Addi to Camp & Emee's Musical

It has been a VERY busy week trying to get Addi ready for camp and Emee having 3 hour musical practices every night. I hope that it is easier to get ready for camp each year after you have that 1st year under your belt! We drove to Oklahoma City Thursday afternoon for Addi to catch the camp bus Friday morning. We went out to dinner Thursday night with David's very good friend and college roommate, David (they also had a 3rd roommate named David!), and his wife. We went to bed fairly early that night as we wanted Addi to start camp well-rested and we had to get up early the next morning. She woke me up around 6 and got in bed with me & patiently waited for the wake-up call at 6:15 -- she was SO EXCITED about camp!! We got up & got ready in record time and got to the bus. She knew people that were going to be on the bus, but didn't have a "best buddy" with her. We were on one side of the bus waiting for it to pull out and apparently she was on the other (we couldn't tell b/c the windows were tinted). Well, some of the other parents from here realized that she was crying - I think that she was kind of scrunched up to the window so others wouldn't see her, but that made it visible on the outside. One of the other parents got her daughter (who will be in 3rd grade - her son was in Addi's class this year) to go sit with her and start talking to her. I guess they thought that we had left...when they realized that we were still there and called us over to that side, she was all right and laughing & talking! Thanks to the others for helping our girly!! I told Dave that I would have been really upset about it all if she hadn't been SO excited that morning. I did shed a little tear as the bus pulled away - 2 weeks is a LONG time and Branson is a LONG ways away, but I know she will have the time of her life. They post camp pictures everyday and I told Dave if I could just catch a glimpse of her smiling in one of the photos, I would feel a LOT better. Well, God answers prayers...this morning I was checking out the pictures and I was on page 13 of 14 and I hadn't seen any of the kids from here...& I have to say I was getting a little teary. When page 13 came up, the 1st picture was of Addi (& not just a glimpse, but of her & a counselor introducing her when they arrived!) - she was just kind of looking at him like "what is he doing?" but she was kind of smiling! I saw 2 other pictures of a boy that I recognized from here, but none of the girls! God helped to relieve my anxiety in a big way!! I am still going to try to figure out how to get the picture on here... {We did it!!!}

Emee had her 1st performance last night and has another tonight. She did GREAT and was so cute - she was a "cheerleader" - Dave got some better "action" shots on the video camera, but I will try to put some up here that I took. Of course, Kendie has been going to all of the practices and knows all of the songs and the choreography. When we told her she has to sit with us & be still she wanted to know why - we told her she wasn't really in it and her response was, "But they NEED me!"

NOT MUCH!!

I was hoping to post pictures today of Addi's cute SHORT hair and of my band-aid-LESS face. Yes, you read that right, I went to church today withOUT the band-aid. However, Emee had a cast party from 2-4 & then rehearsal from 4-7 and we had a "Young Families" get together at church so I haven't been home. Addi is spending the night with my mom, since she FINALLY returned from her travels - she was gone for over 2 weeks. That is a long time for my kids to go without seeing MiMi!! Addi leaves at the end of this week for Kamp Kanakuk and so she wanted to spend the night with her before she left. Mom was supposed to get home today and when I called her last night to tell her that we were at her house bathing (even though I knew she wouldn't care), she said she was on the outskirts of town! The girlies wanted to spend the night last night but I made them wait because she was tired. We were bathing there because our hot water heater/pipes had a leak. The plumber worked today - he went into the foundation (I now have 2 holes in the laundry room floor). It is fixed now except re concreting - I was wanting new tile in there anyway!! :o) We will wait a while (& budget) for that - in the mean time, I keep a laundry "sorter" where the holes are so it won't be too bad!
Better run...wonder if I will make it to the gym in the morning...HHHMMMMM...

Summer...& back to the gym...

Well, today was the 1st day that the girlies were out of school for the summer and believe it or not, they got along pretty well. Of course that is because I threatened them that we wouldn't go swimming if they didn't play nice together! We went to their school to turn in Kendie's paperwork for Kindergarten ( I was in Houston at the Dr. on that set aside day) and Emee said it was "Weird" being there in the summer (1 day?). We then went to WalMart and did quite a bit of shopping (this is where the REAL threat was!!). When we returned, they unloaded the groceries from the car and put them up - I really think Addi did most of this. Imagine my surprise when I found the instant pudding mix (I have to make banana pudding for a funeral meal tomorrow) in the fridge!! We do usually keep pudding in the refrigerator...We did make it to the pool - it was 103 when we passed the bank sign on the way home and I think that the wind was blowing at about that speed too! Today was also the day that I returned to the gym! I didn't go quite as early since I don't have to rush home & get the girlies ready for school. I didn't do near as much as I used to do but since I hadn't been in 10 weeks, I figured I should take it slow! I guess I better go to bed since I have to get up early to get to the gym tomorrow! Nite, Nite, don't let the bedbugs bite!! :o)

9 weeks tomorrow & GREAT Dr. visit!!

