Noah's Baptism

Noah has been waiting patiently for his dad to get home from deployment so that he could be baptized. And that day finally came today. It was such a nice time with many wonderful friends there to support him. It filled my heart to overflowing!

Etsy

So I'm trying something new. Someone told me about Etsy.com, where you can sell handmade goods. So, I've decided to post some of my "creations" online and see what happens. Check 'em out and tell me what you think. If you like them, spread the word for me, too! You can click on any of the pictures below or go directly to my "shop" here, 4formecrafts.etsy.com
I'll be adding more crafts and blankets soon, so check back again!

Etsy 4forMeCrafts

Allergies and Anomalies

McKaylie has mild asthma. In the summer, seasonal allergies are really bothersome and sometimes trigger an asthma attack. She also has what's called oral allergies, which long story short, means that some fruits and veggies she eats makes her lips and tongue all tingly but it's not actually the food that she's allergic to. She actually has pollen allergies and because they share some of the same molecules as the fruits and veggies the brain is tricked into thinking that it's the pollen and reacts to it. It never advances to more than just tingling, though. (Chad and Vance have them too) There's also a strong family history of allergies (starting with her dad) So, with all that, we know that McKaylie does have some allergies. We just don't know exactly what they are. Our pediatrician suggested that she have allergy testing done to pinpoint them and then they can be avoided, if possible. Which would stop some of the asthma attacks. Sounds good, sure.

So, McKaylie and I went to Portland on Wednesday for her allergy testing--took us 2 1/2 months to get the appointment. We talked to the doctor and he agreed with everything I was already suspecting about her allergies. And then they did the allergy tests on her back and arm. I would guess they tested 30-40 different things. . . . McKaylie was amazing through it all. The nurse told she did better than most teenagers. However, ALL the tests came back negative! I couldn't believe that she didn't test positive to even one thing. The doctor was pretty surprised, too, but he did have an explanation and since it sounded pretty plausible, we're going to go with his assessment.

When most people have an allergy to something, it will show up in their skin, which is why the skin test works. But, there are those few people who definitely have allergies but test negative on the skin test. Basically, if their nose/mouth/throat (all those membranes and things) are exposed to the allergen then they react, but for whatever reason their skin doesn't. So it's centralized to a specific area (the nose and mouth usually) . . . . . and McKaylie is one of those few.

So, that's all fine and dandy to know, but doesn't help us prevent asthma attacks really. I felt bad that McKaylie went through all that not to have any more information than we had to begin with. She took it pretty good, though. She's an amazing little trooper.

After the appointment, I told her that she was special. She was an anomaly. She gave me the strangest look. She thought I'd called her an anemone. (after I finished laughing) I explained to her that an anomaly was someone or something that doesn't follow the common rule. She thought that made a lot more sense than a sea creature. I had to laugh. She went to school the next day showing all her friends the poke marks in her arm and telling them that she was an anomaly. If she gained nothing else from this whole experience, at least she learned a new word!

Proud Mom Moment . . . . . Not!

Tonight I was talking to the kids and I made the statement, "he doesn't have a leg to stand on". Myshel, my oldest, my 18 year old, looked at me with an odd expression and said, "What does that mean? Did he get his legs amputated?" Yes, she's a college student! Ha Ha

Mountain of Snow . . . .

Yes, more pictures of snow. It seems to be the only thing going on around here lately. I'm not sure how much snow we got yet, but it was enough that our snow drifts became mountains. Vance took about 3 feet off the top before we started too. It was hard work!This picture is taken from the street looking at our house. Yikes, that's a lot of snow! I'm hoping we're done with big storms for the winter. . . . . I can dream, right!?

20th Anniversary

I was going to say that Chad and I celebrated our 20th anniversary last month (Dec 28) but since we're not even in the same hemisphere that's not quite true. It was disappointing to say the least that we couldn't be together on that day.
So, I'll say that our 20th anniversary was last month. And to my surprise, Chad sent me flowers. Ahhhhhh! I was great to get them that day and they were beautiful and I was really touched! It really made my day and my bedroom smelled like roses for days after that, which reminded me of him. So, I thought I needed to include them in my blog. (Thank you, Donna, for helping him out!)

Tooo Cold For Me!!!

30 below with the wind chill factor might be normal out west---but not here! Apparently I've become a wimp over the last few years because I was hating that cold snap we got and it only lasted a few days! I sure was missing those block heaters for my vehicles, too! Vance gave me a hard time about how I was bundled up, so he took a picture to send to his dad! So I thought I'd share it. (I wouldn't stay outside long enough for him to take it out there---It was COLD!!)

Dog's Maze

Snow, snow and more snow . . . that seems to be about all we get around here lately! (We're getting more this week--BTW) We're 6 inches over our normal snowfall for this time of year and we've gotten all of it in the last 3 weeks!

The snow gets so deep that the dogs make little paths to get around the yard. So now my backyard looks like a little maze. Vance was nice enough after the last big storm to shovel their maze so they could keep their paths. That's Vance laying in the snow. You can just see Vanilla's ears over the snow--hee hee Pretty soon they'll just be able to walk over the fence and leave the yard!