NY Christmas December 15, 2007

NY Christmas December 15, 2007

Merry Christams

Hello,

I hope you are enjoying the Holidays and taking time for your family and friends..please do so, you never know when one might slip through your fingers and be gone..I say this becasue my Aunt was just diagnosed with Breast and Lung cancer..I dont know how long she has or what the treatment plan is. Life is precious, so be sure you tell someone that you love them today..

I have some pictures for you..We took the family to New York City last weekend. Boy, was it crowded but we got to breathe in the excitement of the big city at christmas time. We had a blast! This is a small recap of our trip:

First stop was Macy's to see Santa..the line was long but it did move quickly..cover children's eyes..( they have more then one Santa) We got some cute pictures!

We then went down 5th ave to Build A Bear ~ picked up some stocking stuffers for Faith. They had NO Rudolph or Clarice or even Christmas stuff for that matter..

Then it was off to American Girl Place where I learned that Lindsey wanted a doll. Seems taht her brothers kidnapped her other one 2 years ago and cant find it. So we called and we are getting reimbursed for it..

Off to Disney where I got a few ornaments and a bear for me!!

By this time it was 5pm.. It took us 7 hours just to do those 4 stores. Rockefeller Center and the Christmas tree was our next stop, though we did not get a real close look of it. Crowds were horrible so we did not see the ice rink or the Golden Mermaid, as Faith call it.

We then headed back to Times Square so we could get some yummy pizza from Bella Vita!! YUMMO, as Racheal Ray would say. We waited an hour for a table but it was soooo worth it!

We then went to Toys R US and did the usual tour through there. then it was off to Hello Kitty., by this time it was snowing..

By this time we were pretty much wiped out! We walked over to the Port Authority to see one of Bryan's freinds, Kenny then it was off to the car. We took Lindsey down to Ground Zero and Faith to see a drive by of the tree since she did not see it when we were there becasue of all the people.

For the first time in a very long time I let Bryan drive home. I was just too tired. It rained and was very windy but we got home around 2am safe and sound.

Next year, I want to go in the middle of the week and earlier..it was just sooo crowded, it was hard to see anything.

I hope everyone has a joyous Holiday and remember to take some time out and Remember the Reason for the Season ~ And that is our Savior's Birth.

God Bless you all..

Let It Snow!

Emilee got her first snowfall yesterday. IT started around 11 am and was still snowing went I went to bed around 11pm last night. I think we got total of 4 inches..not bad for her first snowfall!

This past weekend we went to West Virgina to see Grandma. We had a nice visit and got some great new toys for Christmas. She bought a portable DVD player with 2 screens for the kids, A GPS system for DH and a Cricut for me!! I have only played with it a little bit and already love it! The rest of the Christmas gifts will be sent to us later. She did not want to have to pay for shipping, especially on the cricut, that box is heavy.
It actually started to snow Monday on our way home but by the time we got through Frostburg, MD it stopped. Emilee is going to have a snowy winter I take it..Hope so, I love snow!

Time for Remembrance

Today is 5 years to the day that my Grandmother passed away.. I so miss her but I know that she is looking down at us, smiling at her new great granddaughter and admiring her red hair! I know I will see her once again, but it's still hard to know she's not here on earth.
I know in my heart though she is where she wanted to be. She out lived all her brothers and sisters. I know she had a grand welcome when she passed, with two loves waiting for her! (My grandfather and her boyfriend Jim). I know my grandfather approved of her "dating" Jim. He was such a soft spoken man, he adored my grandmother. I know she was quite sad when he died and his family treated her like she was not a part of his life..We always loved him and accepted him. He was good for her! I'll never forget the time I stopped at her house on New Year's eve for directions. I was going to a friends house for a party and I got off on the wrong road. I opened the door and there were the two of them sitting on the couch by the TV, watching Dick Clark Rockin' New Year's Eve holding hands..They looked like teenagers! So happy..
MomMom I love you and Miss you...till we meet again!

Happy Trails to Me

Hi,
The official countdown has begun! We are leaving for West Virgina in approx. 7 hours.. 10 mere hours from Boyds Bears!
I must be crazy becasue I am going to take 3 children on a 7 to 8 hour road trip with little to no sleep! I am working the night shift tonight and do not sleep while I am here..Too many noises and when I do sleep we always have a call. So hopefully I can catch some zzz's when I get home in the morning so I can be a little chipper for our trip.
I am a little apprehensive about the trip. It will be the first time we stay at my MIL's since the big blow out 4 years ago. I am praying that this trip goes smoothly and God places his hand over my mouth if I start to say something I shouldn't and the same to her!

Emilee found her feet today! I walked into the living room, she was sitting in her bouncy seat and she was holding onto her foot! It was soo cute! I noticed too that she's been reaching for things more and more, especially my hair! I will be posting pics soon!
Have a great weekend and I will see you when I return!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I can't believe it's been 20 days since I last posted..sorry.. Lots of things to catch up on!
Nov. 3 ~ Was our 6th Wedding Anniversary. We had a family day. Faith wanted to go pick pumpkins so we headed to a pumpkin patch, but this time of year all the pumpkins have already been picked so she had to settle for picking one on large pallets in front of the farm. We then went to Olive Garden for a scrumptious dinner. I had chicken stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and spinach and hubby had the chicken stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto, YUMMO!! $80 later..Glad Emilee cant eat table food yet! Yikes! That was both of our gifts this year!
Miss Emilee is 4 months old. Time flies. She is looking at her hands now and just started to grab for things, like my hair! I can see a haircut in my future! She has also found her feet, I'm not sure she really knows what they are and that they belong to her! LOL
Yesterday was my 36th Birthday..I dont feel 36..Did not really do anything special. I wanted to go see Enchanted but my check did not go through until today sooo I guess I will wait until next weekend when we go to WV and have grandma watch the kids so hubby and I can go..

