Here are a few pics from Mary Ella's Christmas "show". So much fun!

Merry Christmas

Taylor, Aubrey, Dylan, Drew, Mary Ella and Addy Scott

We went to Horseshoe Bay, Texas for Christmas where my grandparents and aunt/uncle have lake houses. Above are all the children. My cousins and I had all of our first children within four months and all of our second children within three, so it was fun to have them all together. Watching their excitement was priceless. Unfortunately, my grandparents didn't get to join in the fun. My grandfather developed gallstones resulting in emergency gallbladder surgery Christmas Eve. However, all is getting better now and he was able to return home a couple of days ago.

The kiddos each had made reindeer food and put it out on Christmas Eve.

Take me to a happy place....Take me to a happy place....Take me to a happy place...

This is becoming an "all to familiar" sight. Addy Scott has become a "mama's girl" and would like to stay permanently attached. Needless to say, she didn't want me to put her down.

All Better!

At 5:45 am Christmas morning, Mary Ella stood up and exclaimed, "I'm ready to get up now! " We made several attempts to put her back to sleep (letting her get in bed with us, scratching her back, and snuggling)...all failed. She was ready to see if Santa came. All Mary Ella wanted from Santa was a "plain" sparkly, star wand (absolutely NO ribbon or fur) and an Abacus, so she was most excited to see Santa got her letter.

Overall it was a great trip. Hope you all have a safe New Year! We are looking forward to 2007!

Still Here!

Golly! I don't know where the time has gone since I last posted???!!! Actually, I could list a few... like the two boxes of Kleenex we have gone through in the last two weeks, or the absurd amount of holiday baking I do this time of year (in a desperate attempt to save money on gifts, but I've actually come to enjoy this tradition!), or the long feeding sessions with my darling almost 10 month old as a try to remain patient with my 3 1/2 year old (wink, wink). None of which I would say is negative, (well, I could have done without the snotty noses), just time consuming. We have had lots of fun moments and a few accomplishments which I will share....

Accomplishment#1: Addy will eat her weight in carrots and is developing her love for sweet potatoes, bananas and green beans (in that order). We decided to go straight to soft finger foods which is where she would be developmentally if we had started her at 6 months. This has worked well and is a different way for her to assert her independence. She is actually getting excited when she sees me eating a banana. Before long she is screaming for a bite!

Accomplishment#2: Mary Ella and Addy entertained each other for 20 minutes straight while I cleaned the kitchen.....no immediate rescues or refereeing were necessary. Now that Addy is learning to play "games," I'm hoping this will take their sweet relationship to a new level.

Fun Moment #1: Mary Ella's Christmas show. She was most excited to show us her moves! She sang and danced adding some of her own moves of course. I realized being able to see her and participate in her program is sooooo worth the sacrifice of me not working while Scott completes his residency. I wouldn't want to miss any of these precious moments! Scott even said while looking at the pictures...."this is so worth you staying home for."

Fun Moment #2: Addy has learned to wave and say "bye-bye". Of course, she practices this all the time. Too cute! An interesting note: Mary Ella's first word was "hi". Is that any indication how opposite they are????

Anyways, we hope you and your families enjoy a Merry Christmas and have safe travels. God Bless to all!

Whewww!

Ok, so Addy Scott is now 9 months and out of nowhere has begun to wave bye-bye and stringing every consonant-vowel combination you can think of....literally, all this was accomplished within two days. Now, I know you are not supposed to compare children, but I was beginning to worry about Addy's speech, but not now. She hasn't quit babbling since she started! She got a good report from her gastroenterologist. He still feels like she will outgrow the protein intolerance.....eventually. We just need to give her time. She was unable to tolerate rice cereal, so we are just sticking to fruits and veggies at this point. At 12 months, we will give her a "Nutramigen challenge" to see if she can tolerate small bits of protein (partially broken down milk protein) and hopefully we will have a positive result leaving the Neocate behind. This is such a relief because now we feel like there is a goal in sight. I get many questions about what Neocate is. It is an amino-acid formula where protein is broken down into it's simplest form....in other words it requires no digestion.

