Our Gucci is HERE

Do you think we are excited? To celebrate Gucci's arrival we sent up the welcome lantern to the heaven's......and maybe sang "at last I see the light..." We wrote our message and then sent that sucker away for all the world to know that "Our Gucci is HERE, HOORAY!!"

If you look really close you can see an orange dot, which is our lantern. These lanterns are really cool and lift up just like you see in Tangled.

The Pink One thrilled to see her grandma Gucci.

The Blue One thrilled to not be wearing pants :)

I love my mom and am so grateful that she was able to come and visit us for nearly 2 weeks. Woot woot.

The Hubster and the Birthday

HaPpY BiRtHdAy HuBbY!

It is Hubby's Birthday and despite both children having raging fevers and the flu we are still celebrating. The celebration wasn't what we had hoped for, but I was house bound with 2 vomiting children so party plates, balloons, and candles didn't get purchased. We did however, manage a small gluten free chocolate cake which I had purchased a few days earlier and hid....whew! The Pink One had a great idea to get a candle and light it for Dad to blow out and make his wish :)

A couple of presents.

Th Pink One drew Dad a picture and bought him a book. She knew that she wanted to get him a book, so she got him a Sherlock Holmes book (she wanted Harry Potter, but none were to be found).

The Blue One was still terribly sick.

This is pretty much what Mom does :)

Who is the most excited? Dad or Sister? A gift from me and the kids- a couple of shirts and 2 pairs of pants.

A gift from neighbours Hugh and Mary

The party scene.

Hugh and Mary bought Hubby a beautiful waterman pen. We really are so very blessed to have amazing neighbours who I will miss terribly when we leave.

Hubby and I met when we were 17 years old. He was special. There was something about this super skinny and oober gawky kid that was....... special, that's the only word to describe it. Hubby and I had a blast rollerblading, biking, skiing, hanging out, and dating. I didn't think I would marry him, but I always had a lot of fun with him and laughed really hard. Hubby was my best friend before he was anything else, and because of that I feel like we have a great marriage. Hubby and I have a very open and honest relationship, just like best friends do. I am super lucky that I married a man who lets me run, swim, teach dance, stay home with my kids or work if I wanted. Hubby tells me I am beautiful every day, which I am not, but it is still nice to hear. I am lucky to have a man who likes to go and do things and give our kids opportunity to get out rather than stick home on the couch. Hubby is super smart, patient, kind, and always puts myself and the kids before himself. Wowsers right? Now I will write my disclaimer for those random few who may be sitting on their computer rolling their eyes and criticising this "perfect" world I live in, my husband has flaws just like any other human being, but I try to focus on his awesomeness. Hubby, you rock! Thanks for making my life more awesome than it would be without you, and HaPpY bIrThDaY!

Oh Celiacs!

Hubby has Celiacs :( I have known for years, but he has been in denial. Accepting and admitting that you have something means that you have to do something about it, which has been why Hubby has avoided the truth. Hubby's sister Jen passed away two weeks ago, unexpected, and tragic. I will post about Jen when I can.....it is really hard, we were however able to scrape together enough means to fly Hubby home to say good bye to her before the cremation and to speak at the funeral. The combination of the emotional trauma, work stress, financial stress, family matters, etc...lead Hubby to have a major gluten reaction.

 Hubby has typically been gluten intolerant, but his skin broke out into the skin rash that is associated with celiacs where the skin blisters and hurts and becomes terribly itchy. Hubby actually begins to itch all over now when he is exposed to Gluten :(  The poor man is hungry and frustrated. We are currently reading labels and putting together our recipe book of what we can make that will keep him healthy and happy. We also know that Celiacs has a strong genetic connection, so we are keeping a close eye on the kiddo's. We seem to think that the Blue One would be more prone to getting celiacs since he has the eczema that hubby has. The paediatrician told me that eczema, asthma, and allergies are all related. I have none and hubby practically has all, and guess which one of us was bottle fed? That's right, ME :)

We are very blessed because Hubby's sister has a gluten free bakery in Kaysville, UT that makes the most amazing gluten free treats. To check out her website or for information about Sweet Cake Bake Shop click HERE. Now everyone who comes to visit is required to bring us sweeties from Aunty Alli's bakery :) I figure it will take us at least 6 months of wandering through the store to figure out what he can eat. Eating out is a whole different story. The frustrating bit is that they don't have the same things here as they have in the US, so many kindly offered suggestions don't work. We will get it figured out, probably in time to move somewhere else and have to figure out a whole new store of products. In the meantime, veggies, fruit, and meat for us.

Nearly Killed Me, But Oh So Worth It!

When my neighbour Mary saw this picture she asked "who is that?" 

Yup, that's me.

