TAG YOUR IT!

Annie tagged me! Here are 7 weird and random facts about me:

1. My children must always have on shoes and a hairbow before leaving the house; and I prefer they be in coordinating outfits.

2. I cannot go to sleep with the closet door open...it creeps me out.

3. I'm an FHS band geek. I played the flute and was Captain of the Flag Line 3 years in a row.

4. I absolutely hate going to the eye doctor, but don't mind going to the dentist.

5. I have always wanted to have identical twins.

6. I put garlic in every thing...excluding desserts of coarse!

7. Ross and I were engaged before we went on our official first date. What?! We were poor college kids and couldn't afford to go any where. Unless of coarse, you consider lunch in the Pomfret cafeteria a date! Ha!

I hope you enjoyed my list of random facts because it took me forever to come up with anything. Normally I have a list a mile long, but put me on the spot and I clam up. Amanda, Mandy, Erin, Kristen, Alicia, Stacey, and Alissa...TAG YOUR IT!

BB&B 2008

Who is in that picture? That's right. Jesse James was signing autographs at the "6th Street Wal-Mart" on Saturday Morning. For those of you who don't know who Jesse James is, he builds West Coast Choppers among other things.
Ross, Grumpy, and Jesse James. Good thing I took a picture with Grumpy's camera also because Jesse isn't looking at the camera in this one!
Grumpy and the big girls...Abigail still isn't up for touching Grumpy...I think she is afraid! ;)
Look at that hot momma on the back of that motor cycle!...Somehow I ended up with a picture of my mom and Ross on the bike and none with me! So sad. :( At least she looks good.

I have about a million other bike pics, but thought I would spare you the agony of looking at them. Ross always wants to take pictures, but they don't look as good as they did in person. All-in-all the weekend went well and we had a great time. It is a wonderful weekend for both Ross and the girls to spend time with just their "Grumpy" (aka Ross' dad).

Mary Grace's Baptism

"My eyes have seen your salvation." -Luke 2:30

When Mary Grace was three and four, she was involved with Cubbies, an Awana program. During that time, she learned to memorize scripture. As she did so, she kept coming back to Luke 2:30, "My eyes have seen your salvation." This was her favorite verse for quite some time, and as it turns out, on January 9, 2007, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. On July 13, 2008, she was baptized at our church First Baptist Springdale. Mary Grace was honored and excited to have Mr. Zach (our family friend) baptize her that morning. It was an amazing experience; one I know she will always remember. I have been meaning to post pictures, but never seemed to find the right time; so Mary Grace, this is for you. Mommy and Daddy are so very proud of you for making the single most important decision of your life. We are happy to not only have you for a daughter, but also to know you as a sister in Christ. We look forward to seeing your relationship with the Father grow and mature throughout the years, and expect to see mighty things done through and in your life as you walk with Him. Here are some pictures from your very special day!


Mr. Zach and Mary Grace

The Green Family
The Hill Family
The Moore Family

The Girls are ready to go...

Brownie Points for Momma

So I attempted to make my husband "pizza" and "cheesecake" a couple of days ago, and you know what? They actually both turned out very well. The flat bread pizza crust was made from tapioca flour, tapioca starch, basil and rosemary. It was very yummy...much like a pizzeria pizza! Then, as if that wasn't adventurous enough, I made a crust less chocolate cheesecake with ganache and whipped cream on top. It was also good, but a little too sweet for me. A little went a long way. Yes, my husband is the luckiest man in the world to have a wife that is willing to be a little adventurous; so that we do not have to eat the same foods over and over again. :) Enjoy the pictures of my master pieces.


Oh, I did not stop there with the coolness. I let my children have cheesecake and coffee for breakfast! Yes! Coffee...mind you, there was very little coffee and a WHOLE LOT of sugar and cream. They thought it was the best and I won several "coolest mom ever" points with the big two this morning. While I am bragging about myself, I might as well rack up on those brownie points while they are rolling in 'cause I have no idea what's for lunch today. ;)

Happy Fall!!!

