Dirt Bikes and Dragon Kites

School

2011-08-26T09:42:00.000-06:00

School started in full force for all of this week. Caleb started his fall program in Pre-K and Joey started KINDERGARTEN!! I can't believe he is already a kindergartner! His first day of school was last Friday, we all had a HUGE melt down on Wednesday morning. But I am hoping we will be getting into a good routine soon. I am also back in school and taking a huge leap this semester. I will be attending full time with the intent of completing my Associates degree in Psychology this fall!! So far it is really exciting and I have some very interesting classes. I am taking:

Intro to Literature where I will be reading the novel "One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest"
Sociology 101
Social Psychology where I will be writing a Children's Book (very excited think I have a fun idea!)
Physical Geology (this on is for my VERY inquisitive Joey that loves rocks!)

This will be a very full three months until Christmas for our family but an adventure I plan to enjoy. After that I plan to transfer to Metro State University to continue studying Psychology.

2011

2011-04-06T17:29:00.000-06:00

So far 2011 has been a very interesting and challenging for us medically, however I am hoping we are making a turn today. I started the year with some VERY severe episodes of vertigo that were very debilitating. They have gotten much better and today I had a lot of testing that confirmed that I have positional vertigo on the left side. She did a treatment in the office and gave me a self treatment for at home. She was a great Dr and very thorough and I am hoping to put these episodes behind me. On another positive note I seem to be doing a lot better on my recovery from the major surgery I had 16 months ago. Not where I am looking forward to being but a marked improvement. I have started going to the gym consistently and that is a HUGE step forward.

Caleb is recovering nicely from his broken arm, we will have some physical therapy to get the last little bit resolved but he has come so far!! He still has another challenge this year, he needs major dental work. The poor guy has a mouth full of teeth causing all sorts of problems. He will be having 8-9 crowns on his back teeth both top and bottom. He will also be having his two front teeth removed to have an extra tooth removed that is causing problems already with his permanent teeth!! So we are waiting to have that scheduled as of course they will put him to sleep to have all this done at one time.

Lee is closing in on the end of tax season, another week I will have my hubby back!! He is doing so well outside of an annoying persistent cough. And Joey is healthy as other...I feel so blessed with all my family overall healthy and most important together.

Life in Perspective

2011-02-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

There are moments in life that bring life into a whole new perspective. I had one of those recently, two weeks ago tomorrow at about 2:35 in the afternoon, an afternoon full of plans to run to the grocery store then get boys sent off with Grandma for swim lessons...all of a sudden came to a halt. We had just eaten some lunch and getting ready to leave and Caleb jumped/fell off the bench and landed on his elbow. He was crying and of course upset, I hustled the boys out of the restaurant because of his crying and got my first good look at his arm outside, standing him up on a bench and pulling up his sleeve...I am not sure that is an image I will ever get out of my head, it was VERY obvious his arm/elbow was either broken or seriously dislocated. After getting him into the car and Joey being super helpful and just doing what needed to be done we headed out to the nearest Children's urgent care and a quick call to hubby to meet me there. Now, I must say you definitely get ushered back quickly at the ER when your child is screaming at the top of his lungs!!

Well a couple of xray's later we get the next blow, not only has he broken it he has broken it about as bad as it can get and it requires surgery to pin the bones back together. I am floored, I expected to walk out of there with him in a cast of some sort but SURGERY?!? Well, one ambulance ride to the main Children's Hospital and surgery the next morning and less than 24 hours after the fall, we were home. Caleb is doing amazing although he complains that it is taking a "really long time" to get the cast off, but 4 weeks is REALLY long for a 4 year old.

This is the first time as parents we have had to handle something so instantaneously an emergency and it has really hit me hard, reminding me once again how truly precious life is and each and every person that touches our lives. Especially our littlest dependents. I feel truly blessed by each and every one of my family and friends that are a part of our lives near or far. Although I pray to not have any more emergency's in our near future I am grateful for the reminder or what is truly important in my life and having my life in clear perspective, it is way too easy to get caught up in the small day to day things that really don't matter.

