Jingle All The Way

I have been busy coordinating a Christmas concert for a local retirement home. At the end of the program I wanted to give a small gift to each of the residents. This required me to be crafty....and I am the most non-crafty person I know. But my girls pitched in and together we managed to turn a million little jingle bells into a box full of ornaments. It wasn't a task that I enjoyed...but it sure felt good to cross it off my list!

{packed and ready to go}

My List

I've seen this floating around the blogging world. Things that I have done are typed in italics.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited the Bahamas
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Solved a Rubix Cube
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Went inside a pyramid
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Performed a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Flown a kite on the beach
14. Met a US president

15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon (working on it)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's The David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Fainted
53. Drove over 100 mph
54. Visited Grauman's Chinese Theater
55. Learned Sign Language
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Watched a space shuttle re-enter the Earth's atmosphere
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Earned an Eagle Scout award
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someones life (I really did!)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own (isn't that what this is?)

There are many things on this list that I haven't done...and then again...there are many things that I have done that aren't on this list!

Enjoy a COLD Tuesday!

Christmas Cards?

Every year I send out our Annual Family Christmas Card. It's to be expected {considering the fact that I have been in the greeting card business for nearly a decade}. But here it is, December 15 and I have not mailed any cards. Worse yet, I haven't even purchased them. I keep perusing the Christmas card isle at my store in hopes of finding 'the one', but nothing seems quite right.

So I started pondering my dilemma and finally decided that I would do away with my Annual Family Christmas Card and in it's place send out a New Years Greeting. There is one design in particular that is full of *sparkle* and boldly states 2009 on the front. Perfect! I completely sold myself on the idea and decided to tell Donald about the change in tradition. Big mistake. Turns out he doesn't share my enthusiasm for replacing our Annual Family Christmas Card with a New Years Greeting. Who knew Donald was so traditional??

So, it's still up in the air. Keep an eye on your mailbox. One way or another there will be cards sent out {I have hundreds of wallets from our family photo shoot that I can't let go to waste!}.

What do you vote for?

Prepared

The temperature is going to drop drastically in the next few days. Monday is supposed to be a high of 16 degrees. Seriously? Growing up in Southern California I couldn't even comprehend what 16 degrees felt like. But here I am, living in this place that I love....and it's going to be 16 degrees.

So Donald and I took our 3 daughters and went to the grocery store this morning. We wanted to stock our pantry and our refrigerator to the max. The last thing we want to be doing in the upcoming week is making a late night run to the store to buy a gallon of milk.

Stay in and stay warm.

The First Day of Christmas...

Accepting New Students

~Violin Lessons~

Fee: $15/half hour

Ages: 5-18

I've got a few openings...contact me at

greenstan@charter.net

to secure a time slot.

Liquid Gold

Have you ever wondered what a 3 month supply of ketogenic formula costs?

$3029.44
{the statement came today}

Did I mention that it didn't even work???

Puzzling

This is the perfect time of year to unfold the card table and get to work on a puzzle. So while I was at work a few nights back I carefully picked out the perfect one and brought it home to Donald. He has been happily piecing it together ever since. Such a cozy hobby...especially with the fireplace burning and Christmas music playing. Ahhh...the good life.

Chansons de Noel

This is my music parlor. I always liked the word parlor, so that's what I call it. I especially love hearing my girls say 'the parlor'. They sound so sophisticated! I haven't told them that it's kind of an old fashioned word...and I'm not going to. I'm afraid if they catch on they might just call it 'the music room' {boring}.


In my music parlor I have this fabulous record player that we use to play our collection of old Christmas records. There is something about listening to a record...that wonderful crackle that the needle makes as the disc goes around and around. It makes the music almost tangible. You just don't get that with a CD player.

