Arizona Trip December 2012

 

 

So this past weekend my family flew to Arizona to visit our friends that moved back there over the summer.  The trip was to surprise Katie so Kennedy could be there for her birthday party.  Well we flew at night so had to wake her up when we got there.  I have to say that was the funniest surprises, because she was so out of it, all she noticed was that Kennedy had a new school sweatshirt, not that it was actually Kennedy standing in her room!!!!  haha.  But those girls stayed up all night talking and had lots of giggles I am sure(I went to bed)  Saturday was Katie's party so after getting up and getting around we went to the party which was lots of fun.  Kennedy got hurt on the merry go round at the park, but other than that, it was all good(she wasn't the only one that got hurt on that thing and I am still not sure why they even have those in parks anymore). 

 

The one that that didn't change is the two Ca(y)dens and there love of fighting with each other.  OMG those two could not get along if their lives depended it on, it kind of became funny after a while.  We gave them 24 hours, however we were there about 2 hours and they started and didn't stop until they fell asleep Monday night!  Those two will probably be best friends forever, if they can just get past these first years!!! haha. 

 

 

Sunday, we all took two cars about an hour and half away to go site seeing.  That was some really pretty scenery.  We saw elk and deer and even got to hear Amber do her moose call.  I think it went something like this......Moosey, Moosey, Moosey.....btw, there are no moose there just elk, but it was hilarious and we spent most of the afternoon laughing about that along with the meal deer(it's mule deer, but she misunderstood Mark and thought bigger deer eat the meal deer)  The girls had fun doing a photo shoot or at least they thought it was there own personal photo shoot. They had so much fun and it was obvious that they miss each other a ton!!!!

 

 

 

 

 



We also had a picnic and even though it was cold, it was even fun.  The kids got to just walk around in the woods and Colten got to show off his ninja skills trying to sneak up on people and Amber and I just sat and watched him and laughed so hard.....Bless his heart, he really thought he was blending in!.

 

 



After all that we headed back to their house and went to eat some Mexican food that was really good.

Woke up Monday morning and got to enjoy a yummy breakfast cooked by Randy's dad.   He didn't like the way it turned out but the rest of us enjoyed it.  Oh and they also brought me some of my favorite chocolates!!!!!!  Not sure which I liked best...haha.  After that we went to a gold mine ghost town(turned tourist attraction) and had some ice cream and looked through the shops.  Cayden of course knew all about the ghost town and he loved telling me what everything was for.  He really liked that they had an old jail there and had to have his picture taken in front of it.

 

 

After we left there we went back home to enjoy another meal cooked by Randall which again he wasn't happy with, but it was eaten and we all liked it.  Amber picked up some cookies and decorating stuff for the kids to do one last thing together before our overnight trip back home to Texas.



Then it came time to say goodbye...well at least to Katie, everyone else in my family and theirs had fallen asleep.  That was really sad, because I miss her being at my house all the time and Kennedy really misses getting to have her here or her being there.  So that goodbye was a tough one.  One thing I know is that God put that family in our lives to be bonded forever so even though there are 1,000 miles between us, we have to enjoy what time we do get to spend together, and over this weekend we did just that!  I was going to try and put one of them in my luggage and bring them back, but then you are faced with which one do you choose????  haha.  Well I am done rambling and getting very tired, so I need to get in bed because it is back to work and school tomorrow! 

Thanksgiving

In this month of Thanksgiving, I decided to blog about the things I am most thankful for.  First and foremost, I am thankful for my God who provides me the blessings! 

Family:  I am so blessed with an awesome family who while like most can be frustrating at times, I wouldn't trade them for the world!  I don't tell them enough how grateful I am to have them.  So glad to have a husband who isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to provide for his family even if it means sacrificing something else.  My daughter Kennedy who has my quick whit about her and her father's love of the outdoors!  Yeah, pretty sure if for some reason Mark and I were to split up she would prefer to live with him, at least until she is a teenager.  Haha.  Then there is sweet Cayden.  Yeah, I don't say that enough, and I can't imagine our lives without him in it. 

I am also thankful for my extended family and the things, good and bad, I have learned from them, because it has made me the person and the mom I am today.

Next are my in laws, I am so blessed to have them, not everyone gets the chance to have in laws that they can get along with and treat them as if they are blood kin, but I got lucky!  As well as the rest of my husband's family.

Job:  While just like every job, it isn't always sunshine and rainbows, but I am thankful for it and even on the bad days I am still grateful for it.  And glad that on those days, I try and always keep it separate from my home life. 