Today I am at the squad working till noon then I will go home and get the kids ready for dinner at my Aunt Peggy's. Is this frreaky?? My Aunt had Thanksgiving dinner for Faith's first Thanksgiving. It was also the year my grandmother had her heart attack and passed away.

What am I grateful for??

God blessed me with a beautiful daughter. I am truly grateful for the chance to be a mother to such a special little girl..she is so stinkin' cute!
I am also thankful for the love of my husband and my other kids. LOL My life would not be complete without them.

God Bless you and may he keep you in his care all the year through.

Blessings,
KIM

Sweet Redhead

My sweet little Redhead!! I cant wait to do a LO of Me, Emilee and my grandmother. She was the one that gave us our beautiful red hair! This picture was taken last week as we were sitting on the front porch enjoying the unseasonably warm October weather we have been having. Most of the trees have yet to turn their vibrant colors! I'm still waiting for fall!!

Miss Emilee now knows where her hands are..it's so cute. She sure does love to put them in her mouth. I can't wait to get her photos back from the photographer, maybe next week. I made a point this time around to get portraits done of Emilee every few months. I always wanted to for faith and kept putting them off..I have her newborn portrait and one of her at 4!! not good..this time I will be better. The photographer I am taking her to is excellent. He has this special package, it's called the baby plan. He takes photos at 3,6,9, and 12 months and at the end you get a collage of the 4 photos! The BEST part..the price $39!! Could not pass it up! I did get other pics this time, could not resist..she was so sweet in the photo and it will be a xmas gift for MIL !!

Happy Belated Halloween!!

I took Faith and Emilee or I should say Aurora and Pooh Bear trick or treating with Eddie, Trevor and Maggie..the usual thing we do every year. We start at Mom Mom's house, go to Aunt Sue's then off to Francis Drive (Regan and Ed live on that street plus Regan grew up there and knows everyone!) We were home by 7:45pm!! We were invited to Church by Butch but we got out the door late and by the time I would get over there everyone would be gone! Next year for sure!

What else is going on..hmmm...I am going scrapping at the beach all weekend long next weekend ! Can't wait! My friend Anne Hall has family that owns a beach house in Avalon and has graciously invited some of the girls for a weekend of scrapping!! I soooo need this! It will be hard to be away from the baby but I just need some alone, me time! I will be leaving friday after someone gets home and wont be back till Anne kicks me out! LOL

I am also contemplating submitting my work for a few design teams.. I think my pages are good enough.. I especially want Daisy D's..LOVE their paper!!

Here is one of my LO's using their paper.This one actually won for best LO at an all day crop that my friend Terry had back in March! This is of my Dad when he was about 4 in Philadelphia.

My dad said that a photographer would come around by horse and buggy and would take pictures of the kids. Inside the pocket is a copy of the backside of the photo.

My grandmother wrote what the colors were of his hair, eyes, and what he was wearing.

My Baby is 3 months old today!

She is getting so big and getting a little fussy I might add. she is eating 8 to 9 oz. at a shot..I can't get her to eat cereal. You would think since it's been in her cereal since 2 weeks of age she would eat it without a problem..NNNNOOOO way!! She has found midline with her hands..so funny she is, she LOVES her hands..we caught her checking out her feet yesterday when I put her halloween socks on..too cute!

Faith turned 5 10 days ago and we had her party this past sunday..I will post pictures soon. She is getting so big! And mouthy, LOL! Like mother, like daughter.. her present finally arrived yesterday, I bought her her Sleeping beauty costume..She looks like a real princess I tell you. I took a picture of her yesterday outside..Will definitely have to scrap that one!

I've been tagged!

Howdy,
My dear friend Anne from Faithsisters tagged me for this fun game. Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

My 7 facts:
1. I love New York City!!
2. I am a Scorpio, Irish, and a Redhead!
3. I love anything Italian, including my hubby!!
4. I love to rollerskate..haven't gone in a while though.
5. I LOVE country Music, Tim Mcgraw & Faith Hill and Reba
6. My favorite time of the year is fall.
7. I collect teddy bears..love my Boyd's bears!


Have fun!!

Kim

Faith is 5 today!!

I can't believe she is 5 already..Having Emilee made me realize just how big Faith is getting.

My BIL John sent books to her for birthday. They are easy reader books Junie B. Jones boxed set. She doesn't read yet so I have been reading a chapter a night to her..She LOVES it! I hope she's like her mommy and Uncle Ed. We both love to read.

This Poem is for you my dear Faith..I am so blessed to have you as my daughter. I will love you always.. Mommy

Birthday Blessings
Written by Thena Smith
You have always been a blessing
You have always been a dear
And you are a source of joy
That gets more special every year!
God gave the world such a lovely gift
When He sent an angel such as you
Your loved ones thank Him on your birthday
And the whole year through!
You have treated everyone with kindness
And showered them with love
With gentleness and tenderness
That comes only from above.
May you be surrounded by your loved ones
On your very special day
And may the Father up in Heaven
Answer every prayer you pray!
And may this birthday be a blessing
That will fill your heart up to the top
With joy, love and happiness
That will never stop!!

I hope you enjoy your day my baby girl!! May God always be with you and I pray that you know that you can always count on me and God!

Her birthday is the 8th..I posted this a little too soon..hehe

Good Morning

Happy Wednesday!

I am tired this morning..Bryan and I went to see Faith Hill in NY at the Time Warner building for the taping of XM Radio Artist Confidential..It was awesome and I got NO pictures...WAHHHHH!!

In the email I received congratulating me on winning the lottery, it said no cameras!! So I did not bring mine. I could have...GRRR.. Bryan got some photos on his phone but they are not real good. We were less then 50 ft away from her, and yes she is gorgious in person as she is in photos.

