Happy Last Day of 2013!

I pray your 2013 was filled with joy and laughter and all the blessings you wished for! 

December Cheer and Thrill

December always seems short and fast, but this year was just ridiculous how short it was. I truly thought I had my act together, but I was of course wrong as usual.  We traveled to Texarkana for Christmas this year, so I had to be on my A game and I think I brought my C game up to bat instead. 

I got all the presents to Texarkana, but had to make a fast dash to Walgreen's for wrapping paper on a few and sacks for the others.  You just can't travel by car with wrapped presents and get them all there in one piece.  Okay, maybe if it was not raining your entire trip, you did not have to take bikes and you did not make a weekend stop in Dallas before heading to your final destination. Christmas went off without a hitch though! 

Good thing was, Santa and Mrs. Claus brought their A game!  My kids faces were priceless that morning. Natalie is just at an amazing age, were everything is magical.  Carter got a bike ramp, he has been saving his money for.  Good news, is now he can save his money for the ER visit instead. Or Natalie can stitch him up with her Doc McStuffins check up station she got from Santa.

We had lots of fun with cousins in Texarkana!

Most of our Christmas decoration are packed away from the fire, but we did have a few things to put out this year.  Larry and I decided, we needed a little more to get into the full spirit of Christmas. Plus our kids are at such a fun age finally (no diapers, etc). We decided, we needed to go to the Gaylord Ice Exhibit and snow tubing prior to heading to Texarkana.  Carter would have snow tubed all day, if we had enough tickets.  Natalie did not care that much for tubing and the though the ice exhibit was beautiful, it was a little too cold for her. 

Our friends met us in Dallas with their kiddos and went with us to the Gaylord and LEGOLAND. 

Larry and I decided Friday the 20th at 5pm, we needed to go ahead and leave for Dallas, because of the weather moving in.  I had not packed a single thing by the way.  We pulled out of Amarillo at 7:45pm and it rained on us the entire trip! We went down through Lubbock to avoid the ice. 

At one point, I asked God to watch over and protect our family as we traveled.  You hear all those stories of families getting in wrecks.  I have read some personally.  About 20 minutes after I prayed, Larry started pulling off the road a bit.  I had no idea what he was doing, because it was raining and foggy.  Next thing I knew, a car passed by us on the wrong side of the highway, talk about scary.  I feel so blessed, God protected us and I just pray he protected the driver and others on the road that night.

December was fast and furious, but filled with fun and laughter! 

Natalie and Hinsley Patterson at Bass Pro Shop

Hinsley Patterson, Natalie, Carter, Hunter Patterson and Barrett Patterson

Cousin PJs
Kalei and Ashley Aurit, Natalie and Carter, Caleb and Zac Harrell

Inside the Ice Exhibit at the Gaylord
Hinsley Patterson, Natalie, Hunter Patterson and Carter

Found the Princess section at Legoland

Trouble in the Making

Guys on Christmas
Steve Vicars, Papa, Jeremy Post, David Vicars, Jon Aurit, Larry, Daniel Vicars and Jason Harrell
Zac and Caleb Harrell with Carter in front

The kids with Grandmommy

The Ladies in their Christmas PJs
Back Row...Christy Harrell, Stephanie Post, Becky Vicars, Gran
Front Row...Libby, Grandmommy, Starlyn Aurit

The Last Few Month of 2013

I have decided since I am so far behind on blog posts, I would just do one major post to sum up the last few months. Then, I realized that would be way too long and I would not even want to read it, so I am posting two versus one.

Oh, I know, I know, my 2013 resolution was to try and be better about posting.  Well, our life continues to be an adventure and I have not had the time I thought I would have.  I will make an honest effort to get better in 2014, but I will make no promises. Plus, I am kind of afraid what our life will be like without the crazy.

So, my last main post about life was, well, who knows.  I know I have updated you all about summer and my "soccer mom" lifestyle.  Oh, not to mention the fire we had as well.  I guess that just leave me with part of October and November so hear you go...

School Updates...

Carter is doing amazing! He is his daddy's child though and gets in trouble for talking, like that is not a surprise at all to any of you who know Larry.  Carter has been reading chapter books and learning addition and subtraction.  In fact, I woke up one Saturday morning to him reading versus playing with the ipad.  I made sure he was not sick, just to be safe.  He loves reading!  His favorite books right now are the, Magic Tree House books. 

Natalie is incredible!  We had our Parent-Teacher conference a few weeks.  She is right were she should be for 4 year old Pre-K.  She knows all her upper-case letters and most of her lower-case.  She is counting great and loves school!  School was a bit of a challenge at the beginning of the year.  She would cry a lot, but she has gotten use to it.  I think she was getting tired and still just does not fully understand her heart yet.  I can not blame her though, I can barely understand her heart, but I have learned the signs of when she gets tired and try to make her rest when I can.

