The Pavelka Family

Belated Christmas Post!

2015-01-18T13:55:00.004-06:00

Well, my last blog post was over two months ago, but it hardly seems like that much time has gone by. It seems like yesterday, our little girl was turning 5, and we had just finished celebrating Thanksgiving. It's true that time passes in the blink of an eye, but the past two months have seemed even faster than usual. Let me recap!

On December 23rd, we had an inspection on our home. We hadn't expected to pass, and our builder kept insisting that we try not to get our hopes up. However, we were surprised and thrilled when we were told that we could move whenever we wanted! So we went back to my parents' house, packed as quickly as we could, and spent one more night as my parents' tenants. On Christmas Eve, we spent the day at my grandma's house, and then drove to our new home to spend our first night on air mattresses, setting up our miniature Christmas tree, and waiting for Santa! On Christmas morning, we excitedly opened presents, and spent the morning in our pajamas, enjoying our new home! Movers came the next day, and we've been attempting to unpack ever since! It was definitely a Christmas we will never forget!

Looking at the Christmas tree at our family Christmas party

Yep, this is the best picture I could get of the girls at the party. Madelyn still has not come to appreciate photography!

Eric and my dad admiring Lillian!

Lillian's First Christmas!

Santa found our new address!

Christmas morning

Thankfully, McDonald's was open Christmas morning for our breakfast coffee!

Christmas visit from Bapa, Mar, and Aunt Mimi

So now, we are thoroughly enjoying our new home. We are still drowning in boxes, haven't put a thing up on the walls, and are using plastic cutlery because we can't find our spoons... but we are very happy!

Maddy is fully immersed in her Terrible Two's. Here she is, being a boss!

Playing Mrs. Donna's piano

Playing with pretend snow at the Frozen party at the library!

Coloring!

It took us weeks to get through the laundry in our new home!

Yes, we do have a new pet - Mr. Bunny!

The girls love playing with Mr. Bunny. Too bad they don't love cleaning or feeding him!

Dress up!

Taylor Turns 5!

2014-11-30T16:15:00.005-06:00

Happy belated birthday to our beautiful, charismatic, outgoing, energetic daughter, Taylor! Her birthday was on November 24th. We enjoyed a family dinner out that evening, and then she had fun with her friends at Ball Factory last Friday!

It's hard to believe that Taylor will be in kindergarten next year! She is ready. She loves to read and practice her handwriting. We have a word wall and have practiced some phonetic blending to try to get her ready for kindergarten. We've also started doing some math games to help prepare her for simple addition and subtraction (can you tell I'm a primary teacher?!).

She loves going to gymnastics at GymQuest, which she does every Saturday morning. She also loves doing art projects, singing, dancing, and listening to music. We are enrolling her in an acting class in January, which will be right up her alley. She has matured so much in the last few months. She is easy to take out places now, and really appreciates going to new places. We love taking her on "dates" with us to museums, plays, restaurants, and even just to the store.

With her newfound maturity has come some more sassiness. We are not looking forward to dealing with that as she gets older. She is one strong-willed girl!

Here are her current stats:
Height: 43 inches (66%)
Weight: 46 lbs (82%)
Shoe Size: 11
Clothing Size: 6

Taylor likes...
Singing, reading, dancing, gymnastics, art, drawing, writing stories, running around, playing outside (but not if it's too hot or too cold), imaginative play, playing with her friends, Hannah Montana (yep... sigh), Super Why, Frozen, family movie night, board games, painting her nails, dressing up, cooking, decorating (see pictures below), and being the center of attention!

Taylor dislikes...
Sharing a room with her sister (temporarily), being told "no", scary noises, being in the dark, being bored, playing by herself, going to bed when there's something fun going on (like mom and dad wanting to watch TV!), Maddy invading her space when she's trying to do something, getting her hair brushed.

Preschool Halloween Parade!

Taylor stole the show at our family photo shoot.

Love this picture.

This is her personality in a nutshell.

My little Anna and Elsa. This was the best picture I could get of Maddy on Halloween.

Very upset that she lost to another Elsa in a game of "Hot Potato"

Preschool Buddies

Posing in her new room!

Celebrating her birthday at Ball Factory

Just an example of her "decorating"

Elsa

Putting on a magic show... in a very eclectic outfit

My favorite picture- making mud pies in her "wedding dress". I will be saving this for her real wedding some day

Madelyn Turns 2!

2014-09-24T21:40:00.001-05:00

Happy 2nd birthday (yesterday!) to our beautiful daughter, Madelyn! I would have posted all of this yesterday, but with work and the birthday celebration and Maddy deciding that 2 year olds don't have to sleep, I just didn't get to it!

Maddy is officially 2, and is definitely acting like she has entered the Terrible Twos. We hear a lot of "no, that's mine!" and "go away now". The tantrums have also begun, especially when she doesn't get a toy or object that she wants. She has become very picky about food, and has made the decision that sleep is overrated. It's way too much fun staying awake and getting into trouble.

Once upon a time, we were worried that Maddy was slightly delayed in meeting her milestones. Well, let me reassure everyone that it is no longer a concern of ours! Maddy is talking ALL of the time now, and is learning new things every day. She can already count to 20 and knows every letter in the alphabet. She knows all of her colors, and loves identifying them wherever she goes! She loves books, and has memorized her favorites: "The Monster At The End of This Book", "My First Book of Numbers", and "Little Quack's ABC's".

We spent her birthday evening out to dinner at Home Run Inn, where she ate a little bit of pizza, and devoured her ice cream sundae. She then spent the night in our bed, not as a special birthday treat, but because she was keeping her sister awake!

We love our little Madelyn and are so proud of her!

Here are some stats:

Height, weight, head circumference: tbd at her doctors appointment on October 7th!

Shoe size: 5

Clothing size: 2T

Diaper size: 5

Some of our favorite Madelyn phrases:

"So, what do you want to do?"

"That's a big tower, huh?"

"Mama read Monster ehehehsss Book" (Monster at the End of This Book)

"Oh no, it's a terrible mess!"

"What happened? I don't know either."

"Haha, funny!" (She says as she's laughing)

Maddy likes...

Reading books, watching "Clifford's Puppy Days" or "Super Why", coloring, going to gymnastics, counting, identifying her numbers or letters, cuddling, playing with her sister Taylor, building with blocks or Legos, dressing up, making messes, playing with her "Baby" (red sock monkey), swimming, listening to music, her new cousin Lillian, shoes of all sizes and styles, and playing outside.