So Instead I will show you the awesome Layout I did of Faith and Tim the other night.

It had to be one of the quickest LO's ever! I love the picture! I took it after the concert when they were leaving the stage.

Broken hearts

I have been a slacker lately!! LOL
I have been meaning to post but Emilee takes up a lot of my time at night..she gets a little restless when she does not take a nap during the afternoon. Today she did, YEAH!!!
I ran into my ex fiance last night. We were at the firehouse picking up DH's truck and of course they were having a meeting. The friend who fixed it was talking to my hubby when he came out. I felt rude not to stop and talk to him so I did. I introduced him to Emilee, he thought it was faith..I was like no I have two now!! LOL.
we talked about his wife and how sick she has been. She has bone cancer and it looked as though she was going to loose the fight. God works in mysterious ways and she is now in remission. She had a stem cell transplant and is slowly getting her strength back. He told me after the transplant he went into respitory failure and had to have a trachea in. She has been so much and through all this she has been trying to be mother to a small child. Their daughter was an infant when she was diagnosed. I pray that God continues to heal her. No child should ever have to grow up without their mommy. I don't know what Chuck would do without her.
I am glad I got to see him. I have been thinking about him and wondering how he's been. I really do miss our friendship. That was the hardest part of breaking our engagement off. I broke his heart, something he told me last night...I know I did. It broke my heart that I had to do it, but like I told him last night if we got married we would have ended up divorced because I wouldnt have been happy.. But through all that I learned what true love is and to appreciate it that much more..Lessons Learned.

Colors of Faith

These pictures were taken a few years ago and when my dear friend Sunny posted today on Faithsisters.com about photographing your faith I immediately thought of these pictures.
My favorite season is fall and I love to take walks at a nearby state forest and take photos of the changing leaves. I love to hear the crunch beneath my feet.
My faith is ever changing like the leaves, the deep,rich regal colors represent the depth my faith has undertaken over the years. My faith at first was there but not really there..but over the course of my journey God has shown me so much more. God has provided me the opportunity to be a mother, something that I am so very grateful for.
I also love how the sun makes the leaves glisten and the colors become that much more vibrant. The sun warms me and lights my way just the way my faith does. I sometimes falter and question why? but that is when God shines brighter and leads me to the answer. Sometimes it's not right away, sometimes it takes years but it is always provided in His time.


Faith is the substance hoped for,the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

My favorite scripture and one that I have truly lived. If not for my Faith in Him my girls would not be here. The power of Faith and what can happen when you truly put your Faith in God is unmeasurable. Put your faith in Him and see where he takes you.

Two Months old Today!!

My dear sweet Emilee is 2 months old today. She looks like she's older!! LOL Her PJ's 0 to 3 months are too small in the legs and feet. Her poor little toes are all krinckled up. Bryan dug through our storage unit to find Faith's clothes I diligently kept, only to find 0-3 and 12 months. I did find a few 6-9 months in the bottom of one tote. I know there is still a tote left. The matter is finding it.

She continues to smile all the time. I chuckle when I look in the rear view mirror and I see her not looking at her toys as I drive but her big sister, Faith..somehow I need to find a way to take a picture of that!! LOL
I am working on a LO of my two darlings Faith and Emilee. The pictures I'm using are of them at two weeks old laying in the same direction. Faith is laying on our old couch, Emilee is laying in her boppy pillow. I'm kind of stuck on the title..I will post for sure when I finish it!

He Ain't the Leavin' Kind

This is a layout I did for a lyric challenge on Faithsisters.com. The lyrics are from a song called He ain't the Leavin' Kind by Rascal Flatts.
I am very proud of this LO. It's simple, but displays a powerful
message.
The more I thought of the message in the song, I knew that it was
perfect for these pictures of the "Ground Zero Cross" as it's called by many. The steel beams to many have come to symbolize hope amid the ruins of that horrible day. Once found, many celebrated Sunday services at the site. fallen firefighters and police officer's names are scribbled on it as well as " God Bless our fallen brothers".
The days that I have visited ground zero have always been with tears in my eyes. There is so much emotion in the air, it's hard not to feel it. We were there for the fifth anniversary of 9/11. The weekend was filled with celebrations of life and remembrance of ones lost. I found the New Yorkers are the most patriotic and kind of people. They may live fast and furious but, are glad to help those in need. back to the cross..
the more that I stared at it the more I wondered why these beams were not destroyed along with everything else around it?? Was it a sign from God?? I believe, Yes! So many faithful have asked why this happened to us? If God exists, why did he not stop it? I believe that those answers can be found with the cross. God was certainly there the day the towers fell. God was there to provide comfort and peace to those who perished. God was there with tears in his eyes watching the day unfold. Did he want this to happen? No, but he could not stop it. He could only watch as we watched as so many lost their lives. The cross is a reminder to us of God's presence during that day. He does not forsake us, He's with us always, He's not the Leavin' Kind.

Psalms 145:8-9

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.


Song Lyrics:
"He Ain't The Leavin' Kind"

They tried their best to drag him out
Of a courthouse down in montgomery
Now they want to kick him out of school
And take him off our money
They can take those words off of paper and stone
But he aint gone, no

He ain't the leavin' kind
He'd never walk away
Even from those who dont believe
And wanna leave him behind
He ain't the leavin' kind

She stayed mad at him for a lot of years
For taking her husband
Started losing her faith and thinking that
Her life meant nothin
But when she looks at those kids
She raised all by herself
She knows she had some help
Yeah she knows

He ain't the leavin' kind
He'd never walk away
Even from those who don't believe
And wanna leave him behind
He ain't the leavin' kind

No matter what you do
No matter where you go he's
Always right there
With you

Even from those who don't believe
And wanna leave him behind
He ain't the leavin' kind

Update

My poor Surf's lost last saturday. 13 to 7, we feel like part of our arm has been cut off or something. It's very strange not going to games.
Lucas did indeed retire from baseball. His mom and dad were there to see him play one last time. I took a picture of the three of them. it's going tinto his scrapbook when I get to it. I must finish 2 others that I started so long ago.
Faith has been asking about Lucas off and on. Him and I talked after the game and I told him to expect phone call now and then from her, and in his usual gracious self he told me whenever she wants to talk to him she can. I told him her birthday is coming up soon and he will try to call her on her birthday. I have to call him a few days ahead of time to remind him.

