Thursday, October 23, 2008

Not really a day off...



I didn't have any pictures uploaded showing specifics of this post, so I decided to give you some cute random pics of Ellison.
Kam
and I have been going, going, going lately. We have been so busy with work and school, and of course keeping up with Ellison. Last weekend the youth kept us busy. We spent Wednesday participating in a "shoe dinner". The concept is, the boy brings dinner for himself and a girl, and the girl brings dessert for herself and the boy. All the boys put a shoe in a bag, and the girl draws a shoe out, thus deciding who she will be having dinner with. The same is done with the girls, which decides who she shares her dessert with. It was a lot of fun and I think they youth had a good time. We played dating etiquette Jeopardy and talked about dating standards in the church.
On Friday, I went to a surprise party for a girl in our ward at another girls house. It was so much fun. We ate sushi and yummy snacks, as well as some yummy birthday cake. It was fun to hang out with some of the girls in the ward.
On Saturday, Kam, myself and Ellison drove to Raytown (approximately 45 minutes from where we live) for the youth to participate in the fall activity. There is a member family with a farm out there, every year they have a corn maze open to the public. During this activity, they had a dance in their barn for the youth 14 and older, and activities in the house for all the younger youth. They ended the activity with a hayride and haunted corn maze. We took Ellison on the haunted hayride/corn maze, and she was a champ! It was a lot of fun!
On Sunday, we drove to Clinton (approximately 30 minutes from where we live) to the stake center where we had standards night for the youth. It was a BUSY week/weekend.
This week has been pretty normal, however, I am working the weekend so I got today off. Instead of using my day off to relax, I decided to clean the house. I swept and mopped floors, scrubbed toilets, tubs and counter tops, cleaned mirrors, dusted, vacuumed, folded and put away laundry, wiped down the microwave and then fridge and even made dinner! I am becoming more and more domestic! It was a fun day. Kam and I met his mom and had lunch together, and I even had time to write this blog post! I keep telling Kam I could get used to staying home...just waiting for him to graduate and get a job!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Oh Ellison...





Ellison is the cutest thing ever! I love her so much! She is so funny, has the cutest little smile, and charms most people who see her. When she is in the mood, she can be such a lovey, cuddly baby but...dun, dun, dun, she can also be quite a little monster!
As I said before, Ellison has the cutest smile, and can charm most anyone. We CONSTANTLY have people stop us so they can talk to or smile at Ellison, however, she can has this look she gives that can make you feel like you have done something so bad! This past Sunday, Ellison gave the "stare down" to a grown man during sacrament meeting. He frowned at her, she frowned right back, and held her own!
She has developed quite the attitude and temper. This past Sunday, we were walking by her Memaw's pool and Ellison decided she wanted to get in. When we told her she wasn't allowed to get in, she got mad, threw the toy she was holding in the pool, which was then promptly taken away.
She is also such a little ham. The other night, Kam and I went out to dinner. Ellison immediately seized the salt and pepper shakers, and shook them all over the table. Then she grabbed the ketchup and played with it, where it eventually landed on the floor. The fork we gave her also landed on the floor and when she grew tired of sitting in her high chair, she stood up and then started pointing and hollaring. Good thing everyone thought it was cute!
The last little story I have to share about Ellison. On Friday night, she decided it would be fun to tear off her diaper and then pee on the floor! Oh Ellison, you are a mystical creature. You move so quickly, disappear easily, and have knack of losing things!
I love you so much, and even though sometimes you drive me and dad crazy, we love you more than anything else! I miss you while I'm at work and can't wait to see you at the end of the day! You make us so happy, and make life so much fun and worthwhile! Keep us smiling, and never lose the attitude!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Two Week Follow Up...








On Wednesday I went in for my two week follow up from surgery. I waited in the waiting room for a good three hours, and was getting more and more anxious as I waited. They finally called me back and did the doppler. I was so anxious, and didn't dare look at the screen until the doppler guy, Chad, told me that everything looked good.
I met with Dr. Neglen next and he said that everything was still going well, and instead of coming in for a 4 week follow up like he was going to have me do, he wanted me to come in at 6 weeks. I am so happy about the results of the surgery. I still have pain at times in my leg, but it is significantly better. Dr. Neglen told me he was also happy about the way the surgery turned out and he was going to use some of the pictures that were taken of the vein in a conference he was going to be speaking at. So, needless to say, I will have famous veins!
On Friday night Kam and I met up with his family and attended the good 'ol Mississippi state fair. We had a good time. We took Ellison on the Merry Go Round and, she HATED it. She cried until I picked her up off the horse and held her. Kam took her on a flying ride, which she liked. We walked around, looking at the animals, which is where Ellison met her fate. We let her feed the Camels, and with the last carrot she gave him, he bit her little hand. Boy did she howl!
We have had a pretty good week. We have been staying busy with work, school and Ellison and are doing our best to keep up with it all! I have included some pics of the fair, and a pic of the what the stents look like that they placed in my leg.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Flu Shots...


Monday and yesterday were the flu shot days at our house. On Monday I went to the MD to get my weekly blood draw (to check how thin my blood is) and I noticed a flyer in their glass cabinet announcing they were now offering flu shots. I get a flu shot every year, the hospital provides them to us for free and highly recommend we get one while working in germ city during the winter. I don't mind getting a flu shot, and even like the idea of it being provided free by the hospital, however, there is a catch. We are a teaching hospital, so when flu season comes around, that's what they do, they teach the student nurses how to give them...no thanks! So, I asked the nurse at my MD's office about getting one and sure enough, they were more than happy to oblige. I was reading through the paper they give regarding the effects of the shot when I read that children as young as 6 months could get them, so I decided to get Ellison a shot.

Yesterday was her turn. She did great! She cried for literally 10 seconds, and then noticed the toy bin they keep in the room and found some toys to play with while we waited the 10 minutes to make sure she didn't react to the shot. She found a friendly stuffed frog that "ribbets" and played happily until they came to make sure she was fine. She did have some slight redness at the injection site, so they gave her a little Benedryl and we were on our way. We have the second half of the shot (they give it in two parts, with a months time in between) in November.