She's OK!!

After a hectic morning we made it to Houston this past Wednesday for our appt with all of the specialists.  We started the morning with an ultrasound and after meeting with the Dr they decided that things looked so great that they didn't feel I needed to have the MRI.  That was awesome news!!  Not only did our sweet little Eden Rose look great and healthy, we didn't have to fork out the money for a very expensive MRI.  The Drs checked with the specialist that sent me to them and he still wanted us to get the echo on her heart.  So after a lunch break it was back to another exam room for an ultrasound of just her heart.  Next we met with the Cardiologist and she said that her heart looked great.  You can imagine our relief after such wonderful news.  They cancelled the rest of our appts we had scheduled and sent us on our merry way. :) 

We did learn a few things about the baby that we didn't know.  They informed us that she doesn't have a nasal bone and that her arms and legs are a little shorter than typical at this stage of gestation.  Her bowels are still "glowing" a little bit but the Dr said that they still looked good so they weren't concerned about them at all.  So basically all of that means that she may or may not have down syndrome.  We are so happy that our baby girl is healthy!  Thanks to all for your prayers.  We are truly blessed and are definitely counting our many blessings this Thanksgiving.

Playing catch up

Wow I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted anything on here.  Well for those of my followers that I for some reason do not have as friends on Facebook lets catch up.  First things first, the kiddos. 

Ashlyn is 7 and is in the 2nd grade.  She is so super smart is scares me sometimes.  lol.  She is an excellent student and an AWESOME big sister!  Jade will be 5 in January and is in preschool and LOVES it!  Her teachers were so surprised at how easily she went to class without any mommy withdrawal and how social she is.  Oh yeah, she'll be the one I hear from the teachers about for talking too much during class.  hahaha.  Dallin will be 3 in February!!  He was only 4wks old when we moved to Texas.  Crazy how fast that's gone by.  Dallin is a sweet boy that sure does love his mama!  He has a great relationship with Jade and loves Ashlyn.  The girls both dote on him so much.  I will be 30wks pregnant this Thursday with our third little girl.  Her name will be Eden Rose Walter.  We weren't expecting to have another baby at the time but even Heavenly Father enjoys a good surpsrise every now and again.  Things have been emotional with this pregnancy.  We have been seeing a specialist these past few months because they found eco lighting in Eden's bowels in the ultrasound.  Basically it means where her bowels are they are showing up bright on the screen when they should be dark.  We were given six different possibilities of what it could be.  I had a lot of blood work done to narrow the search.  Through that adventure we learned that I am a carrier of Cystic Fibrosis.  Wanna scare yourself about your unborn child?  Read up on CF!  Thankfully Kenneth is not a carrier so it's impossible for any of our children to have CF.  However they could be carriers of it as well which I will inform them of as they get older so they can be prepared when starting their own families.  Since all of the other tests came back negative/normal we were expecting the follow up appt to tell us things were all better and that they cleared up on there own.  Unfortunately we found that her lungs are also now bright in the ultrasound when they too should be dark.  So in two days, Nov 14 we will be in Houston ALL day.  I'll be getting an ultrasound followed by an MRI followed by an eco on the baby's heart, afterwhich we will meet with the cardiologist to go over what was found in the eco and then meet with the surgeon to go over what was found in the MRI and to discuss if the baby needs to be born at Texas Children's Hosp (in Houston) and if she will have to have surgery or not.  The good news is that Texas Children's Hosp is the number 2 hospital in the nation.  So she would be in very capable hands.  My sweet cousin Kirk is a neonatologist and has been very helpful.  If they do find problems that need correcting Kirk will call the Drs we see on Wed to find out the diagnosis and planned procedure(s) and then explain it all to us in lamens terms so we'll know what's really going on.  I'm not afraid of this appoint I'm rather anxious for it.  We have been walking around not knowing what on earth is wrong, or if there even is anything wrong and I'll be the first to admit it's no walk in the park and I have cried...a lot.  Come Wednesday we'll finally know something!  I'm thankfull for the gospel and the priesthood. 

So Kenneth is doing well at work.  They have stayed busy and are expected to be getting super busy once the new year rolls around.  He's training to run a marathon this February.  I know, CRAZY!!  He amazes me everyday. :)  We are really enjoying each other in this journey of life and I'm thankful to have him as my eternal companion. 

If things go well on Wednesday and the Drs are okay with how Eden looks we will be coming home for Thanksgiving and I am very much looking forward to that!! 

Two years ago I was called as the YW President and I am still loving every minute of it.  I have such wonderful girls and love watching them grow in the gospel and watching them become their own.  It's a beautiful thing to see.

Well if I can continue to make time to write on here I'll post again really soon.  I hope I still have friends that follow this even though I haven't written in over a year. :/  Sorry friends!

