for a pony today, he probably would've gotten one!!! haha :)

Showers, Fishing, & Parks, Oh My!

2010-04-12T21:19:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to Rockford for Valerie Dingel's baby shower. Mommy helped plan it so the weekend was busy, busy!!! While Mom was packing up the car with food to take to the Country Club....Daddy was getting ready for a day on the river with Ryan Paulus. Here they are right before they ventured out!!

Some of these are a little random & out of order....but Kamden didn't go to bed til 9:15 tonight so I'm hurrying to get a little quiet couch time!!

No pants - wearing Mama's shoes - on the wrong feet no less.

Check out my cool wheels :)

Walking with Grandma over to see the "BIG TRUCK" I think we heard those 2 words about a hundred times on the drive up!! :)

This is what you get when you say "say cheese"

Whoa!! Good thing Grandma is there to catch me!!!!

Mama & Kamden just swingin.

Party at the City Park!!

2010-04-05T21:15:00.004-05:00

Sorry this is out of order. I was about to publish and realized this picture wasn't included. I just had to add it. Kamden is in his diaper and they're eating pears!!!

Last weekend we ventured to Paullina to have an 80th birthday party for Great Grandpa Gene. It was a great turnout and awesome to see all the family. Since the stinkin' snowstorm prevented us from having Christmas together this year - we decided a birthday party was a great excuse to get together :)

Kamden got to go to the park on Thursday night before we left for almost 2 hours. Up the steps, down the slide. Over and over and over. Mommy didn't even have to move - just catch him at the bottom!!! We then went to the city park in Paullina on Friday afternoon and then twice on Saturday!!! I'd say we are parked out for awhile - well, probably not :) Kamden sure does love the slide!!

Doing a little light reading on the drive there.

First trip down the Whirly Swirly Slide with Gpa Freddie - they had a rough ending...

Next time - I think I'll just dive down head first!!

And then I'll take a turn on this boring 'normal' slide.

"Dog" "Dog" was our request for an "underdog" from Daddy!

Even the big boys had to play on the cool equipment!

Happy 80th Birthday Great Grandpa Gene!!!

Here are the two "babies" of the family- Brooke and Scott....who are now old enough to drink beer while they color!!!

On a side note - a great big CONGRATULATIONS to our friends Adam & Ashlyn Millang who had their baby girl, Hadley Elizabeth. We are so happy for you guys and cannot wait to meet her!!! Although Kamden might be jealous if Adam doesn't give him all his attention now... :)

Busy Busy Little Bees!

2010-04-01T09:58:00.003-05:00

So - I have no photos to load. Sorry. We've been so occupied with playing outside lately that I just haven't gotten any. And I refuse to be the person that doesn't get to enjoy playing with my child because I need to be taking pictures. SO - hopefully we'll get some good ones this weekend!!!

We've had a ba-zillion things going on - which is just the way we roll. When there's nothing going on I seem to create things to BE going on. I guess it's just in my nature. There's always work to be done or things to do!!! Kamden has been saying so many new words. Some he tries to say on his own and then we have to help him and he just butchers it. A motorcyle went by the other day and then last night he heard one and said "be-mo-mytl" As his Mother I knew exactly what he was trying to say, but any random person I'm sure would think it was just jibberish!!!

SO that's about all I got. We have an 80th birthday party in Paullina this weekend, a baby shower next weekend, Mommy is planning a party at work for our Salesperson of the Year. I had an interior decorator come last week and we picked out paint for the ENTIRE main floor. Yippee!!!!! Now, time to paint....hmm....we'll have to work on that one!!

Daddy met with a surgeon yesterday and there are going to do more blood work before taking his gallbladder. So we'll wait and see on that. He now has a JOB which we are very thankful for. Of all people, we know not to take that for granted :)

Kamden's sleeping has been better the past 2 nights. We went through an "I hate sleep" phase which was horrible. Well, it really wasnt' that bad, but when you're used to full nights sleep for so long it really wears on you after a couple days!!

Happy Easter to everyone - be safe in your travels :)

Out, Mama

2010-03-25T20:16:00.003-05:00

We've heard those 2 words alot lately. The weather has been so nice that we've really been able to spend time each day outside!! Even on the days it's been a little chilly we still put on winter coats and hats and go for a short walk around the neighborhood. The fresh air has been wonderful! One night we even stopped at the park - and realized how hard it will be this summer to LEAVE the park. I had to carry Kamden the whole way home and then he threw a good 20 minute kicking and screaming fit when we came into the house!!! I don't blame him - we've been cooped up in here for TOO many months!!!