We have also been immersed in antibiotics and breathing treatments because Addy was diagnosed with bronchiolitis (likely caused by RSV) and two ear infections at the beginning of this week. I think we caught it early and she is doing very well.

Now, what would an entry be without a "Mary Ella story"???? Although, there have been many downright hilarious moments, I think I'll go with a sweet one. Many of you know the last 6-7 months have been a struggle due to various reasons. Many times I have wondered if I can balance it all while continuing to be an attentive mother to our children. Sometimes I have succeeded and other's I think I've failed miserably. With that said....0n with the story....We were having a day where every minute counted and struggling to make it out of the house to an appointment. Addy was placed in the car and I went around to pick up Mary Ella to put her in the car seat when she wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezed really hard and said, "your my best mommy and Addy's mommy". She looked at me and smiled sweetly....my heart melted. With that simple expression of love, her sweet thoughts renewed my spirit and gave me the Devine boost I so desperately needed. I love spontaneous moments like these.

Caught and NOT!!!

What do you mean I wasn't supposed to play with the chocolate bar???? You mean I'm going to go to time out after you take my picture....I don't understand.....

Mary Ella is still working her way through her Halloween candy. She loves the chocolate bars. She picked one out after several minutes of searching for the perfect one (her mother's daughter for sure). I told her she needed to go to the table and eat it. I retreated to my bathroom to clean the sink and about 5 minutes later I heard "Mom....Mom....Moooooooom! I'm stuck, I have chocolate all over my hands!" I quickly wiped my hands dry and searched for her. I soon realized she was in her room. I opened the door and made a poor attempt to maintain composure when I saw the look on her face. GUILTY!!!! What does any quick-minded mother do? I said, "Don't move," and I went to grab the camera. She was utterly confused as I usually grab the camera in an attempt to capture the "joy" of the moment, not the moment before sentencing.

What do you mean you are going to put that slimy stuff into my mouth? I'm supposed to swallow it....I don't understand...

Well, after 8 1/2 months of only ingesting milk, we attempted to introduce rice cereal. Ummm, it didn't go over too well. Due to the colitis, we are having to take things real slow. I have since attempted squash and tried bananas today. I get one response....gag, gag, cough, cough....SLAP the spoon away. Not exactly what I had in mind. We have been at this for two weeks and still can't get the spoon past her lips. So, I have had to put my occupational therapist hat on again and we are having "feeding therapy" sessions three times a day. We shall see.... We go to the gastroenterologist next week for a check-up.

We did it!!!!

Well, Scott and I had the big Thanksgiving meal at our house this year and it was all served at 1:45 pm! Somehow we were able to pull it off with some planning. I have a new-found respect for our parents who have done this for years. I guess the torch was ready to be passed as my mother didn't show up until 20 minutes before the meal (with a cocktail in hand). She did bring her sweet potatoes and contributed to the groceries (a big help). We broke out the china (some of the plates still had stickers!). After all was said and done, Scott said "well, that was actually fun!" I agreed. That evening we noticed some of our more enthusiastic neighbors had their Christmas lights up, so we loaded the kids in the wagon to go take a look. Mary Ella was overflowing with excitement as Addy sat in quiet amazement. Time to kick off the Christmas season!

The next day we watched the LSU game (GEAUX TIGERS!) and then my mother offerred to take BOTH of the children back to Houston for the night. I thought, "Is this for real????" I reluctantly agreed as I still have a little trouble letting go, but knew the night alone was probably needed. Scott and I felt a little lost in our home as we both found ourselves wondering around the house without children to chase after. We soon settled and Scott watched as many "bang bang, shoot'em up" movies as he could as I cleaned out Addy's closet. It is amazing how fast projects are completed without frequent interruptions! We went to dinner, sipped wine and talked. We discovered it was the first time we had been to dinner alone since Addy was born (she's almost 9 months!). The time spent together was needed and cherished and Mary Ella wanted to stay with Noami (my mother) instead of coming home! MMMmmmm, maybe we need to take advantage more often!

Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving too!

A little independence

We've entered a new season of independence. Addy Scott has now enthusiastically begun to feed herself and I can clean the kitchen at the same time.....WOW! Notice the tears. She hears the bottle shaking and all of a sudden there is a moment equivalent to a national emergency

Dislaimer: DO NOT attempt this at home. Only licensed, professional wrestlers can perform the above stunts. Who said girls aren't active?????? Just when I am about to redirect Mary Ella for being too rough, Addy belly-laughs out of pure enjoyment. MMmmmm, how do you walk that fine line? That is one answer I don't have yet, along with many others.

Notice the face paint....I picked Mary Ella up from her Thanksgiving feast at school. She was displaying the face art proudly and would not let me wash it off...oh by the way, she has discovered make-up and loves to come show me her "pretty lips". Again, another fine line I'm not sure about....

Eating Again

After 4 months on the "elimination diet" (No dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, fish), we have decided it best to leave our Addy Scott on the Neocate formula. Sure I had a couple of days of cheating when she was on the Neocate a month ago, but now it is "for good". It got to be difficult trying to decide how everything I ate would affect her GI system, especially since she relapsed despite my "cave man diet". Although I should be relieved, it was still a difficult and sad decision to make. After all, I loved having that down time with her every 3-4 hours and the Neocate is like making a nice car payment every month, but I know in the long run she and I will be better for it. So now, I'm eating every piece of processed food trying to put the pounds back on (I never thought I'd have this problem!). We are looking forward to introducing solids in the next week....at 8 1/2 months. I imagine it will be a humorous event, so stay tuned!

Halloween fun!

Mary Ella giving Addy Scott and extra hard squeeze (doesn't she look pleased???). Mary Ella loved trick or treating and even remembered to say her "thank yous" without too many reminders! Of course all the candy ended up dumped on the floor and I'm still unsure of how much she ate. She was shoveling it in as fast as she could.

Addy Scott's Baptism

We made a quick trip to Shreveport, LA this weekend and had Addy Scott baptized by our precious pastor Sione Tu'uta (He is from Tonga). He told our precious story about the many prayers we lifted up as we prepared to begin a family and was touched to see us standing there now with two precious little ones. I really thought Addy would get scared by his size and being handed over to a stranger, but the Grace of God touched her sweet spirit and she just looked at him in awe like she knew what was happening. He showed her the cross on the altar and lifted her up with a silent prayer while standing there. It was amazing!

Dress Rehearsal

Mary Ella's dress rehearsal for Halloween and Addy Scott attempting to eat the camera! Addy Scott's first tooth finally broke through yesterday! No wonder she's been chewing on EVERYTHING in sight. Notice the drool on the chin.

Some things don't make sense

As I have been able to settle back into a routine and our version of normalcy, I began to look around and see the things I love that don't make any sense. I'm not quite sure why God made us mommy's this way, but I know many other mom's will agree.

1. You don't mind getting your hair ripped out by little hands, in fact, you usually laugh when it happens.
2. I actually like the "middle of the night" mommy calls because its nice to have that quiet cuddle time and to know you're considered safe.
3. Its kinda fun to play "guess where the baby is?" when you've turned your back for not quite five seconds and they disappear.
4. Being willing to forgo the cherry limeade so that your child can have a milk shake...just so you can see the excitement on her face when you walk in the door with it.
5. Changing diapers because that's where you play the games to make them sit still and are at your silliest.
6. The "why" questions that don't stop and actually help me come out of my fog most mornings (along with the coffee).
7. Smelling baby breath
8. Seeing tiny finger prints on my windows.
9. Finding little surprises around the house like plastic bugs in my bed or magnets shoved into the tiny slit in the TV (no wonder the TV's been acting up lately!).
10. Last but not least....Slimy kisses!


