More Snow

It's been a snowy winter here in Arkansas and we are enjoying it. It came down all day on Friday and was so beautiful. The girls have been sledding the last couple of days but today we decided to build a snowman. Snow wasn't great for making a snowman so we decided to build a snow fort:
Jason, the girls and Eddie on the snow couch in the snow fort:

The side of the fort:

Picture through the back window:

This was from sledding yesterday. We went over to an empty neighborhood and pulled the sled behind the Jeep. I was driving and did a pretty good job of covering the family in snow.

This & That Thursday - January 14

Is there such a thing? If not, let's start it...Here is my This & That Thursday List:

• Have you donated to help relief efforts in Haiti yet? I texted HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross and it was so easy to do. If you haven't done it yet, please do if you have it to give!
• Mackenzie has gained over 10 pounds in the past month and a half - HOORAY! So, I realize she is almost a teenager and it's probably not cool for me to be talking about her weight but she knows how important it is to get to 50% BMI and she's working really hard (that magic little appetite enhancer pill has really helped), so she's excited too.
• CYSTIC LIFE! It's a great new site for CF patients and their family, friends and caregivers. I still need to work on my profile. It is going to be a great place to share information!
• We've got mail again. Last week with the poor road conditions our mailbox got in a fight with a car and lost. Jason put the new one in tonight. I love, love getting the mail and it has not been fun going to the post office to pick up. Why is it, that when there is a line out the door and only two postal workers working the counter, after a few minutes one (of the two) puts up the "next window please" sign and walks away?
• Peyton is selling Girl Scout cookies. Mackenzie was a Girl Scout for a while and Peyton would beg to sell cookies for her so she is loving it! If you live in NWA and would like some, she would be more than happy to put your name and order on her little form.

Pampered Chef Fundraiser for CFF

If you need anything from The Pampered Chef, there is a fundraiser going on now for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. ALL of the free products earned will be used as Wine Opener silent auction items AND, the consultant - Carla Laing - will be donating ALL of her commission to the CFF!

If you'd like to order something, Carla's website is www.pamperedchef.biz/carlalaing. Click "Shop Online" then enter "Cystic" and "Fibrosis", then start your shopping for a great cause! If you live out of town, they have a direct ship option. If you'd rather just let me know what you want, I can add it to my order. They are closing the show on January 19.

If you live locally and would like to attend the show at the home of Karen Klane on Wednesday, January 13, let me know and I'll send you the evite.

Of course, if you have anything for the silent auction we would be so appreciative!

SNOW

I woke up around five this morning hoping to see the ground covered with the snow that had been predicted and hooray - it was there!
We were supposed to get quite a bit of snow Christmas Eve night into Christmas Day and although we did have a White Christmas, it wasn't nearly what they had predicted. Jason and the girls played in it some but there wasn't enough to do much. Mackenzie was REALLY disappointed. I think we played enough today to make up for it.

We all went to an empty hilly neighborhood near us and tried doing some sledding but the hills weren't steep enough to go very fast.

Towards the end the girls just wanted Jason to pull him around behind the Jeep.

We stopped at home, warmed up by the fire with soup and hot chocolate then headed over to try out the big hills at our friend's house.

We went to another empty neighborhood (with less hills) and I drove the Jeep with the big kid (Jason) and Peyton in the sled. Then we picked up pizza and came home - I thought to stay in for the evening but then Jason and Peyton went out to play and built this cute little snowman (snowgirl?).

Now they are all out there AGAIN! I'm sure tomorrow will bring more of the same. I'm excited the girls have a snow day, I wasn't ready for them to go back to school.

Farewell 2009, Hello 2010

Cheers - with our sparkling white grape juice - from the Jobes!
We ended up staying in and celebrating together as a family. We played a couple of games of Die Siedler Von Catan (Settlers of Catan - I saw the English version at a couple of places before Christmas, you should pick it up, great game!). We toasted and celebrated with the East Coast just in case someone falls asleep (mainly Jason or Peyton) before we hit midnight.

A few highlights - In this past decade, we added a baby (Peyton in October of 2000) and a dog (Eddie in December 2003), Mackenzie went through Elementary and Middle Schools and started Junior High. In 2009 we built and moved into our new home, Peyton made a smooth transition to a new school and Mackenzie's good health for the past couple of months of 2009 makes us very happy . Every day is a gift and we share them with so many wonderful friends. We can't wait to see what great things 2010 brings.

Happy New Year!

December 2 (+27 Days)

Jason proposed during the Lights of the Ozarks on the Fayetteville Square 13 years ago on December 2. Tradition normally finds us there every December 2 but this year, something came up and we didn't make it - namely, THE Science Fair Project. So, Jason surprised us and took us tonight...it was beautiful with a little snow still on the ground from Christmas.
First, pizza at Tiny Tim's.

Then lights and pictures.

I was going to skip the Razorback picture this year but Mackenzie pointed out that we "always" take one.

Here is an article about my friend Mitzi and her proposal on the Square.

Merry Christmas 2009

My Dream for CF

Video posted by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I have the privilege of working with Charlotte (featured on the video) to raise funds for Trey, Mackenzie and all the other patients, bravely fighting cystic fibrosis everyday.

ACH Performance

The girls and their dance teams got to perform at Arkansas Children's Hospital yesterday. Both girls were excited but Mackenzie was practically beaming all day knowing that she was going to get to perform at a place that has been so good to her.
I braved the big Dilly Dally's 50% off sale so I could get some things to take down to their toy drive (thanks Sara H. for sending toys with us too!).

