WHAT A MERRY CHRISTMAS......

We had a wonderful Christmas! Christmas Eve is always our big celebration and it was just as wonderful as always. We went to Christmas Eve services, ate way too much food and opened gifts. The kids are so fun to watch. We all were so happy with our gifts but this year my sisters and I actually got great gifts for our parents. We hardly ever are able to find perfect gifts for them but this year we did so it was awesome. Steph and Karli also gave Sherri and I an awesome gift. We had gotten each of them a "sister's" gift for their graduations. We got Steph a bracelet and Karli a necklace. Well this year they got Sherri and I a sister's bracelet. It is beautiful!

Anyway, we had a great time and then yesterday we went over to Sherri's house for Christmas dinner and some card playing. Raelynn and Chandler made a Ginger Bread House which was really messy but I think they had fun. My Aunt Barbara was suppose to be there as well but didn't make it due to the weather. Hopefully we will be able to see her before we leave.

Today is just a day of relaxation before we head back home tomorrow. With all the fun and excitement behind us we will be happy to get back to a normal routine.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

FUN START TO CHRISTMAS.......

Well let's see.......last weekend was filled with fun. Saturday the kids and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and finished up our Christmas shopping,wrapping and baking. Then Sunday after church we went to our friend's Jill's Sprinkle Party. Jill actually has moved to Wisconsin but came back to host her annual party. The kids all bring sprinkles and then decorate sugar cookies. Raelynn and Cooper had a great time and it was fun to see Jill again. She has not changed at all! She is crazy as ever! Then it was off to Popo's for a little pre Christmas celebration. We ate and sang Christmas carols. We finally made it hope late Sunday. Monday was back to work. Dad called and said there was a storm moving in to Western Kansas and we should consider leaving Tuesday instead of Wednesday night. Well that just set the tone for the week. Terry had been trying to finish a carpet job and had work into the early hours of morning all last week and now he was trying to get everything caught up and done before we left Wednesday. So needless to say when I called him to tell him what Dad was advising he was less than excited. He was a champ though and we started getting ready. Dad kept us posted and we did end up leaving last night after work. We stopped in Abilene to pick up my niece's that had been with their Dad. We had a packed car load but it was all going great. We were just cruising along. It was misting/raining and foggy but seemed ok. The next thing we knew we hit black ice. It was the scariest thing ever. I have no idea how Terry managed to not roll the truck but we went from side to side, hit the ditch and then to the center median. It was terrifying! That is the worst "accident" I have ever been in fortunately. Anyway, everyone was fine. The funny part was Raelynn never woke up and Cooper never quit watching his DVD. We were thrown a little side to side and Coop just held tight to his movie and never looked up. Cassidy, Chandler and Terry and I were scared though. When we went of the road we hit a reflector so the front driver side of the truck is a little beat up but we have not taken the truck in yet to have it looked over. Anyway, the rest of the way home, about 75 miles, we drove 30 to 50 mph. It took us over 7 hours to get here. It was a very long trip but I am just so glad we made it.

So that is the exciting start to our holiday! I can't wait to see what the rest will hold!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!

HOLIDAY MADNESS......

The holiday madness has really set in around our house. I don't remember it being this crazy last year but I am sure it was. First I want to say Congrats to our friends Kelly, Brett and Kaden Ballard for the arrival of their newest additions, Brooks Ballard. How cute is that! Brooks arrived 4 weeks early but is doing great. The kids and I got the privilege to visit them last night and Brooks along with the rest of his family look beautiful. We are so happy for them all. Tonight was Raelynn's Christmas program at preschool which was great. The kids are so cute and I love how excited they get. Last weekend when we were back in Scott City for my uncle's funeral, my Mom introduced Cooper to a keyboard. So below are videos of both our kids musical talents. Unfortunately I think Coop is one up on his sis! :)


Also we were taking pics before the program. After I took a few of Raelynn and Coop, Raelynn wanted to take some. Look what a great photographer she is.

FUNNY TO EXCITEMENT TO SADNESS......

We had it all today; funny, excitement, sadness. I will start with the good stuff first.

Funny Story #1: So Raelynn asks me, "Mom am I going to get gas in my stocking?"
"What?!" I reply.
"Have I been good this year or am I going to get gas in my stocking?"
"Well honey, you have been good for the most part so I don't think you will get gas in your stocking but who told you you would get gas in your stocking if you were bad?"
"Paige's Mom told her if your bad you get gas in your stocking and when her Mom was a little girl she got gas in her stocking one time and I don't want gas in my stocking...did you get gas in your stocking when you were a little girl?"
By this time I am cracking up. "No honey", I reply, "and I have never heard of anyone getting gas in there stocking, maybe coal but not gas."
"YEAH, THAT'S WHAT SHE GOT, COAL IN HER STOCKING!"
I have no idea how she knew coal had anything to do with fuel to confuse coal and gas but I guess she did. Needless to say we got things all cleared up and she is now going to continue to be good until Christmas so she does not get "coal" in her stocking. So as if that wasn't funny enough, she also proceeds to tell me to please not tell Santa how ornery Cooper is because she doesn't want Cooper to get coal in his stalking either. She is always looking out for him :)

Funny Story #2: I pick Raelynn up from school and she is telling me something her teacher said that was really nice. I say, "well that is sweet, Mrs. L seems very sweet." Raelynn responds, "she is but when the kids are not being so good she can really get her mood up!" I don't know where this girl gets her phrases but if you knew Mrs L who is this awesome German lady, you just can't help but laugh!

On to the excitement.....the Foundation opened up the application process on November 15th and it closes on December 15th. This is a huge deal because this is what we have all been waiting for. I cannot even tell you what a huge deal it will be to select and give to this first family. Up until today we had received no applications. I was getting very nervous because it is hard to get the word out that we are accepting applications and I just couldn't imagine having to go another year before providing assistance to someone in need. However, today that all changed. We started receiving applications!!! Yeah!!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I cannot wait to see who the panel selects.

Now for the sadness........My Uncle Wayne passed away today. This is one of my Mom's brothers and the first sibling to die. My heart goes out to my Grandma. Never should a parent outlive their child. I cannot imagine the pain she feels. I also feel for my Mom and her other brothers and sisters. I don't know what I would do if I lost one of my sisters. Death is so unfair really. To those that die,for the most part, are finally free and are eternally happy but those of us left behind are so selfishly sad. We can't help it but wouldn't it be nice if we could just be happy for them? I guess it is just like when Raelynn left this summer to go visit Grandma. I cried most of the time she was gone. I knew she was having a wonderful time but I missed her and I was sad for me not her. So we will all be sad for ourselves but in the back of my mind I am smiling because I know my Uncle Wayne feels something so wonderful that we cannot even begin to grasp the extraordinary calmness and serenity upon him.

