Life is a Gift

City Museum St. Louis - Take 4 - the Roof

2012-07-24T14:10:00.001-07:00

Ahhh....City Museum. If you missed my previous posts on City Museum you must read them here: TAKE 1 and here: TAKE 2 and here: TAKE 3 It will explain this crazy place!!!!

We began our day on the roof so we could beat as much of the heat as possible. As always....this place is so cool I can't even explain it! Here is one view of the bus and elephant and fun climbing things!!!

This is a photo of one of those climbing items. I took it from across the roof. Kennedy and Jeff are playing inside!

This amazing tube and slide - well, just look at it! The top half is where you climb up to the top. Once at the top (by the enormous praying mantiss) you slide into the underneath part and slide back down!!

Here are Quinn and Daddy at the beginning of the climb. Kennedy was already WAY ahead! Poor Jeff climbed with Quinn to the very top - he had to hunch way down. Half way up Quinn was over it...she would have liked to get down I think! So Jeff had to encourage her the rest of the way up! Jeff and Kennedy went down the slide, but not Quinn!

Kennedy just about to go down the slide....

...here is she is 3/4 of the way down!!

This is yet another slide. But first you must climb up using a rope!

Next we have the huge dome. They have hung a rope from it, painted a large circle on the floor and just let people swing all day!

There is also a Ferris Wheel on the roof! All four of us rode it! Quinn hid her face most of the ride but didn't make a peep! At 10pm that night Kennedy and Jeff went back and rode it again!!

Now I bring you a few shots of the outdoor fun! These are at the entrance of the museum and it is called MonstroCity. There are 2 old planes you can climb into and through, tons of cages and tunnels, a few slides, a tree house, 2 ball pits, part of a fire truck, and 2 stone turrets! We didn't get many photos here because it was getting hot and there aren't good place to snap photos. Below is Kennedy and myself climbing around!

Quinn loved the ball pit! The museum has one for kids 6 and under and one for older kids. That was wonderful for her!

Hope I persuaded you to check out City Museum next time you are in St. Louis! I am sure we will!

City Museum St. Louis - Take 2

2012-07-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ahhh....City Museum. If you missed my previous post on City Museum you must read it here: TAKE 1 It will explain this crazy place!!!!

These photos are still from the 1st floor (and some of the caves underneath in the basement). In the above photo, the girls are looking at the HUGE fish and turtles in the tank!

The next photo is taken looking down one of the tunnels....Kennedy is on the left looking into the other side of the huge fish tank. The tile work in this place is stellar! In the next shot, I stood by Kennedy and took a photo of Jeff coming into the tunnel! She is screaming in excitement!

I am actually surprised this photo turned out! We had gone through the tunnel and into some caves. It was so dark in some of them you couldn't really see! The girls' eyes are so big because of the camera flash!

Another underground tunnel. There are so many interlinking stairs, slides and passageways that you can easily lose your children!

I wish I had more photos of the caves, but it was very dark and super twisty-turny!

City Museum St. Louis - Take 3 - The Toddler & The Bus

2012-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ahhh....City Museum. If you missed my previous posts on City Museum you must read them here: TAKE 1 and here: TAKE 2. It will explain this crazy place!!!! This first shot is of my sweeties outside the museum. Look on the roof of the building....yes that is a school bus. More on that in a minute!

On the 3rd floor of the museum there is a Toddler Room. Quinn and I spent about 20 minutes there while Jeff and Kennedy explored outside. After 20 minutes she was over it. :)

Cool steps, eh?! Wish I knew where they found those fun cylinders! These steps led to a tube slide, a ball pit and some climbing tunnels.

Yeah baby! BALL PIT!!!!!!

Luckily there is another ball pit outdoors....Quinn now LOVES them! This one was about 3 feet off the floor.

Happy face!

This photo was taken from the museum's website. It is the roof of the building - 11 stories up. I think it is old because many things are missing, including the ferris wheel. But I wanted you to see the school bus! It hangs over the edge!

Going for a ride!!!!!

This s a total blur, but it is a photo taken out the door of the bus looking down to the parking lot. (Yes, those are 2 airplanes in mid air. More on that another day!)

Bus Driver Kennedy!!!! Looking out over the city!

Jeff got this shot from the parking lot....the underside of the bus! Good times!!!!

City Museum St. Louis - Take 1

2012-07-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

This was hands down the BEST stop on our trip to St. Louis! The CITY MUSEUM is a kid's paradise - and there really aren't even words to describe it! You can check out their website here: City Museum. If you are ever in St. Louis, you absolutely MUST go. Even if you are an adult! You can easily spend an entire day there. We went on Friday and they are open from 10am to midnight...no joke! And they held a wedding while we were there...such a cool place!

I will do my best to describe what I can. Basically, it is an old 11-story building in the heart of downtown St. Louis which was once the International Shoe Company. They have filled the first 3 floors with these incredible caves, treehouses, tunnels and things you can't describe. You walk into a tunnel and can spend 30 minutes in there before you find a way to get out - and there are probably 20+ different routes to take once you are in that tunnel! There are slides and ladders and tunnels everywhere. This is one little excerpt from their website:

Cassilly and his longtime crew of 20 artisans have constructed the museum from the very stuff of the city; and, as a result, it has urban roots deeper than any other institutions’. Reaching no farther than municipal borders for its reclaimed building materials, City Museum boasts features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and even two abandoned planes!