Boys Update

2011-01-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

Looking back over my blog, that yes, I am WAY behind on I am amazed at the changes in my boys!! They are in their second year of preschool now and growing like crazy. They both had birthday parties this year with friends from school and Caleb has a best buddy for almost a year now and Joey has had several girlfriends, although he is girlfriend free currently, the pickings are slim with only four girls in his class this year. The boys are both learning to ski, Caleb in his second year and Joey in his third and they are picking it up well. We are hoping to spend more time in the mountains this year so they can catch up to their cousins. To this end Lee will be trying a new schedule this tax season working Saturday but taking off on Mondays as much as possible. This will be our first weekend to try it out, I am excited!

They have also tried out several other sports now with ongoing swimming lessons, soccer, indoor soccer, t-ball, indoor rock climbing, golf lessons. Joey has really loved all the running in soccer and Caleb is becoming a fish in the water. They both love rock climbing, t-ball and golf so it is looking to be another busy summer!! We can't wait!!

I am still busy recovering from surgery, I am a year into my 18 month recovery and I am looking forward to some more progress. I am also back to taking classes after taking last spring semester off. Overall our family is pretty healthy and more important all together.

Dusting off the Blog!!

2010-08-06T10:12:00.000-06:00

Time to dust off the blog!! I can not believe it has been almost a year since I have posted. We have had so much going on this past year. The boys are getting ready for a hew school year to start...although they never really stopped, we kept them enrolled in a summer program with lots of fun field trips and other adventures. The new school year officially starts the week of August 23rd. Mama is going back to school the same week after taking spring semester off to recover from a major surgery in December. Here are a couple of teaser pictures of the boys as I work on getting some other posts ready to bring everyone up to date on our household.

Updates

2009-09-03T17:06:00.003-06:00

The boys first day of school outside before we head in. Mommy's little monsters!

First Day of School 8-24-09

Checking out Caleb's Cake!!

I'm 3 Mama!!

One Year Ago

2009-02-16T16:26:00.004-07:00

One year ago today our family of three became a family of four as we all went to Fuling, China to meet an 18 month old little boy named Fu Bao Gao. Mama, Baba, Joey and Lao Lao boarded a bus for a 90 minute trip from Chongqing to Fuling to meet this little boy that would be coming home with us. We were all so excited and nervous as well. How would he react? How would Joey react? Is he going to scream for hour? Is he going to shut down and ignore us for days? All we wanted to do was hold him, hug him and kiss him but we knew he would not be ready for us at all. How do you explain to an 18 month old that they are going away from everything they have ever known in their short life?

Here we saw "Gao Gao" from across the room. He is trying to figure out what is going on!!

Brothers at Last!! And Joey starts taking care of Caleb right away!

One scared little boy, not too sure what is going on clings tight to Baba.

Brothers in every way!! Christmas 2008 the best of buds!

Getting to be such a big boy!

Baba, Caleb & Joey

What a year it has been, Caleb went from this scared boy to the most happy kid. Joey and Caleb love being together and are rarely apart! Caleb wakes up happy and goes to bed happy. We have been blessed with the most amazing children. Thank You God!! And happy one year "gotcha day" Caleb. WE LOVE YOU!!

go Barefoot!

2009-02-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

Reflections

2009-02-08T12:50:00.002-07:00

Best Buds Joey & Caleb

Joey's first day skiing!!

Reflecting back on 2008 it was an amazing year of changes, challenges and growth. Our amazing son Caleb was added to our family almost a year ago. Joey and Caleb amaze me every day how well they have adjusted to their life with Lee and I and with each other.

Caleb had two surgeries that you would never know he had...........even the day after. What an amazing boy. He has the brightest outlook and is always smiling. Joey, he is always the caretaker. He takes care of his brother and always comforts him when he is not feeling well. If anyone is not feeling well he is there to offer loves and help you out. We are so blessed with our amazing children.

