nana and papa

Nana and Papa are coming back to watch the kidos while Trevor and I go to the ADA conference in Hawaii. At first Bella really wanted to go with us to Hawaii until she heard Nana and Papa were coming to stay with them. Then it was, "How soon are you leaving?"

Plus Brennan and Bella get to spend their fall break at the farm again. They are super excited. I promised Claire she could go to the farm the next time the big kids went. So she and I will fly up for a week. This will be Claire's first time on a plane. She is beyond excited. I think Claire more than deserves a trip after all she went through this September. Lily will have some one on one time with her dad and extended family here in Arizona. She won't know what to do with a quiet house.

It is going to be a busy fall.

One year ago today...

the crew

bath crayons

toes

last year, right after I tore the ligament in my foot

So today marks the one year anniversary of "the day I hurt my foot".

Who knew that a little ligament could be so very, very, very important?

Who knew that breaking bones would be an easier, faster, cleaner recovery?

I remember every single detail of that day and I wish I could undo it. But you can't and so you do what you have to do. You keep calm, carry on, and hope for the best. Everyone thought it would be 100% by now. It's not. It does look perfect on the outside and even the x-ray's look good. So who knows...maybe one day it will be all better. Maybe, just maybe I will wear sandals or even heels one day.

Claire is doing fabulous. We went to the Dr. on Tuesday morning to get the catheter taken out. The doctor walked in and Claire took one look at him and said, "I don't like him, He's not nice at all." He tried to smile and be friendly with her. She wanted no part in it. She was still excellent and I explained to her how it would happen. Then when the Dr. was ready to pull it out, I distracted Claire really quick and then it was done. No tears or anything. The office staff was impressed by Claire and gave her an extra sticker and lollipop. They couldn't believe she didn't cry or anything.

Also when we went to QT for a treat after and she saw her friend, Claire said, "I asked my mom your name and she didn't know it. So what's your name?" The QT worker replied, "My name is Amelia." So now we know our friends name. Claire also proceeded to show her the healing incision on her tummy. She is quite proud of it and says, "Look, my hernia is gone."

HOPE

Bella and I at the high school football game she cheered at over the weekend.

Makayla and Bella

Brennan and the "cleaned out" fridge/freezer

Thursday night, the day of Claire's surgery, Brennan stuck his water bottle in the freezer and it stayed open all night,

We had to clean it all out (it took 7 trash bags)

A complete, nightmare mess.

But on the bright side Brennan said,

"Look, mom. It's beautiful, it hasn't been this clean in years."

Claire and her play doh...

It was quite a weekend and has been an adventure (not in the fun way) trying to keep Claire calm during her recovery. I am not even kidding when I say that she has literally been bouncing, running and trying to climb everywhere. All of which are no no's right now. We started giving her benadryl, which helped a little. And today she didn't even nap. She is like the Energizer Bunny, keeps going and going and going.

Right now, I find myself hoping that she never has to go through anything like this again. And really she is handling it all quite well. I wonder how much of who she is has been created and shaped through some of these tough experiences at such a young age. Claire is a fighter; she has had to be. I hope it serves her well throughout her life. She has such a strong, happy, and friendly personality. She definitely makes her mark in this world. When I stopped in at QT, one of the workers asked where Claire was. I told her about Claire's surgery and she commented that she misses Claire and hopes she gets well soon.

We go to the doctor first thing tomorrow to have her catheter taken out. On the one hand I can hardly wait and on the other I am dreading the appointment, as I know it won't be pleasant. I am surprised that Claire doesn't hate going to the doctor after all the appointments and surgeries she has had in her life. But she doesn't. In fact she loves going to the doctor. And maybe that is a lesson to us all.

Lily 10 months

LILY is 10 months. She is getting LOUDER. She has a new scream/ squack that she uses when all the kids are home. Mostly so that she can be heard. She still has no teeth... She is a fabulous sleeper and a happy, little doll baby. She absolutely loves Ritz crackers and tries to race to the pantry and find them whenever the kids leave the door open. She is always grabbing Claire's straw cup and trying to drink out of it. She is not that interested in eating her bottles; she would rather play, talk, or crawl around. She loves bath time and swimming and her favorite outfit is "diaper only".

Our Brave Little Claire

Today was surgery day for Claire. She knew it was coming and kept talking about going to the doctor to get things fixed. The good news is that it is over and she is a sweet, strong, brave little girl. She is doing really well, all things considered. Some things were a little more extensive than the doctors thought and she had to come home with a catheter until Tuesday. Definitely not the most fun and comfortable way to spend the weekend, but Claire is handling it remarkably well. She understands a lot and is listening and following the doctor's instructions. At first she fought taking her pain medication, but has since figured out it helps her to feel better. Also, I pop a couple marshmallows in her mouth to help wash down the taste.

She is smiling at the moment and eating Ritz crackers on the couch with Bella while they watch "Alvin and the Chipmunks" AGAIN and AGAIN. I posted the intro song so everyone can enjoy it with us...

We very much appreciate all the love, support and prayers people have offered on our behalf; Thank You.

We can hardly wait to have Little Miss Claire back to her bouncy, spunky self!

exploration

minnie mouse

Claire picked her Halloween costume today and wore it most of the day.

Claire's first day of school

First Day of Preschool 2009

Soccer Boy

Dress up

On our way to the "mom and me" party

Rock Band in the basement

(look at Lily's face...she loves it)

I took these pictures in the dark

Cami and Lily

Life at our house is busy.

We have lots of growing, changing, and learning going on.

Life is like that, I suppose.

As soon as you get used to things being a certain way, they change.

"We shall not cease from exploration.

And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

T.S. Eliot

hands full

Love