Amongst our collection of old Christmas records is one titled 'Chansons de Noel'. For me, Christmas isn't complete without this record. It is music from my childhood. Each December we would put this record on and listen to it over and over. These french carols became as familiar to me as Silent Night or Jingle Bells. It didn't occur to me until sometime in my teenage years that this record and the songs on it were somewhat unique to my family. Oh how I loved that record.

Last year Donald set out on a quest to find me a copy of my own. After being unsuccessful for some time he enlisted the help of his Uncle Mike. Donald knew that if there was a copy in existence, Mike would be the one to find it....and he did.

So if you stop by my home during this Christmas season you will probably hear french Christmas carols ringing out from the music parlor. The sound of Christmas...at it's finest.

***Alexandra update: She got up and walked a bit yesterday evening. Slow, steady steps, but it was progress! We also had a nurse come to our home to check the wounds and give her a sponge bath. The nurse will be coming to the house every morning for as long as we need her. Let me tell you how wonderful that is for me!

Good Days and Bad Days

Alexandra spent yesterday lounging in the recliner, propped up by pillows and blankets in all the right places. And for a second day in a row she was showered with cards, gifts, flowers, and treats. These things seem to make her unbearable situation a little more bearable.

However...these same things also make Lorelai's bearable situation quite unbearable. By bedtime she was in the depths of despair; feeling quite left out and unwanted. She stated that this was so "unfair". We tried our best to explain that Alexandra was only receiving the royal treatment because of what she had been through...but a 4 year old does not want to be logical.

She went to bed in tears, completely broken hearted. And I was a little broken hearted too. I couldn't stand the thought of her feeling like she was second best. No child should feel that way. So I went to her room and the two of us had a little chat. Lorelai informed me that the past two days had been "super duper bad days". I told her that there was only one thing to do....flush them away! This caught her attention. "Lorelai, follow me", I stated. We marched to the bathroom and pulled 5 or 6 squares of toilet paper off the roll, then we marched back to her room, got a pen and wrote Day 1 = Bad and Day 2 = Bad on the paper. I watched the joy in Lorelai's face as she crumpled those days up and flushed them away...never to be seen again.

After the flushing ceremony Lorelai enjoyed a Popsicle and listened as I read 2 of her favorite Christmas stories. As I tucked her into bed I promised that 'tomorrow will be a good day'. And it will.

{See ya later buster!}

Recovering

"One good thing about being hurt is that I am kind of like Madeline. I am getting lots of presents and visitors."

-Alexandra

Yesterday was emotional for Alexandra. She had both tears of pain and tears of gratitude as she began the recovery process. There were knocks at the door all day long with visitors coming to wish her well. And she received call after call from friends and family wanting to check up on her. She was overwhelmed at the kindness that was being showered upon her and even teared up on multiple occasions saying, "I am so blessed to have people that love me and want to take care of me".

A warm thank you to all who lifted her spirits yesterday. It made all the difference to my little 6 year old.

Emergency Surgery

{wheeling my angel to the OR}

Remember a few days ago when I wrote that we weren't facing any immediate surgery? Well, I was wrong. No, not Elisabeth....Alexandra. She had a very unfortunate mishap with the swing set today that landed her in the O.R.

The details of her injury are extremely gruesome...so I'll just say that her private area needed some reconstructing. Luckily, the OB on call was my doctor and even delivered my older girls. So I felt a little better knowing that he was the one sewing her back together.

Alexandra came out of surgery OK but is rather uncomfortable. She will have a catheter for at least 5 days (yes, I received a crash coarse in catheter maintenance). There will be no school for her next week and possibly longer as she recovers.

And for the record, Alexandra says that she will never go on the swing set again.

{nervous before surgery}

{post-op with a Popsicle}

CT Results (somewhat)

Well, the CT scan made it to Seattle Children's Hospital and the craniofacial pediatrician contacted us yesterday with a quick update. I was not home when he called, but Donald filled me in on the details of their conversation.

