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.