Church:  So much I can say about my church and my church family.  I won't name the ones I am appreciative of because I know I will leave someone off.  But grateful for having an awesome Pastor, and those that spend so much time making sure my kids learn about Jesus.  I don't say thanks enough for that.

Friends:  Again, so many to name, but wouldn't want to leave anyone off.  I have many friends, but a few closer than others, and I could never tell them HOW much they mean to me and my family.  There are few people that come into lives that we know right away they friends for life.  I have been blessed with a few of those in my life time and so many things I would have done differently had I known our time would have been short, whether due to death, disconnection, or just they moved away(you know who you are...haha.)  But I wouldn't trade them for the world.  Like tonight I got a text while I was in a grocery store asking me to join two ladies for breakfast, unfortunately Cayden has an early morning soccer game and Kennedy has a tournament(all on opening weekend, so Mark is gone), so I had to say no, but she has no idea how that made me smile that she asked, just out of the blue......Thanks!

There are so many more things to be thankful for, but I think this is long enough! 
Kim :)

Earlier this year, I received papers from school for Kennedy to be a Cougar Pal, which is basically a class ambassador for new kids to show them around.  Kennedy being chosen for this was not a surprise to me because that is something in her nature.  However, a couple of days later, CAYDEN got the same paper.  I remember telling Mark, wow must have been slim pickens in Cayden's class because I am not sure he was the best choice.  So yes, sometimes I have very little faith in Cayden, but who can blame me sometimes.  So this past weekend Kennedy was participating in Faith in Action at our church and their project was to do a backyard bible type thing at two apartment complexes.  Well Cayden and I tagged along, because she had to leave early for softball.  We get there and they have bounce houses, popcorn, games, etc.  Cayden is running around playing and few kids from the apartments start to come out.  Cayden runs over and tells me there is a little boy from his class there, so I said, 'Good you should go play with him'  What I didn't know is that the little boy he was talking about was a little boy in his class that has Autism, so as I was talking to his mom we started talking about their class and stuff.  They let the air out of the bounce houses while the LITs were doing a craft and bible study, but the little boy was a little upset because he just wanted to jump.  After she finally talked him into sitting down and got him some popcorn and lemonade he seemed to be ok.  He sat down by Cayden and Cayden was talking to him and all of a sudden I see Cayden put his arm on his friend's back and ask him if he's ok.  That was the sweetest thing, and a side I never see from him.  He isn't usually my compassionate kid, that would be Kennedy, but apparently he has a side I don't get to see.  I wish I would have had a picture of it to post here, but I couldn't get my phone out fast enough. 

What am I gonna do with that kid????

So for the last couple of weeks Cayden has been telling us that he keeps coming to the wrong family after school and it is so bad that one night he was actually crying because he went home with the wrong family and his family was probably missing him.  So every day when I get him from school, first thing out of his mouth when we are driving off is 'Yep, they put me in the wrong car again!!!!'  Geez, I thought he had a good life here.  So anyways, on Monday, one of the teachers was putting him in the car, and while he has never said anything to anyone but us, he looks at her and asks, 'Why do y'all keep putting me in the wrong car everyday?'  I about died.  Thank goodness she knew he belonged to me, but it made me think, what if she didn't.  We are supposed to go to Arizona in December to see our friends, and in carline, I got a little scared thinking, what if he pulls that at the airport?????  We could have issues!!!!  So friends please answer your phones in case I am hauled away for taking some random kid with me.  Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn't take more kids then I have too, but the TSA may not be aware of that!!!  Haha.  Just not sure what I am going to do with him! 