September 20th, 2005- I. Felt. Awful. In a period of 2 days I had ballooned and was so saturated with water that I looked like what Maren described as "a water bed." I remember going to work and saying to the secretaries look at my ankles....they are gone! Not only had I lost my ankles, but my face, arms and legs had all swollen. Being a first time pregnancy I didn't know what was normal and what was terribly wrong, so I carried on feeling soggy and huge. My mom who had been out of town returned, took 1 look at me and said, "you are NOT alright, we are going to the hospital NOW!"

We arrived at the hospital and they immediately hooked me up to the monitors. Shortly after they took me in to have an ultrasound. During the ultra sound I noticed that they measured the baby at 2 and a half lbs. and I knew that the baby was supposed to be nearly 4lbs. according to my pregnancy book. Panic started to set in. They returned me from the ultra sound where my placenta then abrupted and an emergency c-section ensued. Since I had recently eaten when they gave my the medicine, I became really nauseated and as I laid flat I started to lose my dinner on the operating table. Weird. Vomiting horizontal with your head to the side as they are delivering your baby is really weird.

They had to make the incision higher than normal because they weren't quite sure how they would get the baby out, but it worked. Little pink Adessa was born 2 months early, 1 month growth restricted, weighing 2 and a half lbs. and 15 inches long. From her peach sized head to her bottom she was the size of our hand. I didn't get to see the baby as the life flight team worked furiously to get her on a ventilator and have her breathing. They wheeled me out and then after stabilising the baby they wheeled her past me for me to see. I opened the little window and scared to death I touched her little arm. They swiftly hauled her away to another hospital with a NICU. Prayers. Are. Answered.

A few days later when I was released from 1 hospital I was able to go to the other and see my teeny tiny baby. I will not lie, they put the fear into you when you have a baby that little and I was really scared to see the baby. We were only allowed to have the baby out of her isolette for 5 minutes a day because she needed to feed (through a feeding tube) and grow. No stimulation to the baby. Stimulation means that the baby is burning calories which you do not want them to lose any weight at 2.5 lbs. It was really challenging finding a way to bond with a baby that you can't feed, hold, or stimulate :) But.....even though it takes longer to develop the bond, it is here and as strong as any.

The day after they released me from the hospital I was admitted to another. Most pre-eclampsia goes away after the baby is delivered, but I developed a rare and raging case of post partum pre-eclampsia. The doctors put me on oxygen and had several scans of my lungs that had filled with the same fluid that had infiltrated the rest of my body. My oxygen levels were awful and I could only take short and shallow breaths. The doctor and all of his little students came up to my room and told me that my goal for the day was to have neither a stroke nor a heart attack. What! Yup, it had become that bad. The funniest bit was when the Dr. told me to turn down all the lights and not stress to keep my blood pressure down. Right! He obviously doesn't know me. I had no lesson plans for a sub for my Students at the Junior High, I had a husband who had to leave out of town for work, and I had a baby in the NICU that they won't tell me if she will make it or not. Each day we were told "we will do the best we can, but no promises." Aaaaagh! just tell me that everything will be fine.......but no, they can't do that.

Six weeks later on October 30th we brought home a beautiful 5lb. baby Adessa. She is so very special. I think that there is something noticeably special about this child because she has a great deal of empathy. I feel very blessed to have been sent this sweet spirit into my life. The name Adessa is derived from Odyssey which means "long journey." From conception to birth Ads was a long journey, and I am certain that there will be many more things in her life that will be a journey (maybe even her kidney stone issues), but she doesn't take that journey alone. I love her with every bit of my heart and soul and would re-do all of the swollen pre-eclampsia again and again if meant having her.

 The "Pink One" in her isolette at about 1 month old. 

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday

6th Birthday

I stole this tradition from my SIL Sherri, Birthday balloons on the bed are a huge hit. I also had Gucci make us pillow cases for the kids for each of the holidays including their Birthday. You can see a Halloween case and she is sleeping on the Birthday case.

Presents from mom and dad, Gucci, Hugh and Mary, and the Dixey family.

Ads wanted a guitar.......ta da!

We took homemade cupcakes in to school for a birthday treat and Ads was thrilled. She had a dinner of pizza her favourite food and then more cake and singing. We were so happy to have Gucci here to celebrate with us. Birthday party and pictures with friends is yet to come :)

Son of Thor

I am sure that it is obvious that I am crazy for this little Viking child. The comment I hear most from random people about the Blue One is "He's a proper boy that one!" If a proper boy is wild, crazy, and fearless, then yes, he is a proper boy.

Some of my favourite things about this kiddo are:

1. When he doesn't want to do, wear, or eat something 

he says that it is "YUCKY!"

2. He has a blanket that I have named "Linus"for obvious reasons,

 that he cannot live without.