In my previous life (before children), these things probably would have gotten on my nerves, but now they are precious gifts. Don't get me wrong, we have our "not so glorious" moments when I wonder if I'm really cut out for motherhood or I beg the children to go to bed early so I can have some quiet time. Fortunately, those moments are temporary and I usually come to my senses pretty quickly (the kids still go to bed early though).

Breathing Again

So...I should be typing up Addy Scott's poop diary (yes, I said poop diary) for the GI doctor as she has now been on Neocate for three weeks. It doesn't seem like it has been that long....God is so good! I really expected it to go very slowly, but here we are. Once he analyzes the "progress" we should have an updated plan. YIPPEE! Therefore, I am breathing again. I didn't realize how chaotic I was on the inside until I took a look around my house. Why is it that my house is a direct picture of what is going on in my head? All of a sudden the clutter became overwhelming and I am feeling empowered enough to do something about it. If you want to know how I'm really doing, come to my house. You'll know if I'm telling the truth or not :). Mary Ella even noticed that I cleaned her toilet saying, "thank you mom for cleaning my potty. That's really nice." Wow, someone noticed! I've always admired a clean bathroom with a bleach smell (maybe too much information), so I guess some things do rub off! You would think since I've been home for the last couple of months my house would be spotless....Not so.

By the way, we have reached day 21 without chicken pox for Addy....another BIG praise and another reason we can breathe again. We can actually return to civilization! Even the most enthusiastic mom needs some adult interaction and conversation every once in a while.

Addy's new trick

Addy Scott's new facial expression. I think she is imitating the look on my face when I have to "save" her in the middle of the night. She only stood up once last night, so I think we're making progress :).

Scott's Birthday

Mary Ella had fun planning her Daddy's birthday party. We got balloons, made him a cake with sprinkles (Mary Ella's idea), and My Little Pony coloring book pages were hung (also Mary Ella's idea). She met him at the door saying, "We made you a birthday party". It was so sweet!

Chicken Pox????

OK, so no one ever told me that even though a child has the chicken pox vaccine, they still have a 20% chance of getting the chicken pox. Well, Mary Ella is one of the 20%. The day after Addy Scott's scope, I noticed bumps and thought she was getting a rash. So I called Dr. Dad and he said, "That looks like the chicken pox." Blah, Blah, Blah....we went to the doctor and yes, chicken pox was the diagnosis. The doctor told me I needed to keep Addy Scott away from all pregnant people and immunosuppressed (SP???) people for 21 days. We've been like caged animals in our house since virtually everyone I know is pregnant or has young infants. Finally, Mary Ella was able to to return to school this week (Praise God!) and no Addy Scott has not come down with it (14 days and counting).

Addy is doing great on the Neocate. I will spare you the details, but we know she is healing and continues to thrive. She is now pulling up to standing, if only she could figure out how to get down! We've been getting those fun, middle of the night "help, I'm standing and I can't get down. What have I done?" cries. Hopefully she'll become more secure in the near future.

Good news, Not so Good news, Good news....

Good news. Addy's colonoscopy confirmed the "allergy" diagnosis. We are waiting for biopsy results, but the Dr. doesn't expect any surprises. This is the best possible diagnosis we could've gotten at this point. Little Addy Scott handled the whole situation so well. She had a few minor protests about not eating breakfast, but not the raging fit I expected. Not so good news....The doctor showed us pictures and our sweet baby is severely inflamed despite all our best efforts to avoid any allergen. Therefore, she was put on a prescription formula called Neocate for a couple of months to give her GI tract time to heal. Good news...I left and had bites of Scott's Egg McMuffin (yummy!), then I ate a cheeseburger and french fries for lunch (heavenly), and I got a pizza for dinner (yea, I didn't have to cook!). Oh, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert (oh my goodness!). It all tasted so good going down, but my GI system was thrown for a loop and began cursing me at 9pm last night. Was it worth it...definitely! Next sinful desire...Mexican food!

By the way...GO ASTROS!

My Uncle, My Hero!