Health updates...

Natalie still weighs 28-29lbs.  I was hoping by the end of the year she would finally be 30lbs, but I guess I have a few days still or a new goal for 2014.  Her oxygen continues to increase and is now mid  80s! 

On a sad note, her Amarillo Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. Luckstead, passed away recently. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and 2 weeks later, passed away. Please lift his family and staff up in your prayers.  I can not imagine.  I am not sure what they will do about replacing him.  I have heard a few things, but nothing for sure. I plan to wait until after the first of the year to call.  I like Natalie to see the doctor in Amarillo once a year and the one in Dallas, Zellers, once a years. 

Carter's health is wonderful as well! Knock on wood, the child has not been sick this year like last year.  By this time last year, we had already had the flu twice.  He did get small infection from a scratch, but everything is healed and he is moving right along.

October Fun...

After we got somewhat settled in our temporary living situation after the fire, Larry and I were able to get away for a few days on a previously planned trip to California. Oh my goodness, it was beautiful!  It was the perfect time too.  I needed a break from all we had gone through. 

Brad and Kimberlin Meador, Chad and Danielle Patterson, Erica and Colin Baker, Larry and I

Breath Taking...

Larry's parents flew in and kept the kids.  Gran and Papa always make things fun and do art projects with them, which is perfect, because I am not the artistic person in the family.  The also took the kids to the pumpkin patch as well.

Fun Art Projects with Gran

Carving Pumpkins with Papa
I might add, that I am so happy they did this, because I did not have to this year...Thanks Papa!

We are a little obsessed with puzzles, if you could not tell

Pumpkin Patch Love

Cow Train with Gran

Carter ran into one of his best friends, Ben Hawkins and they had a blast

Halloween was great! I posted about that, so I will not go on, to save typing room and time.

November Fall Fun...

November seemed to go by a little to fast for me this year. Amarillo had their first big snow for the winter season.  My kids loved it!  The only reason they came inside, was because we made them, which was only, because Natalie was turning blue. 

Now, nothing goes without a little comic in our world.  Before the fire, I had just bought Carter some new ski pants, jacket and snow boots.  Somehow, I made with his jacket and snow boots. I have no idea where his pants are.  They are somewhere, but they will not be located until we finally move and get settled in our new home. So, he wore his pants from last year, which were way too small last year and in return, Natalie got to wear her old snow pants, which were too small as well (24 months to be exact, she is 4 by the way).

Snow Cuddles before sledding

Thanksgiving was filled with family, food and fun!

Happy 7th Birthday Carter!

I can not believe, Carter is 7!  Why does he keep growing?  He woke up the other night with leg pains, so here we go, I will be buying new pants in no time.  I feel like I am constantly buying new clothes or shoes for him. 

We had a bowling party for him earlier this month.  He had a blast! 

We love Cookie Cake

Wyatt Purser and Carter
They share the same birthday, but a year apart...how fun!

Grady Cox, Miles Sanders, Ethan Bentley, Hank Harris, Elliot McElreath and Dean Watkins

Jaeven Jennings, Jack Davis and Parker Heflin

Ben Hawkins, Sy Thoennes and Parker Hawkins

Party Favors by Lindsey Williams
So Stinkin' Cute!

Birthday Boy and His Daddy

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our Family to Yours! 

I pray you have a wonderful Christmas, filled with joy and laughter.

 

 

Healing Hearts by Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh

Healing Hearts is an amazing book, but a hard read.  I say hard, meaning, when you are in the heart world, you realize how precious life is and how easily these children can pass away.

I may not have read this book at the right time, going to my college roommates funeral, but then, with Natalie, there may never be the right time.

Healing Hearts: A Leading Pediatric Heart Surgeon Learns about the Journey from Grief to Life from These Inspiring Mothers of His Lost Patients

For Pediatric heart surgeon Hisashi Nikaidoh, MD, a chance encounter near the hospital cafeteria would stay in his mind forever.  The woman he ran into had lost her son in this hospital years earlier.  Now she was working in the very place that had been unable to save her child's life.  Dr. Nikaidoh was stunned.  he wondered how she could tolerate coming here every day.  But respecting her privacy, he never asked the question.  After losing his own son in a tragic accident several years later, Dr. Nikaidoh struggled terribly under the weight of his own grief.  And his thoughts went back to this women.  What did she know that he could learn this loving mother who seemed to have made peace with her loss?  Healing Hearts shares eight mothers' deeply honest and gut-wrenching journeys through grief their pain, anger, attempts at solace with alcohol and bad relationships as well as their decision to honor their living children by committing to lives of service.