Emilee is talking to herself..it's so cute. while I'm driving she stares into the mirror and babbles to herself. She must see the baby in the mirror! She's also smiling a lot more too. She loves to look at faith and smiles and talks to her..it's so cute!

Baseball Crazy!

We are down 2 games to 1 against North Shore. I think the guys got a little mad last night that they lost so I'm hoping they will play their butts off tonight. Lucas, on the other hand has been playing great. I will surely be sad when he retires. He is such a great player!
We took him to dinner last weekend. I asked him if he was sure whether he wanted to quit baseball and he said he's happy with his decision and he's looking forward to what lies ahead of him. He is going to start a church in Virgina and wants to find Mrs. Right and settle down, you can't do that playing baseball. I pray that all his dreams come true for him. I know they will, he has God behind him.

On other fronts..My baby is getting so big! She has started to smile, the other day I was tapping her nose and saying boop, boop and she would smile after i did it. So Cute!

AC Surf's made the playoffs

Just when I thought baseball was winding down..hehe the guys pulled it off and made it to the playoffs! Let me tell you they were very excited..so excited that they LOST the game and the NEXT game..but they redeemed themselves last night and crushed broxton.
(I think the champagne that was thrown and consumed thursday night has finally worn off).
So we have two more games to go then we will be playoff bound. I will get 2 day reprieve then it will be a 3 game stretch. Playoffs are the best of 5 which is good for us, since they can't win more then 3 in a row!
My dear husband is such a nut! He has been eating and sleeping the Surf's this week since they have been home all week. He decided to tell the manager that I am going to be making scrapbook pages(what else am I going to do with all the pictures??) so now when they are complete I have to scan them so I can send them to Chris so he can get them put on the Surf's website! No pressure here!LOL
Go SURF'S!

A little Scare

After I last posted I picked up my little baby and realized she was very hot. I found the thermomater and took her temp..104.4 axillary. Not good. I went into the den and talked to dear hubby. After debate on how much tylenol to give, we decided to call the Dr.(Super Mom cant remember!LOL) Well after getting off the phone because it's now 10pm, Bryan says we have to go to the ER.
ER, what?? She doesnt need to go there. She had no other symptoms. But he explained to me because of her immature immune system..so we took her.
By the time she saw the triage nurse it's 102 rectally. She gave her tylenol and we waited. After about half hour we were called back and saw the peditrician right away. She ordered blood tests, urine cultures and a spinal tap. After having trouble getting all the above things and waiting some more the doctor came back and said she has to say. her WBC count is elevated..which means she has an infection. 4:30am we finally get a room. THe poor thing was poked and prodded, I felt so bad for her. Bryan stayed with her and I went home to sleep and regroup.
Two days later she was discharged. All the test came back negative and her fever never returned. She is eating like a horse and has busted out of her newborn clothes! LOL
I thank God nothing was seriously wrong with my precious girl.

My baby is 1 month old!!

She is growing so fast! I have already moved her up a diaper size and I can see a difference in some of her clothes. They surely dont stay little long.
1 month milestones:

gazes into your eyes while you talk to her
coos at you
starting to raise her head when you lay her on her tummy
unclenches her fist

Baseball is ending soon. I dont know what I am going to do. faith is so into going to the games and seeing Lucas and Megan. I have been telling her that the season will be ending soon and they wont be playing when it gets cold but it's not sinking in. Last night the game was cancelled due to rain. The next home game isn't till next tuesday. I know for sure that Lucas is going to be getting phone calls every know and then from a certain little friend..But I am not in this alone! Thank Goodness!! My new friend Nicole has a son named Aaron who is just as crazy for baseball as she is. We have been meeting up with them at the games and sitting together. We also have crazy husbands who are as bad as the kids

3 weeks

Time is passing by so fast.. Emilee was 3 weeks old this past Wednesday. Her cheeks are getting so chubby! I'm hoping her little face starts to clear..she has baby acne, I would like to get pictures taken of her. maybe next week.

I am seriously considering leaving the squad. I am very hurt that no one seemed to care that I had a baby! After I emailed everyone I got maybe 5 responses back. One was from Val telling me I should expect something soon from the squad. I waited..nothing. So I emailed val and asked her about it. It seems that it wasn't official that I was getting anything, she sort of jumped the gun.
I am fine with not getting anything, it would have been nice but so be it. what I'm most upset about that the chief or Pres couldnt even pick up the phone and say congrats! I've only been a member for 14 years, I think I at least deserve that! I know come Oct. when a certain someone else has there second child all the bells and whistles will be blown for her! it has always come down to the in crowd verses the nobodies..I want to feel that I belong no matter who I am and what I do for the group. I no longer feel that way towards the squad. I can walk in there some days and no one talks to me.. we are coworkers..you could at least expect a hello...OK..I am done with this, I am going to get my BP up if I think about it any longer. I am not the type either to stew on things too..I need to forgive(which I have) and move on..that's the thing I'm having trouble with..I love EMS, it's hard to walk away from that.

Very Tired!