I love you Mom and Grandma and Aunt Ann and all of you. I am so sorry Uncle Wayne is gone, but please smile somewhere in side of yourselves because we all know he is smiling bigger than he has ever smiled before.

MY DAY WITH COOPER........

Yesterday was quite the day with Coop. We have been having a little trouble in the last couple weeks with his circulation and color. This is nothing uncommon when he gets cold so we have just been going along as usual. He will quite often turn purple on his hands and lips but that is that. Recently however, when his hands have been purple he holds them out to me and says, "Mommy owie(ouchie)". This has worried me a little but I was still just monitoring it. Then the past two days we have had some episodes of rapid breathing, shaking and he has not been sleeping well. So yesterday morning I decided it was time for a call to the pediatrician. As I assumed he wanted to see him so we headed in for a visit. The good news is Coop's heart has not changed and he is not sick with a flu or cold. This is what we believe is going on.....

Cooper has no tolerance for heat or the cold as most of our bodies do. The slightest of temperature change can make him extremely cold or extremely hot. Therefore, with the cold weather his body temperature is falling quickly at times. His circulation is very poor because his veins are extremely restricted and therefore the blood flow to his extremities is limited causing his hands and feet to be purple and them to hurt. They described it to me like when your foot falls asleep hard and it tingles and hurts like hundreds of needles sticking you; that is what he is feeling. This can be treated with medication to open up the veins however the fact that Coop's veins are restricted is the only thing keeping him alive right now. Because they are restricted the majority of his oxygenated blood is flowing to his vital organs and less to his extremities. If we open them up and the blood flows freely throughout the body his there will not be enough rich oxygenated blood going to his vital organs and therefore he would die. So obviously treating the restriction in the veins is not an option. We will hear from Cardiology today but I am expecting that they will agree with our pediatrician and we will just wait it out. If Coop can handle the pain, we will be just fine but if the pain becomes too great then we may have to proceed with his next corrective surgery earlier than we would like. The other thing to consider is that he may not be in any more discomfort than he ever has been but he is just finally able to communicate it with us.

Every day I learn something new with Coop's condition and I find it to be so amazingly interesting. It seems there is always a new twist or situation to consider. Right now I know that Coop is not is extreme discomfort or anything so it does not bother me and I know he is fine. However, if it gets to the point of him being in tears over the pain I will not be able to let him stay that way. We just don't want him to enter into surgery during the flu and cold season but he has been there before. Coop's heart condition only occurs in less than 1% of all congenital heart defects. It is very rare and only until recently have they been able to treat it. I think every day he lives he gives another little baby a greater chance of making it as well. What a strong little boy!

After our visit to our pediatrician we had a scheduled appointment with the eye doctor. This brought great news. Coop's eyes are starting to work together as they should and seem to be getting stronger. There may even be a day he does not have to wear glasses! I was very excited for an encouraging report although his little glasses have grown on me :) I love Cooper so much and admire his perseverance. I have learned so much from him. Last night I game him an extra long hug and told him how much I loved him and he replied "O tay!". Oh if he only knew what his life has means to us!

THE FIRST SNOW......

This morning it was rush rush rush as usual. I had finished my shower and was ready to start getting the kids ready. I was rushing down the hall but as I rounded the corner their stood Cooper at the end of the hall right in front of the door. He was wearing his cute little footy pajamas, hair a mess and eyes still puffy with sleep. I stopped because he looked so engaged. He turned to me and said, "Momma....wook"! I knelt down beside him too "wook" at what he was so in awe over. Snow.....it was snow. I began to laugh and told him it was snow, "snow", he said. If you have never seen snow with a 2 year old who does not ever remmber seeing it before you are missing out. I personally have always despised snow, but this morning, it was beautiful and funny and enchanting. Maybe it wasn't the snow but rather Cooper but it was perfect. Terry took him out and let him feel it and get a closer look. Once we were all ready, Terry headed out to start his truck and Raelynn wanted a shovel to start scooping the driveway. Cooper just watched and I am not sure what he really thought of it. I am sure he will get to experience it plenty more times this winter, but none will be like the first.

SO MUCH FUN.....

Well Thankgiving was a delicious, Coop's Birthday was a blast, Disney on Ice was fantastic and this week has been cold! In a nutshell that is what has went on since my last post. Thanksgiving went really well. I ate way too much food but it was all delicious. Black Friday Sherri, Karli and I headed out at 3 a.m. It was a lot of fun and we got a few really good deals. We were back home before 8 a.m. and started decorating the house. Thanks to Mom, Sherri and Karli we got the whole house decorated before we headed downtown to see Santa.

Terry even put up lights outside this year which I have asked for since we met. This year Raelynn told him she would not give him any hugs, kisses, snuggles or M&M's if he didn't put up lights and what do you know......we have lights! Santa's arrival went well too and Raelynn asked for candy canes and Coop just cried. I think Santa will be able to come up with candy canes and so yet another simple year for Santa :)


Saturday was Coop's 2nd Birthday! It is hard to believe he is already 2 and at the same time, I can't believe he is only 2! His party was a lot of fun and he got some of the greatest gifts. Thank you everyone. Coop was so cute and got excited about everything. When he was finished opening presents, I asked him "what do you tell everyone?". He said really loud, "THANK YOOOOUUUUUU!" It was so cute.

We then all headed out to eat in support of the Cooper's Cause Foundation fundraiser, Cooper's Birthday Bash. After dinner the family got a little silly back at the house. He is a little glimpse of the performances by Steph.

Sunday morning my family headed back home. I could never pull off a birthday party without them. They are so much help. Raelynn was sad to see them go too as always but we reminded her she would be seeing them again in a few weeks. Steph, Raelynn and I went with Kelly and Kaden to Disney on Ice on Sunday afternoon. The show was fantastic and by far the best show Raelynn and I have been to. Coop would have really liked it too so Raelynn and I agreed that next time we will take him along too.

