Amy Rose is so Creative

This is the most wonderful photo. I may just have to do something similar with some "reindeer food" (oats mixed with glitter and spread on the lawn) this Christmas. I LOVE Amy-Rose. I love her talent, her creative eye, and her wonderful, warm, personality and charm. She's the first photographer I ever followed. To this day, Rob calls her "the crush". I do get giddy when she posts..... tee hee.

So, go check her photo out. Mine won't be nearly this fantastic and she did it first. But I love it so much, I want one of my own. :) Of course,.... with a Suzy....

Crowe's Nest Farm

We went to Crowe's Nest Farm last week with Carolyn and her Boys. My heart is absolutely warmed by the friendship that is developing between these kids. While "camping", Suzy decided she wanted to get married. So, she took Ben and Will to Ladies World and married them, - both. She still talks about being married. Yesterday, she informed me that she wouldn't be living in our house much longer because now she's married to Ben and Will and soon she would be pregnant and have her own babies. Wanting 10 children, I guess it was a good move to marry both of them. She cracks me up.
Andy tries his best to be part of their little group. Can you hear it? "Guys, Hey Guys! Wait Up!"
I don't post much about her. But I LOVE Carolyn. Her love for these boys shines through her on a daily basis. We share troubles and triumphs and understand each others feelings and desires for our kiddos like few others can grasp.
She is so good with Suzy. Suzy adores her.
I have a similar photo of Suzy from Crowes Nest two years ago with the same little turtle.
"The Mommy Tree" Suzy loved this display in the Fairie Woods. She even sang a song about the mommy tree.
Andy liked the Doodle Doos (Roosters).
But not the actual Doodling at such close range.

The butterfly house is always a hit.

They have so many flowers that are in bloom and beautiful.
Suzy photos have hit a challenging stage again.

"Suzy!!!..... PLEASE just open your eyes!!!!!"
She tries. Bless her little heart, she really tries. Spicy little thing.....

Fun at Our House

Andy has been helping me experiment with gluten free flours. I have such great helpers. Although, the clean up is a bit more messy. ;)
Grammy and Pawpop loaned us their fire pit and we had a really fun time roasting smores and "camping" during this beautiful fall weather.

I love this photo. He's such a sweet LITTLE boy.

I love this. Rob and I were both "shushed" by a four year old this week.
Suzy and I actually spent the night outside on a Saturday night. She LOVED it. It honestly wasn't that bad. It's the best way to camp with a toddler, in your own back yard with bathrooms, kitchen, and beds for Daddy and Brother very close by.
Suzy loves this little doggy purse. We have a story about some mice and a muff and she is constantly storing little trinkets and wanting to share them with people.

We used mini marshmallows, gluten free graham crackers, and Nestle chips. It was a bit disappointing, but still fun.
For bible study, Carolyn left her real graham crackers and we bought actual full size marshmallows. I have so few photos of our small group. It was fun to read out by the fire. We got a good chuckle that there were more iPads and iPhones than paper bibles.

Kids tests

Quick update before we get super busy....

The kid's tests came back today and they both tested negative for Celiac's. Praise God. :)

Photo overload... coming soon!

Health Update

Only two and a half more weeks left of the P90X! Woohoo! Rob has lost over 30 pounds and I'm at 136. Only one pound from my big goal... Yeah US! Since I'm so close and have pretty much plateaued, Rob allowed me to cash in part of my prize last week. Instead of a cruise or new camera equipment, I decided to purchase something that will help my health and possibly others. After the experience with my little guy, I decided to certify our home and possibly take on a few more OT cases. I'm not sure what will come of it, but I will now have another tool that I can use to hopefully help kids who struggle with detoxing. Kids including my own and myself. :)

I tried an Infrared Sauna at my friend, Michelle's, and was sold after it made my joints feel so fantastic. I went with a smaller version, so I'm still trying to talk Rob into letting me spend the rest of my "cruise" money on something photography related. I'm guessing it will take another pound at least before he takes me serious. Ha!

Welcome to my favorite new little retreat. Better than a short lived cruise, no?
The big truck that delivered it was a big hit with Andy.
Some assembly required. My friend, Carolyn, came and helped me and we had it up and running in just a few hours.
Andy loves the colored chrome lights on the ceiling. I love the Kenmore stereo system.
Suzy likes to sit in here and listen to her listening program with me.
OK, so this is gross... but it shows the nasty gunk that sweats out of me. Michelle says it is likely mold or other toxins. EEEEWWWW! (And yes, sometimes I surf the web on my ipad in the spa).
Here is some very personal health information, feel free to move on if you are feeling great and don't care to learn more about autoimmune stuff....