We went to Great adventure yesterday for a day of family fun. I did not know 12 hours could go by so quickly!!
faith was very excited, she woke me up at 7am..I rolled out of bed around 7:30am. I made everyone pancakes and then it was off to the shower. We managed to get out of the house by 9:45!!
We arrived around noon and by the time we got everything loaded into the stroller and walked the very long walk from the parking lot..we reached the gate at 12:30. We went to the park area where our not so delicious FREE lunch was waiting for us. Of course we had to wait till exactly 1pm to get in..By the time everyone was fed it was 2pm before we headed to the first ride. Splash Down so they could cool off..Faith upon being coaxed went with daddy and Lindsey to the line only to be turned away because the ride broke!
We went to Wiggles World where Faith had some fun while Bryan and Lindsey rode a ride. Emilee and I hung out in the heat.
Rides Bryan and Lindsey rode:
roller coaster in Skull Mountain
Medusa
El Torro
Superman
Sponge Bob Squarepants 3D ride w/ Faith

I rode 1 ride which was enough for me.. Rolling Thunder..had this weird kid sitting in front of us..
Faith has a much longer list then the rest of us..
Play land at Wiggles
Big Red Planes w/ Lindsey
roller coaster w/ Lindsey
balloons in bugs bunny land w/ Lindsey
planes in Bugs bunny land x 2
stagecoach
Play land at Balin Jungleland

As you can see we had a very busy day.. Emilee was an absolute angel, I had no problems with her at all. She slept all the way home, of course everyone else did too..even through the pouring rain and lightening!

So as you can see we had a busy day..

Let's Talk Baseball!!

This is so very funny...my dear Faith has a boyfriend, as she likes to call him! He is a 27 y/o baseball player!!
My DH has been taking her to see the Atlantic City Surf's. From day one she has been addicted. This year he met a player who is from WV, like him..his name is Lucas Taylor and he is a sweetheart. She is gaga over him. she talks about him all the time. I caught her on her play cell phone talking to him and she told him she loves him! I nearly fell out of my seat.
A few weeks back I got pictures developed and she wanted a double of the picture of the two of them so I could give him one. that night at the game I signed the back of it To: Lucas, From: Your #1 fan, Faith Boken. He was touched by it and told her he would put it up in his locker!
Tonight we went to a game and he came out of the dug out after the game and asked her to come and watch the fireworks in the dugout with him! He also had his niece and her friend with him..I will post pictures soon.

I have to admit, she does have good taste.. he is a very nice guy, and a devote christian. He wants to start up a church in the off season. I have faith he will do just that.

So if she has all this going on at 4, what am I going to do when she is old enough to date?? LOL

Two Weeks!

Time flies when you are caring for a precious newborn! She is doing well. We had a minor set back this week. She has been projectile vomiting her whole feeding. Not all the time, but enough to cause some concern. We took her to her first doctor's appointment yesterday and told the doctor about it. He thinks she has reflux, which is what I thought, she is very hard to burp even on the soy formula and also seems to sometimes bring the formula back up and is able to swallow it back down, and other times it ends in my lap and all over her! It comes without warning and is nerve racking to say the least. She stopped breathing on me for a few seconds till I could get her airway cleared.. No one was home but me, but I managed to get it cleared..
We were instructed to put rice cereal in her bottle to thicken it..she's a new baby!! last night she got me up once and went right back to sleep after the feeding. No more fussiness or gas pains!! I just cant wait for the sleep through the night..I know I'm pressing my luck!! LOL
I'm just so happy to have this precious little angel in our family! She is such a joy!

Emilee's a week old today!

It's hard to believe it's been a week already.. We are slowly getting into some kind of routine. she wakes me around 1am then again between 3 and 4am. If it's the latter time then I get a repreive and she does not stir until 8 am or later. If it's 3am then she wakes around 5 or so. Last night I guess she was getting back at me for giving her, her first bath at home cause she woke at 1 am and did not go back to sleep until 4:30am..Needless to say I am tired. Bryan has not been any help since he has been getting home late(sometimes he times it right and gets to do the 1 am feeding)so I am left to do night shift too.
Her umbilical cord fell off last night during her very brief bath. She has an inny!! LOL
Just wanted to share some more pictures from her birthday! The picture above is me and my little angel about a half hour after I delivered her. I unfortunately did not get any photos of the birth or while they were weighing her since I delivered in the OR. The priority at that moment was my health and Emilee's health.

She's Here!

I am a little late posting this but I know I will be forgiven considering all that I've been through this past week.
Emilee Grace Boken was born on July 18, 2007 at 1:31pm, weighing in at 7 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long. She is the most perfect little Angel. God surely blessed me not once but twice. God Is good!

Our journey started the day before on July 17th (my due date). I woke up around 11am to vaginal bleeding. At first I thought it was bloody show but I had this nagging feeling it wasnt. I went on the web and looked it up~ gotta love Google! Well, it turned out that I had more blood then I should have had. I called the Dr. office and I was instructed to go to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 2pm and went to the triage area. After what seemed like hours Dr. Carfagno came in and started his exam. After swabbing the blood out of the cervix..yeah that ouched! I had to endure a straight cath to get urine..ouch again..( I was thinking through all of this I have not even gone through labor yet...this is going to be ugly)
He came in a short time later and we talked about my options. He felt that the blood was coming from the cervix and it had stopped at this point so baby was not in danger. My options were:
A. Go home and wait it out..
B. Stay and be induced
C. Stay and have a c section~ due to the fact I had a 4th degree tear when Faith was born.(Not an option)

So I opted to stay and be induced. Part of me wanted to stay and just get it over with but there also was this nagging feeling I should stay. That would prove right later.