The above picture is of Kennedy coming out of the bottom of a HUGE whale! You can climb inside the whale and take different routes outside of it....here are my favorite people exploring the whale's innards!

The is under the whale's tale. Jeff (in the blue shirt) and Kennedy (in the pigtails) are watching a huge drum of water fall into a pit!!

It is really impossible to get great photos in this place! It is spectacular, but my photos don't do it justice. You could spend so much time just looking at this room before you ever explored it! The white stuff at the top of the photo is what is hanging from the ceiling on the main floor. So I am up high taking this photo. You can see part of an enormouse tree house here. And the metal "cages" coming from the left of the picture?? See those? They are everywhere and it is how you get around in much of the museum. Jeff and Kennedy are climbing through it! See his blue shirt and khaki shorts? Kennedy is in front of him with a green shirt.

Here is a close-up....see little Miss Quinn in there?! She loved this place!! That girl has NO FEAR!

Another view near the ceiling....Kennedy!!! She is climbing in that thing!!! It is sooo small! Some teenagers started climbing in it coming from the other direction. I seriously thought they might get stuck! Kennedy had to turn her body around and climb out the way she had come in!

The next photo is part of the tree-house....I honestly can't even explain what you are looking at...other than it is a "tunnel" of tree limbs! So cool! The spaces are so cramped it was hard for me to get good pictures!

This is just one part of the museum! I will share more later. But I wanted to leave you with the museum's description of this floor.....

Perhaps one of the most visually stunning areas in the museum, the First Floor is part undersea immersion, part treehouse hideaway, part cave adventure, and all City Museum. Above you, visitors pinball through tunnels in the ceiling, giving them a birds-eye view of the beautiful and elaborate mosaic floor. Stroll through the life-sized bowhead whale and you may hear whale songs blending in with the crashing waves of water dumped out by the “Puking Pig”- a boiler tank perched atop an 1880’s fire pump that dumps water into the wave cave below. Fish fanciers will enjoy the 5000 gallon fish tank, filled with fish native to Missouri waters.(Look out for the 39lb catfish!) And when you think you’ve seen it all, dig deeper, because several underground passageways still await you, taking you under the floor, or work your way through the treehouse and up into the ceiling again. Can you find the pump room slide?

Saint Louis Zoo

2012-07-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

We recently took a quick trip over to Saint Louis! Of all the great kid activities in the city, this was a MUST STOP activity! We were extremely impressed with the St. Louis Zoo and we spent about 7 hours there!!! See that cute baby elephant in the above photo?!

The carousel ride is also a MUST DO activity. Both girls are at an age were it is a blast! I took WAY too many photos of them riding.....want proof??? You're getting it anyway!

I love in the next one how Jeff is mimicking Quinn's face!! I just couldn't crop him out!

It was a super hot day. Kennedy was such a trooper with all the walking and sweating! This was near the end of the day....exhaustion....

But then we ran into a waterfall!!! Energy again!!! Quinn was a bit apprehensive...she really wanted to run in but couldn't make herself do it. Kennedy wasn't going to get wet and just watched. But she couldn't stand it! So they both ended up soaking wet! At least it was the last stop! Oh, and we DID see animals at the zoo...but wouldn't you rather look at my cute girls?!

And I will leave you with a view from our hotel room! See on the left side on top of the building there is a bright circle?! That is the ferris wheel on top of City Museum! More about that another day!

HHT & AVMs

2012-07-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I had this post ready to go for the end of June but somehow it didn't make it up! So this is more of HHT Awareness Month! Hope you are learning something!

I found this fabulous article and wanted to share parts of it. Now I can't find the link! EEK! Just being honest here...this it totally not my writing.....unless I interject in which I will change the font color!! ;)

About one in 5,000 people—or 1.2 million people worldwide—have hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT).

Patients with HHT tend to form blood vessels that lack capillaries between an artery and a vein. As a result, arterial blood under high pressure flows directly into a vein; normally the blood has to squeeze first through very small capillaries. When an artery is connected directly to a vein, it tends to be fragile and can rupture, resulting in bleeding. A small blood vessel that is abnormal in this manner is called a telangiectasis. A lesion involving larger blood vessels is called an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Whether a telangiectasia or an AVM, the basic abnormality in the blood vessel is the same.

Telangiectases often occur at the surface of the body, including the skin and the mucous membrane that lines the nose. Almost all HHT patients develop at least a few telangiectases (small red or purple spots) on the skin of their face or hands by the time they reach middle age.

I have some of these in my mouth and on my lips. I also have one above my left eye. Kennedy has a few on the inside of her mouth and a larger one on the curve of her lip.

AVMs tend to occur in the internal organs—most commonly the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, brain, and spine, in that order. Abnormal blood vessels also are common in the liver.

Between 30% and 50% of patients with HHT have AVMs in their lungs. These pulmonary AVMs (PAVMs) are poorly understood. Little is known about their history or growth rate. Between 5% and 20% of patients have an AVM in their brains. They also are present at birth.

