Black Friday

So today I braved the crowds and went out. Each year I tell myself I won't go out, the deals aren't that great and if they are you have to be first in line. But each year I go out and regret it. This year I just wanted to get a few odds and ends and decided to go out. Joe actually started black Friday by going on Thursday. Yes, after dinner Joe headed over to Michaels because they had Cricut cartridges $60 off. He actually got a hold of one, among many many women. 

My sister and I then went Friday morning shopping. We stopped at JoAnn's first because they had snuggly fabric for $1.50 a yard, which is a good price and fleece for $2.99. I got there found a couple of items and got in line to get my fabric cut. The line was at least 30 people and almost all of them had at least 20 bolts of fabric to be cut. I stayed in line for a bit but when it hadn't moved AT ALL, I decided to leave. 

We then headed over to Kohl's to get some kids clothes. Well, their sales weren't great. I bought some fleece sleepers the other day and today they were the same price (at least I didn't feel bad for buying a couple days ago). I did find a FABULOUS frame that was more than 50% off. It's amazing. I had a couple people ask me where I found it when I was in line. That frame made up for my hour long wait in line to purchase it. 

Our third trip of the morning was to Target to get some things not for Christmas. I ended up just finishing Blake's and Kalli's presents there. Not bad there actually.

What is really sad though is that a 34 year old man was killed at a Walmart by stampeding people. So sad. What is wrong with those people?! 

From the looks of the stores today, the economy shouldn't be as low as it is. People were spending mega bucks today.

Enjoy your black Friday!

A day to give thanks

As Thanksgiving approaches tomorrow, I wanted to share some of the many things that I am grateful for. 

First I am very grateful for our sweet, beautiful little girl. In the six weeks that she has been alive she has already gone through more than some will go through. She continues to be sweet and well mannered. Kalli started smiling so early and continues to brighten our days with her smiles. We rarely have our hands full with her. She sleeps very well, even at night and rarely causes us any grief. 

Going along with our gratitude for Kalli, comes gratitude for her doctors. I can't be more grateful to her pediatrician who caught her condition so early. If it would not have been caught so early, her surgery would be a lot more invasive. I am also grateful for her neurosurgeon who seems to love his job and cares for children. In the weeks to come I know I will not be able to express my gratitude to all the people at the Children's Hospital that will help Kalli out. How grateful I am to all these people for helping children. 

As much as Blake drives us crazy he is a fun boy to be around. He is lucky to be coming home from Albuquerque in one piece as he was very naughty for us. But there are moments when his sweet little spirit shines through. The day we went to the neurosurgeon we were driving as a family. I was crying in the front seat and Blake chimed in and said "mommy, are you sad?". It made me laugh and cry at the same time. He can be an extremely sweet boy. I am grateful for those times when he lets that sweetness shine through. I am also grateful Blake brings laughter into my life. He is a funny kid and does many things during the day that make me laugh out loud. Even though at times I want to donate him to the pound, he still is my little boy that brings laughter and joy to my life (along with stress and probably a heart condition).  Joe and I have been married for over 4 years and I couldn't be more grateful for him in my life. I have truly married my best friend. We have such a good time together and the conversations never seem dull. I am grateful that he treats me as an equal and with respect. He values my opinions and openly admits that he couldn't live without me because I do so much for our family (he also says he can't live without me because he doesn't know how to blog). Joe is a great example for our children and it warms my heart to watch Blake emulate his father. I love him so much and am grateful for his role in our family. 

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I LOVE cooking a big Thanksgiving dinner for my family. It brings me such joy to cook this great meal. This Thanksgiving we have a lot of rough times ahead, but I am thankful to know that in the end all will work out. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that has brought peace to my heart and given me the strength to get through the next couple of months. I also can't express how grateful we are for close friends that call and check in on our little family. Your words of comfort and love are deeply appreciated. You will never know how much you mean to us. 

Have a happy Thanksgiving and know that we are thinking of you!

The woes of Kalli

So some of you have made inquiries as to what problems we have had with Kalli from the last post. Now that we know exactly what is happening we will share it with all of you. At Kalli's 2 week appointment the pediatrician had concerns about Kalli's head. She thought that her plates in her head were already fusing which would be really bad. She wanted to send us to get x-rays to check it out. When she checked with our normal pediatrician she was told to hold off a week just in case they are funky because of birth. We waited a week and went back in to see our normal pediatrician. She thought they were also fusing so told us to go in the next week to get x-rays. 

The next week we went in and waited 3 hours to get 20 minutes worth of x-rays. We then proceeded to wait for the doctor to call us back. A week later she called and said that they are fusing, therefore we would need to see a neurosurgeon to get checked out. She told me surgery would be the drastic way, she didn't think Kalli would need surgery. 

After doing some research and finding other's who's children also had this, we pretty much knew she would need surgery. I made an appointment with the neurosurgeon and we proceeded to wait until our appointment which is torture, let me tell you. 

