Memories

Some of my favorite pictures are of my kids dunking cookies with their Daddy. Jason and Ella were sharing a glass of milk and some oreos. Precious! Mmmmm....Mmmmm

Father/Daughter Dance

This is different from the banquet. The Girl Scouts host a themed dance every year. Last year was a 50's theme and this year was western. Jason looked sharp in his sports coat and cowboy hat and Kelsey was adorable in her costumed cowgirl outfit. We used her Hannah Montana boots to accompany the dress.

Mother/Son Banquet

Okay, this was one of those busy weekends. Friday night was the Father/Daughter Banquet. Saturday morning Jason had to work while Cole had the Pinewood Derby races, and Saturday night was my date with Cole. We had the same dinner and entertainment as Jason and Kelsey and had a wonderful time. Next year will be Cole's last year to attend. It's a little sad to see him growing up so quickly. Cole's good friend from church and his mom is also a good friend of mine. Joshua and Susan.

Pinewood Derby

The day after the father/daughter banquet, Cole had his Pinewood Derby race. Jason had to work that morning, so the girls and I went and watched for a little while.

Cole received two awards. One for judges favorite and one for being first place in his den races.

Cole with his trophy, award pin and winning car, Yoda. Yes, he made himself with only a little help from his dad.

Father/Daughter Banquet

Every year in January, our church hosts a Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Banquet for 1st-6th grades. This was Kelsey's first year to attend and she and her Daddy had a great time.

This is one of Kelsey's many friends from church, Hannah.
She was tuckered out by the end of the night. They had dinner and were entertained by a magician. They didn't get home until 9pm. She was so tired.

Awards Ceremony

The pack held their annual awards ceremony where the Webelos II were awarded their Arrow of Light plaques and advancement to boyscouts. Cole decided not to bridge over and will take a break from scouts for now. He's not sure if he'll rejoin in the future, but he had fun while it lasted. So proud of all of his accomplishments. This is Cole and his best bud Brandon. Brandon is also the son of our den leader.

Delicious!!!

The kids had been bugging me for quite awhile to make cupcakes, so I finally indulged them. Ella loved them most of all, I think.

Arrow of Light

Cole has been a cub scout since the 1st grade. The past two years he was a Webelos. This January he received his Arrow of Light award for all he's accomplished in scouts over the past few years. The award is something he's earned, but also something he had to make. Jason took the plaque and had it engraved and here are pictures of Cole and Jason making the arrow to go on the plaque.

Fun Science

Back in January, we took the kids to The McWane Science Center in downtown Birmingham as a reward for their good grades. Usually, we take them out to their restaurant of choice for good report cards, but the science center seems to becoming a tradition for January rewards. They were doing a show on combustion and Cole was picked to be the safety guy (i.e. kid with the water sprayer). It was a lot of fun. However, word to the wise, if ever in the small contained space with combustibles, don't choose to sit on the front row. Ella was terrified and we could feel the heat from the flames of many of the experiments. It was rather entertaining and Cole was very glad his services weren't needed for anything.

God is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO Good!

I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia in May 2009. What is that, you ask? Well, it's an autoimmune blood disorder which inhibits the absorption of vitamin B-12 from food and vitamin intake. I was thrilled at the time for finally getting a diagnosis which I had, for years, tried to attain from different doctors. Many doctors would simply tell me that nothing was wrong with me and that my severe fatigue and lack of energy was due to being the mother of three young children. Pft!! I had many friends with multiple children who didn't feel like I did and I knew something was wrong. I just couldn't get doctors to listen to me. Among my complaints were inability to sleep for long periods at a time, extreme exhaustion, no energy most of the time, numbness and tingling in my extremities, dizziness and lightheadedness, low blood pressure, fainting, weight gain, and my list could go on and on.

It wasn't until last January that I started noticing cognitive difficulties. My memory started failing me on a much higher level than just placenta brain caused by my pregnancies. It was time to move on and find someone that would listen to me. I went to a new doctor who was fresh out of medical school. She wanted to put me on sleep aids and antidepressants, but I protested and she decided to run blood work and an extensive vitamin B series. We found out in a few days from that appointment that I had a severe B-12 deficiency. My concerns were finally addressed and from there I began monthly B-12 shots. I went back to see her for follow-up blood work in May. When I told her that I was still experiencing some of my symptoms 2 weeks after my shots, she decided to run another blood test that would hopefully give us further information. Well, it did. The blood test confirmed a lack of intrinsic factor in my stomach which allows B-12 to be absorbed, thus the diagnosis of pernicious anemia. I was so happy to finally have a diagnosis with an easy fix. No, it cannot be cured and yes, I do have to take B-12 shots monthly for the rest of my life, but I am happy to live with that diagnosis if it means I will have a full and normal life.

However, after further digging on my part about this uncommon blood disorder, I discovered that I was higher risk for gastric cancer. I saw a gastroenterologist for a consult about this in October who recommended I undergo an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy about every 5-7 years.

I had my first endoscopy and colonoscopy January 25th. The doctor took multiple biopsies from my stomach lining, as well as found a precancerous colon polyp. My stomach lining was inflamed but was to be expected. With the colon findings, I now have to have screenings every 3 years. You'd think this would bother me, but I have to say that had I not been diagnosed with the anemia, I would still have that polyp growing until it was eventually cancer and by the time it would have been found it may have been too late. So, I'm praising my Lord and Savior for all of His wonderful blessings and timing in everything. I see my illness as a blessing in disguise. Now I will have early screenings and detection and because of this, so will my children when they are young adults. God is so good!!!