My father has had PAVMs and had them treated. I have had PAVMs and had them treated (4-5 times now). We don't know yet if Kennedy has any. Sam had some at the base of his brain.

The greatest risk for patients with PAVMs is stroke or a brain abscess, which also can be life threatening. “In the normal lung,” he explains, “the capillaries between an artery and vein serve as a filter for impurities in the blood, including clots, bacteria, and air bubbles. The impurities are removed before the blood circulates to other parts of the body, including the brain. But when one or more AVMs are present, these impurities can pass through the AVM, go to the left side of the heart, and then on to the brain and other organs.

“Patients who have very large PAVMs also can have problems with their oxygenation, so they can have very severe exercise intolerance,” he continues. “They can occasionally literally turn blue.”

My father, myself and Sam have had strokes. I was lucky that I had almost no side effects. My father was not so lucky. He has had 3 strokes. The first was major - it is truly a miracle her survived and recovered. Sam had a least one stroke in utero, possibly more. Complications from the stroke(s) are what caused him to die.

HHT is definitely a manageable! I will be back soon to discuss ways to treat AVMs!!!

Swimming Lessons

2012-06-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Kennedy took swimming lessons for the third summer! She has been a fish since she was a baby so it is no surprise that she passed her level again this year!

The skills she worked on this year were front stroke (freestyle), backstroke, elementary backstroke, scissor kick, and diving off the side. The pool was so full of classes this session that Kennedy's class met in the 12 foot! I was so proud of her for not being scared - who am I kidding?! She is never scared of water!!

BACKSTROKE

DIVING!!!!

WATER SAFETY

I passed!!! Onto Red Cross Level IV!!

Horses & Corn

2012-06-26T12:07:00.001-07:00

I have no idea where she learned how to drink from her bowl. -sigh-

Quinn has been enjoying the play horses lately. She rides on Kennedy's 'big' horse and says "Go Go Go!" And we ride the stick horses around the house. I say "Giddy-up" and she says "Gup Gup Gup!"

Yum! Corn on the cob! Quinn really wanted to eat it - just like her big sister. Kennedy LOVES sweet corn! She is a great role model in showing Quinn that veggies are yummy. Too bad Quinn doesn't really care. She kept trying to eat the corn but once it was in her mouth she would make a disgusted face and spit it out. Maybe some day she will eat vegetables.

HHT and Nosebleeds

2012-06-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about June being HHT awareness month and how I hoped to share more with all of you. So here we go!

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Kennedy was recently clinically diagnosed with HHT. Here is what the doctors look at:

DIAGNOSIS
The clinical diagnosis of HHT is considered:

Definite when three or more of the criteria below are present

Possible or suspected when two of the criteria below are present

Unlikely when fewer than two of the criteria below are present

Diagnostic criteria for HHT:

Nosebleeds(epistaxis): spontaneous and recurrent
Telangiectases: multiple, at characteristic sites, including face, lips, oral cavity and fingers
Visceral AVM (pulmonary, cerebral, hepatic, spinal) or gastrointestinal telangiectases (with or without bleeding)
Family history: a first degree relative with HHT according to these criteria

Kennedy has #4 - Sam had HHT and I have HHT. She has #2 - a few spots inside her mouth. And she has #1 - luckily her nosebleeds have never been severe. But I do have the school nurse chart them so we can keep a record. So, we did not do genetic testing for and myself and my father have never had it done either. We are currently looking into genetic testing for Quinn and are waiting to hear from our insurance company. Fun times, right?!

*********************************************

One of the most common symptoms of HHT is nosebleed. In fact, 90% of HHT patients have recurrent nosebleeds. Of those, 30% began seeing nosebleeds by age 10, and 80% by the age of 21. I remember getting just a few nosebleeds as a kid. My father had them much more often and they were much more severe. There are some HHT patients who become anemic from the loss of blood through nosebleeds, some become transfusion dependent, many can't live a normal life due to crazy amounts of nosebleeds. There are several treatments, but none of them seem to stop bleeding altogether.

There is a nosebleed severity scoring tool that HHT Centers use to help determine possible treatments. It is a scale of 1-10 and my score is 1.92. If you would like to score your nosebleeds or those of someone you know, go to this site: Epistaxis Scoring Tool. It takes a minute.

Some treatment options are as follows:

Young's Procedure - closes the nasal cavity
Nasal Packing
Laser Treatments - used to cauterize the vein
OTC ointments - to keep the nasal cavity lubricated
OTC nasal sprays - same as ointments
Septal Dermoplasty - replaces the nasal lining with thicker skin
Avastin - a drug that has just recently been used to help by slowing blood vessel growth
Hormone Therapy

If you or someone you know suffers from recurrent nosebleeds with HHT, there is a study going on to look at several of the treatments mentioned above. If you would like to participate you can check out the info here: NOSE study.

I feel very blessed that nosebleeds haven't been a horrible side effect for me. And I pray that Kennedy's continue to be minimal.

Hope you learned something new about HHT!!!! Thanks for reading!

For the Love of Animals!

2012-06-05T20:20:00.001-07:00

Hooray for a trip to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead! We love this place! Kennedy even had her 4th birthday there!!! Come see the fun we had!