It has been a year of challenges for me. It was a huge adjustment growing our family and working through all the "normal" routines for us. At times it was very overwhelming for me and I fear that some of my personal friendships were severely neglected in the process. As 2009 gets underway I hope to rekindle those friendships. Any of my dear friends or family I have neglected this past year I am very sorry!!

It has also been a year for growth. I am back in school and think I am finally figuring out what I want to be when I grow up!! I started selling some amazing children s books and I have started taking better care of myself in many ways.

I hope everyone has an amazing 2009.

Christmas

2008-12-30T21:00:00.002-07:00

What is in this bag?!? Caleb getting into his first Christmas!
Caleb, Baba and Cousin Sydney playing.

Fun stuff!

Caleb is one COOL Dude!

Santa brough me a Rammy!!

(AKA Colorado State Marching Band CD)

New Adventure!!

2008-11-21T18:59:00.002-07:00

I have always had a passion for books and now having 2 adorable boys from China I am always looking for great resources of books about China and other diverse cultures for Joey and Caleb. I found that through Barefoot Books and have decided to join their team. I am now a stallholder with them and wanted to announce to everyone they have some beautiful books and gift packages available for the holidays. Please click on the attached banner to visit my website and see what's available. Let me know what you all think!!

Caleb's Surgery Update

2008-09-04T16:18:00.002-06:00

Caleb's surgery went well yesterday. They repaired his Hypospadias and rebuilt the opening for the uretha. We were also able to have an injection done that we are hoping will stop the kidney reflux. We wont know for a few months if that is successful or not so we stay on the antibiotics until we can retest him. His testicles seemed ok once they had him completely under sedation. So all and all it seems we accomplished a lot. And the reflux we were expecting to deal with next year but it seemed to make sense to try this. We were able to come home with no problems. He slept a lot yesterday and was pretty much back to normal this morning. Around 11:30 he was saying he hurt and when I went to change his diaper his stint in his penis had pulled out some so I called the Dr. He said to come to the hospital and he would readjust it for us. By the time we got there the stint had come out completely and so the Dr just removed the stitch holding it in place and we are going to watch everything. It is too risky with the swelling to put the stint back in place. We will follow up with the Dr again next week.

Thank you to everyone that was sending thoughts and prayers our way!!

Caleb's Surgery Tomorrow

2008-09-02T21:47:00.002-06:00

Caleb is scheduled for surgery tomorrow September 3rd. We expect this surgery to be outpatient and we hope to be home in the afternoon. Please send your thoughts and prayers our way as Caleb has another surgery. This should be the last one for at least a year!!

Caleb's First Football Game!

2008-09-02T21:40:00.002-06:00

Caleb had a weekend full of firsts!! Not only did he turn TWO on the first but the night before his birthday he went to his first football game!! We have season tickets to Colorado State Rams and we really enjoy going to the games and Joey is a HUGE fan. His favorite animal he sleeps with is "Rammy" a white CSU Ram we got at a game last year. Caleb enjoyed his first game and at one point was cheering "Hooray" then "Boo"he couldnt decide what he should be cheering so he went with both!!

Caleb's Two!

2008-09-02T21:36:00.002-06:00

I can't believe my baby is two already and that he has been with us for six months!! He is amazing. He LOVED getting gifts for his birthday. He wasn't too sure what to do when it was time to open presents but I think he will have it all figured out by the time Christmas gets here and he see's Joey next month opening his gifts. He loves the movie Cars and any kind of moving vehicle. Planes, trains, but most importantly CARS. Joey picked out a set of matchbox cars for Caleb and he wouldn't hardly put them down all night long. It took until tonight before he was really interested in some of his other toys!

Happy Birthday Caleb!!

2008-09-01T20:24:00.001-06:00

More Summer Fun Pictures!

2008-07-28T15:54:00.002-06:00

Summer Fun Pictures

2008-07-28T15:44:00.002-06:00

Poor Delf is now officially "Kid's Stuff"!!
Burrito Boys!!
4th of July Fireworks Show

Vaseline Anyone?!?