This week has been crazy just trying to finalize the fundraiser, order Christmas Cards, do thank you's, and all the other chaos this time of year brings. The kids are great and Raelynn seems to be more mature by the day. It is amazing to me how we talk and joke around about stuff now. She is such a great kid. She and Terry went to the KU game last night and had a blast. Raelynn gave me all the details when she got home and said she was sorry Coop and I missed it. When she told Terry goodnight she said, "Goodnight Daddy, thank you for taking me to the game tonight, I had a really good time!" How grown up and sweet is that????!!!!

Cooper is doing great too. We are having some issues with his circulation and he is a little purple right now but we are assuming it is just the colder temperatures. We are also watching him as he seems to be a little short of breath at times but none of this seems to be slowing him down. He is talking in 3 word sentences now and will mimic anything Raelynn does.

Tonight we headed downtown to the Festival of Trees. There were 54 trees that are decorated or made by people and then donated. They are then auctioned off and proceeds go to The Shelter. The trees were amazing, but the one bad thing was that Raelynn couldn't understand why we couldn't buy one. I had never been but it was definitely worth the trip downtown.

So the holiday season is definitely in full force and I couldn't be happier. I love this time of year and just can't wait for more excitement! Enjoy some of Coop's 2 yr pics!

I AM SO THANKFUL......

I am making this post a little early because the rest of the week is bound to be hectic. My family is coming for Thanksgiving and Coop's birthday. I am so excited for them all to be here; we have so many fun things planned. Wednesday night Mom, Sherri and Karli come in then Thursday of course is Thanksgiving. We are all spending Thanksgiving with the Keefer side which will be great having everyone together. Friday morning we will start Black Friday shopping bright and early (3am or so) and then I take the kids to pick out their Christmas ornament and get the house decorated for Christmas. Then of course we head downtown Friday evening to see Santa arrive. Saturday will be full of preparations for Coop's Bday and then his party. Sunday Raelynn and I are going to Disney on Ice with our wonderful friends, Kelly and Kaden. So needless to say it will be a fun filled week and weekend.

I always like to stop and really think about what I am thankful for this time of year. I am always thankful for my family and friends and that still hasn't changed, but the level of thankfulness has. I cannot think of one thing I would change in my life. I have a wonderful husband and the most amazing kids. I love them all so much I cannot even remember what my life was like before them. I have a wonderfully supportive family as well. I cannot even imagine what I would do without my parents and sisters. There are just so many things I am truly thankful for. Over the past year we have had a couple "challenges" that have made me appreciate who I am and what I have even more than ever before. I cannot thank everyone in my life enough for being such wonderful friends. I am surrounded by good, loving people and I truly believe I could never need anything more than I have right now. I am also thankful that I can continue to give of myself as a wife, mother and friend. I am thankful for the foundation. It has introduced me to more wonderful people and been a constant reminder of how lucky we are to have Cooper. I am thankful for my faith. My friend Kelly brought me to the church we attend and I really like it and it again helps lead me in the direction I want to go. I could go on and on but really I am just thankful for the life I have been given and hope that I never forget how fortunate I am.





I am also thankful for these pics of Raelynn as well :)

COOPER IS GROWING....AND SO IS RAELYNN....

We went in for Coop's first synagis shot today and along with the shot comes an exam. Coop is up to 21lbs 4oz, yipee! So he is still gaining which is great. He has a head cold, you know the basics, runny nose and watery eyes, but is good otherwise. When the nurse came in to give him his shots, they were much bigger shots than they had been last year and there were 2 of them. He was sitting on the table, the nurse laid the syringes down beside him along with the band aids. Coop looked at them and started shaking his finger at her and said, "no....no,no,no!" It was so funny. Unfortunately the nurse did not listen to him and he was soon in tears. He did manage to blow her a kiss before we left.

So while Coop is talking up a storm and learning new ways to be ornery, Raelynn is becoming quite the little girl. Her new thing is being completely helpful. The more she can do by herself the better. This week it has been helping with Cooper. She has given him a bath all week. Of course I am close by supervising but I wouldn't need to be. The girl is amazing, she doesn't miss a beat. After bath time she brushes his teeth and the whole works. It is making my job way too easy. She is also into healthy snacks. It seems all she eats these days are bananas and apples which of course make me very happy. The other morning she and Terry were talking about who she was taking her to school. Terry told her she was going with him and she said she would rather go with me. Terry started acting all sad and Raelynn says to him, "Dad, it's not the end of the world!" I was walking by them at the time and Terry and I just cracked up.

Every year we do a shoebox gift through our church and a mitten tree for Raelynn's preschool. With the shoebox gift, you fill a shoebox with gifts for a child that may not have a gift at Christmas. Last Saturday we headed out to buy the gifts for the shoebox and a hat and mittens for the mitten tree. This year Raelynn had been saving some of her money so she was going to buy the gifts. We went to Target and got a bunch of great stuff for the shoebox. As we were checking out Raelynn was telling the cashier all about what we were doing. He was a high school age kid and really had little interest in what she was saying. As he totaled it Raelnn knew she did not have as much as he had asked for so she hands him her cash and tells him with a little wave of her hand, "Mom's got plastic for the rest." Now the cashier did think this was funny not only because of what she said but because we were talking about a $.28 difference. Then Sunday we took the box to the church and as we were at the table with the lady who was making sure the boxes were put together right and such, Raelynn proceeds to tell her the whole story about how she saved her money and bought this gift for a kid whose Mommy and Daddy do not have enough money to buy them one and how she hopes they really likes it because she would. This completely sweet woman listens intently to Raelynn and when Raelynn is done, she says to Raelynn, "Can I give you a hug for doing such a nice thing?" Raelynn looks at her and completely nonchalantly says, "Sure, if that will make you feel better." This woman tries so hard to hold back her laughter. She is crying she is laughing so hard and trying to keep it in. As Raelynn and I leave church Raelynn says to me, "Why was that lady crying?" I told her she was crying because she thought what she did was so sweet. Raelynn says to me, "huh, I wonder what she does when she's sad?" This time it was me trying to hold back my laughter.

So these are just a few of the stories from the last few days. I have never in my life experienced so much growth than I have through my kids. I honestly believe that being a parent is the best education I have ever received. I wish I could find a way to describe to someone without children what it is like but I know it is a feeling and experience you cannot describe with words. I cherish every second I have with them and hope I can remember every second of every minute but hope even more that they will know how much they are loved.

