We're going bowling!!!

The competition has begun... Jarin and I are both raising funds for Junior Achievement of the Heartland by participating in a bowl-a-thon on February 20th. If you can help out with any amount, we completely appreciate it. The funniest part of this deal is that we have a personal challenge to each other... who can raise more?

It's up to you to choose who should win the challenge:

Kristi's Fundraising Page

Jarin's Fundraising Page

Thank you! :)

Decisions, decisions....

Can it be true that we are thinking about school options for Caden already? This fall he'll be beginning preschool three days a week and we are very excited about our decision to enroll him in our parish preschool. This may mean a parochial future, which I'm surprised (but excited) about!

By all means, I am definitely an advocate for diversity and supporting our public school system, but when nearly 10% of K-5th grade students in our home school are suspended a year, what does that assume is happening in the hallways? Protecting our children during these years seems very important to me. I just hope that this doesn't shelter him from the realities of our community and culture.

It's been a big decision for Jarin and I, and it has forced us to speak out about our beliefs, hopes and dreams for our children. How cool to be on this team together fighting for one common goal: the best future for our kids.

Now, to really make you step back and say, whoa! ... here is a picture of Caden just four weeks old. In just four months, he'll be four years old!

Happy Birthday to our little niece!

Enjoy your 1st birthday Vivi Lee! We love you!

- Uncle Jarin, Aunt Kristi, and your favorite cousins Cade and Layna

Help the Busch Family

Our dear friends, Peg and Jeremy Busch, are involved in a US Bank promotion to win $5000. And you can help! Their one-year-old precious babies were born 3 months premature and were in the NICU for over two months. Check out their family blog. 

All I ask is that you go to https://getaheadin2010.usbank.com/Story/172/ and vote for their story. You can vote once per day, per email address so vote as much as possible. If they receive the most votes they'll win $5000 to help pay hospital bills. 

Make this your good deed for 2010!

Whoa... Alayna is 2 years old already!

Man the little girl is growing faster than we can keep up! Talk about a drama mama. She is independent and knows what she wants, when she wants it, and how. And, you better be able to decipher her babbling quickly or she'll let you know!! On the flip side, she is a cuddle-bug, loves hugs and kisses, and is a girly-girl to the max. You can always find her in dresses and heels, carrying a minimum of four baby dolls and two purses while applying chapstick (aka lipstick)!

For her birthday party last weekend we served a taco and ice cream bar (which are her two favorites) and had close family and friends over to join the fun. Here's the best shot of all the little ones and some of our spoiled little princess:

Also, check out the link to her recent photo shoot at the Picture People:
Two Year Old Pictures - Picture People

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone survived the holidays! We've finally gotten past the -30's and it feels like a heat wave! We spent Christmas in Florida with Jarin's family and it was magnificent. The weather remained in the 60's which was cold for all those Floridians, but we went jacket-less. We spent a day on the beach but it was raining so we grabbed lunch there and headed out. The scenery was enough for me -- absolutely gorgeous. I took great pictures of the kids all dressed us at church on Christmas Eve - Cade, Layna and Vivi all lined up in front of the beautiful blooming flowers for me -- but then of course I deleted the pictures somehow, so I have nothing to share. :-(

After we returned we spent a few amazing days with my family to celebrate the holidays and then had a great New Years party at the Fortune's. It's great to have such wonderful friends who do not judge no matter how much you wish to disown your husband!

On Tuesday, Jan 5th, Miss Alayna turned 2 years old and I still can't believe it! Seems like just yesterday we were coming home from the Family Museum when my water broke on the couch 2.5 weeks early! She is very interested in potty training right now and I think we are going to start with some pull ups next week. Today she had her appointment and was in the 85% for weight and 15% for height. A little unproportioned, but my dad says she's a perfect 100!!

Yesterday Caden spent the afternoon at the University of Iowa for an appointment with the Pulmonary and Allergy clinic. I expected some skin testing because he's had a lingering cough since October. But, because we've seen improvement in the cough over time (no thanks to steroids or antibiotics) they decided it's probably a 50/50 shot that he either had whooping cough or allergies. So, we are planning to hang on until March and see how he responds to spring weather.


I did get a new camera for the holidays after mine recently broke, but haven't gotten around to uploading yet. I will, I promise, and then you can see all the fun we've had the last couple weeks, despite the doc appts!

All the best to you and your family in 2010!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Always the hurdles before the holidays... Now Alayna is coughing up a storm. YUCK! Saturday she started with green crud in her eyes, Sunday it was a temp of 104.3 and a ear infection, and then Monday she didn't eat or drink anything. Today is a much better day though, and in the midst of it all she learned to go potty on the big girl chair. Wow! Not even two years old and she is so smart!

She must be wanting to show off for her little cousin Vivi, because we get to see her on Thursday. As long as we can get out of this snow storm, we'll be flying to Florida. We can't wait! Cade wrote Santa a note on Saturday letting him know that we wouldn't be in Iowa on Christmas morning, so he was sweet enough to visit our house early this year! The kids were spoiled by St. Nick!

Cade

Outside of his vibrant, funny little personality, Cade has had an ongoing cough now for nearly 8 weeks. (Poor guy!!) He’s been on one steroid and two antibiotics and finally last Thursday they did chest x-rays. Nothing was found on those x-rays and the medicine hasn’t been helping. But we haven't seen any other symptoms either, which is good. His behavior is good, his energy level is fairly high, and there are no fevers.

Since the pediatric docs that he sees here in the Quad Cities aren't sure what else it could be, they have now referred him to the Children's Hospital in Iowa City for further testing. The appointment has been made for Jan 6th and we'll be going to visit with the pediatric pulmonary and allergy docs there.
http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/pediatrics/divisions/allergy.html

While this is hard to swallow (for me at least!!), we know that the referral has been made so that we can hopefully find some answers. They will be working to determine what has been causing this persistent cough and hopefully run a couple more tests. We will do our best to keep you all posted, but in the meantime help us pray for good news in January!!!

Off with his friend...

Caden was invited to go to a hockey game with a buddy of his and his family today ... oh, my goodness! When I gave permission to go, I didn't really think that it would affect me, but as I got him ready, gave him money to take with, and talked to him about using his manners, I realized that he is such a big boy!!

Below is a picture of Cade and Hunter at the game with their cow bells on their heads.

Thanks Jena, Nick, and Hunter for taking Cade! He had a great time!

Alayna, the nut!

Sunday morning Jarin and I were pretty lazy, but little miss sassy pants was ready to get up. She came skipping into our room at about 6:15 and when we wouldn't play in bed, she wanted down to find toys. A couple minutes later, Cade got up and started playing with Layna. She said she needed a kleenex and ran off to the bathroom. She wasn't coming back, so I sent Cade in after her...

Pretty soon, he's yelling, "mom come here!!"

I walked into the bathroom to find Alayna unwound the ENTIRE roll of toilet paper and has shoved it all in to the toilet! There was toilet paper coming out everywhere!!!

Oh, that stinker! I wish I would have had a camera!