There appears to be no pressure on the brain. This is good news in that it means no immediate surgery. The doctor did mention doing cosmetic surgery in a few years to correct her sloping forehead. But in my opinion, who cares about a sloping forehead? Not me....and certainly not Elisabeth (she's blind...she'll never know!).

Today they will go over the scan a little closer and determine whether or not there has been any brain growth at all. We're keeping our fingers crossed that they call us back with good news!

Merry and Bright

The outside of our home is all lit up for Christmas. Donald loves putting up the lights, and this year he was very systematic about the whole thing. He broke the job down into separate phases (there were four) and would come inside and proudly announce the completion of each one. I think he is finally done...but you never know.

You did a wonderful job Donald! Love you always.

Thoughts on Santa

"I don't believe that flying reindeer are real. I just think that Santa drives everywhere"

~Alexandra

Another Day, Another Concert

Choral and Orchestra Concert

Columbia Basin College

Theater, 7:30

free admission

Tonight I will be performing with the CBC orchestra as they perform one of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto's. They are kind enough to let me sit in and play, even though I only make it to a handful of rehearsals each semester (I have symphony rehearsals on the night that the college orchestra class meets).

My daughter will accompany me to the theater this evening. She will dress in her concert best and take a seat in the front row (where I can keep a watchful eye on her). I imagine that it won't be long until she is a member of the orchestra too. I started performing with a college group when I was 10....but I bet she'll be playing at that level by age 8.

Once again, see you tonight...maybe.

CT Scan Today

You might recall from a post I wrote on October 7th that Elisabeth was originally scheduled to be in Seattle today for a CT scan and craniofacial appointment. However, a conflict in their scheduling arose and (long story short) we decided to save ourselves the drive and get the CT scan done here in town. I will then mail the disc to Elisabeth's surgeon in Seattle and hope that it doesn't take 5 weeks for him to view it (like it did last time).

Today's scan will be an important one. We know that we are facing one of the following three scenario's:

• Elisabeth's skull has not grown because her brain is not growing. This is a concern that her neurologist had when she was just a few months old and the doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital voiced the same concern this past summer.

or

• Elisabeth's brain has shown considerable growth but is under pressure because of craniosynostosis (premature fusing of the skull sutures). They would perform a complicated surgery where they remove her skull, separate the pieces, and put it back together again. Not a pleasant operation...but at least this would mean that her brain is growing!

or

• The scan might show brain and skull growth. The coronal and sagittal sutures were only in the process of fusing a few months ago and if the brain grew rapidly enough it may have stopped them from sealing completely. This would mean no cranial surgery at this point.

whew...did all of that make sense??

Obviously the last option is the one we are hoping for. I'll let you know the results when I know.

Enjoy your week...it's a busy one for me.

I'm performing at:

Celebrate Christmas

A Mid-Columbia Christmas Holiday Concert

November 30, 2008, 3 pm

Three Rivers Convention Center

Kennewick, WA

Begin the Christmas season with a spirited family concert including a full orchestra, traditional carols, singers, soloists and a sing-along for all ages.

Featuring the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers.

Tickets: Adult $15, Youth (5-18) $10, Family $40

See you there....maybe??

A Thanksgiving Miracle

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in my comfy chair holding Elisabeth. She was being her usual, calm self; just sitting, staring at nothing, and thinking about whatever it is that sweet babies like her think about (probably a stocking full of Binky's).

I decided to turn on the TV to one of the music channels and get some Christmas tunes playing. So I reached past Elisabeth and picked up the remote control from off of the end table. As I pulled my arm back the remote went right past Elisabeth's eyes....AND SHE JUMPED!!! Really, truly! She was startled by it and gave a little jump.

Do you know what that means????? SHE SAW THE REMOTE CONTROL!!!! So I quickly moved the remote back in front of her face and gave it a little wiggle. She started laughing. I gave it another shake...she laughed even harder. I called Alexandra and Lorelai over, this was a moment that had to be shared. We shook and shook that little remote control in front of her eyes and she laughed as if it were the funniest thing she had ever seen (well, in this case the only thing she had ever seen). It was one of the most joyous moments of my life.