WHAT WAS I THINKING.....

I just finished craft time and I did survive. Any of you that know me very well know that crafts are not one of my strengths. I was horrible at them when I was little and nothing has changed. I used to avoid anything crafty and since my extremely creative sister lived close by, she always included my kids in decorating Easter eggs and doing fun little Valentine's things and all that good stuff. However, when she moved I knew I was going to have to suck it up and do a few things here and there. So this Christmas I have decided that the kids will do these little craft kits for their friends. This afternoon I decided we better get started because we have quite a few to do. It started off just great.....I opened the kit and come to find out you need a glue gun. A glue gun???? Doesn't the kit come with that???? It said everything included! Anyway, thank goodness Terry is much more crafty than I and he has a glue gun. The craft project was back on. Raelynn and I spread everything out and things were going just great, that is until about the 3rd one when both Raelynn and I got bored.

So Raelynn left me to finish and headed to the living room to watch Blues Clues. So now not only am I doing something I despise, I now am doing it while listening to Blues Clues another thing I can hardly stand :). But finally it is all over. I am done with craft time and now I am listening to the kid's dance party which is always fun.

Yesterday we went to a birthday party at Monkey Business for friend's of Cooper and Raelynn's. As always it was a lot of fun. This time Raelynn did the rock wall and that was great to watch. She is just getting so big! Cooper had a great time as well. He has no fears so he was right there with the big kids.




This passed week we got the news that Coop was approved for synagis again this year. This is a shot to prevent RSV, an upper respiratory disease. Cooper has had them every year since he has been born. The shot has to be preapproved by the insurance company which is quite a process to begin with. Then when he is approved, we have to monthly coordinate their call for our approval and copay, their shipment and then the appointment with the doctor to administer it. It all is time sensitive. But the real kicker of it all is the cost of the shot. It is amazing to me how in the world something can cost so much. The shot is based on weight so in this case, thank goodness Coop is underweight. I try not to reference money too often in this blog but these synagis shots have always astounded me. This first shot was right at $4,000! I do not know what drives the cost on these so much but it is obvious now why insurance companies have to pre approve them. Anyway, I have horror story after horror story about synagis shots but when it all comes down to it, Cooper has never gotten RSV which could be fatal to him so I should simply be thankful, which honestly I am. I just have to complain once in awhile :)

I have some Cooper's Cause business to address too. This Thursday night back in Scott City, where my family lives, they are have a fundraiser for Cooper's Cause. Their local Pizza Hut is giving 20% of their proceeds from the people that dine there from 5 to 9pm. I am so thankful for them participating and for my little sister, Karli, who puts so much effort forth in organizing this event. This is the 2nd year they have done this. THANK YOU KARLI AND THANK YOU TO THE SCOTT CITY PIZZA HUT. The other big news is that the application for grant money is now available online. We will be taking applications from now through December 15th. Please spread the word as we are so excited to be helping other families! Thank you to everyone who has made that possible! We are so lucky to have all of you in our lives!

WHAT'S IT GOING TO BE.....

WILL IT BE RINGO STARR............


OR MICHAEL JORDAN..............


AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN HIS GOLF SWING YET!

TERRY'S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND.....

Yesterday was Terry's birthday, for his sake I won't announce what birthday :)! Raelynn had it all planned out. She wanted to get up early, make him cinnamon rolls and serve them with OJ in bed. So I got up early and ran and when I returned I woke Raelynn. It was all very cute and even though we decided to make Dad come to the kitchen for breakfast, it turned out well.

Terry had to work but when he did get home he and Raelynn spent a little time doing what Daddy likes most.

We finished the day making his birthday cake and then took him out to eat at his favorite restaurant....Henry T's. I think he enjoyed the day and Raelynn definitely enjoyed trying to make it special for him. Terry....we love you and hope you enjoyed your day. You make every day special to us so hopefully we made this one special for you!

Besides birthday celebrating, we had a wonderful weekend. The weather was amazing. Saturday the kids and I headed to the park for a picnic lunch and play. Today, Terry and the kids played outside while I cleaned which was nice to get things done. I can only dream that this weather will stay. However, Cooper was allowed to skip his nap and well, I think he is not yet ready for a day without a nap because this was the scene about 4pm.

Raelynn was hysterical as usual. Her vocabulary is growing in ways I did not know possible. I was explaining something to her and when I finished she says, "So let me get this straight...." and then she carried on to reiterate things so me. She also is big into "discoveries". Everything she goes to find and explorer becomes an extravagant discovery. Cooper likes their discovery missions as well. We were in a conversation the other night and she was talking about friends and I asked her if I was her friend. She said, "no silly you are my mommy!" I asked her if I couldn't be her mommy and her friend and she said, "No, you should just stick with being my Mommy, that keeps you busy enough!" Oh how right she is. Seriously, every day she grows older and older and not just in years. On the other side of things, today after church I went to the kitchen to get a 9 X 13 pan I had taken to a funeral a few months ago. I kept forgetting to get it. Raelynn and I went to the kitchen to find the pan. As I opened cupboard after cupboard I was not having any luck. Raelynn began to get very upset. She was insisting I ask someone for help and as I neared the end of the available cupboards she was sobbing and begging me to go ask someone for help. I stopped and picked her up and asked her what was going on. She said that we have to find the pan or we will never be able to make a cake together again because we use a 9 X 13 pan when we bake our cakes! It was so touching that our baking together meant so much to her but also so sad that she was getting so upset. I assured her we could always get another pan and she answered with a huge hug. My eyes swelled with tears. She is so sweet!

I know I keep talking about how much Cooper is talking but he really is. Today over lunch Raelynn and Cooper argued about who was Boo. (Boo is Cooper's nickname). Raelynn would say "I'm Boo" and Cooper would say "No! Me Boo!" Then they would both giggle. He is also big into telling everyone "No No!" Gee, I wonder where he gets that one. He is just so incredibly cute I can hardly stand it. Raelynn has chores she is responsible for and she has Cooper help her with them. He is so proud when she includes him and she is sooooo good at teaching him things. She reads to him and plays school and has him help her make her bed, and he is happy to do it all.

So another wonderful weekend with the family! The week ahead looks pretty quiet so I am sure it will be crazy and I am looking forward to it because I know it will end with another wonderful weekend with the family!!!!

HALLOWEEN FUN.....

