Happy Halloween!

Well hello there!  Where have we been the past seven months?  I am back to fill you all in on our crazy lives but first let's get to Halloween!  Halloween in Arizona is normally super warm and toasty, but not 2019, it was a freezing 65 degrees in the desert.  We bundled up and hit the streets, three streets to be exact, before the kids were ready to come home and trade candy.  

Owen aka Bayek from Assassins Creed Origins

Logan aka Black Panther

Kam and Lulu aka Elle Woods and Bruiser

"Whoever said orange is the new pink is seriously disturbed."

 Gigi aka Steam Punk recycled from Kam circa 2016. 

The Crew, missing Liv and Bridge who showed up a little behind schedule.  Can I just say how amazing it is to have Kam and Gigi take the little ones around the neighborhood.  

Lulu is the sweetest pup who entertains all of our wildest ideas as long as she can kiss attack anyone that is close proximity to her.

Kam's Surprise Pikachu won the majority of the compliments of the night.  Owen's "The Rock" bull was pretty great too!!  We gladly donated the pumpkins to the neighbor's little piggy Tunip and her friends for a post Halloween treat.

At the end of the night the cousins dumped out all their candy on my empty dining room floor and made negotiations.  Logan mostly gave his candy away with the exception of a few Kit Kats and Hershey bars.  It was another fantastic Halloween and I am so grateful for these little gobblins of mine.

Two Incredible Years

How has it been two years?  Two incredible years full of everyday challenges.  I look at this photo and remember capturing it outside the Scottsdale airfield at 1:30 in the morning while we waited for our life flight crew to prepare the plane.  After living in the hospital for 10 months, we had only been back in Arizona for one week when we got the call.  "We have a heart for Owen and it's a perfect match!"  I was so exhausted, completely drained, and I knew the next week was going to require me to become superhuman.  Sleepless nights, praying for a miracle, grieving for the donor families and making sure I was the best cheerleader for this little guy!!  We made it buddy...two years without any major complications, illnesses (aside from appendicitis), and you are growing! 

Look at you now!  You have been on quite the adventure the past 11 years and we couldn't be more proud of you.  Today we will write our first letter to this donor family.  I haven't had the words and I have sat down to write it many times before.  We are the lucky ones.  So many of your friends have returned home to Jesus this year and it's been so tough!  My wish for you is to always look for the GOOD in every situation,  LIVE in the moment and be GRATEFUL for all you have!  You are pretty incredible Mr. Owen and I am so proud to be your mom.

 I have been working on a post or two about our trip to Hawaii.  I cannot believe I haven't had time to sit down and blog about it.  We are already planning our next adventure... stay tuned.

Hello January. Goodbye January.

Happy January.. or almost February!  We have had a wild start to 2019 and cannot wait to see what is in store for our little fam.  The year started off with a new addition to our family... meet LULU the Cockapoo!  I finally caved and told Kam she could purchase a pup.  Kam and Lu are a match made in heaven and she is getting more love than any pup could imagine.  She is mostly a lazy little gal who likes to play tuggy and chew on everything. 

 

 We celebrated Kam's 19th Birthday... yes, I said NINETEEN!!!!  She is a gem and my right hand gal. She is loving ASU, making friends and planning a  Foreign Exchange trip to TRINIDAD in March! 

 This little guy finally got in to see Endocrinology and it was determined he is perfectly fine.  He is hanging out at about 3% for height and weight for growth, but he is alive and well.  His estimated growth is about 5'8" and no need for human growth hormone shots for now.  :)

 Logi likes to one up his brother and the competition between these two is fierce.  Owen has maturity and intellect over Logi's massive strength and endurance.  These boys love to compete, antagonize and tackle each other all day long.  We are soaking up the beautiful weather in the desert this time of year and I love to take these boys out for long bike rides to help them burn off their energy.

 Things had been pretty quiet around here for Owen, apparently too quiet, so his appendix decided it was time to be eliminated.  Owen had an appendectomy last Thursday and he felt immediate relief.  He is still recovering and getting back to his baseline, but it was his easiest surgery to date.

 I spent the last 18 months working my buns off getting all my pre/co reqs done for Nursing school.  It was hard and exhausting but nothing compared to what is to come.  I did really good on my Hesi exam and now I just wait for acceptance or denial into the program.  It's competitive and my competition is young and fierce.  My plan is to get my BSN in Nursing and go on to get my NP degree asap. 

 I have to wish this little dude a HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY!!  Most kids you wish would stop growing up and you want to bottle up their youth.  I am just so thrilled to be lucky enough to celebrate another birthday with this little guy and pray that I get to watch him grow into a man one day.  Life is fragile and unpredictable, but I have to believe that there are big plans for Owen.  To his donor families.. if you read this... THANK YOU for choosing to say YES because without you, we wouldn't be here celebrating ELEVEN incredible years!!

Now that I am all kinds of teary, I am going to sign off.  Thank you for loving our family!!