Catching Up.. Give Thanks

This is a catch up post because time is just slipping by faster than I can blink!  Last week we were crazy busy!  Kam had dance concerts all week at the High School and I didn't get a single picture.  I am so bummed, but I know the dance teachers have lots of pictures and there is a video to purchase.. yay!  It was so fun watching Kam dance on stage for the first time at her High School and I am looking forward to many more dance concerts over the next four years! 

Thankfully there was a cancellation at the Orthotic Specialists this weekend, so Owen didn't have to wait until January.  His poor feet and legs have been aching lately.. he really needed to get fitted for some SMOs.  He has overall muscle weakness and very weak pelvic muscles.  When he walks, he walks in second position and his little ankles and feet roll in (pronation) due to lack of strength and over flexibility.  He has orthotics in his shoes, but it's just not enough support.  He was custom fitted for new orthotics and I really hope they help.  We are still trying to find a PT that will work with our schedule because he needs some serious strength training and conditioning.  He has had constant PT from 2 months old until present, sometimes multiple times a week.  It's years of heart failure taking it's toll on his little body.

This weekend, C and I were scheduled to take a hospital tour of the maternity ward.  Then we were running late and I decided to bag it.  Instead we headed to Costco and their TVs were marked down ridiculously low, so we decided we would leap into this century and bought a new TV.  It is such an upgrade from our 30" Toshiba box tv we have had for the past 16 years!  Owen is convinced we bought the TV just for his entertainment. :)

Yesterday morning I woke up to find Kam snuggled into Owen's bed and they were watching trailers for new video games coming out.  I love their relationship and this photo speaks volumes.

Today was Owen's Thanksgiving Feast at school.  He loves when I come and volunteer in his class.. he just lights up!  The first graders are so fun and I had a great time helping make bonnets, pilgrim hats and cutting out "feathers" for the indian hats.  The kids watched a short video and had a feast of fruits, veggies and muffins.  Payton (Owen's girl crush) brought those mini blueberry muffins from the store and was so cute trying to convince me that she baked them all by herself that morning. :)  I have so many funny stories and I was only there for an hour.  What a great way to start my day!

Baby is 36 weeks and growing!  I had my first weekly OB appointment on Monday and despite yucky contractions, nothing is happening.  He is not ready to come out into this crazy world and he has a few more weeks to bake still.  Here is the 36 week bump, which looks huge to me! 

We have SO much to be Thankful for this year!!  Here is a sneak peek of a couple of pics from our family session.  I'm still trying to decide what to use on our Christmas cards, so I'll share the rest soon.  Kam is so beautiful from the inside out.

This photo of Owen makes me tear up.  He looks so healthy and pink!  His bravery and strength is far beyond the years of a six year old.  Not a day goes by that I don't pray and think of his angel, and her family, that chose to give him the gift of life!!  

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!! 

**I'm giving away a VISA Giftcard.. go HERE and leave me a comment to enter!!

Finding Balance -- American Beverage Association's Mixify Effort

Being a teen nowadays is much different than it was when I was young. I didn't have cellphones, Facebook, Instagram, or even email!  I wasn't overwhelmed with homework, overscheduled after school, and I certainly had plenty of free time. Even though times are much different now, I still had the same struggle with finding balance in my life. It's no secret that the teen years are crucial in developing good lifestyle habits that will stay with us forever. Finding the right balance of exercise, eating healthy and beverage selection was always a challenge for me.

Each day is a challenge for Kam. She gets up at 5am, before anyone else in our family. She gets herself ready on time and I make sure she has a protein-packed breakfast with a large glass of milk to start her day. She dances an hour a day at school and always packs a healthy lunch loaded with fruits, veggies, and protein.  Her days are pretty routine up until this point and it's easy to make good choices. Then the 3:00 after-school hunger strikes and the challenge begins! 

Kam loves to have a small soda in the afternoon with a carb-loaded snack and she balances it out with a protein. Some days she'll swap a soda for a tea or a lemonade, and chooses a candy bar instead of a healthy protein. I know the struggle and I try to teach her about moderation and balance, rather than totally having her eliminate things she enjoys from her diet.  She has hours and hours of homework each night and still finds time to get to the dance studio for her evening classes. The weekends are the toughest because all she wants to do is relax, catch up on books and have fun with friends. It's all about finding balance!

The American Beverage Association has come together with a mission to support families' ongoing efforts to achieve balance. Mixify is an all about inspiring teens to find balance in their mix of food, beverage and physical activities. It was started when moms across the country asked the leading beverage companies to help support and educate their teens about finding balance, without totally eliminating things they enjoyed. Mixify also includes features teen specifically asked for, like the opportunity to speak with professionals (dieticians and trainers) for advice on how to find balance in their busy lives. To visit the Mixify website for teens, visit www.MyMixify.com.  To learn more about Mixify and all the other efforts America's beverage companies are doing to help families achieve balance, visit www.DeliveringChoices.org.  You can also find MyMixify on social media... Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.