Donald got home a few minutes later and I tried to duplicate the experience for his benefit. Unfortunately, the vision had gone. I waved that remote like crazy in front of her cute chubby face, but she didn't see a thing. It just wasn't happening.

So I got to thinking about the moment of sight and how Elisabeth hasn't had a cluster of the Infantile Spasms in over a week. There must be a connection. Maybe her brain is finally getting the opportunity to heal itself. Maybe those few minutes of sight yesterday were the beginning of something more. Maybe there is hope.

I am thankful.

Christmas Portraits

Take a peek at a few of my favorite shots from our recent photo shoot:

Oh, how they adore their baby sister!

I am crazy about the dresses that Alexandra and Lorelai are wearing. Something about those collars...I couldn't resist them!

Elisabeth was not in the mood for this. Can you tell?

Reading Goodnight Moon together...my favorite children's book.


I am grateful for my daughters.

Spinning

My head's been spinning. So many thoughts...so much I have been trying to sort through in my mind. I won't go into details here except to say that life can be confusing sometimes. Why is it that people tear each other down rather than build one another up?

I cried yesterday....and I almost never cry. It's a rare occasion to see me broken down in tears. I think I cried once in the past year, twice at the most. But that's OK, it keeps life interesting. An interesting life is a good life, right?

On a happy {and much different} note: This marks one week of Elisabeth being spasm free. I was not letting myself give in to the idea that they were really and truly over for fear that they would come back and crush my hopes. But a week....that's encouraging. Maybe it really is over.

Brrr...

The leaves have almost all fallen and the brisk autumn air is getting colder and colder. I feel winter fast approaching and I am making the necessary preparations. A few days ago I put flannel sheets on our bed to ensure a warm night amid the dropping temperatures. Oh how I love cozy flannel sheets!

{5 days....no spasms....I think it might really be over!}

Our 'New' Car

Last weekend my husband took me for a spin in this:

For those of you that read Donald's blog you know all about this car. It is our newly acquired 1971 Chevy Nova.

But this isn't any old Chevy Nova {trust me, I would not allow an old hunk of junk to take up residence in our garage}. This happens to be the exact car that my grandmother bought back in 1971. She owned it for something like 25 years and then my siblings and I drove it during high school. Yep, it was my ride.

So you see, this car holds a certain sentimental value with me. I smile every time I walk into the garage and see this piece of my family history. And I never would have imagined that one day I would stand in the front yard of my own home and watch my own husband drive down the street with my own little girls buckled into the backseat. I love that life keeps moving and changing...yet some things stay the same. There is comfort in that.

A few weeks ago I said to Donald, "Maybe the girls will drive it when they are in high school."

Donald looked at me with a smirk and said, "I don't think so." {he is already very protective of his new 'project'}

"Well, what if it's spirit week and they are having a '70s day?" I asked.

"Maybe" Donald replied.

So there you have it:

A new car,
an old car,
a classic car,
a family heirloom,
and Donald's new pastime....
all rolled together in one.

Isn't it wonderful??

{4 days...no spasms!}

Sick Duckling

Yesterday was spent nurturing Alexandra. She woke up feeling ill and was vomiting soon thereafter. So I pampered her, cuddled her, snuggled her, and wrapped her in warm blankets.

Here is what she did on her first official "sick day" from school:

• Enjoyed listening as I read Arthur's Honey Bear.
• Watched High School Musical.
• Took a nice long nap.
• Perked up in the afternoon and got creative with Play-doh.
• Enjoyed Arthur's Honey Bear again...this time she read it to Lorelai.
• A game of hide and seek with Lorelai (until I heard crying and found out that Alexandra had forgotten they were playing and left Lorelai in her hiding spot for a really long time).
• Wrote a letter to Santa.

She made the most of her sick day, don't you think?