Maddy dislikes...

Sleeping in the pack and play (sorry Maddy, only a couple more months until we are in our own house again!), sleeping in general, getting her nails clipped, being told "no", smiling for the camera (as seen below), having toys taken from her, and getting her diaper changed.

The girl loves her sweets

Posing with her sister

Looking at an ant... this was a source of entertainment for about 20 minutes!

Birthday dinner - she wouldn't dream of turning her attention away from her ice cream sundae for this picture!

Pumpkin patch!

Again, this girl with her sweets

Couldn't sleep... naturally, watching TV with an American flag is the answer

Welcome Baby Lillian!

2014-09-21T13:41:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law on their new arrival! Lillian Everly Forst was born on September 10th. The girls were able to meet their beautiful new cousin today! Taylor was in awe the whole time, and talked about her all the way home! Maddy kept saying "so cute!"

When Dad's Away, the Girls Will Play!

2014-07-27T16:30:00.001-05:00

Sam was able to fulfill one of his childhood dreams this weekend: seeing Frank Thomas inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. He and his friends took a road trip to Cooperstown, NY, for the big event. He is on his way home now, and will inevitably have more pictures and details for me to share. However, this blog post is going to focus on the fun weekend that the girls and I had! So while Sam was away doing things like this...

We were out and about, doing things like this:

The Park! Initially not one of our more successful trips, we ended up having a great time!

Blackberry Farm! The girls absolutely loved this place. I can't believe we haven't been before! We will definitely be going back.

Downtown! We took a trip into the city and explored Millennium Park and had lunch with our good friend, Natalie!

Movie Nights! Each night, we wound ourselves down with a movie. We watched Ella Enchanted, Shrek Forever After, Monsters Inc., and Beezus and Ramona.

Outdoor Fun! We spent a lot if time outside this weekend! Bubbles, sprinklers, parks, and bikes kept us busy and active!

We also went to gymnastics, went out for lunch with our friends Erica and Sophia, made cookies, and had a sleepover together in our bed! I certainly loved every minute that I spent with my girls this weekend! I also am looking forward to Sam being home and sharing in some of the fun, too! (AKA some of the work!)

That's One Way To Clean a Doll...

2014-07-18T18:30:00.001-05:00

Taylor was "bathing" her water-resistant Barbie dolls in the bathroom sink tonight. Of course, Maddy felt it would be only fair to give her Baby a bath, too!

Summer Fun!

2014-07-13T20:39:00.001-05:00

The girls are at such wonderful ages this summer. We've really been able to go to a lot of places and do a lot of things with them! Here are a few pictures of our summer so far!

Making a wish with Quinn and Caroline before letting the ladybug go!

Playing dress-up.

Enjoying some birthday cake!

Fun at the zoo with cousins Haley, Mark, Zach, and Ryan.

Many of our summer days make for very sleepy rides home!

Stealing fruit in the grocery store

Sitting in a cool bowl of water!

Drying off

Pool fun with Gianna and Isabella

Green eggs and ham breakfast

My girls!

Maddy exploring Uncle Eric & Aunt Krystle's backyard

At Aunt Krystle's baby shower! We can't wait to meet our new niece/cousin!

Baltimore and Big-Girl Beds

2014-07-02T19:46:00.002-05:00

Last week, Sam and I flew out to Baltimore for Sam's 3 month check-up. We are thrilled to announce that everything is looking great! His rods and the bone graft all look in tact, and his mobility is slowly improving. Normally, Baltimore is not our favorite destination, but this was a very encouraging, uplifting trip. In fact, the appointments went so quickly, and we flew out so early, that we were able to go out to dinner, catch the White Sox/Orioles game, and go to the movies! It was a whole summer's worth of date nights packaged into one trip!

Our spunky little Madelyn is now in a big girl bed. Well, it's somewhat of a makeshift big girl bed for now - basically, her crib mattress is on the floor, surrounded by furniture to keep her from falling off. Her first day was yesterday, and she did not nap; she was too excited about her newfound freedom to wander around her room, trying on play jewelry and tearing her sister's books apart. Last night, she fell asleep in her stroller, so I put her right into her crib. However, at about midnight, she woke up and began wandering around the halls. It was adorable, actually! She kept popping her head into our room and talking to us. We figured out a way to barricade her in using a baby gate and some book bins. So here she is in her new, makeshift, ghetto-looking big girl bed:

Back From My Writing Hiatus!

2014-06-21T16:52:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! It's been a LONG time since I've posted last. It's been a very, very hectic couple of months: we sold our home, Sam went back to work part-time, we moved in with my parents, we hired a nanny, and we started building a home in Shorewood. Forgive me if I haven't had enough down time to keep the blog going! It is going to be my new summer project, though!

Here is a brief overview of what's been going on with our kids:

Taylor
Taylor is 4 1/2 years old now. She finished her first year of preschool and loved every minute! She is taking gymnastics every Saturday morning, and just started taking piano lessons on Fridays. Even though she still likes dress-up and princesses, her favorite movies now include "Despicable Me", "The Croods", and "Lilo and Stitch". She even requested to watch "Hannah Montana" the other day... she really is growing up! She is also really into drawing lately. She draws pictures all day long, and has decorated the walls of the house with her works of art. She recently got an iPhone - an old iPhone 3 that my dad didn't use anymore. We loaded it with music and pictures, and she spends a lot of time in her room listening to music. We have gotten a glimpse into her pre-teen years!

Madelyn
Maddy is 21 months old now. It's hard to believe that, soon, we will be celebrating her 2nd birthday! She is still easygoing, but with a little bit of that "Terrible 2" sass peppered in! She is quite talkative. Here are some of the phrases that she says well, and often:
"Where did mama/dada/Bapa/Mar/etc. go?"
"I hungry! Tay-Tay hungry too!"
"Are you ok?" (after anyone gets hurt, cries, coughs, etc.)
"It's mine!"
She loves watching dogs on YouTube, playing in the water, blowing bubbles, reading stories, playing the "Fishy" game on the iPad, playing dress-up with her sister, going for walks in the stroller or wagon, building with blocks or Legos, trying on mommy's shoes, and exploring anything she can get her hands on. Here are a few of her stats:
Height (as of her 18 month checkup): 31 inches
Weight: 26 pounds
Shoe Size: 5
Diaper Size: 4
Clothing Size: 24 month/ 2T

Sam & Cheryl
Sam went back to work part time, and transitioned really well! He has been getting stronger and stronger every day. He is also still in remission, so he has been clear for one full year, which is a huge milestone in the cancer world!
We had a nice, relaxing time in Punta Cana recently, with our dear friends Anthony and Sarah. It was the most relaxing weekend that we've ever had!
We also purchased a plot of land in Shorewood, which was bank-owned and dirt cheap. We've been working with a wonderful builder, who has helped us design a family-friendly ranch home that will make Sam's life much easier. We should break ground soon (really, we will!). We will be living in the Kipling Estates Subdivision soon!