I just love this first photo - for so many reasons! #1 - my bff taking photos of the girls from the other side! #2 - these 3 girls are so close and I love that! #3 - Taylor had to borrow her mom's sunglasses to "match" Kennedy! #4 - The happiness of summer and exploring on their faces! #5 - they had no idea I was taking their photo!

We always get photos taken in the butterfly garden!!!!

Quinn was so taken with the animals!!! She couldn't get enough of the goats! The older girls fed the goats while Quinn squealed and giggled. She even was brave enough to hold out her own had to feed them. So I decided she would do well in the enclosed goat area!

What do you think? Did she like it?!

It goes without saying that Kennedy loved feeding them as well. This has been a favorite part for her for years!

We were able to hook up with some more friends while there. The big kids got Discovery Passbooks where they have to look around the Farm for hidden questions and then search for the answers. Kennedy and Owen went crazy over answering the questions and filling out their books!!!!! Here they are coming out of the General Store!

It was a great day!

First Summer Weekend!

2012-06-04T19:27:00.001-07:00

Our first weekend of the summer was great fun!! We have a tradition every Memorial Day weekend. We attend Celebration at the Station and I look forward to it all Spring! The Kansas City Symphony puts on a free concert outside of Union Station. The audience sits on the hill overlooking Union Station. We bring lots of food, blankets, chairs and games. This year we brought some friends to experience it for their first time! The children searched out their parents' electronic devices...no surprise. ;)

Once the sun set, this children played with glow sticks and flashlights! It was great watching the lights projected on Union Station and enjoying the KC skyline. Eventually we turned out chairs around and watched the wonderful fireworks display over the WWI Memorial. Quinn did NOT enjoy the fireworks at all, poor girl. Too noisy!! But she had done an amazing job all night considering how late she was up! It was an awesome evening!

We also took our first dip in one of the neighborhood pools! There had been quite a thunderstorm just a day before and the water was still chilly! But Kennedy was still her normal fishy self - loving every minute in the water! As I suspected, Quinn is going to be quite the handful at the pool this summer! She thinks she can just run anywhere and go in the big pool at any time! She will absolutely be wearing a flotation device all summer!

Hooray for summer!!!

We can now cross off a few things from of Summer Bucket List!!!

#58: Go to a Free Concert

#38: Visit Multiple Pools (this was pool #1)

Memorial Day 2012

2012-06-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Memorial Day Weekend this year! Our actual Memorial Day was filled with family time!! We had a grilled turkey burger lunch at the Miles' and the Kennedy, Logan, Quinn and Zia enjoyed some time in the sprinkler!!

Isn't she cute?!

First sprinkler action of the year!

Logan preparing to run through the sprinkler!

In the morning we went to the Louisburg cemetery and caught part of the ceremony. Papa Lou, Aunt Barb and Great Papa Henry came as well. We all spend some time at Sam and Great Grandma Helen's graves. Then we all went to Miss B's Cafe for brunch.

Three generations! All in blue!

Papa shows Kennedy the gravesites of other relatives. Quinn says "Wait for me!"

Rare family photo...it was super windy!

Quinn with Great Papa Henry.

It was a great day!

HHT Awareness Month

2012-06-01T20:30:00.001-07:00

In the past on my blogs I have mentioned that I have HHT. I have spoken about how Sam had HHT. I have shared little tidbits here and there about HHT. But it is time for me to begin sharing even more. Being that this is HHT Awareness Month, I believe this is a fitting time!

A few weeks ago I took my girls to a local doctor interested in treating children with HHT. I have had a hunch for quite some time that Kennedy had HHT and figured it was time to know for sure. Dr. McBride was fabulous...she is the FIRST doctor I have MET that actually has HHT and has children with HHT. I can't tell you how comforting it was to actually meet with someone who knew what we were talking about! She quickly diagnosed Kennedy with HHT, as I suspected. I am looking into genetic testing for Quinn as she isn't showing any outward symptoms as of now.

Over the course of the next month I will be sharing a bit about HHT and also personalize it for you by sharing how it has affected our family. I hope you will read along!! It may affect someone you know!

First, I ask that you watch this video.....it is worth it! My doctor, Dr. Chakinala, speaks in it...I will see him again in a few months!

The HHT Foundation's Awareness Campaign has 3 goals:

Identify the 90% that are Undiagnosed - The more people hear about HHT - through word of mouth, watching a video, reading a post on Facebook, or researching nosebleeds on Google - the more people will be aware of the disease. This will ultimately lead to self-diagnosis, a visit to a medical professional, or a call to the HHT Foundation. These actions alone can potentially save a life!
Educate Medical Professionals - According to a recent medical survey, most HHT patients experience an average of 11-14 years of misdiagnosis by Emergency Room physicians and Otolaryngologists (ENT) due to a general lack of knowledge about the disease. Awareness can lead physicians to seek information and training on how to diagnose, treat, and manage HHT which will ultimately increase the number of medical professionals who are knowledgeable about HHT and make it easier for patients to receive proper care.
Motivate the HHT Community - We need HHT patients, physicians, and researchers to engage their families, local friends, Facebook friends, and co-workers in the fight to find a cure for HHT. The simplest thing you can do is send an email, which is already written for you, to your Congressional Representative. Although the Foundation has significantly advanced HHT in a variety of venues, we are only one voice - our message is so much stronger, louder, and impactingl when we all recite it together!