Today was her appointment and the first thing the doctor does when he comes in the room is tell us she definitely has it. By having it he means sagittal synostosis, which means that her plates are fusing too early. He will have to make an incision in the front of her head and the back and go in endoscopically to remove some of her skull. They will be taking a Y shaped amount of skull out from the front of her head to the back. She will then have to wear a little helmet thing to help reshape her head for 6 months. Kalli will be in the hospital for 2-3 days and in the ICU for the first day. Unfortunately they expect her to loose quite a bit of blood so she will need a transfusion during surgery. 

We expect to have the surgery done in the next two weeks, we're just waiting to get scheduled. I can't think about it too much or I will start to cry. Joe decided to stay home from work today and we hung out with his mom because I knew I just couldn't be alone today. 

We will keep you all up to date on her surgery, but we wanted to let you in on what is going on with her. She'll need all your thoughts and prayers for the next couple of weeks. 

P.S. I decided to go on a business trip with Joe, so we will be in Albuquerque, NM for the next 5 days, getting back just in time to cook Thanksgiving dinner. 

The life of Blake

Last night we were hanging out in the living room and Joe got out the baby play mat for Kalli. Blake quickly got inside and Joe decided to make it a tent for Kalli and Blake. Kalli didn't last too long but Blake loved it. He is also clothesless because Blake now likes to disrobe at all times. I walked into nursery today to check on him and he was in the middle of pulling off his pants, great! 

On Friday Joe and I were able to attend a session at the Mesa temple. Joe's mom so graciously watched our two little ones while we were away. When we came back Joe's aunt Beth and her daughter Amy Jo and her husband Joey were at the house. Blake was having the time of his life with Joey. Dad no longer was cool and it was all about Joey. He's going to make a great dad one day, he sure has the energy for it! When they were leaving Blake wanted to wear Joe's sunglasses and Joey had some ones like them. Blake kept saying "cool dude" and doing a thumbs up. It was cute. It's so nice to have such great family around us here and we love having the opportunity to get to know them better. 

Joey and Blake

P.S. Thanks Beth for the wonderful gifts. We used the blanket today at church and everybody loved how soft it was. You are awesome!

One Month

Kalli is now one month old. I know everybody says how time flys, but it sure does. I actually think it went faster with her than with Blake. She is still such a delight in our home and is really a sweet baby. She is very calm and rarely cries or fusses. When she wakes up at night she doesn't cry, just starts smacking her lips. Kalli loves her brother. The other day she was fussing and I couldn't pick her up at the time so I told Blake to go over and sing to her. He lay down next to her and started singing "Sunbeam" and she instantly stopped crying and watched him. As soon as he was done she started fussing again. It was so sweet. We go see her pediatrician on Friday so we will post her stats then. 

I love her facial expressions

Stink eye. 

It is such an accomplishment when I get a smile. She kept smiling for me when I had the camera, she knows how it works. 

Kalli's blessing

Last weekend we were able to bless Kalli. Unfortunately our bishopric never mentioned that that weekend was going to be a state-wide stake conference so we had to do a private blessing. We ended up doing it in our relief society room with family. It was very exciting to have family come and share with us in our very happy moment. Joe's mom and dad were there along with his brother Eric and his family. My mom and grandma were also there along with our bishop. Joe's mom asked to make Kalli's dress and I kindly obliged (seriously I was super excited). She did such a great job and I truly love it. Joe gave her a very beautiful blessing. I am extremely grateful for a husband who is worthy to use his priesthood whenever it is needed. With all that we have been going through with Kalli, it was such a blessing to hear what great things are in store for her life.  

Here she is in her pretty bow and dress. 

She just wanted to sleep when I wanted to take pictures. So sweet. 

Four generations of women in our family. I kinda look like a giant to them, I hope I don't shrink too =)

Kalli and me. I just love this little girl!

Happy mom and dad. She was lounging as far back as she could which doesn't make for good pictures, oh well. 

On a side note, I have these really cute bows that I put on Kalli's head everyday and the bow that she wore for her blessing. These were all made by a friend of mine. She is very affordable and has some cute stuff for older kids too (they also make adorable bracelets that Kalli wears everyday). Check out her website: www.dainties4u.blogspot.com 

Just for smiles

If you look closely, you will see one of Kalli's first smiles. Priceless. 

VOTE!!!

If you haven't already, remember to vote today! Happy polling!

The joy of Halloween

Who knew that Halloween could be so much fun? Last year it was a hassle because Blake was still pretty little and we didn't do the traditional trick or treating. This year was such a drastic difference. Blake was really into going around door to door and saying trick or treat and getting candy. He may have been more interested this year because he went around with older cousins. It was so much fun watching him and getting super excited. He was Buzz Lightyear this year and we were lucky to just get the costume on him. Blake didn't want to wear the wings or put the hood part on, but he was cute nonetheless. Kalli is too small to dress up so she just had some Halloween clothes on and a orange bow. She slept the whole time we trick or treated. Joe and I are now reaping the rewards of Blake's candy stash, although Blake knows about it too and is also sharing with us. Enjoy the pictures. 

Getting the loot. 

His cousin Kiera and him were holding hands, it was so dang cute. 

In the midst of getting candy.

Blake and Kalli before the festivities at our new house. 

Do you think he's excited? One of the only times he kept the hood on.