I finally got a room around 6pm and the cervadil was put in place around 8pm. Not much was happening after that. Throughout the evening I had blood off and on. I was kind of dissappointed considering with Faith I went pretty quick after the cervadil went in. I was also contracting somewhat that time, I wasnt this time. Throughout the night I continued to bleed and I also had passed a half dollar or larger size clot.
I guess it was around 4:30am when I started to feel contractions..strong ones.. At around 7am Dr. Carfagno came in and I was 2cm dilated, he broke my water and told me I could have an epidural!! Yipee!! was all I thought, I dont have to wait till 4cm. He also put an external monitor on baby's head to better monitor baby. Racheal, our nurse practioner came in shortly after dr. Carfagno happy to see I was still pregnant! She did not want me to deliver Emilee without her!
It felt like an eternity when my new best friend, Dr. Fiscus the anisteiologist and put the epidural in. I was so happy afterwards and it really did not hurt. My happiness was short lived..the epidural lasted for only an hour or two. I was in agony once again so we had to redue the epidural after boluses failed. Dr. Fiscus came in and put the new one in. I felt funny this time, I thought it was due to the fact I was totally numb this time, but it wasnt. They helped me lay down and the next thing I knew they were throwing oxygen on and saying something about c section..Both of our vitals took a nose dive..emilee's came backup, mine were erratic. My BP and pulse were elevated. I went from 5cm before second epidural to 10 cm after epidural in a matter of minutes. I was rushed into the OR thinking I dont want a c section, please God help me out here. Dr. Carfagno came from the office on the white horse pike to perform it. I pushed with everything I had. I pushed and pushed and within a matter of minutes Emilee Grace was born. I averted the c section. The placenta came out right after the baby..in shreds.. it had abrupted..that made complete sense. Baby emilee had a rocky start, her first apgar was only 4 but she quickly improved. Dr. Carfagno went over to her and told me she was fiesty like her mom, she has red hair! He also told me that I gave him some gray hair.

Everything is fine now, we are home, happy and healthy. I am truly enjoying this time I have with my little Angel.

Almost There!

We have only a few days left and Emilee will be here. I went to the Dr. on friday. The cervix is softening but not dilating yet. I am crossing my fingers that she comes out on time. Racheal, the nurse practicioner will induce me Sat if the little one decides to be stubborn and not come out. I really want my Mom to be there and am afraid she's going to miss it if we wait longer then that. I think it's cool that Racheal didn't seem to have a problem with it and actually was the one that suggested it.
Hopefully the next time I log in I can tell you all about the birth and will be holding my new little one.

39 weeks

This Kid needs to come out NOW!!!!!LOL
She has over stayed her welcome..I am so uncomfortable and nothing I do seems to help. I went to the doctors the other day and my cervix is softening but no dilation yet.

Last weekend Bryan and I went to Phila all by our lonesomes to see Tim and Faith!!!! Great show, now dont get me wrong I LOVE my TIM but his wife really outshined him. He sang as one of the encores his new song If your reading this... I cant hear it without crying. It's about a soldier who died in combat and the letter he sent home.
Bryan comes home tomorrow!! He's been gone for 5 days and I miss him. Hopefully this will be the last over night trip for a while...just until Emilee is here and we get settled in. I can take her on her first trip to NY!

36 weeks today

I'm feeling huge. My lower abdomen has really been hurting the last few days so I have been resting. I go to the new baby Dr. on friday and get the strep B test done and we will see how far along or not I am. I'm hoping I've started to dilate..hoping..LOL
Bryan got his full time status back at Academy, we still have to pay cobra though...makes me mad..
I'm hoping to get another belly shot soon..hubby has the camera plus I'm not looking so pretty..

Faith is Potty Trained!

I can't believe it!!!!
I have had an uphill battle with her since I started this process two years ago. I think I may have started her too early which caused her to not want to do it. Well last monday my Mom asked her if she wanted to wear panties. She said yes. I got her a pair of panties and that was it..she has been going potty by herself since.She commented a few hours later how nice panties feel and how comfortable they are.. She doesn't even like to wear night time pull ups which she still needs, but during the day she goes all by herself!!
My little girl is getting so big!! Now I can use the money I spent on her pull ups on diapers for Emilee.

31 Weeks!

I can't believe it's almost over! I went to the doctor's a little over a week ago..got some shocking news! They are not going to be delivering this baby.Seems as of the end of next month they will no longer be practicing obstetrics. Plus on top of that Dr. Campbell wants me to do another 3 hour glucose test.. Seems my fasting glucose level was high..Well I go back this week and I have not done it yet. I don't want to find out it's not covered since Bryan changed jobs I'm not sure what is going on with the insurance.
I'm a little spastic now, the bigger I get I'm worrying more about what has not been done before little Emilee gets here. I know I need to relax and try and get through these next almost 8 weeks!
KIM

25 weeks!

I gained 7 lbs last month!! Oh, boy..but the good thing is that since I lost all that weight in the first trimester I am really only up by 1 lb!

Emilee's heart beat was nice and strong and she certainly likes to wiggle around down there! LOL The doctor is FINALLY sending me to a specialist about my cyst. I was wondering how long they were going to wait. I should here monday when I go see the perinatologist. Maybe I will get some answers now.

Tomorrow is Easter and you would hardly know it looking outside. It was suppose to snow last night but it didn't. It's cold outside..40..and very cloudy. the only way I know it's spring is my allergies are in full force! Thank goodness for Zyrtec.

21 weeks!

And growing strong! Emilee is going to be my soccer player. She has quite the kick on her already and you can't really feel them putting you hand on my belly.
I went to the doctor yesterday and all is well. I still have no answer to what we are going to do about the cyst..Dr. Cambell was stuck in surgery and Dr. G who I have not seen since Faith was born does not know what is going on..but I did get some medicine for my other problem..thank goodness. I feel great other then the sciatica pain, he suggests going to a chiropractor. I guess I will have to see.
Faith was too funny this morning, I was getting ready to go to work and she came over and kissed my belly. I asked her why did she do that and she told me she was going to miss the baby! How funny is that!
She really loves her baby sister already. I'm wondering how she's going to feel about her when she's here!

