Still traveling!

Well Monday I saw a specialist who is still not sure what is going on with me. All that my labs show is that I have mild inflammation somewhere in my body. Great tell me something I didn't know already considering I have barely been able to turn my neck for years now! I felt a little like I did when I went to the orthopedic surgery 4 years ago. The doctor looks at the labs and the x-rays and says, "So why are you here?" Then I show then my range of motion in my neck (which is equivalent to a person trying to turn with a neck brace on) and they always go, "Oh that is pretty significant for a girl you age." So now the doctor is running more labs and more x-rays to see what they can find. I know that this may be a long journey, but I hope in the end that they can figure out what is going on!

A new road to travel!

I have been having problem with my back starting when I was a teenage. At first I had very mild pains in my neck and slowly that have got worse and worse. I've been put off seeing a doctor because of medical insurance, pregnancy, and what ever other reason I could come up with. I use to have a lot of pain in my neck, but now it is more in my hips. So I finally decided since we had good health coverage and I have only been getting worse, that I would bite the bullet and finally start the road to figuring out what is going on with me. I went in last week and just saw a general physician (to get started) I had lots of labs and x-rays done and am going to see a specialist tomorrow. From the labs I found out that I have low thyroid. (I guess it runs in my family, but I didn't know that until after I had all my lab tests done.) I am hoping that that is all that is going on, but I am a little nervous to hear what they have to say. Just after Derek and I got married I was going to physical therapy and than saw a orthopedic surgeon and felt like there was nothing that could be done. So I went about my life discouraged that this was just a trial that I have to deal with in my life. I am seeing a rheumatologist tomorrow so they should be a little more helpful.

Christmas!

Here is Daddy with the girls reading his favorite book to them "Daddy's Girl".

This is the gorgeous hand made train from Grandma and Grandpa Millett.

Kylie loved all the snow, her favorite part was eating it!

Christmas was a little crazy this year. I had to work Christmas Eve so we had Christmas morning on Christmas Eve morning instead. It was lots of fun. The girls were so excited to play with all their new things. We don't buy new toys very often, pretty much only for Birthdays and Christmas so they were amazed by their new things.

Early Christmas morning both of the girls ended up throwing up. Derek was sure that it had been bad milk. We went about our day and both of them acted fine all day until we got to Grandma's house and then Lexi got sick all over Grandma. When we tried to leave grandma's we got our car stuck in the snow. Oregon does not believe in plowing the side roads and so though we were about 2 feet away from dry road we could not get through the snow bank to get onto the road. Luckily there were some nice men that shoveled us out and pushed us on our way. What a Day! Now we are so excited for 2009!

Getting Ready for Christmas!

Kylie was not scared to sit on Santa's lap this year. She went right up and sat on his lap and told him how she wants a blue Cinderella dress for Christmas. Kylie is very excited for Christmas this year. She loves the Christmas music, decorating the tree with Daddy, going to look at Christmas lights, and of course, all the yummy treats!

They had a manger at one of the Christmas light shows that we went to with all kinds of animals.

Good job Derek! Looks great.

The other day I gave Kylie a candy cane and she went and hung it right over Lexi's crib. Lexi reached up and grabbed it and was not about to give it back. Next thing I knew Kylie was running in to me crying that Lexi had stolen her candy cane. She knows better now not to tease her sister with candy!

Christmas season would not be complete without a ginger bread house.

Lexi is pretty strong she does push ups while she looks at her books!

We love the Christmas Season. It is such a wonderful time to reflect on our Saviors birth . This year we started early. It has been a stressful year for us so we really wanted to be able to enjoy the holidays. We started out early, the day after Halloween we started playing Christmas music. For the first time this year I went out and shopped on Black Friday. It was actually pretty fun. There were lots of people, things were crazy, and I waited in long lines for over an hour just at one store. I didn't worry about getting done, I just listened to Christmas music and enjoyed shopping for my friends and family. Derek and I went out and bought a tree the last weekend in November. We got it home and decorated it and it was perfect. Two and a half weeks later we are wondering what to do with a tree that is dried up and dead with still 10 days till Christmas. We made a ginger bread house, went to see Christmas lights and I even made Christmas candies today. The excitement of Christmas is in the air for us. We are even hoping that the weather man might be right (for the first time ever) and we get some snow in the next few days. We are really enjoying the time that we have together and trying to teach Kylie that Christmas is not just about Santa and presents. It is also about giving to those in need and sharing the knowledge that we have about our Saviors birth and and life with those around us.

I want all of you to know that I know our Savior lives! That He was born, lived, and died for us that we may one day live with Him again. That He knows our pains, sorrows, and afflictions and is there to lift us up and bless our lives if we will but get on our knees and pray. What a miraculous gift He has given us. Merry Christmas to all and we pray that God may bless your lives with all that you may stand in need of at this time. We pray for you all and think of you often. MERRY CHISTMAS!

One night a month at the childrens museum kids get in free. It is pretty crazy because a lot of kids show up. The girls just love it, so we try to go when we can. It always makes me appreciate my kid a little more as I see so many children running around like monsters. I think my kids arn't that hard after all.

Every time we go to the beach we stop by the Cheese Factory. There are lots of cheese samples, ice cream, and we go watch how cheese is made. My favorite part is the squeaky cheese. I have fond memories of stopping at a cheese factory in Boise while on family trips to see our grandparents. We always would buy squeaky cheese to eat on the trip.

Watch out for that wave!

Lexi turned ONE!

Lexi was born just over a year ago. I went in to be induced on a Monday afternoon. I had told the nurse that I wanted to labor down with this delivery since I had had to push for 2 1/2 hours with Kylie. Labor progressed slowly until I was ready for an epidural. So I got my epidural and then the doctor broke my water. I progressed from 6 cm to 9 in 30 minutes. I was tired and not in pain so I decided to take a nap and was suppose to call the nurse when I felt the need to push. Shortly after I felt a slight inclination to want to push, but it was so slight that I questioned whether it was really worth calling the nurse for. I decided to call her just to be safe and and when she checked my Lexi's head was already half way out. Luckily the doctor was right outside my door in the hallway at the time. She ran in and barely had time to put on her gloves. I pushed once and the baby shot out at her. It was the easiest thing ever. I thought I could not have just had a baby it was way to easy.

This is Lexi's first steps it was taken about a month ago while we were at the beach house.

Trick or Treat!

Halloween is an interesting, but fun holiday. It is so weird to me that it is the one night of the year that you go door to door getting candy from complete strangers. Kylie and Lexi went out trick or treating with their cousins and had lots of fun. By the end of the night they were on such a sugar high. What an adventure!