VBS Day Camp

This year Caden participated in his first VBS.  Our church had a VBS day camp which was Monday - Thursday from 10am-3pm, for kids age 3 to 5th grade.  This year's theme was chasing the light, the light being of course Christ!  I was blessed with the opportunity to teach his class.  At first we thought there would be about 20 kids, the morning of we found out there would be 43 kids in the 3-4 year old class.  What a blessing!  Almost half of them will be going to preschool with him the fall.  This was a great opportunity to get to know some of the kids better.

Everyday I did a little skit with one of the teens.  We talked about how God made us (creation); God loves us (the Wise Men follow the star that leads to Jesus. God gives the best gifts); Jesus wants to be our friend forever (Jesus heals the blind man, Jesus helps people); and God thinks we're special (parable of the lost coin).

Throughout the week the kids got to participate in a lot of fun activities that went along with the theme for each day.  They got to ride ponies, pet some animals at a little petting zoo, meet police officers and go through their car, jump in some bounce houses, and do lots of other activities and crafts.

On Wednesday night the kids did a program.  Caden was super tired and so he kept rubbing his eyes but it was fun to see the kids sing some songs. 

A few things I really like about our church is how much they serve and love people.  Every Tuesday they have a community lunch where they serve between 150-200 people.  I look forward to taking Caden to help serve when he gets a little older.  They have a building dedicated to sharing goods with those in need.  We have a community garden to grow fresh produce to give to people in the community.  Many people in community help with this as well.  I love the fact that everyone who walks in the doors is welcomed.  In fact, Collin met a homeless child one Sunday after we had just started going.  They met in the bathroom where the child told him that he and his family were living in a car.  I love that our church welcomes those who are in need or who have nothing and they feel safe coming in the doors.  Isn't that what Christ's love is about?  Serving and loving one another?  Everyday before VBS started children in need could come an hour early for breakfast and get to read with an adult one-on-one.  I was able to help with this neat ministry one morning and the kids loved it.  We are so blessed to be part of a church family with people dedicated to sharing God's love with those in the community and abroad.  If you are looking for a church home, please let me know and I'd love to welcome you to ours.

Here are a few pictures we took at the program.

The kids singing "This Little Light of Mine"

Picture of the slide show showing Caden riding a pony

Flying Trampoline!

Collin and I went on a date tonight, which we don't do often.  Thank you, Kristyl, for watching our sweet boy.  We ate German food and ran into a bunch of our friends we use to go to church with.  It was really good to see them.  When we were on our way home, Kristyl called to let us know we had no electricity and our trampoline was in our front yard!  This is NOT something you want to come home to.  On the positive side, at least it jumped over our fence and we don't have to replace or repair a broken fence and thankfully nobody was injured.  This will be a fun problem to fix tomorrow...anyone free to help?  I can't wait to see Caden's face in the morning when he sees his beloved trampoline in the front yard upside down.

It really flew a good distance!  We were shocked at how far it went.  If only someone had filmed that, that would have been interesting to see.  Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?  Glad our swing set is still in place.

I want to play!

The other night we took a family walk.  When we got home Collin said he would just put Caden's bike in the backyard under the patio.  Caden and I were waiting and waiting for him at the back door. 

After a few minutes, I opened the front door and yelled: "Collin, Collin, do you want me to just open the garage?"

Caden then said: "I want to go outside and play with Collin!"

Then he saw Collin in the backyard and said: "I want to go outside and play with Daddy!"  Love this boy!

Caden is 3!!

Dearest Caden,

I cannot believe you are already three.  Everyone was right when they said these first few years really fly by.  You are one amazing, talented, handsome, and smart boy.  This past year you have matured and grown so much.  When we go to the doctor for your 3-year check-up I will write your stats then.

I wanted to start making new birthday traditions now that we're back in the States.  Yesterday I cut out a lot of "3s" from construction paper and hung them on some string.  Last night while you were sleeping, Daddy and I went in your room and hung them from the ceiling.  We also hung streamers from your door and blew up lots of balloons and put them all over your floor.  You loved it!

