Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Music class

We have been going to Mainly Music the past few weeks. It is a music class for children under 5. They have a great curriculum. It is mostly songs with actions and props. It is great and the parents get to participate as well. Gavin and Griffin both really like it! It is very fun and it keeps their attention which is sometimes hard to do :). Gavin loves to dance with the teacher and interact with the other kids. He is such an outgoing and friendly child. He is full of life and love. Griffin loves to bounce and jump to the beat. He is a very active baby. These two boys definitely keep me busy! I am so thankful that I get to spend this time with them. I am so happy that I am able to be a SAHM to my boys. They are growing up so fast and I do not want to miss a minute of it. Here are some pictures from our class today.

Gavin blowing his feather


Griffin eating his feather :)

Visit to the Fire Station

We went on a visit to our local fire station yesterday afternoon. Gavin had a great time! He loved being able to climb on the trucks and talk to the fire fighters. He had a blast wearing his new fire hat too. The tour was very well organized and the fire crew was very informative and friendly. All of the crew members were very good with the kiddos and they where even generous enough to pose for some photos. Gavin wore his hat and badge to sleep last night. He loved being a fireman. He said firemen are heroes like batman :)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Enjoying the weather

We are enjoying the wonderful weather today! It is beautiful outside and we are soaking it up in our backyard. Gavin is playing hard in his sandbox as usual and Griffin is napping at the moment. I am sitting in a chair watching and playing with Gavin. He has a big imagination these days. He loves to sit and talk with his cars. He builds them houses (more like covers them with sand)but hey he is only 3 :). I get lots of joy out of watching him play. He is the cutest little boy and he has such an outgoing personality. He is a child that can bring a smile to anyone's face. He just melts my heart with his joyful eyes and cute little smile. His whole face lights up when he smiles. He is a very happy child!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Recipe for rainy day fun = duck tape and a diaper box :)

So what do you normally do on a rainy day? Well let me tell you that if you had a 3 year old you might get creative too! He gets pretty rambunctious when he can not go outside and play. He loves to play in our backyard in his sandbox or on his trampoline. Those are not good options when it is wet and nasty outside! Wet sand caked onto his clothes is not something I look forward to. So with that being said we have to get creative and have fun inside on days like today. Our project today was a duck tape and cardboard race car garage with ramps. It was very easy to make and he had lots of fun helping!
We cut the flaps off the box. We later used those for the ramps. We used the left over parts of the box for the 2 garages. One is small with a door cut into one side and the other is taller and has columns for legs. The taller one was kinda unstable so we used some wooden skewers to brace it up. We had to cut the points off of the skewers to ensure that no one would get stabbed! Racing cars is dangerous after all :). We added the ramps on the sides of each garage and then used one flap as a bridge to connect them. Gavin is having a blast playing with it and the best part is that it was FREE! Another great part is that when it gets broken, it is replaceable. It is also a great way to get rid of all those diaper boxes. You really should get it a try sometime!






Sunday, February 15, 2009

Our Anniversary - 6yrs

Today is our 6 year marriage anniversary. We had a great and relaxing day at home. It was nice to just spend the day at home with our family. The weather was also very nice today! We enjoyed watching the boys play outside today. Gavin is getting really good at riding his bike lately. He is growing and learning so much. He loves to learn and use new words. He also has a great memory. Griffin is able to sit up on his own now and he is into everything in his reach. He loves to sit and play with his toys on the floor. He has the cutest little laugh when he gets excited. It is hard to believe that they are growing up so quickly... it seems like Gavin should still be a baby :).
I am very blessed to have such a wonderful and beautiful family. I have the best and most loving husband. He is such a sweetheart and his love for me is so true and deep. I am proud to have him in my life. He is my soul mate and my best friend. He completes me and make me feel whole. I can not say enough how much he means to me. He is my one true love. We were truly made for one another. We are a prefect match. He is also a great father and our boys adore him! It melts my heart to see them playing and laughing together.
Happy 6th Anniversary Greg! I love you always with all that I have. Your Kristi.




Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Here are a few pictures of our valentine's morning. Gavin loved his chocolates and Griffin wanted to eat his card :). We are so blessed to have two beautiful little boys.

Is this for me to eat?


It sure does taste good :)


Still trying to eat it.


Look at my chocolate.


Yummy!


It smells good too!


Another bite.


Man Shrek tastes good too!


Opening his card.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

the park

Here are a few pictures from our trip to the park today. We had a bunch of fun! Gavin found the water as usual and got soaking wet. Griffin liked playing in the dirt and swinging. I can't wait for Griffin to be able to run around and play with Gavin. I know they will have so much fun together. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Griffin playing in the dirt.


Mr. Cool!


Gavin in the water... look mommy it is raining :)


Still in the water.


Gavin on the swing.


I have a stick.


yummy! Dirt is good...