Last weekend we went to Rockford to Suprise Grandma Smith for her 50th birthday. I'd say she was PRETTY suprised - by all the kids being there, and then the party that night at the Country Club!!!

This week has gone by quickly. We've been busy getting home each night - wolfing down a quick supper and heading outside. One night Mommy & Kamden stayed out until almost dark. It was fabulous :) Makes me super excited for summer!!!!!

Busy artist at work.

I think Dad needs my help!!

Here Mom, please hold my chalk while I help Daddy work.

Kickball time!

Mama & Kamden

Happy Easter!! A new book came in the mail from Aunt Arica. She really picks out the best Elmo books :)

Conversation with Kamden

2010-03-18T08:59:00.002-05:00

In the car on the way to school today:

Mom: Kamden, who's on your shirt??
Kamden: ELMO!! (thanks aunt arica!)
Mom: What does Elmo say??
Kamden: ha ha ha ha
Mom: Do you love Elmo?
Kamden: Yesh
Mom: Kamden, where's Elmo at?
Kamden: I...'shit' (as he points to his shirt!)
Mom: That's your shiRt. Can you say shiRt?
Kamden: 'shit'

close enough!
Giggle!!! :)

Not much is new

2010-03-15T20:53:00.003-05:00

Thankfully, we've had a pretty uneventful few days!! Kamden had a doctor trip last week to get some Zithromax for a chest cough and the start of an ear infection. But I believe we're on the mend!! Daddy came home from his fishing trip safely which we were thankful for. The weekend was spent cleaning, playing, and napping!!! It's nice that the weather is starting to warm up. The wind was a little chilly yet this weekend for Kamden to play outside since we have no trees or protection around our house!! Hopefully soon though :)

I don't even really have new pictures to share - awful of me, I know. But here's Kamden playing with our old camera. He thinks he's taking a picture of himself here saying "cheese"

Wearing Mommy's scarf - he was not pleased!!!

What do March Showers Bring???

2010-03-11T13:19:00.002-06:00

Driving back from lunch today I looked around and realized how much snow has left us in the past few days!! It's just amazing to me. It's been in the upper 40's (yesterday hit 50) and according to the news we've had 1.36 inches of rain recently. So I started thinking to myself....

"March showers bring April flowers...." - wait - that's not right. It's "APRIL showers bring MAY flowers" so what the heck do March showers bring????

And then I drove over the Raccoon river and got my answer.

Floods!!!

So many options.....

2010-03-07T13:04:00.004-06:00

I could have titled this post so many things......

1. Spring has Sprung!! Maybe??? The weather is slowly but surely warming up. Des Moines is expected to be in the mid 40s every day next week. It's supposed to rain most of those days...but that's OK. It makes it feel a little more like spring. Lately mommy has been dreaming of playing outside and planting flowers and spring cleaning the house and oh, so many more things. Normally winter doesn't bother me, but this year really sucked!!!!

2. You & Me Go Fishin' in the Dark..... Well, or maybe just Lake of the Woods. Daddy is up North for a few days fishing with Grandpa & Uncle Darwin & Denny Dingel. Before he left he had two very promising interviews.

3. Oink Oink goes the piggy.... Kamden has been on a rampage lately - and Mommy's grocery bill is out of control. ha ha The kid just never stops eating. Last night he ate his entire supper + an extra helping of both his fruit and vegetable. Then about 45 minutes later he's standing in front of the refrigerator doing the sign for "eat" and saying "eat, peeez." Good grief. So he ate an entire container of yogurt and 4 multi-grain crackers. Holy Moses kid. At this rate you're going to be ginormous!!

4. And the Oscar goes to...... Yup! Tonight is Oscar night. After Kamden goes to bed I've got a small box of wine (yes you read that correctly) with my name on it and I bought a special snack today at HyVee. In advance - NO, I'm not pregnant - I just like it. It's sour cream & cheddar Baked Lays and I dip them in coleslaw :) DELICIOUS!!!!

5. And lastly.....God's plans.....Lately we have been doing much less worrying because we know whatever God's plan is for us we'll be just fine. The reason we know this is because of all the signs. Remember in the movie "Signs" why the little girl left the water all over??? Well, here's our signs. I've always wondered why I cannot smell. I mean seriously - what a strange thing, right??? Enter my boys. Between the two of them the amount of gas in this house is unreal. And therefore, Mommy is blessed to not have a sense of smell. The other came to me this morning. Growing up in the Lutheran Church and going to Lutheran School we LOVED to memorize things. And now I know why - because when you are alone in church with your 19 month old, you simply cannot wrangle him and hold the hymnal at the same time. I don't need the hymnal because I know the entire service by heart. It doesn't matter if we say the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed. Or if we sing the song for communion or not. I know them all. And now I know why!! :)

OK, I wrote a book. But in my defense, it's lonely here when Kamden is sleeping and Daddy is gone!! :)

Sometimes we can't even get the coat off before Seseme Street comes on and cuddle time...