2008-07-24T20:16:00.002-06:00

Ok...........so I know this started out innocent enough.........you know a boy has gotta have a little vaseline when he is changing his pullup right!?! But I think this is getting a little carried away!!
I have to keep patting my head to make sure I got

ALL my head covered, I would hate to miss a spot!!

And just for the record in case you have not tried this yourself................vaseline DOES NOT wash out with shampoo. Makes it very difficult when boy in questions HATES having his hair washed!! The boys definately keep life very interesting and full of tons of adventures. I am learning more and more every day. They say you should learn one new thing every day to stay young. At this rate I think I should live forever!!

Caleb's Adventures

2008-07-22T14:11:00.003-06:00

Caleb has decided to have a busy week this week. After a fun day playing at the lake Sunday the boys were playing in the dining room and next thing we know Caleb is crying and when Ba Ba picks him up his eye is bleeding. Well after cleaning it up a little we can see that his skin has popped open on the corner right next to his eye.

We go out to talk to Joey and try to find out what he hit it on and Joey is hiding under the table systematically pulling all the chairs in around him. Well.........after explaining to Joey we are not mad at him that we just need to know how Caleb hurt his eye in case we need to go to the Dr. he decides to come out of hiding. I call Lao Lao to have her come over and watch Joey so we can take Caleb to the Dr. In the mean time Joey is "demonstrating" on Rammy (his CSU Ram he carry's everywhere these days!) what happened to Caleb. So as far as we can tell via Joey's demo is that he either dropped the booster seat on Caleb or he put it on Caleb's head and pushed down on it..................so off to the Dr. we go and the thought they would have to do stitches but were able to use Dermabond to seal everything up. Here are a couple of pictures.

So............we are thinking ok........crisis over..........we are done for a while..........BUT..........

Caleb has other ideas!!

Monday night I come home and Lao Lao and I are getting ready to go to golf lessons and next thing I know I am in the other room and Caleb is crying and Lao Lao is asking him if he is ok. Go into the room and he had decided to stand on the couch and try to get Lao Lao when she wasn't looking and stepped (or tried to jump) off the couch reaching for her and landed hard on his arm. Well he gets up and is not using his arm at all!! We finally get him to raise it to about shoulder height but it just doesnt look right.

SO..............I call Ba Ba and tell him to come home we are going to Urgent Care again tonight!! Lee comes home and Lao Lao stays home to take care of Joey for us again! Well, by the time we got there and in to see the Dr the Motrin I gave him at home kicked in and he is moving his arm just fine like nothing ever happened!! Ba Ba has now told him no more visits to Urgent Care for the rest of the year!!

AWESOME BLOG MAKEOVER!!

2008-07-18T09:47:00.003-06:00

We just got the most amazing blog make over from Diana. She was waiting for her adorable daughter Dori when we were waiting for Joey and we were memebers of the same DTC Group from July 2005. I was so excited when I learned she was doing blog makeovers because I had been looing into them for a while. What do you all think?!? Also......she designed this great signature to match!! I love it all!!

Joey's Art Project

2008-07-10T18:31:00.003-06:00

Joey decided to express his artistic side one afternoon. I guess the rockers just look better in blue!! As well as Joey!!

Caleb's Post Surgery Appointment

2008-06-09T16:33:00.002-06:00

Caleb had is follow up today at the Dr's office. He is recovering amazingly well. You would never suspect he just had surgery on his back of all things just over a week ago. They let him get out of bed last Saturday (we came home that afternoon) and he has been on the go ever since!! He gets a little sore sometimes but it doesnt slow him down much!

The Dr. said he had a little bit of blood leak and clot in a pocket beneath the incision. It appears to be breaking down now but we will be keeping an eye on it to make sure it does not get any worse. Otherwise he is doing great and we dont have to see the surgeon again for another couple of weeks. We have a follow up appointment with his Colorectal Dr to talk more about the constipation issues he has had but overall he is doing wonderful!!

Thank you to everyone for all the prayers and generous emails while Caleb was in the hospital!!

Caleb is doing GREAT!