Grade ONE - Done!

2012-05-29T18:25:00.002-07:00

Yup - here is proof she is done with first grade. And to think that at the beginning of the year I didn't know how I would survive with her at school ALL DAY. Yet, I did. And she loved school - so much that as we walked out of the building she sniffled and said "I don't want to leave school." I pray she always feels that way!!!

Last fall I created some forms for her to fill out to document who she was at the beginning of the year. I then kept them hidden all school year. You can read about it in THIS PAST POST. We even have her hand and footprints! The end of the year needed to be recorded as well, so I created a similar version to see how she has changed since the beginning of the year! She LOVED doing them and comparing!!!

After school let out, Kennedy's 1st grade scrapbook club came over for our year end get together. :) So I didn't have her Summer Fun Box out yet! Then she spent the night with her BFF that night...so the box was waiting for her when she returned the next day!

Her Summer Fun Box was filled with all sorts of fun things we will need to have a great time this summer!! I also set out the framed list of Summer Fun from THIS PAST POST. I think the box was a hit!

I can't wait to start sharing all our summer fun!!!!

Summer 2012 "Bucket List"

2012-05-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Kennedy's last day of 1st grade! Where did the time go?!

I am sooo excited for summer to begin so we can have tons of fun! Last year I had a simple method for making sure we included fun things and didn't get stuck in a rut. I made little 2x2 cards and laminated them. I wrote a fun activity/place to visit on each one with dry erase marker. Each week we would draw out a few squares and try to incorporate them into my week. It worked only sometimes. Often I didn't have the items we needed, we didn't have the time, the weather didn't cooperate, etc. Kennedy would get super bummed when we didn't complete a square.

This year I decided to try a different approach. I have seen tons of Summer Activity Ideas and Bucket Lists floating around cyber space. And I decided to try my hand at making my own! My original list of ideas was in the 90s! Oops! So I had to cut it down a bit! I realize we may not complete these all but it gives us somewhere to start!

I found an awesome free summer themed digital scrapbook kit over at this site: Just Jaimee While Jeff took the girls to the dog park this evening I played around and created our print!!!

I am having it printed at Costco in size 12x12. It will go in a scrapbook frame and we can use a dry erase marker to cross off our activities as we go! I am so excited to give it to her tomorrow along with her "Summer Fun Bag!"

Have a super summer!!!!

Birthday Decor

2012-05-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

So....I am finally getting around to sharing about Kennedy's party! For the family that lives out of state - here is what you missed!

For the camping theme I went with the colors orange, red & turquoise. I was able to print that adorable birthday sign from this great site here at eighteen25 blog.

For the main food table I covered it with burlap and put small logs/stumps around. Thanks to Jeff for cutting them up for me! On the one above is a photo of Kennedy just a few months old.

I made edible acorns for a little snack!

We had some outdoor snacks! Grizzly Bears (gummy bears), Snakes (twizzlers rope), Catch of the Day (swedish fish), Fire Logs (pirouettes). The kids also had hot dogs & chips and we later roasted marshmallows for s'mores.


Quick little display for the table! I took an 8x10 frame, took out the glass and put in some scrapbook paper (that matched the theme colors perfectly!) and adhered a wooden letter "K" to it!

For the mantle I went simple. I purchased scrapbook paper that matched our themes and colors. I punched out scalloped circles and regular circles and layered them. Then I was also able to find some super fun camping/outdoor stickers to place in the center. I also got a large letter "K" and covered it with matching scrapbook paper.

Here is a close - up. We were able to re-use these on her thank you cards!


This was just a quick banner behind the food table. Again, scrapbook paper and then some awesome American Crafts letters!

Mini Scientist

2012-05-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Kennedy asked to do science experiments all afternoon. That is like music to my ears! Luckily I had pinned lots of ideas on Pinterest and had found a wonderful website last summer. We had to search for experiments that included things we already had on hand, which did limit our options. But we still were able to try about 6 different activities!

I only took photos of 3 of them to share.

Baking Soda Experiment
The first one is just a basic baking soda and vinegar mix. I had seen a fun one involving color somewhere online and tried to replicate it. We got 4 glass jars and put a few drops of food coloring in the bottom of each. I covered the color completely with baking soda. Kennedy then poured vinegar into each and guessed which color it was. I was expecting it to fizz and bubble much more than it did...I think my baking soda may have been getting old. But Kennedy (and Quinn) enjoyed it all the same! She also enjoyed mixing the colors when they were done fizzing.

Fireworks in a Jar
This one was easy and fun! I got a large glass display jar and filled it with water. In a large glass measuring cup Kennedy mixed a little bit of vegetable oil and multiple drops of food coloring. She tried her best to mix the food coloring in...the science behind the properties of oil is a bit over her head, but hey, she could see how it didn't blend normally. ;) Next, she poured the oil and color into the jar of water. I am not going to tell you exactly what happened - you will want to try it! But you can check out the photos below!

Milk Color Explosion
This was our favorite experiment of the day!

Again, this is a super simple experiment. Fill a plate with milk (the fattier the better). Add a drop of food coloring to the center. One drop of each color you have. Place a Q-Tip in the middle of the colors and see what happens! Then place a little bit of dish soap on the other end of the Q-Tip.
It was so fun to play around with...even Daddy thought it was cool!