Baby's Name

Well we have finally figured out a name for a new bundle of joy.
Her name is Emilee Grace.
She is very lively now, I feel her kicking and squirming every day now. Faith asked me the other day," Is there a way that the baby comes out?"I tried not to laugh at first. I explained that the baby comes out where you go pee pee. She said "oh, is she coming out now?" I told her no, the baby needs to grow more. She said Ok, and went on to play.
She loves her baby sister already.

Baby's Kicks

What a beautiful thing. This baby is very active..I love to sit or lay in bed and feel her move around. The other night she moved my hand off my belly with her kick!
I feel very lucky to get the chance to be pregnant again. Something I thought would never happen because of all the problems I had. Just goes to show that God does answer your prayers. Sometimes not exactly in the time which you would like them, or exactly what you wished for, but He does answer them. He has answered mine not once, but twice..

It's a Girl!!

I guess my instinct was wrong this time. LOL
Everything looks good, from what I could see of her. She was moving around quite a bit!
Now I just have to think of a name...I am thinking of Grace Marie..will have to talk it over with dear hubby!!

My baby's back!!

My camera that is. It took only 1 week. There was something sticky inside the switch.

Here is the picture my friend took of me 18 weeks along..Belly is getting bigger and bigger. I know soon I won't be able to bend over! LOL We find out on Thursday what the sex is. I can't wait. In a way I am hoping for a boy. I catch myself calling the baby him..it's funny I knew all along that Faith was a girl. I hope Im right about this one too.

Emergency!!

I have NO camera for at least 6 WEEKS! My on/off switch went. I tried to turn it on last night with no luck. I have a warranty, which is a good thing considering how much I paid for the thing!
I'm bummed though, we are going to NYC tomorrow and I love to take pictures up there..
Hopefully it wont take that long..

I still need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Morgan. Took me half a day to track him down. He left Unniversity of Penn. He's now at Fox Chase cancer center. I'm saying a little prayer that I have no problem getting in to see him.

Not much else to report. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I love going to the city.
Talk later

Feburary 6, 2007

I had my monthly OB appointment today. All is well. I have to go have blood work tomorrow and schedule an ultrasound. I'm so excited I get to see my little one! I can't wait to find out the sex. I have decided that if it's a boy we will name him after my uncle. Wesley Todd Boken. I told my mom today that I figured out a boy's name. She seemed happy that I am going to name him after her brother.
I also have to schedule an appointment with Dr. Morgan who is my surgeon. I talked it over with the nurse practioner today and she gave me the go ahead to get the ball rolling. I want to know what my options are now, rather then waiting.
I'm feeling great, other then being tired and back pain, I have no other symptoms. I know that wont last but I can relish in it for now.
KIM

I Did It!

I cut my hair!! Short I might add. I love it. Not sure what Bryan is going to think. I came straight from the hair dressers to work.
I felt the baby flutter 2 days ago. Kinda took me off guard, I was not expecting it. I was 20 weeks before I felt Faith, and they were more like hard kicks.
It is freezing outside! It snowed a little tiny bit last night. Enough to cover the ground a make a icy mess! I bought long johns today! If I get cold Im gonna slip them on for sure! Maternity pants are not real warm, not like EMS pants!
Over last week I finished 12 LO's. It's the first time I scrapped for myself in a while. Now I have been doing cross stitch for my mom. It's a blanket she bought a couple of years ago. It's been in my trunk forever, she reminded me about it. I hope to finish it soon.
Gotta go!

A little Game..

My friend Sunny has this posted on her blog and I thought it was a great idea as a scrapbook page and a way to get know Me! You are tagged by someone usually, I'm tagging myself.

A~ Always honest~ My best policy!

B~ Bears~ My favorite Collectible and Animal.

C~ Caring and creative

D~ Daughter

E~ Expressive

F~ Faithful~ To God, my husband, family and friends.

G~ Great Cook!

H~ Helpful to all.

I~ Intelligent

J~ July~ The month I will be welcoming my new baby!

K~ Kimberly~ My full first name.

L~ Laugh~ Something I need to do more often.

M~ Mom~ One of the best jobs I have ever had!

N~ Nice

O~ October~ my favorite month, I love fall!

P~ Purple ~ My favorite Color!

Q~ Quite~ When I want to be!

R~ Redhead

S~ Scrapbooking ~ My favorite hobby and passion!

T~ Twin to my brother Ed.

U~ Utah ~ My new favorite state and farthest west I have ever been!

V~ Venice ~ Someplace I would like to go!

W~ Walt Disney World~ Someplace I have never been to!

X~ Xaviar ~ A boy's name I like.

Y~ Yellow ~ A color that makes me smile.

Z~ Zest for life!

January 19, 2007

Restless Night ~

Which made a perfect time to think and reflect. I don't know if it's pregnancy hormones or what, but I have to admit this. I have not been real nice to my stepdaughter lately. I don't know why. She's 9 and for the most part is a good kid.. We have had our issues..lying, taking snacks without asking, talking back, and especially to her father ~ being disrespectful.
I know she's having issues at home, apparently her Mom and stepdad are not getting along again. Some of the story I believe , but she makes things up and embellishes things so the jury is still out. I keep telling my husband not to believe all the kid says.
I am trying hard to instill in her some kind of values. I am afraid that she will grow up to be this spoiled, self absorbed person. Is this just kid behavior she will outgrow or a product of her enviroment at home? She is spoiled at home and has no real responsibilities at home. When she does not do homework, her Mom will let her do it in the morning before school, She constantly looses or leaves things behind. Am I asking too much of an almost 10 year old??