Friday started our Halloween fun. Raelynn had a little Halloween party at school that started with a singing program for the parents. Terry drops Raelynn off so he had planned to stay for the 15 to 30 minute program. Raelynn asked me early in the week if I would be there and I had told her I wouldn't but Daddy would. This was followed with the guilt trip, "all the other Mommies are going to be there". I felt horrible but after taking 2 1/2 days off the week before due to sick kids I was very hesitant to ask to come in late. I was fine with my decision until I received and email that Raelynn didn't want to sing the songs at school because her Mommy wasn't going to be there to hear her anyway. With tears in my eyes I quickly walked back to Tom's office and asked to come in late Friday so I could hear Raelynn sing. Of course, as always, Tom was great about it and with a smile told me he was leaving early to see his grand kids for Halloween which did make me feel better. I am so lucky to have a boss that cares about me and my family. The program was cute and Raelynn had a great time.

Saturday night we headed out with Bat girl and Batman and again had a great time. Coop wasn't sure about it all but eventually warmed up to the idea. We were amazed that he left his mask on without any problem. Raelynn was great with him and always made sure he got plenty of candy. When we got home we picked out a few pieces of candy and then sat the rest out for the witch fairy. Sunday morning Raelynn woke up bright and early. She didn't even talk to any of us before she marched right outside with Cooper tagging along to see if the witch fairy came which of course she did. It was awesome, they were both very excited and pleased with what she left behind.




Sunday we had Coop's 2 year old pictures and our family pictures taken. I think we are going to end up with some amazing photos. Amber, the photographer, was really good and took over 700 pictures. Thank goodness we won't have to weed through all 700 but even if there are 50 it will be hard to choose. Coop was unbelievable. She would put him in a pose and he would just stand there, no moving at all. He never got fussy or anything. It was hard to get him to smile, but he definitely didn't mind posing.




Cooper continues to say more and more words. He is starting to communicate with us constantly and really telling us what he wants or needs. He gets cuter every day. Raelynn has been great as well. She is so helpful and does so much around the house. She always includes Coop too which is great. She does need her alone time and she makes that clear to Cooper but they are great together. When I put Raelynn to bed last night she says to me, "just 5 more days". I asked her 5 more days until what. "5 more days until it is spending the whole day together again". My heart melted.

Tonight I learned that a local family we had been following whose daughter was born with heart defects, lost their little girl. As I read the Mom's email, tears came to my eyes. I cannot imagine the grief they feel. Everyday I cherish every little thing the kids do, the good and the bad. After our last surgery with Cooper I promised myself I would always stop long enough to really take time to enjoy the kids. I do this or at least I really try. I take time to learn and grow with them, but when I get a reminder like this of just how precious their lives are I instantly know I need to try harder. They are the most important thing in this world and I will cherish every second I have with them.

PERFECT BIRTHDAY WEEKEND.....

Just last Wednesday I made a post about whether my kids were really so sick, by that night Coop had taken a turn for the worse. Raelynn continued to do great but Coop could not fight the fever. I stayed home with him Thursday and Friday took him to work with me for awhile. He was finally feeling better just in time for my family to come into town. I kept the kids on their bedtime schedule all weekend in hopes that they would not get sick again. I thought I had succeeded when I got a call from the school this morning that Raelynn was complaining of a headache. I went and picked her up and when I picked her up she didn't look really very well. I took her back to the office with me for just a while but after just a few minutes she was bouncing off the walls and not acting a bit sick. She sat and ate a full lunch and was chattering away. I asked her if she really didn't feel good. She said she really did have a headache but she was feeling better, but she thought she could just stay with me at my office like Cooper had done on Friday. It all became very clear that little Raelynn just wanted a little extra time with Mom. I do think her head hurt but I don't think it was quite as severe as she may have let on. We talked awhile and she finished her day at Mary Beth's. My birthday was great. My Mom, Sherri and I went on a shopping spree on Friday night. My mom and my little sisters have done this for years for their birthdays but we had never been able too. So we headed out and first I got some much needed running shoes. Then we headed to Maurices were I tried on the entire store and got half of it :) It was awesome! I had never been able to by multiple outfits at once and it was a blast! Thank you Mom and Sherri! Then we headed to El Mez Cal for dinner. It was a great night. Then Saturday we did more birthday stuff and Terry and the kids added to my shopping spree with some more money to shop with. Can you tell I had been begging for clothes? Then we headed to the pumpkin patch yet again. As we got off the hay ride I heard someone say, "Mrs. Keefer". I looked up to a familiar face but could not quite place her. She looked at me and said, "that can't be Cooper?". She then said, "I am Beth from the PICU". Sure enough, this was one of Coop's nurses from the PICU at Children's Mercy. It was good to see her and so touching that she recognized us. She was shocked at how big Cooper was. This was a great part of the day. Other highlights were getting the homemade cookies and hot apple cider from Schaake's. They have the best cookies ever. The whole weekend was so much fun. It is hard not to have a perfect birthday when everyone you love is there and you get to shop, what more could one ask for! Sunday, I caught Cooper reading a story to Raelynn as she went to the bathroom. Now the story he is reading is not the story he has in hand. He has this little story about 5 little monkeys sitting in a tree. In the story a crocodile gets the monkeys 1 by 1 in the tree. The book says, "snap", "Oh No!". This is what you will hear Coop saying and then Raelynn is trying to tell him the book is about Noah's Ark.

ARE YOU SURE YOUR SICK........

