Family Fishing Firsts!!

The kids had their first opportunities to fish Saturday! Adam was instructed to sit patiently and watch the bush. If the bush moved he needed to grab the fishing pole and bring in the fish :)

Addison was more of a hands on learner. Addison took the fishing pole and would stick it in and out of the water repeatedly.

Addison stopped and asked for help and just look what happened!!!

Addison's First Fish :)

Alex tried his luck at the magnetic fishing pond. I think the pole was giving him a little trouble, but he figured it out and had a great time. I love these family memories!!!

Great Family Day!!

Addison was invited to a friends birthday party on Saturday. The rest of our family was able to tag along and fun was had by all!! We learned that we have a lake in Casa Grande... The little girls grandparents have lots of fun toys that they brought for everyone to share. The paddle boat provided fun to all. Alex just wanted to help Daddy steer the boat which ment circles :)

Lil Adam had fun exploring the lake. He would look into the water hoping to find fish.

Hot Dogs were on the menu and you know my boys like their hot dogs!!

This contraption above is called a Rhoades Car. Our family took a ride around the lake with Dad and Mom pedaling for power. This is another one of Jayly's Grandparent's toys!! We loved that it even had a seat for Alex. He loved going over the bumps and humming along uhhhhhhhhhhh!

If you look closely at this picture you will see that each of our little ones is engaged in something different. This was such a great party that there was never a dull moment for any of them. Adam is poping bubbles, Addison is playing with the magnetic fishing pond and Alex is watching the wildlife. What a great day! Thanks for thinking of us Jayly, and Happy Birthday :)

S'MORES & ZOO Pics

Uncle Jon & Aunt Micaela have a fire pit in their back yard! The family had a great time roasting marshmallows and making S'Mores. Lil Adam and Jacob are shown above in the fire trance.

Addison & Emily enjoyed watching the fire glow and marshmallows burn!!!

Great Family Memories!!

This is a picture of Jacob and Lil Adam in 2005 at the Albuquerque Zoo. I am sure that I have other pictures in this chair, but I couldn't find them today.

This picture was taken on Thursday, March 19, 2009. The boys sure have grown up! They have moved from the center of the chair to the arms to make room for their siblings and cousins!

Food, Food & More Food!

What is a trip without food! This is a photo of dinner at Rudy's. Rudy's is a BBQ restaurant founded in San Antonio, TX. We love the smoked meat and wonderful sides. They serve a creamed corn to die for :) Alex had a hard time at dinner that night... See the high chair in the photo? We had to get that after Alex fell off the bench not once, but twice!

Uncle Jacob and Aunt Rachel :) We don't get to see them very often, but we love the time we do spend together!!

St. Patrick's Day Breakfast

The Cousin's enjoyed green pancakes for breakfast on St. Patrick's Day! One year I will have to make green eggs and ham!!

The day Uncle Jacob & Aunt Rachel headed back to England we ate at Los Quates. As you can see from the smiles it is yummy New Mexican food!!

Soccer & Funnel Cakes...Must be Spring Break!

This past week was Lil Adam's first Spring Break! His Uncle Jacob and Aunt Rachel were in New Mexico visiting from England. We stayed at his cousins Jacob and Emily's house. Jacob is shown above playing soccer! The first play of the game Jacob scored a goal :)

During the soccer game Lil Adam walked onto the field to return a foul ball. He started running as soon as the players headed towards him on the field!

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit from Maryland. Grandma enjoys baking with the grand kids. They made cookies one day and funnel cakes the next day. At one point all of the grand kids (5) were sitting on the counter watching the batter being made and fried.

As soon as they were edible they made their way to the table for funnel cakes and ice cream!!

Truly Touched

Our family has been truly blessed with great healthcare here in Arizona. Addison and Alex have both had their fare share of medical issues and our nurses and doctors are very much a part of our everyday routine. Tonight and I was going through our mail and I opened a letter from our family practice. The contents of the envelope truly touched my heart and brought me to tears. The Cottonwood Medical Center here in Casa Grande raised money to support Addison's walk. The check was inside with a letter of support for Addison and her health.
Later tonight I was checking e-mail and found that Addison's Pediatrician made a personal donation on our Take Steps website.
http://online.ccfa.org/goto/teamaddison
I am so grateful for the love that is being shown to our Addison. Thank you for loving my little girl. Thank you for making her experiences at the doctor positive. Our family is truly blessed by the kindness of the staff and doctors at our family practice.

A Very Busy Sunday!!

It's Not Fair...
Today was the first day that I have ever really had to battle Addison to take her pills. She was sitting at the breakfast table and looked straight at me and said "It's not fair Mom". I don't really have an argument for that... I let her wait until after church to battle round one of her pills for the day. She didn't really want to take them then either, but we both endured. Luckily her second round wasn't as hard.

Adam's Talk in Primary
Lil Adam spoke in Primary today on his responsibility in our family. He took his chore chart and savings bank to explain how he does his part to help our family and is able to save money for his mission. He did an excellent job . This is his third talk in Primary and each time he becomes more confident and excited to participate. Way to go Adam :)

Feeding the Missionaries
Tonight was our night of the month to feed our missionaries serving in Casa Grande. We had ham, potatoes, stuffing and strawberry salad. For dessert I made oven S'Mores. I had never attempted this process before, but it worked. The marshmallows could have been more crunchy, but the chocolate and sticky mashmellows gave the Elders a challenge to stay clean :)

I Want to Play Tee Ball Too!
Going to all of Lil Adam's games have made his little brother and sister excited to play ball as well. Last night Alex went outside and was playing by himself for a long time. Once Mom got the camera Addison joined in! They both took turnes putting the ball on the tee and running. What a great example their big brother is for them!!

Swing Batter, Batter!!!
Have a Great Monday Everyone :)

Addison's Heart

Addison's visit to the Cardiologist went really well today. They went over her echo and explained that her blood flows very fast from the Left Ventricle to the Aorta. There are a few reasons this tends to happen. In Addison's case it is her inflammation in her body due to Crohn's Disease. The heart is working hard and pumping blood fast because her body is fighting itself. The doctor said her murmur was innocent. When we get her inflammation under control her little heart can slow down and take a break.
Thank you again for all the prayers & well wishes. Jen

Manners Matter!!

Our Lil Adam achieved Soaring Eagle once again!! His good use of please, thank you and excuse me presented him with this honor. We are very proud of our little man. We have been teaching manners since he began speaking :) If you would like to see the certificate better just click on the picture. Way to go Adam!!!

Ear Infections/ Liver Enzymes & Cardiologists...Oh My!

What a fun day we are having!! Today we spoke with Addison's GI doctor and found out that she still has inflammation and her Liver Enzymes are up. Her medication is starting to affect her liver and pancreas. That being said, Addison started the preparatory things to start receiving infusions of Remicade. http://www.remicade.com/remicade/pcd/remicade_pcd/remicade_ped.html She was tested for TB today and we will take her back into the doctor on Thursday to have them look at her "bubble". Wednesday Addison will be seen by the Cardiologist that read her Echo. There were a few items that needed to be looked at more closely.

Alex was seen by the doctor today because his ear infection has now become a double ear infection. Dr. Teng said that if the medication he is on doesn't take care of it he will need a new set of tubes in his ears.

I am so grateful to have a healthy Lil Adam :) Today has been an overwhelming day, but I am very grateful for wonderful doctors that take the time to call me, fit my kids in and call in prescriptions so I don't have to wait a full hour! We love all of our friends and family and are grateful for all the love and support you get us. Jen