Amazing Weekend

I had one of the best weekends I have had in a really long time!  Most favorite was spending it with one of my best friends doing something just for us. Sure I missed my kids and husband, but sometimes you just need me time.  Me and Kennedy picked up my friend Amber from the airport early Friday morning, came home and took a little nap.  When we got up, we got ready and went to eat at one of my favorite places, Babe's Chicken Dinner House.  Amber had never been and I am always looking for a reason to go.  After that, we went and got our nails done.  Now that is where our US time started.  We drove to Dallas to attend the Women of Faith which I have never got to spend with someone I am so close to, so that was a treat for me.  After the Friday night conference we went back to the hotel, talked, ate, watched a movie(that by the way was bizarre, but good), but most of all, we just got to hang out with no kids, no husbands, no distractions!  Oh almost forgot, we had the most memorable ride home, I couldn't do it justice by describing it, but the ladies in the car with us know what I am talking about!  Ha ha.  Saturday, we get up, get ready and head back to the conference.  Little did I know that one of the speakers that day would be speaking directly to me and part of her story was almost exactly like mine.  While all of the speakers were amazing and their faith in God took them through so many struggles, Angie Smith's story was the one I related to the most.  4 yrs ago she got news during her pregnancy that her unborn daughter would probably not make it because she had a list of issues that the doctors could do nothing about.  They suggested that she get an abortion, but she chose not to and continue on with the pregnancy even though she knew her baby would not(unless it was God's will) survive.  She already had 3 daughters and along with her husband decided to make the best of the pregnancy.  The baby girl only survived a couple of hours after being born.  If you get a chance to read her story, I would highly recommend it.  I was planning on writing this post about my friend and I, but after hearing that story, I thought it better to post about my story.

Now here is my story, in 2003, I gave birth to my daughter Kennedy, she was an awesome baby and now is a 9 year daughter that I am so proud of!  After having Kennedy, my doctor found some pre cancerous cells on my cervix that needed to be removed.  After performing the procedure he said if I was to get pregnant again one thing he would continually watch is thinning of my cervix that could cause premature labor.  So in 2005, we were so excited to find out once again we were expecting.  And just like he said my doctor checked my cervix.  At 20 weeks we went in to find out what the sex of the baby was.  And we found out it was another girl and again my cervix was fine.  Then 2 weeks later on April 26, 2005 I woke up for work and felt a ton of pressure, I wasn't in pain, there was just something that didn't feel right.  I called the doctor an mine wasn't on call, but his associate that was said what I was describing sounded normal, but he suggested I go in when the office opened to let my doctor check it out.  So I waited the 4 hours and went in.  I still was in no pain, but when the nurse came in I told her that there was something that just didn't seem right.  Then the doctor came in and listened to the baby and said her heartbeat was strong and he didn't think anything was wrong, but he would go ahead and check my cervix while I was there, that's when the day went downhill quickly....... As soon as he looked up, I knew by the look on his face he was about to say something I didn't want to hear.  He said I was in labor and he was calling the ambulance to come get me because he couldn't let me drive myself.  Then he did something amazing, he sat in the room and prayed with me until the paramedics got there.  I started trying to call Mark and he wasn't answering so several people started hunting him down.  I got to the hospital, scared and still couldn't find Mark.  They immediately started trying to stop the contractions, but that didn't work, so she was coming ready or not.  He didn't have hopes that she would survive because she was so small and her lungs were not developed but he still had a NICU doctor come in just in case there was a chance.  Somehow and it is still unbelievable to me, but Mark walked in right before she was born and while I don't know how it happened, I thank God for that.  They were not able to save her and that was one of the hardest times of my life.  The nurses there were so amazing, as was the funeral director, and many other people.  I think about Lexi all the time and wonder what she would look like or what her personality would be like, etc. 

Now back to the conference, during Angie's story, she asked all the moms to stand who had experienced the loss of a child and at that moment, I found myself not as sad for me, but more for all those other moms who had experienced the loss of a child, because you see I know some of those moms lost children that actually lived passed birth, children they shared experience and memories with, and that loss I couldn't even imagine, or moms that suffered loss during or right after pregnancy and weren't able to have more, again a loss I can't imagine.  I had Kennedy and she was what helped me so much.  Even though I had this huge empty pit in my stomach and my arms were empty and that was hard to go through I had her smiling face and that was such a blessing. 

Almost exactly one year later, we found ourselves back at the doctor's office expecting again.  I was so scared, but so thankful for another chance.  This time, my I was at the office every two weeks, had my cervix sewn together, then from week 20-36 a nurse came to my house to give me a shot and monitor my baby each week.  We found out we were having a boy, and while we really didn't care one way or the other Mark was excited to be having a boy(not sure how he would have made it in a house full of girls).  When Cayden was born, I found myself excited, but also felt guilty that I was so happy to have him.  The rest they say is history and while I miss Lexi a ton, I CAN NOT imagine my life without Cayden, there is never a dull moment with him and sometimes I think that is because God is telling me to not be sad for the loss, but happy knowing He never left my side! 