Changing Mom's radio stations....grrrrr

Diaper time on the couch.

A small fit before school. It only lasted about 15 seconds and back to smiles :)

What a fun weekend!!

2010-03-01T20:40:00.004-06:00

We had such a good weekend! On Friday night Mommy's friend Jenni from work came over to babysit Kamden. Mom & Dad went downtown to help suprise our friend Lisa for her 30th birthday. She had NO idea that about 40 people were waiting for her at Johnny's!!!!

On Saturday Lisa had already had another birthday party planned. Josh & Traci came up from Kansas City for that one. On Saturday night while Josh, Traci and Dad went to the party Mom stayed home with Gus & Kamden. YIKES!!! I was a little nervous about bedtime, but the boys were SO GOOD that it was a breeze. :) They played so well together and both did a good job at sharing toys!! I wish I had an extra hand to take more pictures and tape them both dancing because it was a hoot.

On Sunday we were super lazy and all took naps in the afternoon!! I think Kamden hit a growth spurt because the kid ate 2 helpings of food at meals and slept like a champ this weekend. I'll take it for as long as I get it!!!!!

We were excited to hear from Gma Dana & Gpa Freddie that their suprise trip to Lake Havasu for GGPa Schuknecht's 80th birthday was a success!!!! Now we have only a month to wait for them to come home to have another party in Paullina!!! Wahoo :)

In World News - we said a little 'thank you' prayer on Saturday that Mom's cousin Brooke was home safe from Chile before the earthquake and tsunami hit. Her friends are all safe and we are thankful for them, too.

SUPRISE!!!!

I think her exact words were "oh shit, we're not just going to have one beer and go home, are we!" ha ha

Here Gus, you push this button and the music plays. And then they both would dance and slap their knee. Adorable.

I'm not so sure it's OK for you to play with my fish magnets, but my Mommy says it is.

Best seat in the house!

Milk and Vanilla wafer before bedtime.

This was from last Monday. We had breakfast at Perkins before G&G headed back home. And apparently a cookie for dessert!

YUMMY!

Two tickets to Paradise.....

2010-02-22T20:21:00.003-06:00

Well, we're back. It's cold. There's 5 feet of snow still on the ground. Crap.

We had a great time in the Florida Keys. Super pretty. The weather wasn't hot, but it sure beat here!! We went fishing and got a couples massage one day. Friday it was cloudy so we drove down to Key West to check it out. Saturday was about 75 and sunny so we got to enjoy the pool and just soaked up the sun!!!

We sure missed our little baby Kam, but he had SO MUCH FUN in Rockford for a few days, and then back home to hang with Gma Dana and Gpa Freddie until this morning!!!!

So here are just a few of the pictures from our trip. This Mama has got an US Weekly and a recliner calling my name :)

Driving from Miami to Duck Key.

Mommy even fished!! In our 4 hour trip though Lane fished the first 3.5 hours and I did the rest!! haha

My fish.

Lane's fish.

Another kind of fish.

Hawks Cay resort.

The front of our Villa.

Me at this cool restarant in Islamorada on the way back to Miami.

Lane at MM 0 in Key West.

More of the resort.

Lane & Rachel - the first night we got there

SOooooo Big!

2010-02-15T14:26:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday Kamden had his 18 month well check. Here's the stats:

Weight = 25 pounds (39%)

Height = 35 inches (99%)

Head = 48.25 cm (59%)

As of right now he is LONG and LEAN!!! :) He's doing all the things he needs to at 18 months and then some. So that's good!! After he got his shot he shook his finger at the nurse and said "no! no!" scolding her!! It was pretty cute!!

We had a nice relaxing weekend and are home today because of Presidents Day. Only 1 more day of work and then we are off to the Florida Keys!!! Wahoo :) It'll probably be awhile before my next post. Once we get home and caught up and get the pictures downloaded I'll be sure to update. Here's a few pics of the big boy to tide you by.

Officially out of the high chair and into the booster seat. I HIGHLY recommend the Cooshee brand seat. Kind of pricey, but totally worth it!!!