{Elisabeth update: 3 days....NO spasms....I can hardly believe it!!!}

Solitary for Six Hours

So what do you do while your big sister is at school for the day and there are no playmates to be found??

Apparently you gather all the hair ribbons you can find, carefully tie them together, secure each end to a stationary object, and have fun! Dance, twirl, jump. There is no limit to this girls imagination.

{On a side note: Elisabeth has now had TWO spasms free days in a row! Let's see how long we can keep this going!}

My Special Child

My neighbor came over from across the street yesterday to hand deliver a poem that she had come across. I was deeply moved by it...and by the fact that she wanted to share it with me. Have a read:

Heaven's Very Special Child

A meeting was held quite far from earth

"It's time again for another birth"

Said the angels to the Lord above.

"This special child will need much love.

Her progress may seem slow,

Accomplishments she may not show,

And she'll require much extra care

From the folks she meets down there.

She may not run or laugh or play

Her thoughts may seem quite far away.

In many ways she won't adapt...

And she'll be known as "handicapped".

So let's be careful where she's sent.

We want her life to be content.

Please, Lord, find the parents who

Will do a special job for you.

They will not realize right away

The leading role they're asked to play

But with this child sent from above

Comes stronger faith and richer love.

And soon they'll know the privilege given

In caring for this gift from heaven,

Their precious charge so meek and mild

Is heaven's very special child.

You may have noticed that I put certain words and phrases into italics. Those are the parts that I really identified with; the parts where I said, "yes, that's how it is for us".

Elisabeth has her ups and downs. The good news is that yesterday was her very first spasm-free day since May 4! I have been longing for this day to arrive...and beginning to think it would never come. I doubt the spasms are over, and in all honesty I may have just missed seeing them, but it's still encouraging . {Note, she did still have quite a few absence seizures...but I'm not too worried about those. }

The not-so-good news is that she is really struggling with eating solids {and by solids I mean Gerber's Rice Cereal}. She was starting to get the hang of it a few weeks back, but then she lost it. When I put a bite of food in her mouth she has no concept of what it is or what she should do with it.

Will she learn to eat? Or will she be on a liquid diet forever?

Time will tell. But oh how I want her to know the joy of food! There is such a wide variety of textures and flavors for her to discover and enjoy. And with her lack of vision I think she deserves to enjoy her sense of taste.

So I'll carry on with my efforts. We'll attempt feedings every morning and night, and maybe one of these days I'll have exciting news to share. I won't give up....ever.

Photograph Update:

Lorelai Leigh ~ 4 years old.

Alexandra Louise ~ 6 years old.

My darling little ladies.

Smiles From Me to You

Thanks to all who posted guesses about my age.

You see, the girls were shocked when I told them that I am 28 years old. They thought I was much older! It had me wondering, "just how old do I look?".

Needless to say, you all made me feel better...thanks!

A Question About Age

I was recently called to serve as a youth leader in my church. A few nights ago some of the girls asked how old I was. So I told them. They were shocked! Which left me wondering 'do I not look my age?'.

Now, I won't tell you if they thought I looked older or younger than my actual age, but I will ask...'how old do you think I look?'. Answer honestly.

I realize that many of you already know how many years I've been around, so to you I ask...'do I look my age? older? younger?'.

This should be interesting...

Thoughts on Greatness...

Have you ever stopped to think about 'the greats'? You know, those handful of people who are {and will be} in the history books because they were the best of the best. Lately I have been giving them a lot of thought.

Thoughts like, what if Michael Phelps had never taken a swimming lesson? What if Joshua Bell had never owned a violin? What if Claude Monet had never picked up a paint brush? Is it all by chance? Or were these people destined for greatness from before the world began?

How many greats go undiscovered? How many of us have some hidden potential that for some reason or another is never found? Maybe we are all greats, but only a few of people actually discover their talent and have the means by which to develop it.

Just thoughts...