Remember 9/11

So just like everyone else, today has been a day where I remember once again what I was doing on 9/11/01.  I was sitting at my desk at work when a friend called me and he asked if I had heard about a plane hitting the World Trade Center in New York.  I hadn't heard so I pulled up CNN on my computer and saw something I didn't think could look any worse.  But of course we know after the one plane hit, it did get worse.  A second plane.......The visual of that is still devestating to even think about!  So then because in my mind, this had to be an odd coincidence, I heard about the plane that hit the pentagon, then a forth plane landed in a field in Pennsylvania.  Wow, the thought hits, THIS IS NO ACCIDENT!!!  My heart just sank.  Then seeing all those people rushing out of the World Trade Center, and yet HEROS rushing in, still amazes me that there are people who give their all for others. 

That night there was an overload of prayers!!!!  The country was so close together and patriotism was everywhere.  I never noticed how many planes you hear in the sky until silence.....no planes flying.  First time I think it hit that this is really happening, here in America.  Doesn't this only happen in other countries???? I thought that so many times.  I was so far away, but prayed for all those people affected and all the first responders who didn't hesitate to go help others, and ended up losing their lives.  So sad to think of the people on the floors above texting and calling loved ones to let them know they were okay, when they had no idea that the buildings were about to collapse with them still in it.  Who would have thought the heat would be so intense.  All of the images surrounding the attacks are still hard to look at to this day.  One night on Secret Millionaire they sent a young guy to New York and one of the places he visited was a center for firemen to come visit with other firemen, seek counseling, and just be around some of their own.  One firemen said the hardest thing about thinking about that day was the fact they had to leave some of their brothers behind which is something they are taught never to do, and you could see in his face that he was still haunted by that.  One thing I thought about when I saw that was that yeah he did leave their bodies behind, but they brought them out of there in their hearts. 

So much has changed since then, one thing I wished hadn't was the compassion people had for each other.  Where did that go?  

My friend said it best on her facebook today and this is so true, she said:(I hope if she reads this she doesn't mind that I borrowed it)
Do you know that the attack made on us eleven years ago made me love my country even more than I ever did? That it strengthened my resolve even more to stand up for what I believe in? To do whatever it takes to protect and preserve those truths upon which this country was built? That it caused me to draw even nearer to a good and sovereign God, lifting my country and its leaders in prayer daily?

I loved my country before this happened, but love it even more now!!!!!

God Bless and Prayers to the lives lost on this day 11 years ago and all those they left behind!!!

Great Weekend

So this weekend started the season for Softball and Soccer.  Kennedy and her team had a good game winning 14-3.  I hope they continue to stay on the winning side of things, although they are pretty good about not getting down when they lose.  I know her coach prefers the win, but it's nice to know that they don't take it to heart when they lose!  In the end it is all just a game after all.  Cayden started soccer, which was a beating for me.  He said he wanted to play soccer until it comes time to actually play and now he doesn't.  This will be the last season of sports for him!  After the games we just relaxed and didn't do much.  Then today was church, a nap, and Mark cooked out on the grill.  I love those kind of Sundays! 

The one thing missing is our friends in Arizona.  We sent them a box this past week(well for two of them) and I got a picture of Caden in his pajamas we sent him that Cayden grew out of.  His face was so cute.  And to hear he called Cayden Nash his best friend made my heart smile.  As much as they didn't like each other here I think the miles between them makes the difference!  They will probably have  a love/hate relationship for a long time.  But will probably be lifelong friends anyway!

As I get the kids ready for bed tonight, Cayden comes in and talks about he won't be here tomorrow because he is going to a battle with his Pokemon cards.  Yeah just out of the blue.  I look at Mark and said 'I really wonder if his mind ever rest?'  He just amazes me with some of the things he says that really make no sense to anyone but him.  Then after he was supposed to be in bed I go in his room and his lamp is on and he is sitting in the floor so I tell him to turn off the light and get in bed.  His response 'No, that's okay, I am staying up!'  Really it wasn't a suggestion!  Even as I am typing here is again telling me about his battle tomorrow.   Wonder what that kid will be when he grows up??????  Should be interesting.

Cayden

This blog will probably contain many posts about Cayden, because there is never a dull moment with that kid.  Cayden's two favorite things in life at this point are pajamas and blankets.  If we have no where to go, he will be in pajamas and he loves to be covered up with a blanket. It's so bad that I have to make him 'check out' one blanket at a time.  He isn't allowed to get another one unless he brings me the one he has been using.  So today he was walking around the house with his blanket wrapped around him and he goes by the dirty clothes basket and my bra gets caught on his blanket.  I didn't notice it and I hear him laughing in the living room.  He then comes around the corner holding my bra and goes, 'Sorry mom here's your fake boobies, they got caught on my blanket!'  Oh that kid, and my fear is that he will go to school and say that, I just hope if he does they tell me so I can explain...haha. 