2008-05-30T11:14:00.002-06:00

Caleb's surgery went really well and as anticipated. There were no complications and he is recovering well. He is eating and drinking and getting lots of sleep. He has been giving us lots of smiles and is in a great mood this morning. He has to stay laying down today but will hopefully be able to get up this afternoon.

Surgery Schedule

2008-05-28T19:57:00.002-06:00

We will be heading to Children's Hospital in Denver first thing tomorrow morning for Caleb's surgery. It is scheduled for 10 am and they are estimating about 3 hours for the surgery. He should be in the hospital for about 3 days. He has to be able to do several things before he can go home. He has to be able to eat and keep it down. He has to have a bowel movement. And he has to be able to walk to the elevators. It should be a piece of cake for our active boy!!

We went on a tour of the hospital today and the new hospital is great. All the rooms are private rooms and have a pull out double bed so we can stay there with him. I will be staying the entire time with him and Baba will have to leave a little bit Friday and Saturday for some appointments but will be up at the hospital with us otherwise.

Joey will be staying with Lao Lao while Caleb is in the hospital and she will bring Joey up to visit Caleb once he is awake a little. Joey is looking forward to spending some time with Lao Lao and getting some special treats and spending the night at Lao Lao's.

Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days.

Caleb's First Haircut!

2008-05-28T13:54:00.004-06:00

Caleb didn't think this whole haircut thing was going to be fun at all when the cape went on!!

Once Joey came in he decided it would be ok and settled down.

And here he is after getting all cleaned up!!

Joey got a little trim too.

This Mama couldn't be more proud of her handsome boys!!

Fatty Filum

2008-05-26T22:14:00.002-06:00

Caleb is having surgery on Thursday for a Fatty Filum or Tethered Cord. Here is a great description of what it is:

"The filum terminale is like a thin elastic band, about 8 inches long. At the top, it is formed from one of the layers of tissue surrounding your spinal cord, and extends from the bottom of your spinal cord to the tip of your tail bone. The outside of the "elastic band" has a few nerve fibres sticking to it.

The filum terminale works as an anchor for the spinal cord. For people with normal anatomy, the filum stretches when they bend over to allow the spinal cord to move up in the spinal column and then goes back to normal length when the person straightens up and gently pulls the spinal cord back to its normal position.

When the filum is fat-filled, fibrous and tight, it will not allow the spinal cord to move up and down within the spinal column, and so the spinal cord and the nerves end up being stretched instead of the filum. In most people this causes nerve damage".

Everybody has a filum terminale; it is a threadlike piece of tissue that connects the end of the spinal cord to the sacral end of the spinal canal in the pelvic area. In patients with a thickened filum (defined as more than 2 mm in diameter) [Yundt, 1997], the filum is shorter or lower-lying than normal and is thickened with fatty or fibrous tissue. This abnormality causes the filum to become relatively inelastic (a bit like a rope or cord, rather than an elastic band) and the spinal cord becomes tethered at an abnormally low level, thereby giving rise to the recognised signs and symptoms of a tethered spinal cord. "

More information can be found on the following website http://www.btinternet.com/~tetheredcordresources/tethered_cords.htm

Tomorrow we will be going to the hospital for labs and a pre surgery physical. Please pray for Caleb as he prepares for this surgery.

How Time Flies!

2008-05-22T12:02:00.003-06:00

Jade (6) at her birthday party
Liam (4) at his birthday party
Joey (2.5) enjoying the party
Caleb (20 months) enjoying the party
Baby Ireland before the party

Wow, I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post. We have been so busy around here getting together with family and friends and Lee just celebrated his 40th birthday.

We have also been very busy with Dr. appointments with Caleb. Caleb will be having surgery next week, May29th on his back. He has what they call a Fatty Filium or Tethered Cord. So, he will be getting that repaired next week as well as his doctor for the imperforate anus taking a look at his rectum to see if he has a stricture that is preventing him from going to the bathroom very well. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we have this surgery done.

We just got back from Utah celebrating my dear Niece Jade and Nephew Liam's birthdays this month. Jade is now 6 years old and Liam will be 4 the end of the month. We had a wonderful time at their party. We also saw Grandpa & Grandma Peterson and Uncle Koda..........although Mama forgot the camera at the hotel so has not pictres of that part!

