My Grown Up Christmas List

So I had this idea over the holidays to share my grown up Christmas List. I know that Christmas is officially over, but I still wanted to share. Maybe you can share yours too - either here or on your own blog.

1. First and foremost, I pray for everyone to have a wonderful relationship with our father and our savior.
2. I pray for each marriage to be a celebration of the covenant we make to each other as we vow to love, cherish, trust, and obey each other. I pray that we continue to make Christ the center of our marriages and that we love each other unconditionally each day.
3. I pray that my children see each day the love that Mommy and Daddy have for each other and for them. I pray that that they live a happy and fulfilling life and that hurt stays far away from them. I pray for their safety and for their health.
4. I pray for this economy to turn around soon. I pray for those losing jobs and homes and that they can find some stabilization. I pray for those with jobs and homes still in tact to continue making wise decisions and living as simply as they can for a little while.
5. I pray for peace for all of us - just simple peace.

And last, but certainly not least,

6. I pray for Pediatric Specialists to soon be able to pick up all their oxygen equipment so that my youngest daughter can go everywhere she wants to and no longer be limited by oxygen cords. I pray that the rest of her life she knows no limits - anywhere.

I'm a firm believer that some of the best gifts are those that can't be wrapped in a beautiful package beneath the tree. These to me are some of the best gifts.

Kelly

So I've become a terrible blogger!

Sorry for the delay family and friends - we have been so busy enjoying the holidays! Let me catch you up!

Kathryn:
She never did catch a cold!! We came very close, but in the end she has yet to develop anything more. Christmas was very special having her home the whole month. We actually were able to enjoy it this year versus last year. She really seemed to understand a little about the presents and her eyes would light up with each new toy. Santa brought her a rocking piano and a little people home play set. She also got a new toddler rocking chair from Nini that seems to be a big hit! She loves to climb in it and has learned to turn her self around, then flashes the biggest grin because she is so proud of herself. Other toys that were a hit were a Fisher Price train from Miss Cheryl, our nanny and a matching zoo playtoy, fromGreg's parents. She also got a few outfits, a huge, adorable, pink and green travel bag with her name on it, some books, and some stacking blocks (and some money and giftcards!) Her biggest treat though is that we took down the twin bed in her room and have made a toy corner in her room! She loves it. Maddie gave Kathryn her old kitchen for Christmas - it was Maddie's present from Santa last year and Kathryn adores playing (loudly) with it! Maddie gave it up to make way for this year's present from Santa - more in a minute. Kathryn also qualified for Occupational Therapy through Alabama Early Intervention and we started that yesterday. She did great! Her therapist, Andrew, brought a straw cup for her to start learning from and by last night she had it down pat! Of course, she does better with sweet tea in it, than her Pediasure. (There's a southern baby for you!) Kathryn took five steps unassisted last night and is getting braver about walking each day. And last but not least, Kathryn has FINALLY cut two teeth, just in time for Christmas (come on folks, "all I want for Christmas is my two . . . ")

Madelyn:
Madelyn had a wonderful (two hour!) end of the year Christmas party with her class at school on Thursday the 18th and has been out of school since. Miss Cassie gave them their presents at the party and I think that my five year old was the only one who put her hand over her heart and said "oh my heavens" as she opened her gift! It was too cute. Maddie went with Nini and Pawpaw that next Sunday to the McWane Center to see the Polar Express in the Imax theater. the kids got to go in their jammies and she had so much fun! Maddie absolutely could hardly wait this year til Christmas. She asked me frequently if Curtis and Bernard were helping Santa get ready - guess we watched the three Santa Clause movies a little too much? Anyway, Christmas Eve we went to service at church in the afternoon- Maddie's choir sang and then we came home for our Christmas Eve dinner of homemade beef stroganoff. We put out the reindeer food so Rudolph could find his way and then headed off to bed early so Santa could deliver the toys. On Christmas morning, Maddie ran to our room, said she was off to see what Santa brought and then took off - so we have no Christmas morning paparazzi pictures of the big surprise face. She got exactly what she had been asking for - a Barbie doll house. And Santa even left a Ken doll to compete with the 12 or so Barbie girls that she already has! Other big hits with Maddie for Christmas was the Leapster she got from Nini, a Barbie car and two beach barbies from Uncle Beau and Aunt Britt, a Barbie styling set and bedroom from Greg's parents, a Leapster game from Uncle Eric, a book, a Hungry Hippo game, and the game Guess Who Extra.