Here are a few places we went for our experiments. Hope you try some out!

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/milk-color-explosion

Screaming Balloons: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/screaming-balloon

Fireworks in a Jar:
http://www.marthastewart.com/266403/amazing-science-projects

A Sewing Sneak Peek

2012-05-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

So my sweet friend, Jennie, is preparing to deliver her fourth child. Yippee!! She asked me to sew some items for her and I was thrilled! Since she had to go and move away (darn you girl) I am giving her a little sneak before it arrives on her doorstep!

So, here you go Jennie! A lil peek! Hope you enjoy snuggling your little guy in his new stuff!!!

BTW - I don't have anything in my Etsy shop right now. But if you have any items you would like to order, just shoot me an email!! ;)

Tea Time in Iowa

2012-03-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Our first two days of Spring Break were filled with "tea parties". Kennedy showed Quinn the ropes on how to have a water tea party! She caught on quickly that you just stir your water and pour it down your front!!!

The second day there cousin Marin joined us!!!!

Marin and Kennedy had fun throwing water in the air and yelling "Meeeee!!"

Quinn was soaking wet - but still played in the yard!

And how sweet is this photo?! My grandma, my mom, my daughter and my niece...LOVE IT!

I hope to have more Spring Break photos up soon!

Spring Break Mini Show

2012-03-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went north to Iowa for Spring Break, which has pretty much been our Spring Break tradition the last 5 years or so! We got lots of quality family time in!!!

I have yet to upload the photos of our trip. :( But my Uncle Paul did catch some video of Kennedy! She recently had a school musical about nuts! While at Gigi and Grandpa Keith's for dinner, Kennedy gave a performance in their backyard! With her own one person stage too! You will notice little sister and little cousin Marin watching and joining in as well!

Enjoy!!!

March 3rd, 2008

2012-03-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

With the big day that is tomorrow, I was remembering what today felt like 4 years ago. I went to my blog post from that day. Just thought I would share it here again. (It was when I was using Wordpress!). Crazy how life can hit you hard out of nowhere, huh? Little did we know what March 4th had in store....

So here is a repost of March 3rd, 2008:

So…..I just can’t shake the sickies this winter. I spent the last 4-5 days with the nasty flu. So much for last minute plans before the baby arrives!!!! But such is life, right?

Just wanted to share some layouts I was holding back. Hoping for publication but I have hit a major dry spell. So it is time to share them!

You will see I am in love with Making Memories products lately!

This one was really just for fun…lots of pink, a cute photo of my girl and lots of hand sewing!

I just had to document Kennedy’s dinner prayers. I really need to videotape it as well…she squeezes her eyes shut and whispers her prayers…beyond adorable!

These photos have been waiting to be scrapped for over a year! Finally found the perfect papers for them!!!! I am loving these circular papers!
This one was more about the song than anything. I just LOVE the song Gracie by Ben Folds. (Thanks Ryan for burning the song for me!) I cried the first time I heard it and thought of Kennedy. So everytime I sing it I change Gracie to Kenna! Just wanted to document it so I never forget!
And just a fun one with the KI Lace – yum! Kennedy LOVED hanging from this bar at the pool last year…lil dare devil!

AND……………..
I decided to do a little RAK!!!!
I was just RAK’ed twice in the past few weeks. Once by my scrappy friend (and new momma) chickypie a.k.a Emily! Thanks for the scrapping goodies Emily!!!!
And another time by the talented and super sweet Wendy Reed. I am so psyched I get one of her hand made bracelets!!! You have to check out her Etsy shop, Sweet Me Designs…she has THE cutest things! Thanks Wendy!
So, I have decided to have my own little RAK to spread the love!!!
But you have to do a little guessing first!! Since we don’t know the gender of our little baby I decided I would have you all guess the gender as well as the weight and length!! Whomever gets closest will get some fun scrappy goodness from me!
Just post your guesses for GENDER, WEIGHT, & LENGTH here! I will likely not check back in again for about a week – but I will announce the winner here on my blog!!
And I thought it might be nice of me to tell you what Kennedy was when she was born, just to play with your mind! She was 41 weeks mind you! But she was 21 inches 8lbs 5.5oz!
LET THE GUESSING BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!

Mother Daughter Date

2012-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

In a few weeks, Kennedy has her Daisy Scout Father/Daughter dance. Last year was the first one and she loved every minute of it! This year we decided she *needed* a special dress for the occasion! She and I had a Mommy/Daughter date to find a dress!!! It was also time to get her a more age appropriate Bible. Being that she reads many grade levels ahead, I wanted her to have a Bible that would be understandable but yet not too babyish.

Being able to spend time with her just one-on-one doesn't happen very often anymore. Usually it is about 30 minutes before bedtime, or a quick little game while Quinn is napping. This day was much needed for both of us. As I have said a million times before, this girl is amazing and I can't imagine my life without her! I treasure the memories of that day already!

We went to Lifeway (love that place). I had gone in a few days earlier and picked the brains of some of the employees so I could narrow it down a bit. We grabbed 4-5 different Bibles and took them to the big, comfy leather couch. She flipped through each to check out the illustrations and maps. She read a little bit out of each one to make sure the reading level was ok. She checkout of the feel of it and the cover design.
She ultimately chose this Adventure Bible.