This past year you have gone through a lot of major changes.  The biggest was the overseas move from Germany.  Considering everything, you have been a real trooper.  I've been amazed at how well you remember so many of your friends in Germany and still talk about them off and on.  I think that is a great characteristic to have, never forget your friends.  You are making new friends in Texas as well.  At first you are a little reserved when you meet new people, you like to sit back and study them.  But it doesn't take long before you jump right in and join the other kids.  You in fact love people of all ages.  You have really enjoyed living closer to your grandparents, Opa and Grand-Cathy.  Although you talk about Nene and Granddad often and about how much you like going to their house.

This year for your birthday we threw you a party at Chuck E Cheese's.  You and your friends had a lot of fun!  The kids who came were: Levi and Joel B., Ryan C., Naomi K., Emily, Abby, and Samantha P.  The adults were: Aunt Michelle, Opa, Grand Cathy, G. Aunt Karen, Audra, G. Grandmother Charlene, and G. Uncle Butch as well as your mom and dad.  Nene and Granddad wished they could have come.

A Little Bit About You

You have a vivid imagination.  You come up with some cute stories and are constantly entertaining your parents.  Recently you were pretending to make hot sauce upstairs (you used sticks and other toys for the hot sauce, which by the way, you LOVE hot sauce).  Then you said there was a fire on the slide and it was very hot.  So you had to jump over the fire.  I love hearing you play with your cars, legos, and trains.  You also pretend objects are certain things, for example, today you got in a box and said, "I'm going to drive this car.  Uh oh, this car needs wheels.  I'm going to get some wheels for this car so I can go."  You looked down at the box and then went off to find some wheels.

You are very persistant.  For example, you will ask for something such as candy.  I will tell you, "not now, maybe later."  You will respond, "it's already later.  It's time for candy."  By the way, candy is rather new, you had your first piece last Halloween and part of me wishes we would not have let you have some then.  You have quite a sweet tooth!

You can now get dressed by yourself, although most of the time I still help you.  Mainly because you'd rather not wear anything!  Or you will want to play and put your shirt on as shorts and then put your shorts on your head and then run around laughing about it.

You are very independent! You have always wanted to do things your way, such as climbing up the slide and walking down the steps rather than going the common way down a slide.  Or taking off to the park down the street in Germany when you were 18 months old by yourself.  Also, not too long after we moved into our new house in Texas, you decided you could make breakfast all by yourself.  There were a few days I caught you in action, either getting the cereal out, climbing on the counters to get a bowl, or with a waffle in your hand from the freezer trying to reach the toaster.  Sooner than we want, you'll be able to do these things yourself.  But for now I still enjoy fixing your breakfast.  :)  I hope you always keep your independence, it's such a wonderful quality to have, even if it makes life on Mom and Dad a little harder.  You just keep us on our toes!

You have a great sense of humor.  One night you took your sheets off of your bed, turned on your lamp, and put it on your bed and was playing with your trains. It was 11:30pm, time for bed. You said, "Caden is sitting on a big white bed with a hot lamp. Caden made a big mess on the floor, that is not good!" 

Overall bedtime is not a big battle because you are so tired.  Although, if you could, you'd rather stay up all night.  But since you gave up naps at a very young age, bedtime is quite early for you.  We try and have you in bed by 7:30pm.  You are usually awake by 7am, sometimes earlier, and rarely a little later.

Some of your favorite toys are play doh, trains, tools like Daddy's, anything that has to do with water, legos, and bubbles.  You now love swimming and getting in pools.  This is a huge change for you.  You even jumped off the small diving board at Burger's Lake last weekend!  You love playing outside and enjoy your trampoline, log cabin, car, swing set, and bike.

We have to always keep an eye on you.  You are quick and very active.  I wish I could say you had a favorite TV show but you don't want to sit still long enough to watch anything.  Occassionally you'll watch 5 minutes of Word World, Veggie Tales, or Hermie and Friends.  But usually you're ready to do something else.  The only time I can get you to sit still is if we're reading, you love hearing stories, coloring, playing with play doh, or doing something like that.  You'll also sit and play with your trains and legos for quite a while when you're working on a master piece.

Daddy and I think you will be reading short books by the time you're 4.  You have a huge vocabulary and have a lot of books memorized.  You also know how to spell a good number of words and are starting to sound words out.  You are also very good at counting and love to count just about anything.

You love singing and are even starting to sing new songs at church.  Sometimes at church you pick out a phrase and sing it over and over but at least we know you're listening.  You also enjoy singing songs at home and in the car. 