Griifin in his shades :)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

lake bryan

a few snap shots from our trip to lake bryan

daddy and griffin


gavin concentrating on his hot wheel and the dirt


my boys skipping rocks


me and griffin in the sunset

my experience with DVT and PE's

So here is an attempt to recap my experience with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. So the story begins on August 18, 2008. I went to sit down on the couch with my knee first and I had a shooting pain in my upper thigh. I didn't think much of it and went ahead and laid down to see if the pain would go away. After laying there for awhile, the pain did get better. Then once I stood up my leg felt a little strange. I went to use the restroom and noticed that my leg looked darker than my other one in the mirror. This is when I knew something was not right. I asked my hubby to come and look to see what he thought and he two said there was a color difference in my legs. My left leg was noticeably a blue/purple color. So we went off to the ER. We sat and waited forever! Then we finally got in and waited some more to see a Dr. They did a bunch of tests including a MRI of my back and a ultrasound of my left leg. We where in the ER for a total of 6 hours with the Dr's telling us nothing was wrong and it was a pinched nerve in my back that was causing the discoloration in my leg... so the discharged us. I came home and slept for a while and then when I woke up I called my OB/GYN and told him what was happening. He said to immediately get back to the ER. So off we went again. This time my OB had called ahead so they were expecting us and we did not have a long wait. They did another ultrsound of my upper thigh and found a massive clot. We were admitted at that point and started on a heprin drip. We had to wait again for a bed to open up. We talked to several Dr's and none of them really had seen this before. Such a sudden onset of clotting was or is uncommon. So they did numerous blood tests to see if there were any underlying conditions. I was also just 2-1/2 weeks postpardum. The c-section delivery also made me more prone to clotting and less treatable because of bleeding risks. The risks of bleeding increases and being on heprin to treat the clot is more dangerous. So after some discussion we decided to try thrombolitics to break up the clot. The Dr's tried it and they were able to clear some but not all of the clot. The clot in my upper thigh was hardened and they could not break through it. They also place a IVC filter while they where doing the procedure. The IVC filter was placed to late to prevent me from getting two pulmonary embolisms. I was having severe pain in my upper left side, right behind my shoulder blade. Later we found out that it was one of the PE's causing this pain. So at this point needless to say we were very scared and upset. This was hard being in ICU with a newborn and my 3 year old at home. I could not even see them because it ICU is not a safe place for children. My only saving grace was my strong and loving husband by my side. So after a few days I was coughing up blood and they couldn't figure out way or how much. The Dr's still had no answers on the blood work and the Dr's couldn't tell us what to expect and I was still coughing up blood. We finally got to talk with a pulmonary specialist and they discussed us being transferred to a better hospital. We decied that it was a good idea and we were transferred to Memorial Herman in Houston. It was such a blessing to be at a better hospital with more experienced Dr's. Right away we got some needed answers and reassuring thoughts. Everyone was super helpful and kind. We were immediatly feeling better. Meanwhile I am still on the heprin drip and coughing up more blood. So once we got to speak the Dr's they decided to try thrombolitics again but this time with lysis (clot busting medicine). The thrombolitics were sucessful and they were able to break through the entire clot. They even got through the clotin my upper thigh that the other Dr's could not get through. They also placed 3 stents to help hold the vein open. While they were in my vein they found that I have a rare condition know as may thurners syndrome. This was one of the causes of the clotting. When my bloodwork returned they found that I have a condition called factor V leiden. This is a blood disorder that is herititary and causes you to be more prone to clotting. So come to find out I had 3 conditions that made me prone to clots. 1. c-section (abdominal surgery), 2. may thurner's (artery pressing on vein causing it to be narrow) and 3. factor V leiden. Luckily I am only heterozygus for factor V and not homozygus (i only got the gene from one parent and not both). So after getting all this knowledge and the embolisms improved I was sent home on Lovenox injections. I had to stay on the injections until my blood got thereputic on warfarin. It took me about 2 weeks to get there. Now I am on warfarin and wearing a compression stocking on my left leg. At first my leg was pretty swollen and painful but the pain and swelling are much better now! I was having to use a walker and a wheelchair to get around for about a month but now I am able to walk normally agian. The plan is to stay on the thinners for 8 months to a year and wear the compression for 2 years. I am feeling much better now and things are looking good! I am very blessed and thankful to be here with my beautiful family. This was a very eye opening experience for me and it has changed my life in many ways. I definitely appreciate life more now and I count my blessings everyday.Thanks for reading and I will be posting updates as we find out more so check back soon.

my introduction

Hi All! Please bare with me as this is my first attempt at blogging. My goal is to post random things about my families everyday life. I will also include photos and hopefully some of my digital scrapbook layouts! I am a SAHM to my two wonderful boys. I am also a photographer. My husband and I photograph weddings together and we have found it to be lots of fun and a mutual, enjoyable hobby. We love to take pictures and weddings are especially special because people cherish those memories forever. It is awesome to be a part of someones big day and know that you are giving them lifetime memories! It is a very rewarding job. You can see some of our work on our website at www.keepsakefoto.com.
In my sparetime I like to read and relax. That is if and when I have any feetime :). I am also hooked on American Idol. I always like to see what insite Simon has. He keeps the show interesting. I am also a memeber of a local moms groupd and I enjoy being invloved in playgroups and other activies with the mommas! Well I hope to post more very soon. Stay tuned...