3. He loves cars, trains, and planes.

4. He can get a scrape, cut, bruise, and bloody nose 

and only whimper once. Tough. As. Nails.

5. He loves to dance and sing.

6. He knows the words to my special song that I sing to him 

and he joins in at the end.

7. He gives the most slobbery kisses.

8. He knows where the toy section in the store is 

and also knows where the pound store is located.

9. He loves Mickey Mouse, Scooby Doo, and Ferb.

10. He adores his sister and will do anything she does.

11. He is really funny about the clothes he wears and will 

NOT wear a jacket or anything with sleeves. 

If I allowed him to, he would wear his Sweden 

Football jersey every day.

12. He loves to eat chocolate, cookies, and cereal. 

This kid could eat sweets all day long.

13. He loves to sword fight and wrestle and is rock solid.

14. He has an incredibly strong build with proper pecks, abs, and calves.

15. He is very determined and will stand for what he wants. 

No persuading him otherwise.

I call him my "Joy" or "Joyous" because that is what he brings me. I feel so blessed to have this little Viking warrior child in my home.

The First Day of School

Back to school.....HOORAY! This year the Blue One started nursery school 2 days a week for 3 hours a day and the Pink One is in year 1. Wow. The kids were super excited for school to start so we got up early, had breakfast, got dressed, and headed out the door. When I got the Blue One to school he suddenly wasn't so excited anymore. My little blonde bombshell turned, looked at me as if to say "oh crap!", and started to cry. *snicker*  Oh how I love this little Viking. I walked him in, got him in the hands of a teacher, and then RAN. I love my children, but that being said, it was the first day in nearly a year where I would have 3 hours child free.........and I couldn't wait! 

At noon I went and gathered the blue One up and took some more pictures of him after his first day of school. This is what the photo shoot was like:

Yeah I went to school....

It was cool....

I am so over this....

See ya sucker! Love him.

The Pink One was super excited to get back into the swing of school. Both my kids are very social like their mamma and love to be out and about doing things instead of hanging around at home. Both kids love school. The Pink One loved her first day of school and received a certificate the second week of school for outstanding guided reading. We were proud. I love my daughter, she is such a sweet kind and lovely child, a bit on the messy side, but so so so good.

Now what am I doing with my new found freedom? Swimming. I took swimming lessons and am now heading to the pool 2-3 days a week to practice. I am really enjoying swimming, it is super hard, but I am a girl who likes a challenge :) Plus, I want to get that chiseled swimmer body. Hubby and I have a new goal, will blog that later......shazam.

My Pilgrimage to Pemberley

Aaaaah, Pemberley. Need I say more? Isn't it every girls dream to see "Pemberley" in the flesh? It was for me. Chatsworth house isn't far from Nottingham, so I knew that we would be taking a detour the minute I knew that we were going to Nottingham. The kids were less than thrilled to be touring through another fancy place where they can't touch anything :)

This is what Tessa thought about the house....

This is what Ads thought....

Tessa....

Ads.... See what I am saying, less than thrilled :)

That being said, they were still awesome as we walked from garish and extravagant room to room. This is the entry to one of the stairway's. Of course you don't get to explore all of the house, people live here for crying out loud, but you get to see enough. I loved that there were red sofa's in the entry as I have red sofa's myself. Loooove red. The paintings and tapestries were remarkable.

Fabulous!

In my joy and elation I asked Hubby to take my picture in the entry.....and this is what he took! Stinker. Maybe I should be concerned that he had a bout of palsy ;) Anyway, it documents that I was actually here in my height of glory.

You will recognise the statues from the Keira Knightly version of P&P.

That was one large foot!

The Blue One touching priceless artifact's of course. What else would this child be doing?

Gilded

Bedroom

My gown

Another Bedroom

The Library

The Dining Room

The girls were entertained by wandering around and pointing out the boy statues from the girl statues. I am sure you can guess how they were able to distinguish the two.

Is this Darcy? 

The front of the house was under scaffolding as they were restoring it, so I didn't get a shot of the house head on.

The Fam

Heading into the gardens.

The gardens surrounding the estate.

As we were leaving an air show began. We were visiting the house on the same day as the country fair was being hosted just below the grounds. A couple of planes made a guest appearance for the fair, but entertained us thoroughly with their daring loops and dives. The kids loved watching the planes nearly crash.

Chatsworth aka "Pemberley" was amazing. I won't lie and say I wasn't bummed that it was under construction, I was VERY bummed, but what can you do? Hubby didn't like it at all, he felt that it was disgustingly lavish, garish, and greedy. There is no denying that it is the most ornate, garish, and colourful place I have ever toured through, but I LOVED it. Ticking this one off my bucket list.