We did it! Scott and I left the children with my mother this weekend and made a whirlwind trip to Kansas City, Missouri where we had a life changing experience. Lt. Robert K. Henderson, my dad's brother, was killed in action in Vietnam. This weekend, nearly 36 years later, he was awarded the Silver Star. I never met him, but I have always known how special he was by the way our family spoke of him. Spending time with men he served with brought my uncle "back to life" as my father put it. There were so many stories told of my uncle saving men wounded and dodging bullets to move an injured soldier out of harms way. Many of these men were moved to tears telling their tales of survival and last memories of my uncle. Although the Silver Star was not awarded for the incident resulting in his death, we now know he demonstrated heroic acts up until the moment he was killed. Even though he has been gone almost four decades, he still brings so much healing and comfort to those that loved him most. Talk about a legacy!

We spent 24 hours with some of the most amazing men I've ever met. If you have never been in a room of war veterans, I highly recommend it. There is so much comradery and profound respect between these men. These men demonstrated their loyalty and love for our country in such a way that I have never witnessed. As I read the draft papers and the letter a veteran's mother received when drafted, I realized most of these men did not volunteer to go to war, they went because of their profound love and loyalty to our country. What does that say about our military today? Every person fighting this war on terror has voluntarily enlisted and they deserve so much more respect and love than they are given. Many of the Vietnam veterans spoke of memories returning home. Many people did not even look them in the eye in the airport. There was no big "welcome home" celebration or many words of thanks for serving our country, they came home tired and weary without the support of many Americans due to the unpopularity of the war. If you know a veteran or see a member of our military, please thank them for their selfless service to our country. I know I will from now on.

Ready, Set, GO

So here it is. Mary Ella calling Addy Scott like she calls our dog. Addy Scott is crawling. In one day she started crawling and is pulling up onto her knees. Time to clear the table surfaces! I had hoped it would take a little bit longer...., but I still get excited watching her accomplish something new.

Addy Scott also has a colonoscopy scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 27th to see if we can get answers as to why she is still having problems. As a last ditch effort, I have given up wheat and corn (the last two of the major allergens) in addition to the dairy, soy, egg, and nuts. You must be wondering what on earth I am able to eat. I am currently surviving on chicken, beef, pork, potatoes, oatmeal and various fruits/veggies. I add canola oil and olive oil to everything for fat. The important thing in all this is that despite the problems Addy is gaining weight and thriving.

Notice the LSU outfit? Yes, they did have a heartbreaking loss. Scott was terribly disappointed and disturbed by the outcome of the game. Picture this, the last seconds of the game, LSU driving down the field in scoring range and a three year old on the floor crying because she wants to go outside and swing. Obviously, we have not done our job to instill the importance of LSU game days in our preschooler. Tiger fans, this will be done by season's end. I did find (after the game) that our LSU flag had been replaced backwards after doing the lawn. Rest assured, it has been corrected and we will be looking for a win next weekend!

Courtney the Hair Dresser

Aunt Mariberta, you might want to skip this posting as it might make you cringe.... The other day I invited Mary Ella into the bathroom (AKA torture chamber) to brush her hair. I received the normal protest. Who could blame her? It usually takes me a good 15 minutes to detangle the multiple knots in her hair. I am still amazed at how she can twist her hair into perfectly formed knots. Nevertheless, it was at this point I asked her if we could cut her hair. She was most excited, so I went and found the sharpest pair of scissors we had and wet her hair. I do realize this was a bit impulsive on my part, but "how hard could it be, right???" Of course, cutting my daughter's hair was on my list of "I'll never do...." simply because I have crooked bangs in almost all of my school pictures due to my mother cutting my hair. Anyways, I cut 4 inches off the bottom and when we were finished, she shook her head and said, "Thanks mom, that feels much better."

Challenges bring hope, right???