Last night I get to daycare and there Raelynn was lying on the couch looking like death. I had been worried earlier in the day about Cooper but he was doing fine. I carry her out and we head home. Coop felt a little warm so I gave them both some ibuprofen and settled in. I figured it would be a long night and probably even longer day today. By 7pm Raelynn had eaten 3 apples and 2 graham crackers and PB and they were both playing. We put them to bed regular time and they both seemed fine. Around 1pm Raelynn woke not feeling well. I was up and down all night with her until I had to leave to teach aerobics around 4:30am. When I got back home Terry and she were on the couch and carpet cleaner was out. I knew what that meant, Raelynn had thrown up. So here we go. Now there are few things that happen in the Keefer household when someone has the flu. The first is "The Pail". When Raelynn was around 3 we had our first go around with the flu. I got out this pail I used when mopping the floors. I explained to her the pail was her friend. The pail was to never leave her side while she was sick. If she went to the bathroom, the pail went to, if she went to blow her nose, the pail went too, if she went to watch TV, the pail went too. I told her she could name the pail or decorate it or whatever she wanted but it was to be with her always and if she needed to throw up, the pail was to catch it, that was the pail's job. She has never thrown up without the pail since. (Except this morning when Dad put her on the couch without the pail!) Anyway, it has worked great. The other necessity is Lysol. So with pail and Lysol positioned we were ready. Raelynn watched TV and rested. By 7:30 am I had laundry done, floors mopped, beds stripped, and was starting to look for what was next when Coop woke up. He seemed just fine so I got him dressed and sent him out the door to stay as far away from Raelynn as possible. Raelynn was doing great and had ate pancakes and apples and was wanting to play babies. However,by 10:30am, I was picking Coop up and bringing him back home. Raelynn and I introduced Coop to "The Pail". Throwing up is nothing new to Cooper but it has always been related to health issues and not the flu. The flu is just different and I thought he was ready to learn the ropes. I thought he understood "The Pail's" job, he said "K" and everything. Minutes later I hear, "Mommy, Coop's throwing up and it is not in the pail". Where did we go wrong? We thought he understood. We have reviewed it again with him and we will see what happens.

So both the kids have thrown up and had a little fever but the real kicker is.....they do not seem sick. The kids are running around here like no other. They have played babies, had a dance party, ate lunch and are currently playing chase. I mean does this look like two kids with the flu?

I definitely don't think they are miserable. I am hoping this is just a 24 hour bug and we will be going good again tomorrow. Raelynn did ask me why God made her sick today. I told her God wasn't the one that made her sick, it was all those yucky germs in the air that made her sick. She replied back, "maybe we should start building an ark in case he makes it rain again to get rid of all the bad stuff". (We have been studying the story of Noah's Ark in Sunday School) I told her I would build an ark if God told me to but for now I would just continue taking care of her and Coop. Man the girl makes me laugh!

TOO MUCH FUN......

Well another week has started and I am always so amazed how fast time flies. For me the holiday chaos has already started. There are times that being organized and insisting that everything is always done is a little stressful and this time of year is one of those times. In our family all of my sister's birthdays are between now and Christmas along with Terry and Cooper's. Therefore, as I start working on their birthdays I start working on Christmas and think it all has to be done today. Saturday night around 6 I asked Terry if he would go with me to do a little shopping. We got a few things but really spent most of the time just walking around getting ideas. Of course Raelynn saw plenty of things she wanted but what really cracked us up was Cooper. As we pushed him in the cart past a Handy Manny tool work bench he went nuts. He started patting his chest and saying, "me me me" and pointing at the tool bench. I stopped and let him look. He just kept looking at it and then pointing to himself, "me me me". We were all laughing so hard right there in the store. He did the same thing as we passed this sport trike. The boy knows what he likes! It also solved all question as to what we were getting him for Christmas and his birthday. We didn't get home until almost 9 o'clock but really had a good time.

Sunday after church Terry was working downstairs on the basement. Little Cooper had to be right there. He would not leave Terry or the tools alone. I don't know how much work Terry actually got done but Coop sure did have a good time.


Last Wednesday we had family reading night at Raelynn's preschool. They actually had a kids author there that read her story to them. It was pretty fun and of course Raelynn loved having us at her school and Cooper loved being with the big kids. On Friday I lost my voice completely.



That morning as I was trying to get the kids ready without being able to talk to get there attention, I was trying to tell Coop something in my whisper of a voice I had and Cooper whispered back "K Momma". It was so funny that he whispered back at me. Raelynn and I got a good laugh. Raelynn also gave me a good laugh last week. We got to Mary Beth's after school and we were just chit chatting away as we walked in. When we first walk in there is a place for the kids to take off their shoes and coats. Raelynn takes off her shoes and then just pulls down her pants. In complete astonishment I ask her what she is doing. He eyes get big and she immediately pulls up her pants and looks around to see if anyone saw her which of course they didn't because everyone was downstairs. She started to laugh and turned red with embarrassment. As I laughed she said she just wasn't thinking and thought we were home and was going to change like we always do. It was really funny to see her so funnily embarrassed. Friday night when we got home and she took her shows back to her room I said to her, "you can take your pants off now and change". She got red all over again! I love how I can joke with her. When she did change I noticed a red "rash" on the back of her leg. By the time we ate dinner and she got out of the bath, the "rash" had spread all the way down her leg. Come to find out, the "rash" is poison ivy. We have no idea where she got it but just like her Dad she seems to be very allergic to it. I have been told that it will take a week or so to start going away and it looks horrible, let's just hope it just stays on her leg.

Raelynn also has been studying fire safety this past week at school. They even had a visit from some firemen. She brought home this little worksheet that we were to complete as a family regarding fire safety. As we answered each question such as, how many fire detectors are in your house and where is your families meeting place outside if there is a fire, we were given a fire safety talk from Raelynn. It was so cute as she tells us, "If the door is hot you stop and go right by the window and stay low...the good air is down low and the bad air is up high". She goes on to tell us when and how she would call 911 and how she would remain calm and help Coop stay low and by a window too. Really what does she need us for anymore? :)

This weekend my family is coming to town to visit the pumpkin patch and celebrate Sherri and I's birthdays. I am so excited as it should be a fun weekend, just 4 more days and counting.......

DID YOU KNOW THERE WAS A WITCH FAIRY.....

Monday morning while working out I was talking with one of my friends. Somehow the conversation led to Halloween and the huge amount of candy the kids get. She then introduced me to the idea of the "Witch Fairy" which has quickly became my favorite fairy of all. So you see the story goes that after trick or treating, each child selects just a few pieces of candy and then they set the rest of the candy outside for the Witch Fairy. She can only come out and get candy the night of Halloween. If she gets enough candy, she won't come out the rest of the year so it is important to make sure you leave most of the candy for her. In place of the candy that she takes, she leaves a gift for the nice children who help her get enough candy to last the year. When my friend initially told me the story, I just laughed but quickly my laughter changed to interrogation so that I would have all the answers when Raelynn questioned my story. With all my basis covered, I told Raelynn of the "Witch Fairy" that my friend just told me about. With eyes wide and excitement in her voice Raelynn was more than eager to test it out. Tonight on the way home Raelynn asked me if the Witch Fairy was nice or a mean fairy. I told her that she was nice to leave a present for the candy but if she didn't get enough candy she was not very nice. Raelynn turned to Cooper and said, "Coop you get 1 piece of candy because you are 1 and I get 4 because I am 4 and we will put the rest out for the Witch Fairy". Cooper responded with his standard reply, "K". A few seconds later Raelynn asks me if I think the Witch Fairy knows how old she is. I told her I wasn't sure why? She responds, "If she doesn't know we could pretend I am 5 so I could keep 5 pieces of candy". I told her we probably shouldn't take any chances this year. :) Aren't fairy's great! I did ask my friend what they did with all the candy. She told me that sometimes it really is gone when they go out for it because kids just take it but if there is some left they put it in her husband's truck and they sneak out to eat it when the kids go to bed. I hope the candy is just gone because I could see Terry and I sneaking a few pieces here and there too.