Overall, we are thoroughly enjoying our summer together. Living in Lemont has been great, being close to our family, friends, and suburban life! We've had a lot of fun so far going to parks, play dates, splash pads, picnics, and museums. This is a fun age for both girls to be at, and we can't wait for the rest of the summer to enjoy with them!

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the last couple of months:

First trip to the Bulls Game with her daddy!

Chocolate Ball Gala 2014

Daddy Daughter Dance

Preschool Pals!

First haircut! She was also sick that day, we didn't find out until later but you can totally see it in her cheeks here!

Mother/Daughter Pajama Party with her buddy Evelyn! Yes, Taylor did her own hair.

Easter

Posing for the camera!

Picnic on our "land" in Shorewood!

Maddy loves the splash pads!

Exploring at the zoo!

Painting faces at the zoo

Movie night!

Punta Cana!

Trip to the Children's Museum of Oak Lawn

Welcome, 2014!

2014-01-01T09:52:00.001-06:00

Well, 2013 was an improvement from 2012 for the Pavelka family! We were given the news in April that Sam is, once again, in remission! We spent a very fun summer traveling to San Diego, Florida, and Wisconsin! Even though it was short-lived, Sam was able to begin working in August, which was his goal for 2013. And I was able to transfer to Grande Park Elementary, which is significantly closer to home. I miss my Lakewood Creek friends dearly, but I'm so grateful to have been warmly welcomed by the GP staff and families!

We spent countless hours enjoying our children. Watching them grow, learn, and play has been the best part of our lives. Our hearts are especially touched by watching Taylor and Maddy develop their "sisterly" relationship! They love playing together, and their interactions are priceless!

Taylor has grown up quite a bit in 2013! She is such a "kid" now - fully potty trained (thank God!), and becoming more and more independent - and sassy! We've discovered that there are trade-offs with them growing up - some things become easier, such as not having to help her dress, go to the bathroom, etc. But others are more difficult, such as dealing with the back-talk, deciding what "freedoms" she is ready for, and teaching her manners and appropriate social behavior. Now, we have to begin molding her into an honest, productive, motivated, kind human being! We're still trying to work on that ourselves! :)

Maddy has grown into a "toddler". Officially. She is moving around like crazy, babbling, and exploring anything and everything that she can get her hands on! She has taken a few steps. Once she figures out the walking thing, we are in trouble! She's also developed a cute sense of humor. She loves making us laugh, and doing silly things to entertain her big sister! She had surgery in May and July to correct her hydronephrosis, and she was a total champ. Since then, her kidney is getting smaller, and she has had no infections. We will continue to see Dr. Smith to monitor her health.

We certainly had our setbacks - Sam's surgeries in September and October were very frightening, and took quite a while to recover from. We are hoping to begin 2014 letting go of some of the anger and frustration that we still hold over that event. Sam is getting stronger and stronger every day. He continues to go to physical therapy 3 times per week. He is hoping to go back to work in early 2014.

Once again, our friends and family really came through for us this year. We want to sincerely thank everyone, from the bottom of our hearts. We don't know what we would do if we weren't surrounded by such amazing people.

Last year, I chose a song that I felt was an appropriate representation of our year. This year, I think that the lyrics to "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz epitomize 2013 for the Pavelka family. Here are some of my favorite lyrics:
We had to learn how to bend
Without the world caving in.
I had to learn what I've got,
And what I'm not,
And who I am.
I won't give up on us,
Even if the skies get rough.
I'm giving you all my love,
I'm still looking up.
I won't give up on us,
God knows I'm tough enough.
We've got a lot to learn,
And God knows we're worth it.

I hope that 2014 brings everyone lots of love, health, and happiness! Happy New Year everyone!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Taylor!

2013-11-28T21:29:00.002-06:00

On November 24th, Taylor Grace turned 4 years old! She continues every day to amaze us with her determination, spunk, humor, and kindness! She has officially become a little girl, with very little remnants of her "baby" or "toddler" years left in her. She is maturing every day, and it brings a lot of mixed emotion to Sam and I. We are proud as we watch her growing into the strong-willed girl that we know will be successful and happy, but it is bittersweet knowing that we are getting closer and closer to those years that she will no longer want to cuddle with us or crawl into bed with us in the morning. We are embracing every day that we have with her and enjoying every minute of the age that she is!

Taylor is in preschool this year and loving every minute! She has been practicing writing her name with us at home, and she loves playing phonics puzzles and phonemic awareness games with us to prepare her for reading. We read every night, and she has memorized so many books! Her favorite right now is "Pinkalicious". She loves it so much that it is missing it's cover, and has a lot of Taylor's own contributions to the pictures that she has made over the years!

She is very much into all of the Disney princesses, but especially Ariel, Rapunzel, Sofia the First, and Jasmine. She loves coloring, building with Legos, reading books, painting, taking a bath (and pretending she is Ariel), and playing dress-up. She loves pretending to be a princess and getting everyone in the family involved. From the moment she wakes up, she puts on a princess dress and her imagination begins! She also loves listening to the Disney radio station on Pandora and dancing with mommy and Maddy!

She is a very picky eater, especially at dinner time. Her favorite foods are pancakes, oatmeal, grilled cheese, pizza, and any fruit or vegetable (one thing that I did right!). Her tantrums are becoming few and far between (thank God!) but we are starting to get some of the "mommy, you're mean!" or "that's not nice, daddy!" comments. On to the next chapter of parenting!

Taylor's stats:
Height: 40.5 inches
Weight: 40 lbs
Clothing size: anywhere from 4-6, depending on the brand
Shoe size: 9

We celebrated Taylor's birthday with the Pavelkas at her cousin Haley's birthday party, which was a blast because it was princess-themed and right up her alley! On her actual birthday, both sets of grandparents, Great-Grandma, and Aunt Mimi were over to celebrate. She came down with croup on the day of her birthday, too, and has been having a rough time fighting it all week! Hopefully it will clear up before her "friend" party on Saturday!