As you read the summary of the book, I am sure you can now figure out, why I say it is a hard read.  I am pretty sure I cried through 90% of the book, but I must say, it is purely amazing reading about not only these women, but Dr. Nikaidoh as well.

Dr. Nikaidoh recently officially retired.  I have never met him, but he performed a friend of ours son's heart surgeries.  I have mentioned that I am apart of an amazing heart group here in Amarillo.  Dr. Nikaidoh is a friend on our facebook page and has even comment with support for us all at times.  I mean, what heart surgeon do you know that is first friends on facebook with people, most of whom he has never met and then supports us as well.  

I know I said it is hard read, but I promise it is worth the reading, just have a box of Kleenex by and do not try to read it all in one day, that might be a little too hard.  

Our Crazy World

A little over a month ago, our life got little more crazy than normal. I say that, because we seem to enjoy the craziness of life, but this was a little more than we bargained for. I can't complain though, God really watched over all of us and blessed us.

On September 28, Larry and I got home from a Ronald McDonald House event around 11pm.  We watch an episode of Storage Wars Texas and were just about to turn the lights off and go to bed, when I heard our neighbors fire alarm going off.  

Quick note...We have lived in a two story townhouse duplex for the past 3 plus years, so we share a wall, that can be very thin is certain areas of the house, such as the stairs.

So, I heard the neighbors fire alarm.  I looked at Larry and said, "that went off the other day, but for only 30 seconds before it turned off."  Then, all of a sudden, you could hear 2 alarms going off, because the were not in sync with each other.  I pretty much pushed Larry out of bed and told him something is not right and he needed to go check on it.  I had this gut feeling.

Larry got up, I am honestly not sure what he did, but I opened my closet door to get my shoes.  I knew something was not right.  When I opened my closet door, I could smell smoke.  I grab my flip flops, a bra out of the dirty clothes, because it was right there.  I thought for a brief second about clothes.  I was standing in my closet of goodness sake, but I could not figure out what to grab to put on.  I had on my pjs; luckily I sleep in pants and a tank top, but keep the top the the pj pants beside the bed.  I grabbed my purse and then our doorbell went nuts.  

Larry yelled at me to grab the kids.  I ran into Natalie's room first, flipped on her light and grabbed her out of bed with her blanket around her.  I did not even grab shoes for her, because her closet was on the opposite side  of the room.  

I then ran into Carter's room screaming his full name.  Oh yes, I used the full name!  Because of the way the lights are with his fan, I could not turn the lights on, but he uses he closet as a night light so I flew the door open and grabbed flip flops.  I yelled him to wake up; poor thing was in a dead sleep.  Once he came to a bit, I told him calmly there was a fire next door.  We were going to be okay, but we needed to get out of our house and to grab his blanket, because it was cold outside.  He later got a little mad at me for not grabbing his puppy (stuffed of course) that he has had since birth.  Seriously, I thought I was doing good getting a blanket.  I am proud to say, puppy is just fine and back in the arms of his loving owner.

We got outside and I saw our neighbors kids across the street. I walked over to them and had them sit down beside me to comfort them.  Our neighbor had just moved in about a month ago, she has 3 kids, a 16 year old, a 14 year old and a 10 year old.  The 14 year old was at a friend's house.  

It was not until I crossed the front yard, I saw the fire.  Our townhouses are set up the exact same, but flipped.  The fire was in the living room and was quit large by now.  You could also hear sirens in the back ground  heading our way.

Larry must have run back inside our house to get our fire extinguisher.  He went in the neighbors house and almost got the fire out until the fire extinguisher died.  He then, went into our house and backed my car out of the garage, which was nice, because I put all the kids in it to keep warm.  

I called my mom at midnight to come get my kids.  My first words were, "Mom, everything is okay and everyone is fine, but there is a fire in our neighbors townhouse and I am not sure how long this is going to take, so can you come pick my kids up?"

I started off that way, so she would not immediately freak. I figured she already was, because it is midnight and my number came up on caller id.  I knew she thought something was wrong with Natalie probably.

We had 7 fire trucks, an ambulance, a few fire related cars, fire investigator, Red Cross, just to name a few. There were neighbors out; lets just say it was quit a show.

The firemen did an amazing job and got the fire out and got the smoke out of our side.  We were able to go back in and get a few things for the night, but our townhouse smells terrible. Natalie's room happens to be the worst and was farthest from the fire.  I think because smoke rises and there is pass way from one side to ours, right in front of Natalie's room.

My neighbor's side was totaled.  The entire townhouse is black from the smoke.  I have never seen anything like it before, it is crazy.  We had horrible smoke damage as well, but not quite that bad.