Watchin' Seseme Street after school while Mommy makes supper!

The "sunday night load"

2010-02-07T20:31:00.003-06:00

You know the weekend is officialy over when the "sunday night load" goes in. I'm probably the only person who does this. After a weekend of doing load after load of laundry and cleaning the house - which, by the way, now takes ALL weekend during naps and after bedtime to get done. I remember when cleaning the house meant two hours on Saturday morning and then done. Now it's clean a little here, clean a little there, scrub the bathrooms at 9:00pm on Saturday night (woo hoo) and then there's the Sunday night load. After Kamden goes to bed it's the remaining hodge podge dirty clothes, towels, and cleaning rags used over the weekend. It's always the last thing I do before sitting down to enjoy my few minutes of relaxation for the night!!

Kamden was such a good, happy boy this weekend. Today him & I went and got his hair cut and then walked around Target for awhile. Kamden said 'hi' and 'bye' to lots of random people and blew kisses to them!!! On Saturday afternoon Ryan, Arica, Landon & Lainey stopped on their way to Indianola. Even that night after they left Kamden would point to Landon & Lainey's picture on the fridge and then go to the door and say "bye" and blow a kiss!!!

This is the last full week before vacation. WAHOO!!! Sunshine & warmth for a few days is going to be fabulous :)

I can't get it to work...but I have a super cute video of these pictures below. Daddy was trying to enjoy a yummy yogurt...but he had a little 'helper' to get it all finished!!!

February already?!?!

2010-02-01T21:03:00.004-06:00

Hard to believe another month has come and gone. And now is the 'short' month that hopefully will lead us into warmer weather and sunny spring days. I can't wait to play outside this spring and summer with Kamden!! We are tired of being cooped up inside the house.

This past weekend we went to Rockford for Dan & Abby Engels' reception. We had a great time and it was nice to see lots of people we haven't seen for awhile!!

Hopefully this week/weekend will be boring and uneventful. Kamden is getting 2 more teeth so he's had a few rough nights....but anymore I'm used to it and actually surprised when we sleep one all the way through!! He's getting more and more vocal and attempting to say lots of words. You can only make out what a few of them are - but I think he knows what he's trying to say!! He's been very happy lately which has been a blast. Laughing and Playing and running and just going crazy tackling Daddy!!! On Sunday he stood on a chair in the kitchen while I was making muffins and stirred in all the ingredients for me. He would stir about 5 times and then giggle. Stir and then giggle.

We call this the "howling at the moon" sleep move.

All clean and dressed up for the reception.

We had the big stroller in the car and took it out before we left. Kamden was so confused why it was in the living room folded up. So he just crawled on in.

Playing PEEK A BOO at the reception with Laura!!

Favorite spot of all time.

"Cooking" with Mommy.

Great Final Words.....

2010-01-26T09:05:00.003-06:00

I've never been a fan of late night TV - mostly because I can't stay awake to watch it. But I heard this on the radio this morning as Conan bid his farewell to NBC. Kind of fits perfectly with "Team Smith" right now :)

"All I ask of you, especially young people...is one thing. Please don't be cynical," O'Brien said. "I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."

Right on.

In a Blizzard....

2010-01-25T20:05:00.003-06:00

Thought I'd post some pics for all to enjoy. Once again we're cuddled up in the house watching the snow and wind whip through the neighborhood. The drifts are just amazing and we can't even see the school behind our house. Mother Nature must have permanent PMS this winter!!

Kamden & his BFF Lisa at Dinner Club.

Eating blueberry muffins with Daddy.

YUM

That Daddy is so silly!

"Hey guys, I'll cook dinner for you tonight!!! What should we have?? How about pancakes, cereal, ketchup, pizza crust and baked beans???"

The only way to go is up....

2010-01-18T20:27:00.003-06:00

Well, I spoke too soon after my last post. Let's see - that was Monday. On Tuesday Mama woke up with the flu. I thought I could make it to work and even managed to get myself ready and then just couldn't make it. Then at 10:30 my phone rang - it was school. Kamden had a fever of 102. So Daddy went and got him and brought him home. I stayed in bed and slept. Thankfully the next morning I felt better. Not great - but I could function. Kamden still had a fever. So Mama went to work at 7am so I could get home by 11:30 so that Daddy could go to work for the afternoon. On Thursday morning it was time to go see the doc. Kamden coughed like a "pack-a-day smoker." Amoxicillan and Oral Prednisone it is!!! We are now starting to think Kamden has inherited by allergies. About every 4 weeks he gets sick and it ends with a chesty cough.