Besides the excitement of the Witch Fairy, Raelynn and I made another visit to the pumpkin patch on her school's field trip. We had a great time and it was not as cold as it had been over the weekend. It is fun to watch Raelynn with her friends and the moms are all great. We got a little muddy but other than that is was a wonderful morning.

This week Terry has been having to open the store so he has been leaving earlier than normal. Therefore, the kids and I are left to get ready on our own. Surprisingly it has been going great. This morning Raelynn tells me she wants pigtails like Caroline (a girl in her class). I actually love it when she tells me how she wants her hair, it is kind of fun to try to do it as she wishes and I like that she has an opinion on it. However, I am not very good at doing braids or pig tails or really anything other than curling it. So there I was trying to get her pig tails in and straight and cute. She was sitting still and just chatting away. I was putting a pig tail in for the 3rd or 4th time when Raelynn looks up at me and says, "Mom?". "Yes Raelynn" I replied. "I don't think Caroline's Mom takes this long!". With a smile on my face I respond, "Well I am not Caroline's Mom and if you want pigtails you better not tell me that!" She giggled and just continued chatting. She can be so difficult some times but most of the time her personality is so much fun!!

IT WAS COLD BUT WONDERFUL.....

Another fantastic weekend! It almost seems like they are getting better and better. Friday night the kids were better than good. It was cold out and we came home and just played and snuggled. We had our favorite cold weather meal, soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with hot chocolate. Raelynn is such a great cook! She helped me all night from cooking to playing with Cooper to just making me laugh. Saturday we got up and headed to Manhattan to visit Aunt Steph and watch Aunt Karli in a marching band competition. We were so happy to see Aunt Steph. It has been awhile and we miss her. Not only were the kids happy to see Aunt Steph but they get just as excited to see Cody. Around 1pm we headed to the stadium to watch Karli's performance. IT WAS FREEZING! We were all bundled up and even took blankets but it was windy and crazy cold. I wasn't sure we were going to make it and then it was Karli's bands turn. It was so neat to see. I have never seen her perform and band has been a big part of her life. When they first came out I started to panic because it occurred to me that I know she plays drums but I had no idea what drums and therefore had no idea which person was her. Thank goodness Steph figured it out. We watched her performance and a little later we were able to pick her up.
Karli's Performance

We hung out at Steph's for awhile and then headed to dinner and then back home. Raelynn cried for about 15 minutes after we left because she wanted her Aunt Karli. She misses them all very much.

Today was our friend Cayman's 3rd Birthday. They had his party at the pumpkin patch which was a lot of fun. It was incredibly cold but fun.



Terry didn't have to work all day and just hung out with us at home. While Coop took his nap Raelynn and I did a little cleaning and laundry but most of the day was spent warmly inside just being around each other which is by far my favorite place to be. I love hearing Raelynn and Cooper's laughter and even their occasional wines. I wish everyday was Sunday! Cooper is repeating everything and Raelynn is trying to teach him to count and spell words that she has learned. Tonight when I was giving him a bath he wanted to wash his hair. Amazingly he did a great job. Then of course he wanted to wash his body by himself too. It was so cute to see what a big boy he is becoming. When we were out of the bath and putting lotion on he started identifying his body parts and pretty plainly was saying, "arm"....."leg"......"finger"......"body". I was blown away. I guess I realized he knew what his body parts were but I certainly didn't know he could say it. I am getting the feeling he could say a lot if he just wanted to. I am pretty sure, just as he has been over the past 2 years, he will do and say what he wants when he wants. The truth is though that is fine by me. I am so in love with him and his cute smile and the way his head fits perfectly on my shoulder with mine cuddled right in next to him. He is so laid back and very rarely too upset. I guess he used up all his crying in the first 6 months of his life. I just love every part of him.

Raelynn is struggling with getting dressed and finds something wrong with almost everything. They are either too scratchy or too tight or too big or.....the list goes on and on. Although, I think I may have finally found a way to avoid a complete melt down.....distraction! I told her that I was done trying to reason with her because she was being difficult and starting to irritate me. So now I only talk to the body part the clothing is bothering. For instance, if the seem under her arm is bothering her armpit, I talk to her armpit. I know it sounds crazy but her body parts are much easier to deal with when she is giggling hysterically. Anyway, this technique is working for now and we have had a few days and nights without clothing disagreements which is wonderful. Other than that the girl is amazing. Everyday she does something to make me so proud of her or taken by her wittiness. I love our conversations and I love to watch she and Coop's relationship grow. I still wake up every morning anxious to see what the day holds for them. We have many fun things this week from the pumpkin patch to family reading night to Dad's football game at Free State. Lots of fun things and of course looking forward to the next "spending the whole day together" day!

BUSY WEEKEND....LOADS OF FUN....

What a busy weekend! Friday night the kids and I along with Aunt Bonnie ventured out into the cold to watch Terry ref HS football in Perry. The kids did pretty good and Raelynn bought us hot chocolate with her allowance she is now getting. You can't beat that. The good thing about kids is that their attention span is about as long as mine so by half time we were all ready to go. It was a fun evening though. Saturday we joined some friends on the Kaw Valley Tour of Farms. It was night quite as fun as I had hoped. Some of the farms did not target the kids and therefore got a little boring. Pendletons was a lot of fun though. We managed to last from about 10 am to 1pm so I think we did pretty well. Then it was time to head home for naps before we were off to our next event. Our pediatrician, Dr. Kelley, celebrated his 50th Birthday with a wonderful party that satisfied every age. He had a magician, cotton candy, popcorn, food, drinks a photo booth....you name it he had it. He and his wife are the most incredibly nice people and you can just tell they love to entertain. The kids had a blast and would have stayed all night if we had let them. We were honored to be able to celebrate with Dr. Kelley and his family and friends. Sunday it was up early for church. Tatum and Donovan joined us to visit our church so that was fun as well. Then finally it was home to play and rest. Raelynn was so happy to just be home and able to play with her toys and relax. We had so much fun but little needed down time.