Additional Views

And we got her a deovtional, too. I can't find a photo of our version, but it is called "God's Little Devotional for Girls" by David Cook.

Next we hit the mall! Kennedy has an affinity for twirly, sparkly, fancy dresses - so we tried on a LOT of them! I am sharing the photos of her trying them on so her grandparents and great grandparents can feel like there were in the dressing room with us! And being that we were in a dressing room, the lighting was AwFuL. So these photos make her look a bit ill, but she really was having the time of her life!!!

I was surprised she wanted to try on a green dress!!

Yellow is a current favorite color....we had quite a few yellow dresses!!!

She says she loves white because it is like a wedding dress!

Hmmm...which do you think she chose? I will not be revealing that yet! We will wait for the day of the dance!!!!

After picking a dress we had a big pretzel and a fruit slush in the food court.

Our next stop was to Claire's! We don't feel Kennedy is ready to have her ears pierced yet but I have told her should could try clip-ons. Little did I know that they are pretty hard to find! We did get some magnetic earrings. But of course, she has already lost 2 of the backs! In the photo below she is wearing her first pair of actual clip-ons that DaNgLe!!!! She loved shaking her head all afternoon and asked to wear them to church that night! I forget how exciting new earrings can be - especially when you are six!

I am so thankful that Kennedy has a father who desires to take her to a Father/Daughter dance and sees the amazing benefits of a strong Father/Daughter bond. I may be almost as excited for the dance as Kennedy is!

Valentine's Fun

2012-02-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

Kennedy has such a love for all holidays! I really enjoy anticipating them right along with her! This year I gave Kennedy & Jeff a little something thing each day leading up to Valentine's Day, starting with February 1st. I read about the idea at mommybydaycrafterbynight.com. I borrowed some of her ideas and added some of my own!!! Kennedy gets into it so much! If her new mini valentine isn't sitting out in the morning she asks where it is!

This first one is actually just for Jeff. I got this cute tak3-out box at Michael's. I used a Martha Stewart tutorial to make felt fortune cookies. I then put in 10 "fortunes" which are actually 10 reasons why I love him!!!


This was actually just a fun snack Kennedy and I made! Crazy enough, I never got a picture of the final project! Sad, because they were so pretty! We took them to our Super Bowl Party. I found the tutorial at prudentbaby.com

This was part of our dinner one evening. Usually we just cut a circle and put an egg in the middle. But today I made it a heart!

Another mini valentine! I made Rice Krispie treats and formed them into balls. I was going to do hearts but was too lazy! Then Kennedy's were dipped in pink and Jeff's in red!

And another mini Valentine!

Valentine's Decor

2012-02-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I would share what we have up around the house! I had fun creating most of it myself!

This heart wreath is probably my favorite. There are multiple tutorials floating around Pinterest and I wanted to give it a try. It was supah easy!!!

This garland was also very easy! I used my new Martha Stewart heart punch with some yummy My Mind's Eye papers. Then I strung them together with embroidery floss and hung it on the old window.

I used the same method as the heart to make these "puffs." The candle holders were actually from a thrift store and really yucky looking. I just painted them white!

This is our mantel right now....very simple and plain. The print on the left can be found at one of my favorite blogs: eighteen25 . This old window is one I found while out junking with my friend Janet! It had broken panes so I took out all the glass, sanded a lot and painted it white. Then I backed it with some burlap!

Hope to be back soon with some other Valentine things we have been doing!!!

2 Years Ago

2012-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Life has really changed in two years. For all of us I am sure. Sometimes we are better off then we were - others times life seems worse. I know several people who don't like to think about the past - fro various reasons. But I have learned that going back and revisiting certain seasons in my life is good and healthy for me. So I am going to share with you what life was like for me 2 Januarys ago. It was a rough few weeks but God showed me a lot and I learned a great deal. (btw, this is really long)

1/15/2010: Friday: I took a pregnancy test (ok, I took two!). They were positive! I remember being thrilled but a bit nervous, too! Guess who I told first! KENNEDY! Which may or may not have been the best choice at the time. She was at preschool when I took the test. Jeff was at work. I was bursting to tell SOMEONE so I told her when I picked her up from school. We went shopping to get something small to surprise Daddy with the news. I honestly can't remember what it was!

1/16/2010: Saturday: I had a migraine. Those nearest me know that when I stress, I get migraines.

1/18/2010: Monday: I had another migraine. (I normally get only a handful a year as I can manage them fairly well.)

1/19/2010: Tuesday: My first appt. with my OB, Dr. R! Because I estimated I was 8 weeks along and due to losing Sam, they scheduled me in to see Dr. R early! I was so thrilled for the sonogram! Dr. R seemed a bit surprised that we were pregnant again but was happy for us. At the sono, the tech was quiet. She asked if I was sure I was 8 weeks. I said it was just a guess and I could be a little bit off. She said I was measuring only 5 weeks. That kind of threw me...I didn't think I was 3 weeks off. She looked around a lot and kept measuring. She eventually said she saw a sac, but no baby. She tried to reassure me that 5 weeks can be early to see something and I shouldn't worry too much yet. But I could tell she wasn't so sure. She and Dr. R told me to come back in a week. That week was one of the longest of my life.