I will post some more pictures in another post of the boys and activities over the past month, ENJOY!

Updates on the boys

2008-04-17T08:49:00.003-06:00

Joey is feeling much better now that he is on antibiotics and his fever is gone!! HOORAY!!

Caleb had a big Dr appointment on Monday and it was mixed news. He is very healthy and doing really well. We found out his surgery in China for the Imperforate Anus seems to be ok and placed in the best position. We were also advised he has a more severe form of IA and will probably be followed all his life. If anyone wants more details on this you can email me privately. Caleb also has only one kidney and has a test next week to test the functionality and we will consult with a urologist next Friday to find out all the implications of everything.

With everyone being sick we have not taken a lot of pictures. Tax season is finally over so Baba should be home more and that will make things at home a lot easier!!

Joey's Sick

2008-04-13T19:22:00.002-06:00

Poor Joey has not really felt well since we were in China. It has been an up and down thing feeling good for a couple of days and then back to feeling bad again. We spent a good part of today in Urgent Care as Joey's temperature shot back up again over 102. He now has pnemonia poor guy. It has been a little crazy in the house with a bunch of Dr appointments and tests for Caleb and Joey being sick.

We have a big appointment tomorrow with the Colorectal Clinic at Children's Hospital in Denver tomorrow. They will take a look at some of the tests we have had done and give us the results as well as giving us a prognosis on Caleb's Imperforate Anus that was surgically repaired in China. Anyone reading this please send lots of good thoughts and prayers our way as we try to get Joey on the road to recovery and hope for good news at our appointment tomorrow.

Some Pictures

2008-04-01T21:24:00.002-06:00

We had some fun at the park this weekend. What fun boys!!

Diaper Changing Pad

2008-03-28T19:33:00.003-06:00

We have never had a changing table before and didn't find it necessary with Joey. However, with Caleb we are changing diapers frequently and changing them on the floor was becoming quite literally a pain!! So Aunt Kelly very generously (THANK YOU!!) got us a changing pad with a cover and some extra blankets to help keep it clean. So I set it up in out living room yesterday. I had changed the boys each a couple of times on it and it is working out great!! Well I am in the kitchen and Joey comes in telling me something, something, POOPY and is putting a "used" wipe in the garbage. OK......Poopy got my attention. So, I ask him if he is poopy. "NO!! Froggy Poopy." Ok......time to investigate. This is what I find.....

He then proceeds to where I keep the diapers and wipes and digs up a couple more wipes and proceeds to clean froggy up.

One he is all cleaned up Joey tells me "All better now" and takes froggy off the table!! I am so glad I was pretty quick with the camera for this one!!

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T17:28:00.003-06:00

Coloring Pictures

After Easter Egg Hunt
Decorating Eggs
At Church

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter yesterday!! We had a great time this weekend. On Saturday Mama and Lao Lao took the boys to an Easter Egg Hunt at the church where they colored some pictures and played some games before eating a hot dog then out for the big hunt. Joey had a great time and gathered lots of eggs. Caleb was not as sure but gathered a few up before they were all gone. We then went out to lunch with Baba and Rory from the office. Later that night we decorated some eggs before we went to bed. We decorated the eggs with stickers this year. Joey loves stickers and it was not as messy as the dye.

On Sunday morning Mama, Baba the boys and Lao Lao all went to church. The Easter Bunny visited us while we were gone and they both loved their baskets and Joey found the eggs that were hidden. Baba went to work for a while and we all went to Grandma's house later in the day for dinner. There was 15 people there including 4 kids. All the kids had a great time playing.

A new adventure!!

2008-03-21T15:33:00.004-06:00

I have decided to jump into the blogger world hoping this will be an easier way to keep friends and family current on what is happening with our two boys. I will continue to update our website periodically with various information. This will be follow the more current happenings in our lives. I hope you all enjoy!! Here is Joey helping Caleb take a "bath" in our sink!