The living room where the fire started

I can not complain, we have renter's insurance.  Larry owns the townhouse with 2 other guys and they had great insurance as well.

One thing that shows God was watching over all of us...Our neighbor had a sign right outside the room where the fire started, that said "God's Rules for Our Family."  Everything on the sign burnt expect for the, "Trust God."  Does that not give you chills?

We did have to  move out and we will not be moving back in.  We have to be over cautious, because of Natalie.  We had bought a house a month before all of this, which we are going to redo a little and move in. The house, however, is not ready yet, but we have a place to go for a while until it is ready for us to move in.

Hole outside Natalie's room
Smoke was coming in this area bad, so the fireman busted up a hole to check it

See the black around the bathmat, that is from smoke

Inside the drawer
Crazy how this stuff gets everywhere

Servpro (the do fire and water damage clean up) also came in and boxed up my entire house.  They were amazing!

Now, I have to say, we do have some comical moments here lately.  One, we had to borrow luggage from my mom to go out of town, because all of ours is getting cleaned.  Larry also asked me where his tooth brush charger was.  I looked at him and said I do not know, but at least we have the same tooth brush, so you can borrow my charger.  That is a little of how our life is at the moment.

We have lived in worst situations and been through worse, so I am just happy everyone is okay.  Now, I will say, we had to move suddenly. I was expecting a few more months with my alley neighbors.  Our kids played together daily and we hung out in the alley at night.  I have been sad about that, but luckily our boys still go to school together.

Our neighbors and ourselves bakes a few goodies a week or so after the fire and took them to the Fire Station to thank the fireman for all the did and do on a daily basis.  They were amazing and showed the kids around the station.  As a mom, I was totally stressed the entire time.  I mean 6 to 7 kids running around a fire station with alarms and buttons everywhere...I do not think I need to say more.

Sy Thoennes and Dean Watkins cover their ears as they test the fire system for us

Avery Watkins and Natalie

Kids loving the Fire Truck

Fireman's TV Room

Natalie and I

All the Kids thanking the Fireman
We love what you all do everyday and night...Thank you!

My kids have done amazing since the fire for the most part.  They were both pretty freaked out that night; totally understandable though.  Natalie however, is getting better, but was totally freaked out by smoke detectors for a while.  She flipped out the night after the fire, because my mom's smoke detector was blinking (which is normal).  She has finally calmed down, but still walks in a place and looks for the smoke detectors in the room.  So, if you plan on having Natalie come over, you better by fire safety ready or she will point it out!

I can honestly say, for now on, Larry and I will have at least 4 to 5 fire extinguishers in our house.  We already had smoke detectors in every room and carbon monoxide detectors as well, which will continue.  I ask all of you to check your smoke detectors and make sure you have at least one fire extinguisher if not more than one.  I truly believe they saved our life!  Be smart, especially with Christmas around the corner.

Fall Sports...Can you say "soccer mom"?

Yes, I think I can say finally that I am officially a "soccer mom".  I do carry snacks and drinks in my car at all times, along with not just one book, but two and a blanket and chairs. Oh, my car looks like I am constantly moving almost, but it is the only way when you go from sport to sport all week and weekend long.  In fact, one weekend, we actually packed a cooler.  I may have lost my mind, but I do love it!

Carter keeps us busy in the fall with soccer and for the first time this year, flat football.  I loved watching Carter and his friends figure out flag football.  Every time one of them pulled a flag, they would hold it up high like they had just won a trophy or something.  

Wolves Soccer Team
Back Row...Asst. Coach Keith and Coach Colin
Middle Row...Colson, Jonas, Ethan and Carter
Front Row...Braden, Ephraim, Peter and Matthew

 Carter had a blast this season in soccer.  He discovered that you can block the ball with your chest and your head...needless to say, that was the coolest thing ever!  Plus, being able to kick the ball and have it go off the ground is pretty cool too!

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Flag Football is AWESOME, in Carter's eyes!  He has really enjoyed getting to play, though I am pretty sure when he can finally tackle that will be way better.  Especially since the kind of tackled a few times on accident...oops.

Happy Few Days Late Halloween

I know Halloween was 2 days ago, but what can I say?  By the time I got my kids dressed or let me rephrase that, by the time I let my kids get dressed after homework and naps (extremely important for Natalie on such a big night), we were walking out the door to Trick or Treat.  So here I am two days later finally getting online to post the most popular online pictures in the past few days.

What Natalie actual wore
She has pj day at school and when I woke her up from nap, she wanted nothing to do with dressing up

Carter
He was so pumped his eye lite up

What Natalie was suppose to be for Halloween

Our Fun Trick or Treating Gang
The Bunn Family, The Thoennes Families and The Heflin Family