Your favorite foods right now are anything sweet!  You'll say, "Caden has to eat his food and then he can have dessert" almost every day!  Sometimes your dessert is fruit, sometimes it's a little treat like frozen yogurt or cake.

Caden, we love you so much!  We hope you had a wonderful 3rd birthday.  We look forward to many more birthdays to come!  Here are some pictures from your fun day!!  Love, Mom and Dad

Entering the 30s



I still remember when 30 was old...no but seriously, I do remember.  Now that I'm here, it doesn't seem so old.  Back when I was 19, I never would have dreamed how my 20s would turn out.  Collin and I love traveling and my favorite vacation spot is the beach somewhere.  We were going to go to the coast for my 30th but with some unexpected bills that came up and the fact it's high season, we decided we needed to stay close to home.  On my birthday he took the day off.  My sister and her husband brought us breakfast on their way out of town.  Then Collin and I went through boxes, yes, we're still not unpacked from our move, and took a load to donate.  Then we went to lunch at a yummy French restaurant, then to the mall to get a few new things, and then drove around town with Caden with a stop at Lowes and the grocery store.  We ended up getting dinner to-go because Caden was pretty tired.  And if you have kids, you know it's sometimes not worth fighting a tired child and eating out.  So we got some take-out and went home.  Collin and Caden bought me a delicious chocolate cake and Marble Slab ice cream for dessert. 

Collin planned a little party at Burger's Lake today so I could enjoy some sand and water. We had a great time.  My brother and his fiancee came and so did my friend Loni and her daughers.  Thank you Collin and Caden for a wonderful birthday!!

In case you wondered what I did in my 20s.  Here are some milestones and major events that happened.  I'm not going to list everything but this will give you a good idea. 

20
- met the love of my life, Collin
- was in a life-changing car accident. Had one of two ankle surgeries and a broken coller bone. Had to be in a wheel chair for the summer because the broken bones were both on my left side.
21

- married Collin! :)

22
- transferred my senior year of college to UTA and moved to FW
- joined Legacy
- went camping
23
- went on a mission trip to Dominican Republic
- we bought our first house
- graduated college
- started working for a law firm
- vacation to Hot Springs, AR
24
- worked a lot to pay off college debt
- went on my first cruise
25
- still paying off college debt
- went to D.C. with C for business
- went to San Diego with Collin for a business trip
- took our first trip to Europe! Went on an unforgetable and wonderful Eastern Mediterrean Cruise!
26
- moved to Germany!
- met some lovely people in Germany
- joined an awesome local church
- joined PWOC
- traveled all over Europe
27

- gave birth to the most amazing son in the world!

- traveled all over Europe and took a Western Mediterrean Cruise
- joined a military MOPS group
28
- continued traveling around Europe
- went on a Baltic Cruise
29
- sad year, had 3 miscarriages
- moved back to TX
- bought our second house
- joined a MOMS club group and a local MOPS group
- placed membership at a local church

Overall my 20s were wonderful.  May my 30s be ever more so.  There were lots of good times including traveling to see family, friends, and new places.  We had several life changing events: two overseas moves, a child, multiple miscarriages, and experiences that have changed us forever.  While we're still getting over the fact we no longer live in Germany, we are enjoying our new chapter back in the States.  In my 20s I traveled a lot.  Collin and I (Caden went with us to some of these places) visited 21 countries in Europe, 4 countries in Central America, and 10 States in the U.S.  I don't know if we'll travel quite as much during my 30s, but I hope so.  Most likely we'll explore more of the U.S.

Thank you God for blessing me with such an amazing family and precious friends.  They all mean so much to me.  May I continue to try and do God's will and be pleasing to Him.  Thank you Collin for walking this life with me.  Most of my 20s I have been married to you.  I know I would not have experienced all that I have without you.  Thank you Caden for being you.  You have blessed my life in so many ways.  I also want to thank my parents, Dad, Cathy, my belated mother, my terrific mother-in-law and father-in-law and my the rest of my family - grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  You have helped inspire and encourage me.

Backyard Fun

I love being a mom and I love having a boy.  One of Caden's favorite things to do is jump on his big trampoline.  Now that it's getting hotter outside, we don't stay out as long as we used to in the middle of the day.  We were playing outside 1-2 hours a day.  Now we try and spend at least 30 minutes to an hour a day outside.  I've been wanting to take pictures of him playing but am usually too busy enjoying spending time with him that I don't get out my camera.

