Happy Halloween!!

We had a great Halloween!! Owen was so excited to be a Minion from Despicable Me. He LOVES those yellow guys and watches little clips of them on YouTube all the time. We really wanted the yellow shirt but couldn't find one and it was too warm to go for the gloves and boots. He was too cute just as he was!

Kamryn was excited to be the Mad Hatter this year and fell in LOVE with this costume! I think it turned out totally adorable!
Why does she have to look so grown up... she's only 10!! Maybe it's because my last post was reminiscent of past Halloweens and she was a baby, just yesterday.

Kamryn and her favorite little buddy. We went out trick-or-treating around 6:30 and were out til' about 8. Owen figured out the "trick-o-teet" part really fast. Kamryn loved pushing him up to every house in his car.
I may, or may not have, got us lost in our new neighborhood and ended up taking us on a really long detour. Ha. I kept reminding the kids that I was the one they shoud thank for the extra candy since we were totally lost we hit up many more houses!
Here's all the cousins dressed up together before we had soup and finished carving our pumpkins.
Livvy was the cutest little bumblebee I've ever seen!! She is also one of the busiest bees. This little girl has more energy than anyone. Owen just watches her run circles around him.

Gigi decided to be "Fancy Nancy" and her costume turned out totally cute!! She had little wing tip glasses she wore too. So cute for such a sassy little girl.

We are all exhausted and everyone is already crashed, except for me. I just finished cleaning up from our little shindig and I can't believe Halloween is already over. It was such a great year!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Halloweens Past

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! From the dressing up, to the excitement on the kids' faces as they yell "trick-or-treat", to the dumping out and sorting of the candy afterwards! We love carving pumpkins and lighting the Jack O' lanterns. We usually have everyone over for Chili and cornbread and then a few of us stay home to hand out candy while the rest hit the streets in search of thrills! The kids stare out the window, waiting so patiently for the sun to go down or for the first sign that other kids are already out trick or treating.

Since they didn't have blogs when Kamryn was born, or digital pictures, I went back through stacks of old photos to find pictures of Halloween's past.

2000 -- Tinkerbell

Kamryn had no idea what she wanted to be at 10 months, so we picked this for her. I remember her loving the wand and all the attention she got going around the neighborhood.

2001 -- Elmo

Kamryn knew exactly what she wanted to be at 22 months and it was this! I remember searching the Internet for days trying to find an affordable Elmo costume. After she had it on, she was sweaty as can be. This was the first year she actually understood that all she had to do was be cute and she'd get a bucket full of candy.

2002 -- Sassy Cat

Kamryn was so excited to be a cat... but not just any cat... a SASSY one. We searched for the perfect cat costume and then she found this little number. She had so much fun this Halloween! Fun little fact.. she was the same age here as Owen is now.

2003 -- Flying Unicorn

I'm pretty sure Kamryn picked this costume because she was obsessed with horses at the time. She loved that it was not only a horse, but a sparkly one with WINGS!! 2004 -- Cat woman

Don't ask. Ha. We have no idea where she came up with the idea, but she insisted on dressing up as Cat woman. She wanted the whip and the knee high boots and thank goodness I found a modest one that looked just like Halle Berry's Cat woman. My sister in law found the pictures from this halloween... I thought they were lost forever. Here's Rylee the Tinkerbell, Kamryn as Catwoman and Connor as a Power Ranger? 2005 -- Pocahontas

This costume was love at first sight! I'm pretty sure she found it in the Disney catalog and just had to have it. We did a lot of trick-or-treating this year. Gigi made the cutest JoJo ever.

2006 -- Super Kamryn

Kamryn wanted to wear her old dance costume this year and she wanted to be "Super Kamryn". She wanted to be her OWN superhero. I made a cape and there you have it. Gigi was funny this year as she ran around the neighborhood with the broom between her legs the entire night. 2007 -- Monster Bride

This was one of my favorite costumes! We had a great Halloween, even mister Owen had some candy. I was 7 months preggers with him here and we had just learned about his heart a few weeks prior. 2008 -- Vampire and the Lion

This was Owen's first Halloween and Kamryn was thrilled to have a new baby brother. Halloween fell just a week after we were told he would need a transplant. Owen was less than thrilled to be dressed up and spent most of the night in his diaper. I only got a couple pictures of him in costume.
Kamryn was dying to be a vampire! The vamp, the Lion and the pirate. This little lion cub was not having it. 2009 -- Dorothy and the Tin Man

This Halloween was crazy as we had just spent a week at Stanford because Owen wasn't gaining weight and they wanted to cath him. We drove 12 hours home, got changed and went trick-or-treating. We were all SO exhausted, but had a great time! Owen loved his Tin Man costume and Kamryn made the cutest Dorothy ever.