Princess Haley and Princess Taylor!

Pinata time!

The morning of her 4th birthday! You can see in her eyes that she isn't feeling well, poor thing!

Sofia the First birthday cake! "I want to eat her face and a flower, mom!"

Great Grandma, Mar, Mommy, and Princess Taylor

Fall Fun!

2013-11-09T22:14:00.003-06:00

Despite this fall being chaotic with Sam's surgery, we still managed to have some fun with the girls! Here are a few favorite pictures from some fun fall events.

Taylor's Preschool Field Trip:
I was able to go with Taylor to her first field trip to Dollinger Farms, where she learned about farm animals, went on a hayride, picked out a pumpkin, and played with her classmates!

Picking out the perfect pumpkin

Channahon Bonfire and Hayride:
Sam and I were able to go out with Taylor to the Bonfire and Hayride in Channahon. It was a little chilly, but we loved every minute of it! Taylor loved the hayride even more than last year. We only went on it twice this year, because it was a lot more crowded. Sam was so happy to be able to make it out so shortly after being home from his surgery.

Enjoying some s'mores with daddy

Having fun on the hayride

Preschool Halloween Party:
One of the benefits for Sam of being home on medical leave was being able to attend Taylor's preschool Halloween party! She wanted to be a witch this year. Mommy was really proud of finding this adorable witch costume on amazon.com for $8. Sam loved watching the kids parade around in their costumes, but his favorite part was Taylor screaming "Hi daddy!!" throughout the parade!

Trick or Treat!
It was a rainy Halloween, but we still managed to make it out for trick-or-treating this year! Madelyn and Sam didn't join us, but we still dressed her up in her costume to snap a couple of pictures!

Trick or Treating with Gianna!

Sisters

Outside Fun!
Here are a few random pics!

Pushing Maddy on her new swing!

Hanging out!

Not sure how I feel about crawling on grass, mommy!

We can always count on impromptu playdates in our neighborhood!

Happy (Belated) First Birthday, Madelyn!!

2013-10-22T21:13:00.003-05:00

Madelyn turned 1 on September 23rd. She continues to be the happiest baby ever! Even her fussy moments are "Maddy Fussy", meaning that they are so much less than most babies!
She is crawling everywhere now, and pulls herself up on any piece of furniture, wall, or person that she can find! We think she will be taking her first steps in no time.
She eats all solid foods, and has been on whole milk for a little while now. Her favorite foods include: yogurt, Cheerios, cheese, most fruits and vegetables, pasta, tomatoes, eggs, waffles, turkey, chicken nuggets, and potatoes. She sleeps great, usually 6:30pm-5:30am. She is an early riser, but at least she sleeps through the night.
She is starting to use her voice quite a bit. She babbles often, and has said a few words: uh-oh, mama, dada, Tay-Tay, and baby.

Here are a few recent stats:
Height: 30 inches (66%)
Weight: 20 lbs 14 oz (52%)
Shoe Size: 3
Diaper Size: finishing up 3's and about to move to 4's
Clothing Size: 12 months
Teeth Count: 2 1/2 (and 5 more trying to come through - teething has been very painful for her!)

Maddy likes...
Crawling, standing, walking holding someone's fingers, swinging on the swings, playing peek-a-boo, watching her big sister do just about anything, exploring, her red sock monkey, her baby doll (she likes to hug the both!), eating, playing with anyone, smiling, mommy's phone, being held, being rocked, music, listening to people sing, dropping things from her highchair, looking at pictures of her family.

Maddy dislikes...
Teething, getting her nails clipped, staying in one spot, loud sudden noises, being told "no" (she has the saddest pouty face!), when mommy tries to wipe her nose, when mommy leaves the room.

From our photo shoot!

Enjoying her cake! We love this face!

Smash cake!


Maddy with Mommy, Mar, and Great-Grandma

Some more photo shoot pics (Taylor's 4 year pics):

Taylor's First Day of Preschool & Maddy is 11 Months!

2013-09-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

Taylor's First Day of Preschool!
Well, it happened - today, my little girl began what will be the beginning of a long educational journey. Sam and I took the day off today to take her to her first day of preschool at the Minooka United Methodist Church. She was slightly nervous (as was I), but she did great! She loved her teacher, Mrs. Davis, and really enjoyed having her buddy Evelyn in class. There were no tears, both from Taylor or myself!
We picked her up and went to brunch with Evelyn and her mom, and then spent the day playing outside together. Overall, it was a very memorable day! We can't wait to see how the rest of the school year goes!

Our big girl, ready to go!

Waiting with her friend Evelyn!

Taylor with her teacher, Mrs. Davis

Getting annoyed with mommy taking pictures!

Being silly!

Maddy is 11 Months Old!
Our little munchkin is 11 months old! Let the countdown begin to her first birthday!
She is officially on all whole milk and eating table food. She loves everything she tries, but especially fruit, avocado, chicken nuggets, and yogurt.
She has turned a corner with her gross motor skills, and within 2 weeks went from sitting up, to army-crawling, to pulling herself up in her crib! She is trying so hard to pull herself up on furniture, so I'm sure she'll be doing it in a couple of days! She really is all over the place. We will place her down in the family room and 2 minutes later she's across the room in the kitchen.
She loves babbling and has said "mama", "dada", "night-night", "hi", and we think she might be trying to say "no" but it sounds more like "nah".
She is becoming quite the toddler. She gets very upset and cries whenever she is told "no" or something is taken away from her. She loves exploring and getting into everything, so this happens often throughout the day!
She had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago with Dr. Smith, and her kidney is slowly shrinking back to it's normal size after her surgery. Dr. Smith said that it may never be a "normal" size, but that it is still fully functional, and actually looks like it is healing better than he thought it would! We were very happy about that news!

So big!

She loves her food!

Look what I can do!

And Finally, Our Quirky Little Girl...
Taylor was in time-out last Friday quite a bit. While she was in there, she apparently thought it was ok to spit all over the floor. That was the last straw, so I carried her up to her room and told her she needs to go to bed. I went up to check on her about a half hour later (after not hearing any noise - very unusual for her!) and panicked when I didn't see her anywhere! I looked all around, and then finally opened her closet door. This is what I found...