Well, it is no surprise to those who know me best that when challenges surface, I put my head down and barrel through them. I always ask myself, "do you want to get through this painfully fast or painfully slow?" I usually like to go the fast route. Problem is the challenges over the last month seem to be dragging on and on. It has been a daily struggle to remind myself as much as I want to fix it all, I really have no control over any of this. I believe in Romans it says it is only through challenges that be may build character and in building character, we can have hope. I am relying on that truth. For those of you who think we have dropped off the face of the earth, here is the run down:

1. Scott's schedule is crazy
2. Addy is slowly getting better. We tried the special formula, Nutramigen...didn't work. She was more allergic to it than the "mommy milk". I have now given up milk, soy, eggs and nuts. I know you must be thinking I'm starving, but as I have learned this diet, it has become easier. I just can not eat restaurant food. Everytime I have tried, we have been burned. Turns out they put milk protein in chicken breasts at restaurants and there is lots of cross-contamination. Yes, our little baby is that sensitive, but thankfully has never been in any pain.
3. Chelsea, our 8 y/o golden retreiver, has been diagnosed with pancreatitis and has been in and out of the doggy hospital over the last two weeks with two kids in tow. I am currently cooking her potatoes and turkey to eat. When she gets over this, the vet thinks she has myositis that is causing weakness in her legs, so we will start steroids which she might never come off of.
4. My sweet brother, Robin, and his fiance, Kim, called off the wedding that was set for the end of August. They are trying to work some things out. Please keep them in your thoughts as they try to sort life out.
5. My best friend's mother was diagnosed with cancer. Outlook is positive, but she will have to undergo treatment, which might present challenges of its own. Her name is Linda. Please keep her and all those that love her in your thoughts and prayers as she begins this process.
6. Did I mention Scott's schedule is crazy???

Needless to say, I have been staying close to home, cooking, and transporting children and dog to/from school/vet. My sweet husband is my rock and my cheerleader when he gets home in the evenings and for that I am thankful.

On a positive note: Seriously, let me take a moment to celebrate the fact that it was only $44 to fill up my car yesterday. I took a second look, just to confirm my mind wasn't playing tricks on me as it often does. I was so excited, we splurged and bought a car wash. The car needed it and Mary Ella loves it when the car gets a "bath". So I got the code and proceeded to remove my antenna (I've made that mistake once, won't do it again...). I worked on that sucker for twenty minutes in the Houston, coastal heat. Did I mention I was in long sleeves and slacks? My multiple attempts were not successful, but the sores on my fingers proved I tried...hard. I got back in the car and grunted, then chuckled. Mary Ella was thoroughly confused on how to read my "mood cues" and finally asked, "Mommy, are you frustERated?" I broke the news and thankfully she took it really well as we drove off. At this point, it is only appropriate to laugh when the "little" things don't go as planned. Thank God for a sense of humor.

Labor Day Lake Trip

We decided to go to Horseshoe Bay, Texas for our Labor Day weekend to visit my grandparents and extended family. It was a much needed break from the coast and precious time with family. My cousin has a daughter the same age as Mary Ella and they played hard. Mary Ella spent the night with her the first night we were there. At about 3:30 pm the following day I noticed her trying to run with her thumb in her mouth. I thought, "oh my goodness, no nap in two days...it'll be interesting to see how this goes." Needless to say, Mary Ella is not ready to give up the naps as indicated by the full-blown panic episode we had later that evening. I picked her up and she was a 30 pound rag doll. She was actually begging to retreat to the bed which is not the norm for our sweet daughter. She has become a master in "stalling techniques" from singing songs to making her night prayers extra long just to keep us from walking out of the room. I can hear her humming in her bed as I write this.

Addy Scott enjoyed being hugged and cuddled by all. There was another little girl there, Aubrey, who was born in June. I am sure they will be running around just as their sisters by next year and then I'll have to buy some more running shoes. Addy Scott is getting dangerously close to crawling. I am already preparing for the aimless wondering stage when they can and will get into everything. Addy's genuine excitement over her new discoveries is fun to watch. Everyday is more of an adventure than the day before.