Cooper is really on a roll. He now thinks it is funny to hide from us, run from us while we are trying to get him dresses and to say "no". Needless to say, he is a handful. I have to say I absolutely love it. The boy is so cute and he thinks he is funny. He threw some food on Monday night and when I really got after him he looked at me with this pouty lip and said "Torry (Sorry) Mommy!" I was so shocked I could not help but smile and kiss and hug him. I am sure there were no mixed signals there....one minute I am scolding him the next I am smiling and loving on him. The poor boy is going to be so confused. He continues to do everything big sis does and chatters non stop. I cannot believe how far he has come! Raelynn continues to have her moments but for the most part is completely grown up. She helps me so much around the house and we have so much fun doing the most basic things. Cooking dinner is actually becoming enjoyable because Raelynn loves to help me and really is starting to help. We laugh a lot. She is also getting such a sense of humor and makes jokes all the time. We laugh at our silliness and when we are not laughing at ourselves we are laughing at Cooper. I cannot imagine a home without laughter. Don't get me wrong, we have a few tears as well but it is the laughter that makes the tears all worth it!

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT IS OCTOBER 1ST.....

Well as another week passes I cannot help but be amazed it is already October. On Monday all I could think was, "this is the day we were suppose to be in surgery." I gave Coop several extra hugs and kisses just to remind myself how fortunate we have been and still are.

The kids are both doing well. They both have been fighting colds but other than that we have been pretty healthy so far. Coop struggles when he gets a cold because his oxygen levels drop, he doesn't eat as well and his temp runs a little hot. Because of the mucus he throws up a lot as well but it is so much better than he used to be. It all has not slowed him down at all though. He is still very active and having a great time. Raelynn and he play and play and play. If only their relationship could stay like this forever. It is so cute when I drop Raelynn off at daycare the first thing she does is go straight to her brother and says Hi and asks how is doing. It is just perfect.

Today started out a little hectic. It was one of those days where anything that could go wrong did. It started as soon as I got back from the gym. I was getting Coop's meds ready and ended up knocking a couple of them over and spilling them all over. Then when I was getting his milk mixed I spilled his whey protein. So in a matter of seconds I probably spilled $30 worth of stuff and wasted a good 10 minutes cleaning up my messes and getting meds and milk ready again. I was late getting in the shower and then the kids were slow getting up. At 8:25 I should have already been on the road but I was still working on getting Raelynn ready. I was brushing her teeth when stinky pants Cooper entered the room, just what I needed. So I went and changed him and then back to help Raelynn. This morning, of course on a morning like this, Raelynn decided she had a specific way she wanted her hair done. As I tried to be patient, she instructed me as to exactly what to do. The end project turned out pretty cute.

I finally got out the door and headed to Mary Beth's to drop off Coop. As I was talking to Mary Beth one of the little boys took a ball away from Coop. To my surprise my small little Cooper stands up to the boy and yells "NO MINE!" I thought I was going to die laughing. Then after the boy attempted to hit Cooper, Kaden, on of our friends, came to Coop's rescue. He went right over and stood by Cooper and told the other boy very loudly "BE NICE". it was all so cute to watch. It was Coop's first big boy fight and his best buddy stood up for him. I was so taken by the kids interaction I wanted to stay all day. I never thought I would have said it, but our daycare providers have to have one of the best jobs. Anyway, I finally made it to work and made it through the day with little else happening.

Tomorrow we are headed to watch Terry ref football and then Saturday to the Kaw Valley Tour of Farms with friends. It should definitely be a good time! Why some of the farms are for the kids they have also included some vineyard's for the Mommy's!

WEEKEND FUN.....SORT OF......

Tonight Terry had his family's investment club meeting like they do the last Sunday of every month. We usually all go but occasionally Coop and I will stay home. Tonight I hadn't showered and still had a few things to finish up so I decided I would stay home. Terry and Raelynn were getting ready to go when little Coop walked out with his shoes. He was not going to be left home so Terry loaded both of them up and off they went a little before 6pm. You would think I would be ecstatic to have a few hours of peace and quiet to myself but no....I just want them home. It is now 8pm and I cannot seem to do all those things I need to do. Instead I look at the clock every 5 minutes, I have beds turned down and medicines ready. I really think I am a little crazy! Anyway, I am sure they will be home again, the chaos will resume, and I will be perfectly happy again! The weekend was a mixture of fun and not so fun times. Friday night the kids and I did some cleaning and just got ready for 2 full days together. Saturday morning we woke up and got ready for the KU Football game. We try to take the kids to one game a year and this was the one. We were headed up a little early for the tailgating fun and it was band day so we were pretty excited. This is how our morning started...just minutes before we left the house.

This is just minutes later after leaving the house......

So yes, just after leaving our house, Terry was talking to me and hit the curb. Now I will say that we, meaning all us, hit this curb often but never have we hit the curb, bounced and hit a drain colvert. At first, we thought he "only" ruined his wheel and tire. So after 30 to 45 minutes of changing a tire we all load back up into the truck and start to go again, but no.....something is really wrong. Terry gets out and takes a peak under the truck. Surprise, the A Bar (??) is snapped in two. So we call and have the truck towed. Finally we get to the game by the second quarter which really wasn't too bad considering all. Anyway, the game was fun and the kids enjoyed it at least for awhile. It is very hard to keep a 4 and 2 year old to sit still for more than a few minutes. My kids know no strangers either. Within minutes of being there Coop, as always, lead the way to meeting everyone around us. Of course Raelynn cannot let her brother have all the attention so she follows but instead of being a cute 2 year old who says "Hi" and smiles, Raelynn chatters non stop interigating anyone who would give her a second of their time. So needless to say I didn't really see all that much of the game but still had a great time.

Today we decorated for fall, Raelynn and Cooper played outside with Dad and we just wish we could have one more day of "spending the whole day together". The week ahead seems pretty normal and not too many extras which always is nice but we'll see how it ends up. It always seems like our less busy weeks turn out to be some of the busiest.

Well gotta go...........THEY ARE FINALLY HOME!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!