You all know from this past summer how much I love these words that you walk under upon entering ACH. Normally when we have Mackenzie there we are rushing in and out and I've never snapped her picture with them.

All of the girls did a great job performing. There weren't many patients in the lobby but they were filming them dance and broadcasting it to the clinics and the patient rooms.

These were the girls I had for most of the trip down and back. They were a delight - they all have older sisters and I enjoyed the conversations I overheard ("real men don't sparkle" was one thing I overheard during a discussion about Twilight. I'm pretty certain none of these girls have seen or read it). They were troopers on the way home when what should have taken 20 minutes - to go from ACH to Conway for dinner - turned into a 2 hour and 45 minute trip. Our ETA home that should have been 10pm turned into 1am, but it was still fun!

I'm in Love...

...with these girls and these photos! The girls had a photo session with a friend of ours and I think they turned out amazing. Here are a couple and you can see more of Jenny's favorites on her blog! Seriously, I love these girls so much - babies, toddlers, tweens - I've loved every minute of being a Mommy to these two. I wish it wasn't going by so fast!

It's Beginning to Look (and Feel) a lot like Christmas...

I usually like to get the tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving (and take it down the Saturday after New Year's Day). I did put it up that day but didn't get it decorated for a few days. I really wanted to buy a new taller, slim, pre-lit tree but decided to wait until after Christmas and try to get one on sale.

The girls and I, along with some friends, went on the Winter Dreams Tour of Homes yesterday. This always gets me in the Christmas spirit and I got a lot of inspiration...now if only I could win the lottery...

Winter Wonderland

The girls participated in Bentonville's Winter Wonderland parade with their dance team. It was a cold morning but they had a great time.
Afterwards, KDA had their Christmas Party and they got to perform. Next week we'll be traveling to Arkansas Children's Hospital to perform - Mackenzie is so excited for this, I think because that hospital is so good to her!

Thanksgiving 2009

Why did this past week go by so quickly?
I'm sad the girls are heading back to school tomorrow, I enjoyed having them home. This past week was a bit of a blur, a little family, a little decorating and a lot of science fair project. Three more weeks before they are out for Christmas vacation.

Update on M's meds - both of the new additions seem to be working! Hooray! Much less coughing and much more appetite - usually around 9pm.

ACH Appointment

This week (and every week) I am thankful for knowledgeable doctors, helpful medications, CF medical advancements, fellow CFers and CF families that provide information and set wonderful examples, and supportive friends and family!

Mackenzie had a FANTASTIC visit with Dr. Warren and the ENT, Dr. Richter, yesterday. We were nervous going down because there was the possibility of an admission with her recent weight loss. We scheduled this appointment last week because Mackenzie had lost about 5-7 pounds and she had been coughing all through the night (but seemed to feel great during the day). They put her on an antibiotic and inhaled Fortaz and scheduled us to come in yesterday. We were also able to get an appointment with the ENT for help figuring out these sinus issues Mackenzie's been having (we thought they were allergy related but her recent allergy skin test showed that she wasn't allergic to anything).

First off, Mackenzie got finally got her flu shots!Her Pulmonary Function Test showed numbers closer to what we were seeing when we left the hospital in July (and those were better than they'd been in a very long time). Lungs sounded very clear and we'll get the results from the culture soon. They put her on an appetite stimulator to keep her hungry more frequently and hopefully she'll be putting her weight plus some back on soon.

On to the ENT. Her sinuses LOOKED good but we still have all the symptoms we deal with at home...we went over what our concerns and what her symptoms are and Dr. Richter asked a few questions then said we were going to think he was crazy but that her sinus issues were being caused by reflux! Including the coughing through the night and in the morning. She's already on reflux type meds to help her enzymes work better but now we'll add another at night to help and I can't wait to see if it helps.

Girls On The Run

Saturday morning started off early with Peyton's first 5k. She finished in 31:35 and we are so proud of her and glad she was able to participate in such a wonderful program.

With her running buddy (and Daddy) Jason:
Allison, Peyton & Ashley:

A little face painting:

And what run look is complete without a little extra color in your hair and a fun hair accessory?

Peyton with Ashley:

Taking off...can you find Jason and Peyton?

The run went around the square:

After the run:

Anna & Peyton:

Birthday girl Avery & Peyton:

Central Park girls:

Jada, Sydney, Peyton, Molly & Avery:

Peyton & Molly:

Sydney & Peyton:Mackenzie missed out on the run but she was at a sleepover. I helped take the girls to the movie and we all went to see New Moon.

Mackenzie decorated this cake during the party:

It was a busy fun day and last night Jason and had a date...dinner and a movie - The Blind Side, great movie!

This morning catching up on facebook I saw the wonderful news that Natalia got her lungs yesterday...I missed the original post which has since been taken down so if anyone has more information, please let me know.

Today we are resting up so tomorrow we can get up at 4am to take Mackenzie to ACH. I called last week hoping to see Dr. Warren - Mackenzie's been coughing more at night and has lost some weight (they'll consider an admission with the weight loss but I am hoping that won't be the case, she seems to be feeling great otherwise and we can work on getting the weight up at home). We'll also be seeing an ENT since her allergy skin test showed she is allergic to NOTHING, yet there definitely seems to be something going on with her sinuses. They put her on inhaled Fortaz since she grew psuedomonas again in September and it was resistant to TOBI. I think I've finally gotten the hang of mixing it.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!