Pictures Out of Order

Dallin's 1st bday (Feb 2011)

My sweet Ashlyn

The new cut!

Jade's 3rd Bday (Jan 2011)

I got my haircut!! (March 2011)

Catching WAY up

(We didn't mean to have Kenneth and Dal wear the same color, but Dallin spit up and that was close by)

(This pic is a little old, probably 4months old, but SO funny. Jade did it)

Okay so it's been forever since I last posted anything. I have so much catching up to do it's not even funny. Where should I start? Okay I'll start with the usual, the children.

Ashlyn: Ashlyn is now the proud loser of two bottom front teeth! I know, shocking she's old enough to be losing her teeth. But here we are two dollars poorer and she's two dollars richer. She also has four more loose teeth. We LOVE asking her to say words that begin with "sh." lol. Yeah. That's right. We pick on our children. Anyway she loves showing everyone. She is doing quite remarkable in school and likes her teacher. She has friends at school and church and has adjusted well. She is very smart. And honestly is one of the most beautiful 5yr olds I've ever seen. EVER! Sorry I don't have a posted pic yet, but I will soon. She is still super tall and looks older than she is.

Jade: Jade is completely potty trained!! We got that finished up in October. YAY! It was a beautiful moment. Jade is still extremely narrow as ever and tall. You probably wouldn't recognize her. Her hair is so long now and she talks like a big girl. Most ppl confuse Ashlyn and Jade's voices on the phone. She is still our biggest tease. We continue to work on numbers and letters and all that fun stuff. She catches on quickly, the problem is her stubborn personality. lol. Everything has to be her idea. You can just imagine our fear of her teenage years. She's a happy little girl and has also made friends at church. She keeps us on our toes with her little adventures around the house. And of course we still can't keep Ashlyn or Jade away from Dallin, not that we would. They just love him SO much. They are both very nurturing. This morning I heard Jade talking to Dallin and she said, "Baby I'm you're best friend." It melted my heart like butter. It was just so sweet. Hopefully that will last a long time!

Dallin: Dallin will be 10 months old next week! Time has gone by so fast. He was 4wks old when we left for TX and now we are soon aproaching his first bday. He crawls everywhere. He's pulling up on his knees and if we had more carpet he would probably already be pulling up to a standing position. He has his two bottom front teeth, (his were coming in good when Ashlyn lost hers. Funny to watch). He has the sweetest smile ever. Every night when I tuck him in I always whisper in his ear, "Good night baby. I love you." And for the past like 3 months after I say that he will grab my shoulders and pull himself closer to me. He hugs me! I'm not even kidding. It's the sweetest thing on the planet. I love him so much. I already feel that he and I have a strong relationship, it's very special. He is a very layed back baby. He's down with whatever. He is a lot like Jade was as a baby. They also resemble one another the most.





Kenneth: Kenneth is staying busy with work as usual. He's doing well and enjoying his job. He is now serving as the Secretary in Elder's Quorum. He plays bball every Tuesday and enjoys that. He is ready to take up running again. He has been going back and forth with working out at the gym. They started doing it together as a company. His family will be coming to TX this year for Christmas with the exception of one sibling who just had a baby. So we are looking very forward to that. He hasn't seen them in awhile so this will be nice for him. He is such an amazing husband and provider for our family. I truly appreciate the things he does for us and the sacrifices he makes for us. He is the love of my life.

Me: My life seems to have changed so much this past year. First I was uprooted from the only place I've ever lived. Then I lived in a horrible apartment. Now we are in our house and have been since Sept 6. We LOVE the house and the kids do as well. It's the perfect place for us. We are anxiously getting ready to paint and decorate.

My first calling here in Texas was as the Laurel Advisor. I was happy to serve the YW and was so nervous when the Bishop asked to see me and Kenneth about 4wks ago. He told me I was being released, (my first emotion was sadness, and pleading in my mind please not primary) then he told me it was because he had another calling to extend and that it was a big one. My next emotion, OH CRAP! I immediately knew what it was then. I am now serving as the Young Women's President. I so did not see that one coming! As scared to death as I was I am really loving it. The girls are so great. I love them so much. I had so many fears, and still do have a few, but things are going well. I have an amazing presidency. My sister-in-law (Sarah) is serving as my first counselor so that is tons of fun! We just recently had a Friday and Saturday stake girls camp, (they had Trek this past summer and the stake still wanted them to get together). They learned quickly how crazy I am. Enough said. I'm really looking forward to the wonderful experiences I'll have and the relationships I'll gain with these extraordinary YW. I was praying for spiritual growth just before I got the calling, if this doesn't do it I don't know what will. lol. But I do know that this is why we moved to Texas.