Halloween 2010 is in just a couple days. We are excited to dress up and Owen has been working on his "Tick-er-Treeeeeet". He loves to carry his pumpy bag around everywhere and fill it up with toys.

Funny Story..

Today he decided that he was NOT going to be a minion anymore, but instead wanted to be Elmo. We went to the store to pick up an Elmo costume and he was thrilled! I needed to try it on him and in the process he got freaked out and said "NO ELMO!!!" Apparently he didn't like the fur on Elmo all over him and he got some in his mouth... this led to puking. After that he said "no Elmo mommy... MINION!!!" We came home and tried on his minion costume and he hasn't looked back. Sorry Elmo.

I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!! I know we will.

Working Out in the Park

I'm going to start this post with a dirty little confession. I haven't worked out in months, maybe even a year. GASP. It's not like I am thin and this is one of those rub-it-in-your-face I don't have to workout moments. I have never been so flabby in my life and I just don't like it. I can blame it on my PCOS, or many other things, but I won't. Starting last week, Owen and I decided to do something about it.

It's is usually 60 degrees as we roll out of bed and so we are taking full advantage. After a busy morning of getting Kamryn off to school, Owen and I hit the road. The last few days we have spent at this amazing park around the corner from our house. The birds are chirping, the wind is blowing, the ducks quacking and it's so peaceful. Speaking for Owen, we both LOVE it!!

Owen yells "Go Mama ... GO" and that keeps me motivated when I'm not pushing him fast enough. He loves it when I jog, but holy smokes I can't do that for long! It's not that I get out of breath or winded as much as my body aches and I feel like I'm falling to pieces. I'm only 30, this shouldn't happen!! My goal is to run the entire way around the park. One day. Until then, I will continue walking and sprinting.

Owen is rewarded for all his hard work in keeping me motivated. He loves to feed the ducks and birdies. These ducks are the friendliest ducks ever. They come right up to you. They even beg. Look at the little one standing there just waiting for Owen to give up the bread.
We usually make time to swing afterwards and then head home for a LONG shower. Then I'm completely worn out and exhausted for the next two hours. I know that working out is supposed to make you feel great, but so far, I'm not feeling it. Ha. It'll come with time. We have a few more parks we plan to visit this week. Eventually, I'll be running triathalons. Or not.

Fall Happenings

It's fall in the desert and we are enjoying every moment. Owen and I have spent our mornings out for walks, feeding the ducks and playing on the swings... I have a whole post coming up on that tomorrow.
I can't believe it's already the end of first quarter in fifth grade. Kamryn came home with a perfect report card with all "A's!!' We offer her a date as a reward and so we'll be going out to dinner and to see Megamind next week. Way to go smarty pants!!
We are excited for Halloween this weekend!! I made the mistake of buying candy too early and now we can't stop stealing from the candy bowl. I'm sure by Sunday, we won't want a stitch of candy. Kamryn's costume came and is totally adorable!! Owen's minion hat was purchased off Etsy and the creator did a perfect job!! Now I just need to find a matching yellow shirt.

Owen has another cardiology appointment coming up on the 1st and I'm sure Dr Stock will be thrilled with Owen's progress. He feels better than I have ever seen him. So great, in fact, that I forget that there is anything wrong with him most of the time. He still turns blue when he plays, and is still on a liter and half of oxygen, but it's not nearly as drastic as it was pre-cath in September. We are so blessed that he is doing so well!

We spent our entire weekend doing fall cleanup. The garage is organized, under the beds and dressers cleaned out, there is alot of stuff ready to donate and many toys to sell on Craigslist. I'm also busy trying to plan our trip to the cabin next weekend, our trip to Stanford, the Hubs' birthday and we have a BIG surprise planned for our kids in December. I'm talking HUGE!!!

All the pictures in this post are from the kids' afternoon of making sugar cookies. Kamryn loves the work of frosting and then eating.. Owen just wanted to throw sprinkles at people and get his fingers smooshed in the frosting! They were totally disgusting cookies, but I guess that's what I get when I want to break and bake, rather than actually do the work of really baking them.

Mister Owen

It's about time I do an update on this little guy!

Owen ... you are doing pretty amazing lately! You feel good and it shows. You still have some days where you don't want to get out of bed or off the couch, there are days full of puking and then there GREAT days!! We LOVE those days and are seeing them more often lately!