So these aren't the best pictures because I am very tired, but I just couldn't wait to get these up -- I wanted to share my new face with the whole world!! I went to the Infectious Disease doctor today and he RELEASED me - no more antibiotics (after 6 weeks of being on them). When Dave packed my face last night, he couldn't get the packing to stay in so I wondered if we were nearing the end. The doctor and nurse confirmed that we were FINISHED packing! YEAH!!!! I still have to wear a band aid, but NO MORE WHITE PATCHES!!! I took the top picture with no bandage- just so everyone could see what the finished product might look like! We went to dinner to celebrate (don't tell Dave but it was just a good excuse not to cook! :o) )!! WHOO-HOO!!!! I told Dave that I think that I am even happier with the results since I had to go through all this...it has been a LONG haul, but I am glad I did it and I think it will be worth it! :o)

Straight hair...

The "Curly Girlies" talked me into straightening their hair -- Emee had been waiting for me to get better (no IV) so I could do her hair -- I had never done it. Get a good look at Addi's beautiful LONG hair because she wants to get it cut off again. I have an appointment for her next Wednesday. She will be donating to Locks of Love again...I'm so proud of her even though I will miss it!! At least it will grow back...sigh... Oh, I forgot to add that one of the teacher's at Emee's schoool thought that there was a new girl in her class because she didn't recognize Emee with straight hair!!

Dr. visit

Hello from Houston!
We got here OK with no major problems except that we were VERY tired. I guess Dave & I got about 3 hours of sleep last night. After the Dr. and pharmacy, we came back to Grandma & Grandad's house and CRASHED (even though the girlies were DYING to go swimming!). I really think that I could have slept until tomorrow morning, but I made myself get up & rejoin the world this afternoon. I went to see Dr. Brissett at noon and got good news. He is very pleased with the healing process -- we've gone from packing about 1.5 inches to 1/8 of an inch. I guess that is a LOT of healing! :o) However, I am destined to wear the white patch for a while (probably a good while) longer. He wants to continue packing it 2-3 times a day (I guess the more we change it, the faster it heals??), but Dave will do that now since it is not anywhere near as deep. He said that we will know when it is time to stop when the packing just lays even with my skin. I asked him about plastic surgery to fix where this scar will be - what he thought the probability would be and he said 100% (but then he said we would just wait & see). He also said that I can start working out again. Cindy is very happy - I think I am, I just don't know about getting up so early again!! :o) He said he would see me in about 3 weeks, but since I have an appointment to see Dr. Byrne in Baltimore in July, he said I could just follow up with him. Of course he said that if I needed him for anything that he was just a phone call away (& would gladly do the repair work if needed). He is a very nice man. The girls are still in the pool (9:30) with Dave - that's another thing - I can't get in the pool - glad the girlies can all swim and I can just watch them from the side! They did get out for a little while to eat, but they will sleep GOOD tonight! We will enjoy the rest of the weekend with family and graduation activities! TTFN!! :o)

Once again...

Once again, I am typing this when I should be doing something else...like packing...clothes, not my face!! We have to be at the airport in the morning at 6:00 so we have to leave here at 5:40. I don't know if I will even go to bed tonight since I have not packed one thing yet and we have Preschool Graduation at 7:00 (Kendie has to be there at 6:30) and then Addi's Dance Recital at 8:30 (she has to be there at 8:00). We will probably get home around 10 and then get Addi to bed. Actually, she will probably help me pack since she is getting old enough to do that and won't have to go to school tomorrow! WOW, I just thought of that -- I may get to sleep a little after all! I got a babysitter to bring Emee & Kendie home from the little graduation so they can get to bed. (OK, I just had to "plunge" the potty - it was about to overflow -- I DON'T have time for this today!!!) Anyway, my appointment is tomorrow in Houston at 12:00. The HHC nurse and I think that it can't be anything BUT good news -- say a little prayer for me, please! I'll try to update tomorrow after I see the Dr. :o)