I debated posting this, but I'm hopeful it may help at least one person, which would make it worth while for me. I have struggled with hormones and Lupus since my early twenties. Chronic pain and fatigue are not strangers to me. About a year ago, my progesterone cream stopped working and I felt like I was just starving constantly. It made weight loss a real challenge. I was great about the exercise part, but the diet was nearly impossible. I knew it was a chemical imbalance. When my hormones were great, I could resist over eating. When they were off, I wanted to eat an entire bag of animal crackers or loaf of bread. I went to a hormone specialist and she said I needed more willpower and Prozac. I was not a fan of this woman. So, I discussed things with my sweet family doc and she said Prozac may actually be a good idea because it is known to curb hunger and help me sleep better. It has an ingredient that is commonly prescribed to women in menopause. I HATE that I am on Prozac. Of all things, depression was the one medical condition I didn't think I had. My doc assured me it wasn't for depression, but I have to admit I was heading into depression with the hopelessness that I felt with my hormones and sleeplessness. Well, for about three months, my little Prozac secret was a dream. I was sleeping better, eating less, and well... you can see from the pictures my health was looking much better. Then, all of the sudden, it seemed to quit working. My first stop was a homeopathic guy to see if I could get my hormones tested and get off the Prozac to find out what is really going on. Like my sister, Dr. Laura, says, I feel like I'm putting a band aid on a huge open wound. I needed to get to the root of it. He gave me tons of supplements and suggested I had a gluten intolerance. Great. My favorite foods are breads and cereals. I took the supplements to my doc and she decided to run a few more tests after taking a little more history and asking more questions.

So, I now have a new diagnosis... Celiac Disease. Fun stuff. It basically means that the gluten found in wheat and many grains are causing damage to my intestines and causing malabsorption. Which is weird, because my "digestion" is not a symptom. However, I do feel like I'm constantly seeking some nutrient that I'm not getting, even though my diet has been very balanced the last few months. This would explain it a bit. So, we have run some more tests and I'm hopeful we will find out what I am deficient in so that I can start to replenish what I really need. Celiac also means that I can no longer have gluten... for the rest of my life. Bummer. However, as many people have been so sweet to help educate me, there are many options out there and it really isn't that big of a sacrifice. So, I may be a bit more of a pain if I go out to eat with people, and you may see me toting my own food to your party. But it really shouldn't be a huge deal.

Since it is hereditary, we had the kids tested yesterday. True to their personalities, Andy didn't seem bothered by the blood draw at all. I gave him a lollipop and he pretty much glanced at the needle and resumed his licking. He was most upset by the coban bandage they wrapped around his arm when finished. I believe the people in the waiting room were aware that Suzy was not a fan of being stuck. She is still talking about it today.

In an effort to make this post uplifting, I will confess my coping skill from the day I found out I would have a limited diet. Granted, I am very grateful that I have been cutting back on carbs for several years now. My gestational diabetes was a good crash course and my diet has been much better since starting the P90X this summer. But, still, I was sad to hear I would have to eliminate some of my favorite foods.

I'm not really a tub of ice cream eater. Instead, I like sweets and carbs. In an effort to stay somewhat on my diet and prove to myself that I can still be completely glutenous without gluten, I ate entire bags of Pirate Booty, dried mango, and mini M&Ms. Hmmmm... maybe that's why that last little pound it sticking around...... ;) I'm better now. I have a better perspective. I am thankful for the health that I do have and the fabulous support I have of my family. I had to take a photo to remind myself that eating this much junk was indeed, a bad idea. Still, it's nice to know that three of my favorite things are still on the approved list. I just need to eat them in better moderation. ;)

More Fall Fun

Here are some photos I took at the Y a few weeks ago. I wasn't crazy about them, so we went back to take more. Still, I do want to remember some of the sweet moments.



Daddy being the M&M dealer.


Andy is very into counting lately. And saying, "Stop it!" He is very two. He does still love to cuddle and have me sing Lullabye and Goodnight at night. As I leave, he's always begging, "Last time?" He is pretty independent around the house and likes Legos, painting, stickers, playing outside, playing in the kitchen and doll house, cars, trains, cutting flowers, mixing and pouring, and visiting with friends. Still not a fan of dressing up. Halloween will be interesting this year. He is very particular about his clothing and prefers anything with cars and trucks on it. Especially if the car is "Linin Magreen!" He thinks every color is "pink" and he likes to "pick" from choices. "I too!" and "I did it!" are very common phrases around here. "Sorry", "Good Job" "I sorry, bear", "Nudder Blank", "Mornin' Mom!", "Nated Babe", "Nack! (snack)", "Here Bear", and kermit the frog voices are also a norm in his vocabulary. Suzy is "bear".


We took a very last minute revisit to Sweet Berry Farms with some very dear friends. Molly was Suzy's first real friend from the neighborhood over four years ago. She moved to France for a few years and we are THRILLED beyond words that they moved back this summer. We are just sad that they moved to a different neighborhood. They had another little boy in France and needed a bigger house.... Ho hum....

Little sister, Lanier, is now a part of the little group. Such sweet little friends. We are SOOO glad you are "home"!
They loved trying to outrun the sprinklers.
Suzy still likes to dress herself independently. I find it fun. I love the green shoes, "That match my dress!" with her Hello Kitty Tennis shoes and dress up hat.

Andy's favorite pumpkins are the little ones. He likes to mix them up and re-organize them.

My view from the train. It's not obvious. But the driver had a Zinia flower sticking out of his hat. I loved it and wanted to remember it.
It is still beautiful weather here. I'm sure my photos will become more frequent. I hope my posts do as well.