Scott also got some much needed "fun time" as he and the other men played "washers", a game where they give each other a hard time as they attempt to get washers into a board with holes. As usual, there was a lot of laughter and scheming going on between the teams.

Overall, it was a great weekend and a great visit with our loved ones.

Celebrating moments and milestones

This week has been a week of celebration. Mary Ella began preschool today. She was so excited about "school". We began preparing last week and she treated it much like her birthday... a count down with meticulous planning. I would expect no less from her. She wanted to practice writing her name daily, she carefully decided which item she would take for show and tell (baby doll won...of course), and the last detail was deciding what she would wear. Thank goodness she did not think of dressing in her Dorothy costume or we would have had a very difficult time convincing her to do otherwise.

Addy Scott is sitting up. She will be 6 months September 2. I just can't believe she is already at this point. She is also getting up on all fours and rocking then splatting. She LOVES this accomplishment. I think she really believes she is going somewhere. My hope is that she will take a while to figure this "crawling skill" out. I'd like her to stay in one place for a little while longer. Her little GI tract is slowly getting better; however, I have also had to give up soy in addition to the milk products. Soy is in EVERYTHING. I am learning some good, old- fashioned home cooking and have had to say bye-bye to casseroles and most things that come out of a box, can or bag. She has a very good chance of growing out of this by the age of three, so we remain optimistic that she will have her hands and face in ice cream and cake before too long.

Hugs to all!

Three little girls that I once knew....

On Monday, August 14 th I had the opportunity to spend some time with my childhood buddies. It was amazing. There we were, Shannon, Cathy and me. The three of us had grown from three little girls with stringy hair (ok, maybe that was just me) and bruised legs into women, the mothers of all girls. I asked myself, isn't this ironic? We are no longer elbow deep in mud making mudpies or setting up our "grocery store" in Cathy's garage. We are now preparing "real meals" and navigating "real" grocery stores with wiggly children in tow. It is amazing how the sweet gift of a child's imagination turns into reality. This is the life we only imagined while playing in the mud and pretending to be mommies together as children. Sometimes we just need a picture to remind us how blessed we are. Thanks Cathy and Shannon for the great memories.

Who needs milk anyway....

Well, we took Addy Scott to the a Gastroenterologist at Texas Children's Hospital this week and he confirmed what we already suspected. Our sweet daughter has a dairy allergy. After months of poop inspections and guessing games, the conclusion is not a sip of cow's milk or food containing its protein until she is 18 months old. Of course this means me as well since I am currently her main food source. It is amazing how many of our daily foods contain dairy. I have already done TONS of research and have found some pretty sinful foods to replace my daily chocolate chip cookie and milk habit. Hopefully, Pillsbury Oatmeal cookies will be able to satisfy my nightly cravings. Eating these with a glass of water instead of milk does make it different, but no complaints here. Her sweet smile and laughter make it much easier.

The Burlison Family

Here is our family. Scott and I have two precious daughters, Mary Ella and Addy Scott. We are living in a small town on the Texas Gulf Coast near Galveston, Texas and will be here for another two years while Scott completes his residency in anesthesia at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Right now our lives revolve around our faith, family and Scott's crazy work schedule. I stay at home with the girls and love every minute of it. Although challenging at times, I find the frustration is short-lived and the great moments are stored away forever.

These are the two faces we get up to every morning. Mary Ella just turned three years old and is very much the performer. She loves nothing more than to dress up in her princess or Dorothy garb. We have gone two days having to call her Dorothy, but she is not the only one in character. I am Auntie Em or Tin Man, Addy is Scarecrow and Scott is the Lion. By no means are we allowed to use our "real names" during her re-enactment.

Addy is 5 months old and is already showing so much admiration for her older sister (when not receiving the occasional extra hard hug and kiss). She is such an even, happy child with an amazing affinity for studying patterns. If one catches her eye, she will key in on it for a long time and eventually try to eat it.

This is our first posting, and hopefully will not be our last. I have seen friends do this and they do such a great job. They have inspired me to give it a try. We'll see how it goes....