You love to play with trucks, trains, cars, puzzles, read books, watch movies (Elmo is still the fav) and play catch. You can throw a ball faster and harder than I ever could and your favorite game is keep away. You throw the ball and then say "Mama get it".. when I go to get it, you race me over to it and say "I GET IT!!!" This is followed by the best belly laugh I have ever heard! You have been asking to watch "football" on the weekends and there is no way anyone is changing the channel. You get so into the games... at least daddy is thrilled.

You are in bed by 8 and up at 7 each day. You relax and watch cartoons all morning while the rest of us get ready and out the door. You love to take Sis to school and give her kisses each day. You always want to go "bye bye" and rarely want to "go home". You get tired around 11:30 everyday and say "night-night Mama". I put you in my bed and you are asleep before your head hits the pillow... this is the longest two hours of my day.

You look forward to swinging at the park when we go to pick up Sis and can't wait to see your cousins and Kami after school. The rest of the night is fun with Sis, Daddy and Mommy. You usually won't eat anything orally during the day, but as soon as we sit down for family dinner each night, you can't get enough food in your cheeks.

The last two hours before bed are your best. You have more energy than you had all day. You usually do most of your walking at night and you love to wrestle on our bed. At 8pm, you insist on tucking Sis into bed and giving her a kiss before you will go to sleep yourself. We all think this is the sweetest thing ever!! You lay in bed and are zonked out within minutes.

Three days a week you have therapy and you love the attention! Jessica come every other week to work on PT and you aren't too excited with the idea of having to be physical. You are stubborn and want to do thing at your own pace and if we push you... you turn blue. Usually we get about 15 minutes of PT in an hour session. You win some.. you lose some. The best news is that you learned to walk on your own! You only walk at night or for little bits throughout the day. Walking makes you turn blue and your oxygen sats DROP, but you'll figure it out with time. Butt-scooting used to do the same thing to you and look at you go!

You just got a new speech therapist, Sherene, and she is great! We did a language test on you last week and you scored just a little below average. You definetly understand what we are asking you, but you just need to work on expressive language. You say new words everyday and I have no doubt that you will catch up with your peers soon enough. We're still working on those back sounds... "kkkkk and ggggggg". Mommy got in trouble for saying "walkie, walkie... and Do you want some wa-wa Owen?" Point taken. Mommy won't talk like you do... I will correct you from now on.

Connie still comes every week to work on Feeding therapy and has since you were a few months old. It's amazing when we talk about how far you've come. You love food. All food. You stuff your cheeks like a chipmunk but then store it there for another season. Ha. You just need to figure out that food can go down the pipe! When you get tons of food in your cheek you scoop it into the sink and go back to eating. You are going to be a great eater someday. I just know it! Until then, mommy continues to tube feed you every 30 minutes ALL. DAY. LONG. and I'm kinda wishing you could talk to your tummy and tell it to tolerate a little more volume. Could you do that please?

You don't eat because you are always full and who wants to eat with a full tummy? This is something we are hoping to overcome after you are a bit more stable (after surgery or transplant). Walking is hard because you're body is already working so hard to keep your oxygen sats at 70%. When you walk and they drop into the mid 50 range, you are about as blue as can be. You continue to get up and keep trying though. You are such a tough little guy.

You are now getting six medications a day and you like to administer them in your Gtube... "I do Mama!" I'd say since you're big enough to inject them into your tube, why not just take them orally, but I seriously do not blame you. They smell something terrible, I can't imagine drinking them.

You have a new obsession with drinking constantly. You drink water all day long and have to have a cup by your side all the time. The only other thing you will drink is soda pop and that's my fault. I was hoping that by drinking carbonation, it would stimulate you swallow the food in your cheeks. No such luck. Now you just drink the soda and the food stays put. Ha.

Most days I forget that there is anything wrong with your heart. I don't see the oxygen or the tubes anymore because it is so normal to us. I think of you as a healthy little boy and am so blessed that you have overcome so much. I wish I could say you were healthy and your heart is fixed, but it's not. Not even close. You have some pretty big hurdles coming up in the next few months. I am in awe of who you are Owen. You cooperate through the tough times, you smile through the rest. I often wonder how long we will get to keep you and it's breaks my heart to think that your life could be cut short. I have SO many dreams for you.

You continue to defeat all the odds. Two years ago, this week, we were told to find a heart transplant center because you surely would need one soon. Your heart was in bad shape. Your pressures were extremely high. We were scared for you. We were confused and lost and looking for Hope. We found it for you.

