Christmas

I'm a little overwhelmed with all my pictures and videos.  Maybe I'll start with pictures today and work on editing videos later this week.

Christmas morning was so much fun.  Reese kept saying, "This is the best Christmas ever!!!"

Although we were missing a few (Julie's family and Aunt Joanne), it was great to have the Reese family together.   There was no shortage of food thanks to the good cooking of Mom, Byron and Wes.  The kids were excited to have a new audience to perform for.  We had a blast.

Wes's family came to celebrate on Saturday.  More good times!

Today is Sunday and I'm in bed feeling yucky.  Since Christmas Eve, I've been having crazy allergy attacks with non-stop sneezing and itchy eyes.  Claritin and Benadryl is helping some but I can't wait to see an allergist to get this under control.  Boo!  But other than this minor setback, we had a wonderful Christmas.  We have so much to be thankful for and really enjoyed celebrating with both of our families.  Hard to believe 2015 is right around the corner.

Hope to get another post up soon with some video clips.

Getting ready for summer

Wes and I signed our pool contract!!!  I've been interviewing pool companies for months and we finally decided on Cody Pools. Here are some pictures of what it will look like.

Wes and I both loved our modern pool at the Braewick house but this backyard doesn't lend itself to straight lines.   I think this free form pool will look great once it's all done.  We are trying to save as much of our yard as we can by pushing the pool further away from the house.

The construction should start by the end of January!!  So it should be ready well before the summer arrives.  I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of the building process.

Let it snot, let it snot, let it snot

All three kids have the nastiest cold.  Their noses are running like faucets and both girls have a hacking cough that settles in when they go to bed.  Reese has fulfilled the doctor's promise of a LONG two week recovery.  She  is still pretty miserable.  Adding a cold to a very sore throat is not helping.  I took her to the doctor on Friday to discover that her tonsil scab is still there.  So when that falls off, I'm in for two more days of serious pain.  SIGH.   Looking forward to our little getaway this weekend.  Wes and I are going to Vegas to enjoy some magic (David Copperfield), musical circus(Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show),  food (Nobu) and SLEEP!!


Reese with ice cream face.

Drake trying out his new hat.

Is Stella sharing her chair?!?!

Reese and Drake reading books.

STELLA!!!!  Quit taking off your clothes!!  Seriously, I can't keep this girl dressed.  She wants to run around naked all day long.  I'll leave the room to grab something and return to this...

Stella has no idea she has started a game of Follow the Leader.

Drake is talking up a storm.   Favorite phrases -  "No!   I want cookie.  I want yolli-pop.  I want gummy beady.  I want more.  Uh-oh, I dropped it.  I want 'tato.  Thanks.  You welcome.  I want boons."  

Reckless drivers.

December fun

Our tree is halfway done - lights and ribbon are up, time for the ornaments.  I dread putting them on because I know Stella and Drake are going to be tempted to take them off.  Maybe I'll just decorate the top half this year!

I made the kids their own tree to decorate using some green felt.  It's a big hit.  I need to make some personalized ornaments, but for now they are happy with a package of store-bought plain felt ornaments.

Stella loves her reindeer slippers from last xmas.  They are almost too small but she manages to cram her feet inside.

Drake loves watching Daddy cook and he has taken an interest in the spice collection.  He takes them from the pantry and lines them up on the fireplace.  Cutie.

Here he is cooking in the kitchen.

Now that Stella has established a good sleep habit, we have brought the tent out of hiding.  Thankfully, Stella is still sleeping in her bed and not the tent.  Reese and Drake had a blast hiding from us.

Can you tell what this bowl is full of?

Snail shells!  Reese and KK collected those in an hour from our path in the backyard.  That's a lot of snails!!!

Reese's Tonsillectomy

Yesterday, Reese had her tonsils and adenoids taken out.   She had tubes put in her ears a year ago, but was still plagued with a constant snotty nose and a wicked snore.  After two ENT's recommended a tonsillectomy to help her ability to breathe, we pulled the trigger.  I woke up very nervous yesterday and was second guessing our decision.  Wes and I talked it over and decided to proceed.  Now that it's all over, I'm so glad we did it.  The doctor told us Reese's tonsils were a size 3, with 4 being the largest.  The surprise came when she got to her adenoids, which were blocking 75% of her nasal passage.  Once all the swelling goes down and her scabs heal, she is going to be able to breathe SO much easier.

We arrived at the surgery center at 11:00 am and checked in.  I gave Reese a Doc McStuffin's doctor kit to play with while we waited.  

Checking in...

Showing me her tonsils...

She's not sure about this new bracelet.

Gowned up and picking out a sticker.

Checking Mommy's heart before the doctor checks hers.

Killing time on her i-pod.

The surgery was over in 30 minutes and they brought Reese to her room where I was waiting.  She woke up for a few minutes, then fell back asleep.

Daddy came to visit and brought some loot.

Reese ate 7 popsicles while she watched Peppa Pig.  She kept looking at us in shock as we offered her more popsicles.  "Why are mom and dad giving me all these yummy desserts?!"

Our floor had a fun playroom to kill some time.

Back in bed.  Reese just finished dinner (half a cheese quesadilla, few bites of macaroni and cheese, few bites of chocolate pudding and a popsicle) and is watching another Peppa Pig before bedtime.

The nurse had to come in every couple of hours and check vitals/give meds.  We didn't get much sleep and were ready to go home at 6:00 am when they discharged us.

The hardest part of recovery is keeping Reese hydrated.  She has to drink 15 oz of fluid a day and each sip is painful going down.  Popsicles help, but that is only 1 ounce of fluid.  She hasn't been too miserable so far.  The doctor told me Day 5-10 is the worst because the scab falls off and it is even more painful to swallow.  Yippee!  Wes will be gone Day 6-9, lucky guy!  Hopefully, tonight will go smoothly.  I will have to wake her up every 4 hours to give her medicine but other than that, I'm hoping she can get some sleep.  And the rest of us can get some sleep, too.  

Reese's voice sounds a little different right now because her throat is swollen.  But I can already tell how some words sound more clear than they did before the surgery.   The doctor told us we might see a growth spurt in the next couple of months - she is 2 inches shorter than Stella and Dr. Roehm thinks that getting restful sleep will put her back on track.

All for now!