During that week I talked with God a lot. I obviously was praying that there would indeed be a baby growing in me next time I went in. I couldn't imagine walking down the road of saying goodbye to another baby again. But I also continued to proclaim my trust in God and that his will is good. Saying that out loud and to myself is one thing, but deeply believing it when things are rough can get hard. Often I prayed for God to give me a sign either way, so I could be prepared at the next appointment. Meanwhile, we didn't tell anyone else about the pregnancy (or as it was called, possible pregnancy).

1/24/10: Sunday: I had another migraine. It didn't help that Jeff's Auntie Ann was suffering from cancer and had taken a turn for the worse. Or that Jeff discovered a blood clot in his leg that stretched from his groin to his ankle. But God doesn't give us more than we can handle. And I was really feeling like God was telling me this baby was going to be just fine.

1/25/10: Tuesday: My 2nd appt with Dr. R. She was trying her best to seem upbeat, but wanted me to get the sono and then come back and visit with her. So we went back to the sono. Each and every sono I had had up to the point had been so exciting! We were so eager to see our little ones on the screen, watch them move, maybe even hiccup! Not this time. We were so hopeful that we would see a little bean in there but also knew this could be devastating. The tech searched and searched and measured and measured. But again, no baby. She did say that my sac was now measuring 6 weeks but she still didn't see ANYTHING in the sac.
We went to visit with Dr. R. She was very sorry about it all...she said it was likely a blighted ovum. I didn't know the details of a blighted ovum but went home and researched my heart out. Dr. R. was a bit confused as to why the sac was still growing, though. She did say that can happen with a B.O but she asked me to have my blood drawn and levels checked. Soon after that we went home feeling pretty helpless.

I had so many things shuffling through my head. Why did I have to and tell Kennedy she would be a big sis when I was going to have to turn around and tell her that she really wasn't? Why couldn't we have a definitive answer now and not continue to play the waiting game? Had I missed God in all this? Why?

1/26/10: Wedensday: Dr. R's office called with my HcG results. She gave me numbers that I didn't understand. She basically said my levels matched someone who would be 6 weeks pregnanct and that I needed to come in Thursday to check them again. Seriously?! I was a mess. A real mess. And surprise! I got another migraine.

While researching HcG levels and blighted ovums, I found this website: The Misdiagnosed Misscarriage I was flloored by the information I was reading. I read story after story of women who had been told they had a blighted ovum, whose levels were just like mine and had been told they had likely already miscarried or that they would soon. Some went ahead and had D&Cs. But MANY of the women had amazing stories of their doctors being wrong and them having healthy babies. I was so confused at this point. Jeff was doing his best to keep my spirits high but the waiting game was intense.

1/28/10: Thursday: I went into the Dr's office for more bloodwork. I was feeling pretty bad. They asked me to come back the next day for one last sono, just in case. This is my blog post from that day: http://danijeffholsapple.blogspot.com/2010/01/gravity.html

1/29/10: Friday: I went alone to this appointment. Jeff had already missed enough work and I was pretty sure I knew what the out come would be. Unfortunately I know WAY too many people who have suffered miscarriages so I was trying to prepare myself for what I felt lied ahead. Pain, bleeding, more appts. I just wanted to get the appt done and get home.

I saw a different tech this time. She looked over my chart and said she would do her best and look really thoroughly. She had been doing this job for 24 years and she was really good at it, or so she said! She looked and looked, both outside and inside. I could tell she was really wanting to find a baby in there. She said my uterus was extremely tipped, also known as a retroverted uterus. In all her years in the job, mine was the most tilted she had ever seen. I thought it was interesting no one had ever mentioned that to me before. Right before she was ready to flip off the machine she asked to try one more time. She set the sensor on my belly and I saw it! And I heard it - immediately! There was a flutterling little heartbeat in there! And it was pounding away! My jaw dropped open - she was silent. I said, "That's a heartbeat, right?" And she whispered "Yes!" I started crying - she almost started crying! We were both truly amazed! I had this intense sense of relief and overwhelming joy! That was our baby!!! With a heartbeat of 134! I was so full of gratitude as I walked the hall to Dr. R's office.

I was beaming when she walked into the exam room and she looked at me and then quickly looked away. She said, "I really don't want to give you this news, Danielle. There doesn't seem to be a baby." I looked at her in shock and then said "But I just saw a heartbeat at the sono." She looked so confused and and said "What?!" I told her again and she jumped off her stool! She said a curse word I won't mention and gave me a huge bear hug! Apparently they hadn't given her the sono results yet and she had only seen my levels! I will never forget her reaction and excitement!!!

The rest of the pregnancy was something God continued to use to teach me about him and myself! He is my rock, He is my shelter, He is my fortress. Through this I have learned to lean on him more and trust in him fully.

Proverbs 3:4-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.

Coll 3:1-2 " Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things."

Psalm 121: 1-2
"I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of Heaven and Earth."

Psalm 34: 4-6
"I sought the Lord and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord
heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles."

And now....16.5 months later, our Quinn is a valuable part of our family in the flesh!!!

We thank God daily for this blessing he has given us!