April 2009...Silly and Sad

The month of April started off silly...

My Dad gave us silly string for Christmas...I think...anyway I had been saving it for just the right day and time. The silly string war only lasted a few minutes, but what a fun few minutes it was!!! The kids had a blast cornering me in the bathroom and spraying my hair and everything else. Thanks Dad!!! :)

Our next silly...our friend Hailey's 3rd birthday party. Man...they really know how to through a party!!! Abbie sat at the top of the water slide for quite a while. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to go down or not. She finally did...and had fun...sort of.

Poor Asher wasn't feeling very well...the start of his "asthma" troubles were just beginning.

We left party one (Hailey's party) for party two...our friends were celebrating big time! Tara was celebrating her 30th birthday and Pat had just finished med school. They also know how to throw a fun party!!!

Abbie was really rocking the hula hoop!!!

Asher's new hair cut...

And now we get to the really sad part...

Asher had been struggling with his "asthma" issues and had just started his steroid treatments when his immue system went haywire...the poor kid had hives from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.

By day three he was ready to play again. Here he is telling me all about each of the cars. So cute!

Trying to catch up...March Pics

I know, I know...old news...but cute pics. Here are a few highlights from March 2009.

Here's one of the kids with thier cousin Jace, my sis Sarah's little boy. We don't get to see him much but he is such a sweet little guy. He played so well with Abbie...Asher was being too rough. I can't belive he is one now...this pic was taken just about a month before his 1st birthday.

Every year JSC has a Spring Fling event for the kids. They have pony rides, a petting zoo, and an egg hunt. The kids loved the petting zoo. Asher wasn't sure about the baby llama.

I don't think Asher really enjoyed his pony ride very much. Poor kiddo...

Abbie on the other hand loves the pony rides. She rode two or three times before the line got too long. She would have waited through the line if we had let her.

Abbie's Spring Break Trip

Abbie went on an exciting Spring Break vacation trip with my mom to visit my sis and her fam in Demming, NM. They had all kinds of adventures...Gila Cliff Dwellings...Gila Springs...City of Rocks...and many more. Here are a few of the highlights. There are a ton of great pics. It was so hard to choose just a few. Hope you enjoy!!!

Julie really loves polish style pickles but can't find them there...so Mom and I packed several bottles for her. I had the bright idea to wrap the bottles with a diaper in case they leaked...

The first day at the Gila Hot Springs...
The kids ran and had such a great time that they all but passed out at bedtime. I'm sure Mom and Julie were glad they didn't have to fight with them to go to bed.

I have a similar pic of the kids when they were younger...and visiting my Dad...very cute! Here they are enjoying the river near the Gila Hot Springs.
I just love this pic of Julie! The kiddos found the Gila Cliff Dwellings a very interesting and fun place. I just love this pic because it really captures how curious these two are. Two peas in a pod. I'm so glad that they get along so well!!!
Ok...here's my last pic. Abbie had had a long and hot day and was just taking a rest. What a cutie! My sweet little girl.

Trying to catch up...

I know...I haven't posted for a REALLY long time. What can I say. I'm a procrastinator and have been busy, stressed and tired. Excuses, excuses, I know. Please forgive me.

My sister Julie and her son Xander came to visit in December. Abbie and Xander are best friends and had so much fun! They are so funny!!

Asher dressed himself that day...oh so fun. He was so funny and such a ham! We had a hard time getting him to settle down to get a few pictures taken. :)

We had lots of laughs. We were sad to see them go.
Well, I'm having some trouble with my mouse and such and am getting tired so I'll have to give more updates later. Sorry!!! Hope everyone is doing well! Hugs ~ Jess

Let it snow...

I can't believe it's snowing!!!!

Snow this early in December...in Houston...who would have thought!

What a beautiful sight. I'm just sad the kids were asleep. They were only able to see a light dusting before bedtime. I had no idea it would keep snowing!!!

Gary's footsteps on the patio!

Covering the rooftops...
My car (on the left) already has a few inches!

Even the grass is covered!!! Oh so much fun!

Christmas Tree

Gary and Abbie came home with a big surprise about a week ago!

They brought home a Christmas Tree!!!

Gary brought out our Nativity Scene on Thanksgiving but Abbie wasn't satisfied. She wanted more Christmas decorations. We have a small (maybe 2' tall) tree we used last year that I expected to use again this year. But no...Abbie wanted something bigger. So...they bought a pre-lit tree about 4 and a half foot tall!

He let Abbie pick out some ornaments as long as she got some Asher would also enjoy. She choose Santa's, snowmen and western themed ones for herself; baseball, basketball and football ones for Asher. What a sweet sis to think of her brother like that. He just loved them!

We had a blast decorating the tree! The star Abbie choose for the top is just too heavy. Poor tree. Big thanks to Abbie for picking out a great tree and such cute ornaments!

Asher's Surgery

Asher's surgery to remove his dermoid cyst was mid-day today. He slept well last night and woke up in a good mood. He was being silly when we took pics of him just before we left for the hospital.Silly boy!
Texas Children's Day surgery center was great! The waiting areas had all the stuff kids love. Asher had fun trying out all the chairs and tables. We got there plenty early so he had lots of time to color and goof-off. Abbie and Papa Hank were there with us. I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of them. Abbie was so great and had a blast with her Papa. Dad is so great with her!

This next pic is so funny! Got to love the hospital rules of writing on the part of the body that is going to be worked on. The team of doctors and nurses that worked with Asher were great. They explained everything and talked to Asher about it all too. He choose root beer scent for his mask. They thought that was such a big boy choice. He just loved that!
Our sweet boy showed just how awesome he is today. When they brought us back to the recovery room he was still sleeping. He looked so peaceful. His color was great and he didn't have much bruising. When he woke up he just turned his head to look at us and didn't say a word. There were quite a few kids in the recovery room that screamed and were really fussy when they woke up. We are so blessed! He really wanted to hold his mama and drink some apple juice. He also really enjoyed his grape Popsicles. His stitches are inside and will dissolve on their own and his other band aids are expected to fall off in about a week or so. So glad he doesn't have the old style stitches to worry about.
The car ride home was a little rough on him...he lost about half of the apple juice and Popsicles. We were well prepared for that and didn't have a big mess to clean up. He took a great nap just after we got home and woke up with a great big appetite. I guess he was making up for not eating breakfast and lunch! He is doing so great now and I think he'll be off the pain meds tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. The doctor said there is a very low percentage that he may get another one but it is not likely! Awesome news.