“Coke, Dr Pepper and Pepsi understand that getting a balanced mix of foods, drinks and physical activities for your family isn’t always easy. That’s why they’re coming together for the first time ever to talk to teens about balancing what they eat and drink with what they do. With tools to help teens get active and information to help them think about when they’ve had too much, or maybe when it’s time for a treat—America’s beverage companies are supporting our efforts to find a balanced mix that works for our families.”

I am so proud of Kam and all she does in her daily life to achieve a balanced lifestyle. She maintains straight As in all honors classes, makes healthy choices in her diet and still splurges on things she enjoys! 

BlogHer is giving away a $100 Visa gift card to one lucky reader. To enter for a chance to win, just leave me a comment below and let me know: what you do to keep your family balanced?  Tips?

Sweepstakes Rules:

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You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 11/24/14 – 12/24/14.

Be sure to visit the American Beverage Association brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

35 Weeks Preggo and Owen's Crafts

Another week has passed and fall is in full swing!  It has been a lovely 70 degrees in the desert... it's wonderful!!  We had family pictures over the weekend so I'll share those as soon as I get them back this week.  I have been totally consumed with baby on the brain.  I'm trying to get things organized and ready for his arrival so I can relax and enjoy the holidays.  I have been doing last minute shopping for diapers, pacis, bottles, ect.  The contractions have been coming and going often, but he still has a few weeks of baking to do!  I am officially 35 weeks today.  I start my weekly doctors visits on Monday, including the dreadful cervical checks, but crossing my fingers he makes his debut before Christmas.  Here's the beautiful 35 week bump... 

 Kam has been slammed at school!  They are finishing up last minute projects and this week she has had late night rehearsals getting ready for their dance concerts.  Owen has been bringing home all his fun crafts from school...

 The teacher sent home this turkey for the kiddos to decorate at home and Owen only wanted a GOLD turkey.  He painted the whole thing Gold.. here's the finished product.  While making it I kept offering suggestions to add more texture or put more into it, like painting macaroni gold or M&Ms. I even offered to glue on some real gold feathers.

"Mom...that is so disturbing! You want to paint food and put it on my turkey? It has paper feathers ...why would you need real feathers? It's fine. It's gold, just like I like it."

I am wanting to decorate for Christmas but my husband is huge on letting Turkey day be it's own Holiday!  We have so much to be Thankful for this year.  I'll be back tomorrow and Friday with lots of fun pictures and updates.  Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving??

First Week of November

Another week has passed by so quickly I lost track of time.  Last Saturday we had a family birthday party and had the kids dress up one last time in their Halloween costumes!  They all looked so great!  A little shout out to Kam and Connor (Link on the right) for both being awarded student of the month in their Japanese class this week!

Owen had a great week at school... Payton drew him a picture which I'm pretty certain was her math homework, but he didn't care, he was thrilled!  He is excelling in math, keeping up in reading and still struggling with writing.  All I hear is rave reviews on how obedient and respectful he is to his teacher, aide and classmates!! 

Here I am at 33 weeks pregnant!!  I am loving the movement of this little guy, but he is pretty lazy most of the day.  He stretches, rather than kicks, and it's always just a nudge here and there.  I don't really have any cravings this time around, very minimal heartburn, and I am sleeping great!!  I am still having Braxton Hicks often and some days I feel like he will just fall right out (as if it's that simple). 

Each Friday I have Owen's attendant care (we denied nursing care as it isn't necessary) come and she helps me clean my house!  I feel so spoiled and grateful!  It's so exhausting picking up for her to come, but it's so nice to just wipe down the bathroom counters while someone else is doing the hard vacuuming and mopping.  She even did my tubs today and we collaborated on the kitchen pantry.. and it looks amazing!!!  Next week, we will work on the boys closet (since they will share a room).

That's a wrap of our first week of November!!  I promise to blog more frequently soon.

Halloween 2014

Introducing our cast of characters for Halloween 2014!!!

Kamryn as a Marionette Doll. She got more compliments as she walked around the neighborhood helping the little kids trick or treat!! 

Owen as a Shock Tropper (Sith)

Gigi as a "Japanese Bubble Gum Pop Princess"

Bridgi as Anna.

Olivia as La La Loopy

We met up at my parents house, which is also in our neighborhood and had a chili feast before sending the kids out trick or treating for the night.  This was the first year that we didn't have time to carve pumpkins... bummer.

Kam was creepy sitting on the driveway handing out candy to all the littles!

Here is our 2014 Halloween family picture.

Here are the crazies ready to get out on the street and get some candy.  It was a warm night ... 95 degrees out.. so they all slowly stripped down as the night went on.  As we were leaving to walk down the street Owen said 'Only four houses okay?"  He made it one street and decided he was ready to hang out in the driveway and hand out candy instead.  He stripped down to his tee, undees and socks, Risky Business style, and handed out candy for the next hour to his "customers".  Kam isn't a candy eater either so we seriously came home with like 10 pieces of candy.. SCORE!!!

We had a great October and Halloween was super fun, but we are happy to see November!  Cooler temps and closer to meeting our newest addition.. bring it on!!  I hope you all had a great Halloween!