Greg and I:
Nothing special with us! I had off the 18th and 19th of December to spend time with Maddie at her Christmas party at school. Then the week of Christmas, I was off on Christmas Eve at noon and don't go back to work until January 5th!! Greg only worked two days last week and will work two days this week. It's been a nice schedule for a few weeks. For Christmas, we received a check from Nini and Pawpaw so we purchased a Blu Ray player for ourselves! That was a wonderful gift since our DVD player had begun to call it quits! We also got an outdoor firepit from Greg's parents, a waffle maker, some wonderful gift cards, and a little bit of money to pick out something for oursleves. We also received a McWane Center membership AND renewal of our Zoo membership. These are probably some of my favorite gifts as we can use them as a family ALL year long!! (We are actually headed to the McWane Center today to break in the membership!)

I think one of my favorite gifts is something that my sweet husband gave to me. On Christmas morning, as we all sat around our prematurely DEAD Christmas Tree (I mean ours died EARLY this year), my sweet husband told me in front of my parents that he would concede and next year we can get an artificial tree!!!!!!!! I was so excited! I know that we have only been buying real trees for nine years now, but those pine needles stick with you for months people!! Anyway, that was the biggest treat to me. If you know Greg, his Christmas "thing" is that you should buy a real Christmas tree. Anyway, he loves me that much that he has now blessed the artificial tree. I want you to know that I wasted NO time and the day after Christmas, we went to Lowe's with some Christmas money and bought not one, but two artificial trees!! Next year we are planning to do one in the living room like we usually do and now one in the den too with all the kids ornaments on it! The one for the living room was originally $248 and we got it for $37 on clearance - oh yes we did!! The kids tree is a slim one and was originally $198 and we got it for $44. So two trees for $88 total - call me a bargain shopper!! Just so you know, Greg still plans to get a real one each year too, just a smaller one to put in the yard with white lights on it. (As long as there are no pine needles in my house, it's fine with me!!)

So there we are in a large nutshell. I have had so much fun living life at home this year and out of the hospital, that I keep forgetting to share it with you. I have several wonderful blog ideas and then just ran out of time to actually sit at the computer! We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Faithfully, Kelly

Nothing?

Still a little bit of a rattly (a word, really?) cough and a stuffy nose, but nothing major progressing just yet!! Still praying for minor ailments!!

And anxiously awaiting Christmas through the eyes of a five year old!

Cold, cold, here it comes?

But praying a LOT that it won't. Or at least that we can get it treated before Christmas day when the only option is Children's!

Pray with me!!

So what are the mittens really good for?

Ever wonder what the mittens that the Starbucks gift cards come in are really good for? Well, leave it to a preemie mom to figure this one out.

So, how do you comfort a five year old?

Tuesday night we had dinner with Maddie's two best girl friends in the whole world, Jalyn and Logan. The reason for the dinner was twofold - hey, it's Christmas, AND dear little Logan (and her family) are moving to South Carolina the Monday after Christmas. So Greg and I have known for about two months, but we weren't sure how to tell Maddie. Well, we decided to tell her on the way to dinner. We tried to play it up a lot and explain how excited Logan was to live at the beach, but it didn't really fly. Maddie's first concerns were how Logan's toys were going to feel about the move, and when did she plan to come back to visit her house. When Greg and I explained that the toys (and stuff) would go with her and that the house would not, I think she felt a little bit of comfort. It took about five more minutes of thinking, then the backseat of the car became very quiet and the tears began to roll. Poor Mom - because when she began to cry, I did too. It's hard for a five year old to grasp this kind of thing.