Two years later, there is a lot of HOPE!! The medicine therapy worked. You are gaining weight like a champ. You are a strong boy and continue to remain stable. Your pressures decreased miraculously. Even those nasty antibodies that were to make transplant so difficult... they came down on their own...significantly. We are getting ready to go back to Stanford the first week of December to meet your new surgeon. We will trust him to make the best choices for your precious heart. We may ask you to endure more pain, more developmental setbacks, and for you to be BRAVE. You always are.

Owen.. you continue to amaze us each an everyday! We're not sure why we were blessed with such a miracle after eight years of infertility. You have changed us all forever. We love you buddy!!!

Pumpkin Carving

Saturday, after the wedding, we took advantage of having Auntie Booj and Uncle Rustyn in town. Larissa invited us all over for Chili and pumpkin carving. The kids had a good time gutting their "pumpies"...
Owen wasn't feeling so hot and kept spiking low grade temps all night. He hung out indoors and watched Yo Gabba Gabba. He only ventured outside a couple times to see what the big kids were up to.
Kamryn usually pics out the hardest design, but thankfully, she went easy on Daddy this year. This was also the first time we let her go at it with her own saw.
Here's her finished pumpy.... a monster! She is a perfectionist and quickly pointed out that he has one fat arm and one skinny one.
Here are all the pumpkins lit up and together. From left to right... Auntie Booj and Tatum's Mummy. Alyse's scary monster. Uncle Justin and Connors spooky pumpkin headed guy. Luke's happy pumpkin. Kamryn and Daddy's monster. Emily's ghost. Uncle Rustyn and Rylee's Bat. The kids did such a great job, made a huge mess and were awarded prizes of candy and toys from Grandma Monica and Grandpa Todd.
We're sad to report that the monster pumpkin is already rotting on our kitchen table. I guess we'll be saying goodbye to him when the garbage man comes on Thursday. We're headed to the pumpkin patch this weekend and we'll have to carve a few more pumpkins for the 31st!! We LOVE Halloween!!

Wedding Weekend

This weekend, we had the pleasure of attending Kamri and Tony's wedding. Kamri is Carson's older sister and Tony is amazing. They are so happy together and we are thrilled for them! Isn't the bride beautiful?!

(picture taken by Arturo Volpentest)

Kamri and Tony have four babes between them... they were the bridesmaides and groomsmen and I didn't get one picture. I didn't even get a shot of the bride and groom so that is why there is a way more professional one of them above. The wedding and reception was beautiful.

Owen had fun dancing with Auntie Janesa.

Kamryn took this picture of Owen and I love it!

Tatum, Rylee and Kamryn wore matching dresses and looked beautimus.

Us.. another photo taken by Kamryn.

Owen is walking a little better... baby steps.

We took a bajillion pictures of the four of us and this one was the best.

My little sassy frass.

Owen loves to chill in his stroller. Most toddlers want to get out and play.. not Mister Owen.

My babies. I am SO in LOVE with these two!

Here are most of the cousins... Emily, Rylee, Alyse, Connor, Tatum, Owen and Kamryn. We're missing Luke, Karlee, Jon, Alex and Kathryn. Bummer.

We are happy that Tony is "officially" part of the family. We had a great time celebrating their marriage and wish them a lifetime of happiness!!!

Fall Swim

We are thrilled that the triple digit weather is behind us. We can now move on to fall!! Since our pool is heated,we decided to take a dip before bed tonight. My sister brought Liv and my Grandma over for a swim around 5pm. Kelli and Liv got in first and the pool was so NOT heated! It was freezing!
I was shocked that Grandma Betty (she's in her mid 80's) got in and braved the freezing temps. Nothing will stop my two fishies from getting in the water and Livvy had a great time! Just to clarify... freezing to us is water temperature below 80 degrees.
One of the board members on our homeowners association was at the pool and she said she'd get it heated pronto. Whew. I am totally looking forward to a winter at the pool.
Owen and Liv had matching purple lips tonight. Owen was barely dipping his feet in, he's always that blue lately. Livvy was just freezing in the water.
We made our way over to the hottub to warm up before heading home. It was fun to hang out with Grandma and she cracked us up as always.

Grandma is hilarious anyway... but she's starting to have onset Alzheimers and while the disease is nothing to laugh at... she has gotten sillier over time. She just says the most random things and she is completely uninhibited.
We had a fun time at the pool tonight and I'm glad that Kamryn convinced me to go. Owen has been feeling cruddy (puking and minor fevers) so it felt good to get outside and have fun in the water. I'm sad that fall break is almost over, but we have so much to look forward to over the next few weeks.