I thought it was especially hilarious that she was still in her "bride dress". Picking her up out of here and putting her to bed was a chore, but she clearly needed some sleep!

Summer Recap!!

2013-08-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that we've been back into the school year for two weeks already. We had such a great summer; it really was the perfect amount of fun, relaxation, and family time that we needed after the year that we had. We want to sincerely thank some very special people who's amazing generosity made these trips possible; you know who you are, and we hope that you know how grateful we are.
We were on the go so much, that I did not have a lot of time to sit down and blog about it all! So here is our vacation in a condensed nutshell!

San Diego
We had a blast in San Diego, and enjoyed our time visiting with wonderful family. We stayed in Mission Beach, where we enjoyed the amusement park, beaches, and great day spa! We spent a day in beautiful La Jolla, and another day at Legoland Amusement Park! Here are some pics:

Picnic on the beach!

Taylor's first time in the ocean! Our favorite quote: "Why does this ocean move?!"

Girls being silly at Belmont Park in Mission Beach

Family Pic!

Posing at Legoland

Florida
5 days after being home from San Diego, we took off to Florida! We spent some time on the Atlantic side in Indian Harbour Beach, and some time on the Gulf side in Bradenton (near Sarasota). Taylor was a little apprehensive around the water (thanks to Sam dropping her in the ocean on the first day! Way to go, hun!). But we still really enjoyed our time at the beaches and pools. We could have stayed forever!

Beautiful Beach!

Maddy loved the water!

Maddy trying out the sand!

Having a snack in the cabana!

Maddy, Taylor, and Sophia getting some shade

Grown-up night out with Erica & German!

Date night - dinner and then a sunset walk along Siesta Key

Beautiful sunset

Best buds!

Spending a rainy day at the dog track!

Boulder Junction, Wisconsin
Sam and Taylor took a trip up with the Pavelka clan to Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, to visit Uncle Wayne and Aunt Lou! Maddy and I stayed back - she had just had surgery days before, and was having a difficult time recovering. The daddy-daughter trip was successful, and they enjoyed their bonding time together!

Taylor with her cousin, Haley, and Grandma Gloria

On the boat with Uncle Gus

Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Our 2nd annual trip to Sheboygan with the Forst clan was wonderful! A computer glitch at the resort landed us in the presidential suite, which was amazing! We will most likely never stay in something so luxurious again, and enjoyed every minute there!

The whole Forst clan, enjoying the beach!

Family pic!

View from our balcony!

We spent so much time traveling that the rest of the summer flew by. We still had time to visit with family and friends, hang out with our neighbors, and celebrate a dear friend's wedding. It was definitely a summer that we will remember!

9 Months Old!

2013-07-09T15:45:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe, but our little Madelyn is 9 months old already! She is growing up so fast, and accomplishing new tasks on a daily basis. Her personality is really shining through lately; she is so happy and easygoing. She's had a rough couple of months: 2 surgeries, a UTI, unexplained fevers, sleep troubles, traveling to different time zones, and teething, but she still has such a wonderful smile and a sunny disposition.
She is babbling and using her voice all of the time. She shrieks in delight frequently, and she has a contagious belly-laugh when something funny happens, like mama swatting at a fly or Taylor dancing in front of her!
She is right on track with all of her cognitive and fine motor milestones. She can play peek-a-boo, knows her own name, picks up small items, and can feed herself foods like pieces of fruit or rice puffs. She is also very clingy to mommy lately, and cries every time I leave the room!
She is slightly behind with her gross motor skills. She can't pull herself up, crawl, get on her knees, or stand holding on to furniture. She is working hard on it though! She loves having someone pull her up, and hold on to her while she stands. She has another appointment with her pediatrician in 4 weeks to check up on her progress.
She is eating a lot of table food now. She loves all fruits and vegetables, and has tried yogurt, cheese, bread, eggs, rice, juice, and whole wheat noodles.

Madelyn likes...
Being social, dancing (while sitting) to music, cuddling, playing with her toys, car rides, playing "so big!", jumping in her jumperoo, eating, bath time, sucking her thumb, car rides, playing with her sister, watching her sister do anything (especially dancing!), standing up with assistance, teething rings, screaming, babbling, playing peek-a-boo
Madelyn dislikes...
When mommy leaves the room, getting her nails clipped, being overtired, getting dressed, trying to get toys that are out of her reach

Madelyn's Latest Stats:
Weight: 17lbs (28%)
Height: 28 inches (76%)
Shoe Size: 2
Diaper Size: 3
Clothing Size: 9 Months

On July 1st, Maddy had surgery again to remove the stent put into place during her first surgery. She is officially on the road to recovery from her hydronephrosis! We will go in 4 weeks to visit Dr. Smith, her urologist, to have an ultrasound done on her kidneys and bladder.

Happy Fourth of July!

So Big!

Belly-laughing with her sister!

Kisses from her sister!

Our smiley girl!

Loving bath time!

Sisters!

She loves the water!

Surgery Success and Taylor's First Sleepover!

2013-05-20T11:50:00.000-05:00

Maddy's Surgery
Well, we once again have some wonderful news - Maddy's surgery was completely successful! Dr. Smith and his team successfully removed the part of her ureter that was abnormally narrow. Dr. Smith said that the part of her ureter that he removed was as small as the head of a pin. Her kidney and renal pelvis should now start going down to a normal size, and we shouldn't have to worry about any infections anymore!
The surgery took about 6 hours, which was the longest 6 hours of our lives. Maddy did SO well with it. Dr. Smith said that Maddy was adorable, sucking her thumb on her way to the recovery room. She was very uncomfortable that first day, but the amazing staff at CDH took good care of her, and kept her adequately medicated. She has 4 incisions total, 3 being from the surgery itself, and another being from the drain that they had put in place. We were able to go home on Saturday evening.
Maddy has been doing great at home. She has been having some trouble sleeping, both during naps and bedtime, but her pediatrician said that this is completely normal, and that it will take some time to reestablish routines. Her pain level is fine - as I am typing, she is bouncing around in her jumperoo with no problems at all! We will go back on Thursday to have her incisions looked at, and for Dr. Smith to check her progress. We are hoping to have an ultrasound done to see how normal her kidney and renal pelvis will look!

Ready to go in for surgery! (Tongue sticking out - my new thing!)

