Vacation @ Aunt Tal's

Here are a few pictures of our stay at Aunt Tal's. We had a great time and made some wonderful memories... one in particular was Ryland getting to take a bath in Aunt Tal's swimming pool! :)

Snow Day

SNOW hit this past weekend and man... apparently we broke every record in the book for DFW with this snow fall! It was crazy! At 1:15 am on Friday morning our power went out. It was so cold, all four of us ended up sleeping in the same bed. This is the scene we woke up to on Friday morning. Literally could only get out of the driveway one way and that way was blocked by another tree in the road. So, our neighbor helped us cut down the big branch just so we could get out, mean while we took advantage and played in the snow a little while. We were able to make it to my sweet sisters house, where we spent the night in her one bedroom apartment... that was fun! ;) We finally got electricity back Saturday late evening and were able to have a full 8 hours of sleep (thanks Brenley)! Now all Ryland can talk about is "her" snow and how much fun it was. :)

Story Time

Story time just before bed is a favorite at our house. Kyle loves to read and both girls LOVE to sit and listen! Ryland would sit and read books for hours if you were willing. And thanks to a family full of educators, we have some of the most wonderful children's books for her imagination to explore. I hope this tradition lasts long into their lives.

It's not for the faint at heart...

Being a parent that is, it's defiantly not for the faint at heart. This week as been trying for me and I think the next several month are not going to get much better, but I know I have much to learn in the area of faith, especially when it comes to my babies, so the Lord gently holds my hand as I put my babies in his lap.

"And Jesus said, 'If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.' Immediately the father cried out and said, 'I believe, help my unbelief!" Mark 9:23-24

Yesterday we went back to our Pediatrician to check out Brenley's lump. We have successfully treated the cradle cap and yet, the lump remains unchanged. So, we have been referred to a surgeon who will look it over and remove it. She is confident that it is a Dermoid Tumor and reassured us that it is a fairly easy removal process, which is comforting.... except when it's your own baby that you will have to watch be in pain.

Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! 

On another note, Ryland was diagnosed with Reactive Lung Disease. This is a early childhood form of asthma and does not necessarily mean she will have asthma later in life. What it means for right now is that every time she gets a cold, even those without fever, for her it turns into lungs shutting down and wheezing, mucousy cough for four or five days. Since her bought with RSV just before Christmas she has had three episodes of difficulty breathing where we needed to use her inhaler to help her. The rule of thumb is if she had three episodes in a full year they would treat her with preventative measures and she has has three in less then two months. So, she is now taking a steroid inhaler four times a day until May as well as another inhaler during the times that she is sick to help her lungs stay open. She is also on medicine to help reduce the mucous and ease the coughing. In May we will stop the steroid inhaler and see if she reacts the same during the summer months or if her reactions possibly come at other times in addition to viruses. If she continues to struggle between now and May will will be seen by a Pulmonologist (lung specialist) to monitor her more closely and run further tests.

So for the next several months we have decided as a family to stay at home as much as possible. We will drastically limit her time with other kids, especially in public playing areas or areas where there are a lot of kids we don't know. Since her immune system is so down right now, I would love to just keep her well for more then two weeks at a time. So cabin fever here we come! :)

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart" Colossians 3:15


I will walk in this season diligently and know that He has already written the story of my two babies lives. And as my Dad reminded me today, the Lord loves us MORE then I love my babies. My hope does not lay here on earth, but in heaven and my peace rests in the eternity of the cross. ---- much easier to write then live out.

*** On my previous post, you can actually see the lump on Brenley's head. It's about two inches behind her ear and up a little. It's about the size of a pea.

Better together!

Watching TV is so much better done with a friend then by yourself.... now she has someone to hide behind. :-)

Happy Birthday Tal!

Happy Birthday sweet sister of mine! It's hard to believe you are 30 today! I have loved spending my life with you, God could not have given me a more perfect sister! Thank you for all the things you teach me and for loving me the way you do! I love you! Happy Birthday!!!

mood swings

We have hit the age of mood swings... one second things are fine and in another they are not.... but, Kyle would say that women never grow out of them and I would say.... neither do men! :)

The BEST swing in the entire world

Her Ammy and Paparino have set up the best swing in the world in their back yard. Maybe not to most, but to Ryland there could be no better place to be. She asked to swing morning, noon and night.... sun or snow... it did not matter to that girl, she wanted to swing. I have a feeling there will be so many fun memories from this precious peice of pink plastic heaven.

TGIF

Happy Friday! Hope you can get think out of the box this weekend! ;-)

Food Inc.

Just watched Food Inc. the other day and I think it is safe to say that it has changed my view (and probably our budget) on food for good! I am shocked at all that we don't know about what it is that we eat and how much of it is not actually food anyway. I am now on the hunt to buy local foods. If you have any tips I would love them, I am kind of at a loss of where to start and how far to take this thing.

Yikes!

FYI - Did you know that Chipotle is doing their part in serving Food With Integrity? Go to their site and read all about it!

Why I hardly get on the computer anymore...

;-)

Honey-Pie

Cowgirl from Sherah on Vimeo.
FINALLY riding the rocking horse my parents gave her for Christmas. It has only taken her almost two month to no be scared of it! :)

Story time with Ryland :)

Ryland telling us a story from Sherah on Vimeo.

She is not wearing a shirt cause she was eatting chocolate pudding and we were at her best friends Jarrett's house. My favorite part is when she pats my leg at the end to say good-bye. Gosh darn I love her!!!

Just thought you might need this today.

I did! :)

Brenley

After our fight with RSV, we decided to find a new Pediatrician. This is the Metroplex people.... you have competition and if you are unavailable and non responsive, I will find a doctor who is. We found a new one last week and really like her!

About 2.5 months ago Brenley developed a small lump on her head. It's about the size of an M&M and didn't seem to bother her, so we didn't have her checked out. During our well-visit last week our Dr said that she thought it might be one of two things. One: a swollen lymph node due to the fact that she has a mild case of Cradle Cap. Two: it could be a Dermoid Tumor. She is leaning to the tumor since lymph nodes usually do not swell up for longer then two months and they usually act symmetrically, meaning the one on the other side of the head would be swollen as well.  

We are treating the cradle cap to see if it has any effect on the lump and if not, she will refer us to a pediatric surgeon. Basically this type of tumor is almost always benign and it removed easily, but it would involve a MRI and that would mean the Brenley would need to be put under.

We go back to see her next week, so I will keep you posted. I know that she is being taken care of by the Lord and that He has a plan for her life that is beyond my control, but we want to make the best decisions we can if surgery presents itself.