Top Mommies sickness with a sick baby who - though it's quite early - is in the beginning stages of the terrible two's. It was a BAD week. We haven't had a rough one like that for awhile. So the only way to go - is UP!!! It started this weekend. We got to hang out at home. We ALL took a 2 1/2 hour nap on Saturday. We ran errands and bought a heater for the basement as well as a chest freezer!!! It sure does feel homey in the basement now :) Mom & Dad have decided we're taking a vacation before race season starts. And with Kamden feeling better, he has been ALOT happier the past couple days!!!

For those wondering....this is what a room looks like at the end of the day with a 17 month old. If you look closely - you can see the little slam man amongst the mess!!

Posing after church in his super cool vest.

Watching You Tube. Andrea Bochelli is singing Elmo to sleep.

Daddy being silly with Kamden's blankie.

"Throw the balls at me!!" THROW THEM!!!

Your turn Daddy!!

After a long day of playing with his friends and throwing balls at Daddy. So cute!!!

Go Hawks!!

2010-01-11T19:47:00.003-06:00

After learning that Mediacom struck a deal to keep FOX a little longer....we decided to have a last minute party for the Orange Bowl. I think we ended up with about 11 people - so not bad given a days notice!!! We ordered pizza and cheered the Hawks to their victory over Georgia Tech!!! Kamden did a great job playing with Preston and sharing toys. I think he likes having someone to play with at home besides boring old Mom & Dad!!!

On Friday night Mommy got to go out with some girls for awhile after work. Those times are few and far between anymore and I had a great time!!! On Saturday Daddy took off to head up North for Dan's bachelor party. Kamden & I just hung out at home. He was such a good boy!!! About 9:15 I went to check on him and he was completely covered in vomit. Head to toe. And his entire bed. I got everything cleaned up and his jammies changed, and all the puke out of his hair and got him back in bed. I went to wash all the puke chunks out of his clothes and sheet and heard him cough. Round two soaked the sheets (again) and this time the mattress pad. SO Mommy got smart and got a container. We went to the living room floor and I made a little nest for us to sleep in. We would doze off and about every 15-20 minutes I would wake up and catch puke. Awesome!!! Thankfully it only lasted a couple hours and was over. We slept on the floor til about 3am and then I woke up and we crawled into bed. We slept til 7:30!!!! It was fabulous. After Daddy got home Sunday we just layed around and got to take a little nap!! Kamden was fine all day and ate like a champ. Must have just been a quick flu bug!

I don't have many pictures because my battery died on Tuesday night and I didn't get around to charging it til Sunday. Here's the first attempt to get a picture of the boys....

Here's the 2nd attempt.....and then the camera died. If you click on Scott & Amanda's website on the left side of this page you can see the good pics she got!!!

Sittin' in the dump truck - eating snack and drinking milk :)

Round TWO

2010-01-04T21:52:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we had our postponed Schuknecht Christmas. It was nice to not have to worry about blizzards or blowing snow. This time we just had to worry about the -28 degree temps. YIKES!!! That is some cold weather. I've officially begun my countdown to spring.

We had a great time this weekend - especially Kamden. It's so fun to watch him interact and play with Landon & Lainey now. Talk about the 3 amigos who love to run and jump and yell and scream and tackle Grandpa Freddie. I think if Lainey would jump off a cliff, Kamden would gladly follow. They are like two peas in one cute stinkin' pod :)

On Friday night Great Gma & Gpa Magnussen came over for supper. THANK YOU for the Christmas money, and also for Kamden's fantastic new outfits. They will be so warm and cozy this cold winter!!

This week is back to reality. The fact that we have to actually work 5 days seems almost silly!! It's been so long. I suppose it'll be nice to get back into a routine again. These winter months after the Holidays are always a tad slower (knock on wood) so it's a nice break. Daddy needs to get all rested up - race season starts again soon!!!

Grandma Dana & Kamden before church.

My mom made each one of these....by hand. Pretty impressive!!!

The ties that bond. These two will forever have a bond of angels. And Gma got Kamden is very own. Tonight he tried to feed it a cracker. Nice.

Mom - look at my new blocks!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know things are messy right now because 9 people are opening gifts....but I think I'll just take all my new blocks out of the container. Ok? Thanks.

Lainey and her daddy rocking out with her Barbie guitar!

THANK YOU Great Gma & Gpa Schuknecht for my Elmo mailbox and shirt. They left for Arizona and we missed them b/c of the snow storm!! See you in the spring :)

Gpa Freddie playing a tune.

Time to color.