Hanging out with daddy in my gown

Loving the IV pole!

A couple of hours after surgery, and I'm still the happiest baby ever!

Taylor's First Sleepover!
Because Maddy's surgery was early Friday morning, our good friend Erica had Taylor sleep over on Thursday night, which was her first "friend" sleepover! She was so excited, she kept counting down the days! She and Gianna had so much fun together!

All packed and ready to go!

So excited!

Silly faces!

After their bath

Cozy and ready to sleep!

Maddy - 7 Months Old!

2013-04-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

Madelyn is now 7 months old, and she has become such a curious, active baby! She has FINALLY rolled from her back to her tummy, and loves rolling around on the floor. It has made napping and sleeping very difficult - she rolls onto her tummy and then wakes up crying! I'm sure she will get used to it eventually. She can also sit with very little support now.
She LOVES being in her jumperoo. She could stay there all day if we let her! She jumps around like crazy and squeals with delight.
She puts everything in her mouth, and will grab at everything around her. She loves practicing standing with mommy's help.
She still doesn't have any teeth, but she is definitely teething. Her cheeks have been bright red and she has been drooling like crazy. I'm sure it will happen any day now!
She has tried a variety of pureed foods: bananas, apples, peaches, avocado, mango, papaya, sweet potatoes, spinach, raspberries, pears, prunes, carrots, peas, green beans, rice, oatmeal, lentils, butternut squash, blueberries, and broccoli. She loves all of them, although I would say she seems to prefer the fruits over the veggies!
She is such a happy, friendly baby. She smiles at everyone, but has started to prefer mommy a little bit more. She makes a lot of sounds, such as "mama", "baba", and "nana". She also loves blowing raspberries and sticking out her tongue!
She and Taylor get along wonderfully! They adore each other. Maddy's face lights up when she sees her sister, and Taylor can't stop kissing and hugging her. Taylor makes sure to kiss Maddy goodnight every night.
We are looking forward to a fun summer watching our little munchkin grow and explore!

Just a little sleepy at dinner!

Rolled over in my crib - not very happy about it!

Happy at dinner time!

Hanging out with daddy and big sister Taylor

Loving the jumperoo!

Sisters! Taylor dressed Maddy up once again!

Celebrating Bapa's birthday!

Stronger Than Cancer!

2013-04-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

We got a phone call tonight from Sam's oncologist, and it's official... Sam is in remission!!! He had a CT scan done of his chest, abdomen, spine, and pelvis and they all came back clear! We are ecstatic!

It's been almost 1 full year of being on this frightening roller coaster ride. We have a few more wrinkles and gray hairs, but have been given a wonderful gift: we have been shown such amazing generosity, support, and love. Our bond has been strengthened with each other, with our children, our family, and friends. It will be hard not to spend every minute worrying about what might happen next, but we are determined to stay positive and make sure that every day is filled with love and happiness; life is too fragile not to.

Sam will have his next CT scan done mid-July. Until then, it's time to celebrate Sam being CANCER FREE once again!!

6 Months Old & Easter

2013-04-06T21:58:00.002-05:00

Madelyn
Our little munchkin is 6 months old already! She is still the most easygoing baby I've ever known. She is on a great schedule now. She wakes up around 6:45am, naps at around 9:00am and 1:00pm, sometimes naps for 30 minutes in the evening, and is in bed by around 7:00pm. She takes a 6 oz. bottle (or I nurse her) 4 times per day, and eats a breakfast, lunch, and dinner of baby food. She has tried oatmeal, rice cereal, peas, carrots, prunes, pears, avocado, banana, sweet potatoes, green beans, and butternut squash. She likes most of them, except peas. She makes the most disgusted face when you try to feed them to her!
She can roll from her tummy to her back, but has only rolled from her back to her tummy once. She has begun babbling, which I love listening to. She has said "mama", even though I know it doesn't really mean anything (I'm still going to count it though, since Taylor said "dada" first!). She is still a little behind with sitting up, but we are practicing and she is getting better and better every day!

Here are her current stats:
Height: 26 inches
Weight: 16 lb. 9 oz.
Head Circumference: 90th percentile (I don't remember the measurement!)
Clothing size: 9 months
Diaper size: 3

Madelyn likes...
Being social and smiling at everyone, her exersaucer, her jumperoo, practicing standing up, sucking her thumb, putting everything in her mouth, music, anything that her sister does, eating, being tickled, silly noises, cooing, going for stroller rides, sleeping, "talking" with anyone.

Madelyn dislikes...
Teething, sudden loud noises, being overtired, wearing socks, having dirty/wet diapers, tummy time, being sick... that's pretty much it!

Health Update:
Maddy had a high fever last week, so we brought her in to the doctor's office, where they took a urine sample and determined that she had a UTI. This is very common with kids that have hydronephrosis. She is on antibiotics, but she needs to be far removed from her infection before they will perform her surgery. So her surgery date has been changed to May 17th.
After speaking with the doctor, I now feel like I know a lot more about what the surgery will entail. She has a part of her ureter that is more narrow than it needs to be. So they are going to remove that small part of the ureter, and fuse the rest of her ureter back together. They will put a stent in to make sure that it forms properly, but they will remove the stent in early July.
We are very anxious to get the surgery done, but we are glad that Dr. Smith has taken all precautions and feel very comfortable with his decision to postpone the surgery.

Easter!
Easter was very fun this year (despite Maddy being so uncomfortable with her UTI). Sam was feeling healthy, so we really were able to enjoy ourselves during this holiday. On Good Friday, we went as a family to the Stations of the Cross at Holy Family, which Taylor loved because of her fascination with Jesus. Then we went out for sushi. On Holy Saturday, we went to the Easter festival at Grace Bible Church, where Taylor met the Easter bunny, made a craft, had her hand painted (she didn't want anything on her face), and participated in a lot of fun games. Then, we went to Grandma Partynski's house and had a great time with my side of the family. Unfortunately, Maddy ended up in the ER that night due to some constipation issues... we have her on prunes now so we hope to avoid that problem again!
On Easter Sunday, the kids were thrilled (well, Taylor was!) to find their Easter baskets on the table filled with fun things: "Tangled" underwear, sunscreen, princess sunglasses, a yo-yo, some baby food, a summer outfit for Maddy, and "Tangled" socks. Yes, the Easter bunny was very practical this year!
We then went to the Pavelka's Easter celebration, which was a blast! Taylor loved going to the park with Grandma G, Uncle Gus, and her cousins.
Overall, it was a wonderful holiday, made even better by the fact that Sam was healthy, and that we got to celebrate that with so many of our family members, on both sides. We are truly blessed.