Dinner went very well and I think that the girls sorta forgot about the moving thing and just enjoyed playing together. The girls swapped presents and Jalyn and Maddie gave everyone a Snapfish flipbook of three years worth of photos. Logan gave the girls a picture frame with a picture of the three of them from her spend the party a month ago and a collage frame with pictures from the past three years too! And Logan gave each of the girls a shell from her new home. (On a side note, Maddie has a wooden nativity set in her room because she loves to play with my mom's collection of them when we go to Nini's house. We would frequently catch her carrying Jesus and she would always say "Nini, I'm being very careful," which meant "I'm carrying your Jesus around." Anyway, Maddie's nativity set is now complete, because the manger that Jesus is lying in is the shell from Logan's new home.) Anyway, that night would not have been complete without a few more tears over our sweet friend Logan. And as a mom watching a five year old contemplate this big life change, I think I shed the most. Maddie has an absolutely huge heart and I love to watch it grow.

Here are the three amigos (Logan, Jalyn in the middle, and Maddie)!! We will miss Logan, but look forward to her visits!!

Praying for nothing, but anticipating something

Well, Kathryn sounds like she is coming down with a cold again. She has started to have a rattle sounding cough so we are holding our breath and praying that she is not sick, but anticipating that she might be. Guess we will know within a day or so! There goes the cough again - sounding yuckier by the hour. Oh pooh - here we go again, possibly.

Pray with us for no cold!

Kelly

One Year Ago. . .

We were just settling in with Kathryn at home for the very first time! My how things change in a year! Kathryn had her synagis shot this past week and she is weighing in at 15 lbs, 4 ozs - hefty!! Anyway, she is now facing forward in the carseat - I know she isn't 20 pounds yet, but we have a doctor's ok to do it!! She absolutely loves it - she looks around as if to say, you mean you guys were here in the car with me all along and I never knew it!! She smiles from ear to ear almost every time in the car now (for short trips, mind you!)

We haven't been able to start the weening of oxygen again. Her little sickness over Thanksgiving must have inflamed her lungs. On oxygen she is fine, but when we take her off she doesn't last more than 10 minutes without dropping her sats. I called Dr. Lozano's office to ask about it because it worried me a little (since she had done so well with 8 hours before). Anyway, they said that it was amazing that Kat, with lung conditions, was able to weather her little sickness at home without increased oxygen. They said that ususally "lung babies" would require increased O2 or possibly rehospitalization for winter time sicknesses. All that said, they told us to be very cautious about having her around large crowds of people that would want to hold her and to definitely steer clear of wood burning fireplaces or smoke of anykind, and she should be good to try it again soon! (No complaints here, we definitely would like to stay away from the hospital this year!!)

Maddie had her school and church music programs this week and today her class is going on a field trip to the Old Baker Christmas Tree Farm! She is so excited!! Tonight the girls are spending the night with Nini and Pawpaw while Greg and I go to our Sunday school Christmas party! It's Kat's first night away, so I am a little anxious. Maddie on the other hand has been looking at me as if I am chopped liver because she can't wait to get to Nini's house!

Uh oh, the munchkin is waking - gotta run!!

Faithfully, Kelly

Some new pictures - finally

So, everyone is well again at our house and I thought I would finally post some new pictures! We are headed to Colombus Georgia for the day for Gause Family Christmas with my stepdad's family! This coming week, we are busy each night with holiday gatherings and then we just sit back and enjoy the rest of the season!








Daphne and the Chicken at Riverchase UMC Trunk or Treat












Kathryn Ellis unplugged!





Kathryn on the move at Nini's

























Kathryn and Maddie at the TCDC Thanksgiving Feast-no cannula!









Maddie, Kat and Dad - Kat unplugged









Talking about the Christmas angel









Kathryn











Picking out the tree








My two angels at Hanging of the Greens!