SO my question is, How do I fix it?? I Love her like she is my own. I'm just afraid that it's not good enough.

It's Official..

Here is what was posted on the Kreative Kropper's MB

Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:41:53 -0700
From: Bobby Lawrence

We had hoped to be able to send a mass email to all Leaving Prints
Instructors to provide a complete update regarding the status of the
company and our latest efforts to save it.

We realize our sparse communication to the field has been frustrating.
By way of explanation, we were generally quiet simply because we were
short handed and it appeared we were on the verge of a new deal which
took our focus, time and energy, and for which we hoped and had good
reason to hope that at any moment we would be able to relay great news.

At this point in order for us to send a mass email we need special
assistance from our software company. They are not real responsive right
now, however, since you and others deserve to know directly from the
source what is going on, we are sending you this email.

Until yesterday, as referenced above, we had strong hopes that we would
yet be able to resurrect the company. Bobby has worked tirelessly to do
so. Unfortunately, it now appears clear such is not possible.

The only thing we can do now is to clarify that indeed, despite our best
efforts, even second and third efforts, Leaving Prints is going out of
business. We are truly sorry things didn't work out differently. We had
such good product, programs and people. We take some solace in having
met and gotten to know you and to know that God's view is bigger and
broader than ours and hopefully good has come of our association.

It was always a pleasure working with you and virtually all Leaving
Prints Instructors. We know you have great personal potential. We wish
you our best.

This email site will soon be taken down. Please accept this as our final
communication out. If you need to contact us, please do so in writing at
PO Box 970939 Orem Utah 84097. Returned packages are not accepted at
this site.

Sincerely,


Bobby @ Leaving Prints

PS-feel free to forward this email to other Leaving Prints Instructors
whom you know personally.

It's about time is all I have to say..Maybe if they DID keep better communication with us, we would not have jumped ship.

Oh Scrappy Day!

I have been a scrapping feign today! I like that I can scrap to my hearts content. I'm trying to get some of Christmas 2005 finished. I finished up a winter LO from 2005 last night. I fell like I'm back in the swing of things. I have not scrapped personal stuff since Simply Cropping in the Summer. That's a long time!
Hope everyone has a scrappy day!

Feeling Sad

I've been all over the internet looking up my Leaving Prints friends..all have gone their separate ways..I talked to a friend I made from leadership. Brenda is her name and she is such a hoot! She is going to CTMH along with her friend Sarita.
I'm sad..we were a family at Leaving Prints. Now, we are torn apart. LP has certainly not gone out with style. I feel that we were mislead and lied to. I know many of us feel this way, especially since we never received final conformation that indeed LP was closing. A picture of the sign on the corporate door saying "out of business". It was taken by a fellow instructor.
The only thing I can do today is move on. I hope to join TLC soon. I am looking forward to the change. The new friends I will make, the bigger and better business model I have to follow..things will only get better for sure.

January 14, 2007

Hey All,

My parents left for their cruise this morning. I hope they enjoy themselves. It's a much needed vacation for them. They have had a bad year. I only hope that 2007 is better for everyone.

I have been on this computer for about a half hour trying to upload a photo of my baby's ultrasound without luck. dang dial up is all I have to say about it. I wish my dad would come out of the dark ages! I'd even pay for it!! LOL

Faith and I had a jammie day today. Last night I had a bout of something. I had such a bad stomach cramps, that today my stomach is sore. I have noticed since being preggo I have been getting everything that comes down the pike. I am happy to report after taking a nap on the couch I am feeling better.

I am patiently waiting for my friend's Sue's website to get back on line so I can sign up with TLC. It's been down for the last few days, she doesn't even know why. I am going to weigh my options and when Bryan and I finally get a place of our own I may have to join my friend Sunny's team at taste of Home Entertaining. It is a new company that sells cookware, culetry , platters and more for the home entertainer. Sounds very interesting if you ask me. I could always do both.
Check out Sunny's site here..http://833063sk.tohe.com/1/default.aspx
Let me know what you think..

KIM

January 11, 2007

I am not use to writing 2007 yet..it's funny when the year changes how often we forget to write the right year!
I am working the Rescue Squad today..not much going on. I am bored,it's not that I dont have things I could be doing..I do, I just dont want to.It's that kind of day. I have been getting these headaches lately that have been zapping me of most of my energy. I dont know if its pregnancy related or it's from my sinuses. I just wish they would stop.
I am excited about the changes coming in my life. For one, the new baby..it's finally sinking in that I am back to baby bottles, more diapers, and getting up in the middle of the night. But I know its worth every minute of it. I am so blessed to be having another child. I have Faith in God that all will work out for the better.
Another change is no more LP..I will hopefully be making the switch to TLC later this month. I jsut need to sell all this stuff I have to make some extra money for my new adventure! Wish me luck!

Happy New year!

I know, Im late..sorry about that.
I went to the baby doctor as faith calls him on thursday 1/4/07. I puked while I was there . Very not like me when I'm pregnant I have you know.. We heard the heart beat and I lost another 5 pounds. She was not concerned. She did give me an antibiotic as I have a sinus infection from the cold and another med for nausea which I am happy to report I did not fill cause I have not had any.
We cam home and I crawled into bed for the rest of the day with diarrhea. I'm back on the mend and feeling better. Gotta love those 24 hour bugs.
I am so happy to report that I will be joining my friends at TLC! They have a great promotion going on for those of us that transfer over. I can't wait to sign up!
Bryan may have a new job at the end of the month. It's great news but im not sure what we are going to do about the health insurance.. A little prayer and some guidance would be much appreciated..
It's now almost 2 am, I need to cuddle with my hubby before he goes off to sleep. We will talk later.