*** I have way more pics to share, but Sam's computer is being not-so-friendly tonight. More to come!

Our Hilarious Taylor!

2013-03-07T21:47:00.001-06:00

Taylor has been cracking us up lately with the things that she says and does. She is so vocal and, being a 3 year old, says anything that is on her mind! For the past couple of months, I've been quickly typing in the things that she says on my phone, and I've accumulated quite a bit of interesting quotes to share!

This is how she came into our room one morning: completely naked except for her princess dress up clothes. Note her trademark sock gloves.


The famous "guilty" picture... she cut off a piece of her own hair while pretending to be Rapunzel. Luckily, she cut off about 2 inches in the front so it just looks like she grew out some bangs!

Quotes and Conversations:

-"Hey Dada, I like your eyeballs!"
-"I smelled the candle too hard and it stopped. It was an accident." (She blows out of her nose instead of in to smell things!)
-"Hey mama, I think that maybe I should turn into a donkey."
-"Mommy, when you get smaller and smaller and I get bigger and bigger, I will take you shopping and put you in the shopping cart so we can buy a warm popcorn maker." (instead of the hot popcorn maker that she isn't allowed to touch)
-"When I turn into an airplane, I will have wings and I will fly to Baltimore."
-"This is the hardest thing I will ever have to do." (reach for a candle)
-"Ohhhh mama, this room is gorgeous!" (the utility room in the basement)
-"Hey mom, I tried to put my underwear on my nose but it wouldn't stay. Isn't that terrible?"
-"Mom, when I get bigger and bigger, I would like to touch that popcorn maker. And also, a butt."
-"I hope that there are no mean kings at Maddy's doctor appointment."
-"Hi mom! I'm Diego and I have saliva!"
-"Great, now I can go fall in love with my baby sister."
-"Here mom, I will close the gate so that no mean puppies come up to our bedrooms."
-"Hey mommy, you are a stinky guy. You better go take a shower."
-"Here mom, I will hold on to your shirt so that it won't fall off."

-(smoke detector beeps once)
Taylor: "What was that?"
Me: "Oh just the smoke detector."
T: It only beeped once! That was weird. (shouts) Hey smoke detector! What was that all about? (pause) Oh, he said he was just checking on us! Thanks, smoke detector!

-T: "Hey mommy, did Jesus make the snow?"
M: "Well, Jesus did help."
T: "Wow! That was so nice of him! Thanks Jesus! I really like that guy!"

-T: "Dada, will you please unbuckle my pants?"
D: "Why??"
T: "Because I ate too much."

-T: (crying) "Mommy, Gianna hurt me!"
Me and Erica: "What happened? What did she do?"
T: "She broke my heart."

5 Months Old, Valentine's Day, and Updates!

2013-03-05T22:11:00.002-06:00

I have a feeling that most of my blog posts for the next 3 months are going to have the following themes: about 2-3 weeks behind, multiple updates at one time, as many pictures as possible thrown in, and slightly rushed! Such is life for a working mom! Anyway, here are some Pavelka updates:

5 Months Old!
Madelyn is 5 months old now! She is truly the happiest baby ever. She is constantly smiling and is extremely social. She is very close to rolling from her back to her tummy - she just needs to figure out how what to do with her arms! But she does get around - she has been waking up on the opposite side of the crib, or completely flipped around from how I placed her. She loves standing while holding our fingers, and sits up with assistance. She also laughs and giggles often, which we love! When she gets really happy, she kicks her feet frantically. She loves music and playing with mommy's hair, and watching her sister do anything! She sleeps through the night, still getting up around 3am for a quick feeding. Maddy has tried rice cereal and oatmeal, and we are going to try some veggies very soon! She is such a fun, easy-going, delightful baby!
Her hydronephrosis is still in check, and the surgery date is still scheduled for April 9th. Dr. Smith continues to assure me that it is a procedure that babies do very well with.

Eating cereal!

I love cuddling with my daddy!

Good morning, mommy!

I've learned to move around... this was the opposite way that mommy put me down for my nap!

Princess Madelyn! The first of many times that Taylor will play dress up with her little sister!

Valentine's Day
For Valentine's Day, we made a valentine-themed treasure hunt for Taylor, which was super fun. We laid out several paper hearts that had something that we love about her written on each one. At the end of the hunt was a Repunzel backpack filled with Repunzel items (thank you, Walgreens clearance section!). She has been obsessed with the movie "Tangled" and so she was very excited when she reached the end of the hunt!

Excited and surprised!

Reading some of her hearts

"Snow" Much Fun!We were so excited to finally get some snow... well, Taylor was at least! She finally got to build her first snowman with her friend Evelyn!

...And this is what spending the day in the snow will do!

Other Updates
Sam has begun chemo again, and is doing fairly well. He is done with round one, so 25%! May 13th is the estimated end date. We can't wait!
Finally, I know I have said it before, but I am so behind on phone calls, emails, texts, etc., especially now that I'm back to work, so thank you for your patience! I promise I will get back to everyone!
Thank you again to everyone for your continued support. We would not have been able to get through this without you.

Cinderella's Ball, and Other Updates!

2013-02-18T22:22:00.002-06:00

Cinderella's Ball
On February 7th, Sam and Taylor were able to attend Cinderella's Ball together at the park district. It was a double date with our friend Ross and his daughter Maya, and they met up with Jeff and Serena from our neighborhood as well. Sam was so happy to be able to go (my brother Eric was on standby just in case he wasn't feeling up to it!)! Sam said that the girls had a blast eating and putting balloons on a large vent and watching them stick. They got to meet Cinderella too! Apparently there was very little actual dancing, but they had a blast anyway! Sam did say that he witnessed Taylor walk up to a table and lick the frosting off of someone's cupcake... looks like we have to reinforce some table manners (and have a talk about germs, too!).

Getting ready for their date!

Meeting Cinderella!

So happy with her princess crown!

Taylor with her friends Maya and Serena (sorry Tonya, I stole your pic!)

Dancing queens!

Sam Update:
Sam is completely off of pain medication, after almost 3 weeks of weaning and painful withdrawals. He will begin chemo on Friday, and he will head to Baltimore in March for a few nights for some check-ups and a minor surgery to remove the filter in his leg.