Today was different.  I had a plan.  I wanted to take a picture for his birthday card and caught a few good shots of him. Of course he was not interested in doing any "poses" I suggested.  So I just caught him in action, I like candid better anyway.  He didn't get on his swing while we were out there taking pictures so I don't have any on his swing set.  I included a few of him jumping, riding his car, standing by his log cabin, and just being the cute sweet boy he is.  Love this boy!  I had thought about walking down to the lake in our neighborhood but decided I didn't want to risk him trying to swim while taking pictures.  So for now, here are a few shots of some backyard fun!

More Answers

Several days after I found out I had two genetic disorders, I found out I have something called a Balanced Translocation.  Chromosomes 6 and 10 are switched.  My doctor's nurse told me this can cause miscarriages.  I have been too depressed to write about this and so have avoiding blogging and trying not to think about it.  However, I think it's important to share this information.  When I was researching some of my issues, I didn't find many answers. 

I went to see a perinatologist last week and she said people with switched chromosomes like mine have a 50% chance of losing every pregnancy.   She said I could go on and have 7 healthy babies or I could end up having 7 more miscarriages.  This was difficult to hear.  I always wanted to have 3-4 kids and now I may not be able to have anymore.  Caden is truly a gift from God and I am so thankful for him.  The question Collin and I have discussed is how many miscarriages can we handle?  How many more times do we try to hopefully have another healthy child?  And if we continue trying and continue to have more miscarriages what effect is that going to have on us emotionally?  Or do we count our blessings to God for our son and be grateful for having one?  For now I can tell you, we are extremely grateful for Caden and I feel so blessed to have had him without any major problems.

This is how my doctor is treating me for my other issues.  Besides the switched chromosomes, I have Hashimotos Disease (thyroid disorder).  Like the internal medicine doctor in Germany said, she said I need to see an endocrinologist every 6 months to a year.  If I do get pregnant again they will need to closely monitor my thyroid levels.

Regarding the genetic disorders.  I have MTHFR which for the most part means I cannot absorb folic acid as well as others.  About 1 in 10 people from European descent have this. She prescribed me a prescription prenatal vitamin with higher levels of folic acid and folic acid supplements to take everyday. 

I have Prothrombin Gene Mutation which is a blood clotting disorder.  For the rest of my life I need to take a Baby Aspirin once a day. If pregnant we will discuss different injections such as Lovenox.  The thought of giving myself a shot everyday is not appealing, yikes!

My progesterone levels are low.  I have a prescription for progesterone pills.  If I get pregnant again, I will need to start taking one a day after getting a positive pregnancy test.

Treating each of these other issues will help me carry a healthy baby if my chromosome doesn't interfere.  If I can make it past week 9 with a healthy heart beat, my doctor said there is a great chance that I will have a healthy baby and carry to term.  My disorders tend to cause early miscarriages. It's never easy no matter when you have a miscarriage but at least there's some hope if I get further in a pregnancy that the baby will make it.

I've had a few struggles with all of this.  I've questioned God and why he allows certain people to have a lot of babies so easily, especially people who don't want a child or were not planning on having one.  But then those of us who would love a baby struggle.  I don't know why it's like this except that God has a plan and it's better than mine.  To help this process I've been looking at all the positives of having only one child.  There are many, just like there are many positives to having more than one.  We've also talked about adopting and/or fostering.  I don't want to bring a foster child into my home until Caden is a little older.  We've had so many huge changes this year and we're still adjusting to things.  But those are possibilities.  And even if we only have one child, we are truly blessed.  I believe God allows us to go through things to build us and mold us and make us stronger. Even though somethings I would rather not go through, I know he's watching over me and is there.

I am so glad to be back in America.  It is so quick to get a doctor's appointment and see someone.  Also seeing doctors who speak English has been awesome!  The doctors in Germany mostly spoke English but a lot of times their staff did not.  Also, some things were harder for them to explain.  My OB doctor, for example, would never give me results over the phone.  She said it was easier in person because of the language barrier.  My parents have been a great help.  They have been able to watch Caden while I go to my appointments.  In Germany, Caden always went with me.  Overall it's just good to be home.