 

Cayden has a mind that I don't think ever quits, which means you never know what you will get from him.  He is our source of entertainment.  Some of his other favorites are dinosaurs, power rangers, spongebob, and his PawPaw.  He gets real angry if you say anything ugly about his PawPaw.  However, it is okay for him to be mean to him.  When Cayden was just three, my father in law, taught Cayden how to lock up his shed, that lesson would come back to bite him in the bottom.  You see one day they were in the shed and Cayden looks at him and says, 'PawPaw I am going to lock you in here' and he quickly shut the door and locked it before he could stop him.  Not only did he lock him in, but he ran in the house and didn't say a word to his grandma.  So Junior is in the shed trying to get her attention by throwing things at the back door out the window and she is walking by the door thinking the wind is blowing stuff around.  Eventually he has to crawl out the window and what does he find when he gets in the house?????  Cayden sitting in the AC watching cartoons.  Needless to say, next time we went over there, the lock was moved to the top of the door.......Yep he loves his Paw Paw!!!!

Kennedy

So my next post is about Kennedy.  God did not put me on the earth to be my child's best friend, however if I was a 9 yr old girl, I would hope He would give me a friend like Kennedy. She can be a little bossy, and know everything, but when she thinks of someone as her friend, she is extremely loyal and has a huge heart.  She loves the game of softball and her team Orange Crush.  She has played on that team since she was in Kindergarten and they have become a big part of our lives. 

 

 

AMBER STOP READING HERE!!!!(IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ ON, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!!!!)

 

Now more about friendship......About a year ago Kennedy met what will probably be her best friend forever, Katie.  I can't even describe the bond those girls have, it makes my heart smile to see Kennedy smiles when she talks about Katie.  They were in the same class in 3rd grade, and through the girls our families also became close.  Katie spent a lot of time with us over the past year and she is now more like family to me then just Kennedy's friend.  However, over this past summer Katie's family decided to move back to Arizona where they are from and this has been really hard on Kennedy, and quite honestly our whole family.  We miss them tons!!!!  I can't wait until we can go see them, but it will not come soon enough.  I think the only one this hasn't been an adjustment for is Cayden, because you see Katie has a little brother also named Caden and the Ca(y)den's do not get along!  They have a hate/hate friendship!!!!!  If you know them together, you will understand what I mean.  But Cayden is excited to go see them because he will actually get to fly in a plane when we go.

 

Well I am tired so that is it for now........

 

 



Our Family

We live in the city my husband grew up in and I have the most amazing in laws.  They love their grandkids and are part of everything they do.  My kids have two uncles, they both live about 4 hours away, one north of us and one south of us.  Kennedy and Cayden adore their uncles.  They also have two cousins, Kyle and Collin.   Kennedy has always thought Kyle hung the moon every since she was old enough to talk, she thinks he's the greatest.  Collin was just born and we haven't got to meet him yet, but she can't wait to.  Cayden honestly doesn't care if he sees anyone or not, but as you read you will learn that.  haha.  Their other grandma doesn't live too far and they see her as much as they can.  And my husband's grandmother(95) also lives not far from us.  Below is my husband, his parents, grandmother, and two brothers.

Now there is two people that are absolutely Cayden's favorite people and that is my Aunt Dot and Uncle Fred.  They live about 2 hours from us and Cayden would go there everyday if he could.  And they love my kids just as much as my kids love them and we are so grateful to have them in our lives.  I have two cousins that also live by my aunt and uncle and we love spending time with them even though it isn't often enough!

We have a few other family and friends that you will probably hear about at some point.  There are too many to name here.

Introduction

My name is Kim and I am a wife and mom.  I have two kids, Kennedy(9) and Cayden(6), and they are what keeps me on my toes!  This blog is mainly to keep up with the crazy things that go on everyday in my house.  Most of them involve Cayden in some form.    A little about us....I am a working mom as well as involved in my kids school and Church.  Kennedy plays softball and is very social.   She also sings in the choir at church and is very much a people pleaser.  Cayden is a whole other story.......I have never met a kid that can be so entertaining and he amazes me with some of the things he says.  I am not sure if he gets that from my family or my husbands, but somedays, it is crazy....  Enjoy!!!!