Maddy Update:
Madelyn's last ultrasound showed no change in the size of her kidney. Her doctor has scheduled her surgery for April 9th. I will be bringing her in every couple of weeks for an ultrasound to monitor her kidney prior to the surgery.

Happy at daycare! (Sorry Erica, stole your pic too!)

Other Updates:
I have gone back to work! The transition was tough, but I will say it is nice to have the distraction, and to be up and showered before noon! Now if we can only add about 5 more hours to the day, I'd be set... :)
Taylor has begun a behavior chart at home, as well as a chore chart, and a potty chart. We are trying to enforce rules a little bit more, as she has begun to challenge us a little bit more lately! We are STILL having trouble potty training her, which has been one of the most frustrating things! She has been in potty trained with #1 since before she was two, but she still waits until she has a pull-up on at night to go #2, which then keeps her awake longer and gives me twice as much work to do when putting her to bed.
We did have a very interesting night the other night though. My Aunt Maureen was babysitting for us, and when we came home, we realized that Taylor had pooped in her pants, dumped it in the master bathroom potty, wiped herself down with a towel, changed into new pants, and then went back to bed! There was very little mess, too, just a few spots on her bed and on the floor. I'm still dumbfounded as to how these events went down! So, I'm not sure if we can count that as making progress or not?!?

Overall, things are very hectic at home right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

4 Months Old!

2013-02-01T14:30:00.002-06:00

Madelyn is now 4 months old! She continues to be the most easy-going baby ever. She is sleeping very well, usually falling asleep around 8:30pm and sleeping until 7:30am, sometimes waking up at around 3:00am for a quick feeding. She tried cereal for the first time a couple of days ago, and she loves it! We've been giving it to her once a day, and plan to add a serving of oatmeal soon. She can roll from her tummy to her back, and is very close to rolling from her back to her tummy. She found her feet the other day, and she loves playing with them! She absolutely LOVES her sister - she lights up whenever she hears Taylor's voice, and smiles at whatever she does! Here is an update of her stats:

Height: 26 inches (96%)
Weight: 14 lb. 5 oz. (66%)
Head Circumference: 41.9 cm (76%)
Clothing size: 6 months
Diaper size: 2

Maddy likes...
Playing with her hands, putting her fingers in her mouth, grabbing mommy's hair, reaching for a toy, cooing and babbling, laughing at daddy when he "raps", tummy time, standing on someone's lap, sitting with assistance, watching and listening to her sister, rolling over, smiling at anyone who talks to her, sleeping, feeling new and different textures, "talking" to people, eating cereal, splashing in the bathtub, hearing music, listening to people singing, cuddling.

Maddy dislikes...
Sudden noises, being hungry, being overtired, scratching her face (which she does all of the time and doesn't realize what's happening), getting her nails trimmed.

Update on Maddy's kidney condition (hydronephrosis):
We spoke with Maddy's urologist, Dr. Smith, the other day, and despite what he told me at last week's appointment, he still wants to try and wait until Maddy is 6 months old to do her surgery. I guess that, after 6 months, the chances are more likely that they will be able to do the procedure through her ureter, without making an incision. So Dr. Smith is going to schedule the surgery for early April, but will monitor her every 3 weeks until that point. If he feels that her condition gets worse quickly, he will intervene and do the surgery right away. So, MORE waiting! We are getting frustrated with the urgency, followed by the waiting, but we do trust that Dr. Smith is making the right decision for her.

She loved bundling up and going for a walk

Getting ready for her first solid food feeding!

Ready to eat!

Yum!

Taylor was a very helpful big sister and gave Maddy her first serving of rice cereal. She missed her mouth a couple of times, but did a great job overall!

Looking at her toys during tummy time!

Relay for Life, Sam & Maddy Update

2013-01-23T21:01:00.000-06:00

Madelyn
This morning, Maddy and I went to see Dr. Smith, her pediatric urologist, for a checkup and ultrasound. I had secretly been hoping that the ultrasound would show that her kidney had magically repaired itself, but unfortunately, the results were the opposite of what we had wanted. Her kidney is now at 55mm - about triple the size of her right kidney - and now her ureter has become enlarged as well. Yesterday, she was crying in pain for about 30 second, and then urinated and stopped crying, so we are thinking that it is beginning to be painful for her as well. So, tomorrow Madelyn is going to go for her 4 month check-up, and then off to the hospital for some pre-op testing. Her surgery will be scheduled as soon as we get the results; Dr. Smith would like to get the surgery done as soon as possible. We're obviously nervous about our little girl having surgery and being put under anesthesia, but we're also relieved that we are finally going to get this done, and that it will be one more medical issue that we can put behind us.

Sam
Sam began chemo last Friday, and unfortunately did not do well this round. By Monday, he was so uncomfortable that he called Dr. Rubin, his oncologist, late Monday night, and Dr. Rubin cancelled the rest of the chemo for this round. He has still not recovered - he spent most of yesterday and today in bed. He has had no appetite or energy. Dr. Rubin did some blood tests, which didn't reveal anything, so we are all thinking that it is a combination of the chemo, blood thinners, and pain meds. He is still on Dilaudid and a high dose of Oxycontin. So per Dr. Rubin, we are going to wait until Sam has weaned off of these meds and feels normal before discussing chemo again. We will talk with Dr. Rubin later this week to get more information on what he thinks is the best course of action.

On a happier note, Sam was able to go to the MCHS Relay for Life this Sunday, which raised $13,000 for cancer research! He had a blast visiting with his students and fellow teachers. His mom, brother, and nephew came out to see him as well, which he loved. We were very proud of him for making it out and doing the Survivor Lap.

Just a quick note to all of our friends and family: Sam really LOVES visitors, texts, emails, and phone calls from everyone! He apologizes for messages he hasn't returned, but know that he loves reading or listening to them all, and they really brighten his day. Please keep contacting him as much as possible. I know that everyone is very busy, but we always welcome visitors as well - friends and family have a way of getting Sam out of any kind of funk he might be in. Our doors are open!

And finally, we are SORRY for any thank you notes, emails, or phone calls that we have yet to make. We have received some amazingly generous gifts, and we are very touched by everyone's thoughtfulness. We also apologize for anyone whom we have forgotten to email, call, or text back. Please know that it is not deliberate, and that we appreciate all of it!