For those of you who know well, you know that I love fall! Today is officially the first day of fall; so Happy Fall to you all! In honor of fall and in no particular order, here are a few reasons why I love fall:

*The crisp, cool, clean air.
*Autumn colors on the leaves.
*The smell of warm apple pie.
*Football
*Thanksgiving and Family
*Celebrating the birth of our 3rd daughter.
*Pumpkins
*Scarecrows
*Cornstalks, Hay, and Mums
*Hot apple cider

Catch Up

Okay, so in search of a doctor for Ross, we have been led back to Cincinnati. I spoke with three different clinics in Arkansas including UAMS, and none of them have had much experience with any eosinophilic disorder much less EE. After talking with the Centers for Eosinophilic Disorders in Cincinnati, we have confirmation this is where we are supposed to be. He will have to go through the same "approval" process that Abigail went through, but since she has already been seen and he has such large numbers of eos this should not be a problem. In fact, we already know that we will most likely be traveling during the weeks of Nov. 5 or Dec. 17. So....MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY...because we aren't gonna have any money left for gifts! Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right? RIGHT?!? ;) I'm sure we will work something out.

In other news, I took Abigail to the dentist last week. Dr. Rhodes, by the way is great if you are looking for a wonderful pediatric dentist that loves his job. Now that I have put my plug in for Dr. Rhodes, I will get to the point. He wants to see her every three months because she has calcification build up from not being able to eat anything abrasive, and since she has such severe allergies he wants to avoid decay at all costs (because she could be allergic to the material in fillings). He also suggested that we have her frenum (the thin piece of tissue that connects the top lip to the gums) cut. It is tight and very difficult to brush her top teeth. Our appointment with the oral surgeon is Thursday. Another procedure and anesthesia...is it ever going to end?

Hannah and Mary Grace are doing well, I am happy to announce. Mary Grace is loving school and Hannah is loving being the "big sis" while Gracie is there! I have to admit it has been fun having Hannah basically to myself for a few hours each day! As for me, well I was sick all weekend, but I am feeling much better today. I guess I just had a virus...or my body said it was time for rest because I ran a fever without any other symptoms for about 24 hours and felt crummy afterwards, but like I said am good today. Ross was wonderful though!! He kept the house clean and did laundry...he even cooked a little! Well, I am done playing the catch up game until next time.

Results are In...

After much waiting; Ross' pathology reports confirmed that he does in fact have Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Just to show you how he compares with Abigail, his highest eos count was 80 and Abigail's was 90. Pretty close to the same...in other words, he isn't doing too well either.
I have had several questions about how Ross is handling his new diet. He is actually doing quite well with it at the moment. It has effected all of our diets, but surprisingly it hasn't been that hard so far. Although reality hit me yesterday as I was watching the Food Network channel and I realized that I will not be able to bake like I used to. Baking is/was my passion and now I won't be doing that...for a while anyway. That's okay though; I will just have to learn to change my passion from baking to cooking. All in all we are doing okay! We are now in the process of seeking out doctors for Ross. Doctors who have seen adult EE patients. Well, it's time to get Abigail from therapy so I hope you all have a wonderful day!

I May Just Go CRAZY!!!

It has been two weeks since Ross' scope, and we still do not have the results! Is it just me or is that just absolutely ridiculous?! I may loose my mind before we even get the stinkin results. He went by the doctor's office today to see if they could tell him something, and they said that they didn't have them back yet. The pathology department said they would fax them over; but the nurse said that she didn't know if she would be able to read them, so someone will call in the morning. Seriously?!? Bring them home to me...I can read them! Can you since the frustration and impatience yet??? Okay, I am done ranting. I will let everyone know the results as soon as I know something! AAAAWWWWWWWHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I feel a little better now ;).....