The family is happy to announce that we will be visiting South Carolina on December 28-January 5! I cannot wait to go home. It will be so amazing to drive around and KNOW where I am and where I'm going without using my GPS. lol. I cannot wait to see my family and my little neice and nephews born just before we left. I miss everyone so much. It's so hard knowing that my friends back home are pregnant and living life and I'm not there to help and to live it with them. It sounds like I died, but you know what I mean. I miss everyone. I also really miss Bo*jangles and La Brascas. I'm looking forward to eating that wonderful unhealthy goodness. I look forward to seeing everyone very soon!

New Pictures!

So Dallin is getting SO big! On June 14 he rolled over for the very first time. It was awesome because I was sitting right in front of him when he did it. I'm just loving him! And my girls are So great! We are still having an attitude problem with Ashlyn, but I'm praying. lol. Anyway, enjoy the pictures and I hope to be taking some new ones soon, probably this weekend. Have a great Independence Day everyone!

Okay the picture is a little fuzzy but still SO cute. Jade swimmin'.

Is this a mischievious face or what?

What a big boy!

I went to a luncheon and came home to find EVERYONE asleep, (Dallin is in his crib which is beside our bed).

I LOVE this picture of Ashlyn. I think she is just SO beautiful.



Everyone has to have at least one of these pictures. Sorry your tub is pink Dallin, it was Jade's and I didn't want to buy another one just to have it in blue, you'll grow out of it in no time.

Random Pictures

G.G. and Dallin after his blessing Feb. 21, 2010.

I told Jade to smile, she had other plans, but Brooke listend well.


Okay so he's pretty much the CUTES little boy ever! If only I could stop Jade from sharing her girly toys with him.

Jade posing for the camera.

Ashlyn is in LOVE with her baby brother. She's the best big sister ever! She burps him too. It's great!

They had so much fun taking these pictures!

Again, I can't keep Jade from sharing her girly toys. He really doesn't seem to mind though. Don't worry, I won't let this become a habbit, (sorry about the pic, I couldn't get it to stay rotated).

Jade at the Easter Egg Hunt at church here in Beaumont, TX.

CRAZY

Well we've made it to TX safely. I have SO much to blog about and so little time to do it. There are so many things to catch up on. I have SO many pictures to post! Kenneth surprised me the other day. He came home from work and after dinner went to his truck and when he came back inside he brought in with him a new computer, printer, etc. and a GPS (for my lack of sense of direction). He's the best, and not just because he bought me something. It's been So great being together again. I feel like my world has been sown back together again. I was really starting to lose it. I'm still trying to get the kids back on their routine. We had SUCH a great one before and then after we sold the house and moved in with my mom things got a little off track, but now they are WAY off! Little by little we're getting closer.

Okay so about TX. I live in the best area! The mall, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Hobby Lobby, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Kohls, Ross, Pier One, The World Market, Wal*Mart, Kroger, the movie theatre, our bank, and a little putt putt place are ALL around the block from our apartment! The whole street on both sides is lots of shopping centers. I know, I am in SO much trouble. lol. I am also in trouble because there are SO many One Way streets here. I get confused easy enough, sure lets go ahead and make it more confusing. Thank goodness for the new GPS. Our ward here is really nice. There are lots of young couples here with children and if you know Kristina Tuttle Cash, she will be joining us here soon. What a small world! I can't wait! There is another young new couple from SC that just moved here too. I don't know her and her fiance, but I've seen her around at church at Stake things. What's up with all of us South Carolinians moving to TX? Beaumont for that matter. Who's ever even heard of Beaumont, TX? I surely hadn't until the job offer. I did very well the day we left. I cried while saying good bye to everyone, especially my Grandmother. She told Kenneth she would try to stay alive long enough to see her great grandchildren again. That was a dagger to the heart! Her bday just passed. She is 89yrs old and just as funny, sweet and beautiful as ever. Love her! I haven't broken down yet emotionally. I think it's because everything is still new to me and I feel like we're on vacation in a VERY small condo. lol. I'm sure the first time I get lost somewhere or the first holiday I miss it will hit me, and probably hard. I do miss everyone, don't get me wrong. I'm just still having fun experiences. That and I'm sure Heavenly Father is still uplifting me, but I'm nervous about when and if that will wear off. We shall see.

The kids updates are as follows:

Ashlyn is almost five and the BEST big sister EVER! She loves her little brother. When he cries she is there ready with pacifier in hand. She is very helpful with feeding and burping him. Though I do have to get on to her about picking Dallin up when I'm not in the room. She won't walk with him, (any more) but she sometimes doesn't quite have his head supported the way I'd prefer. Scary. I know. She is a wonderful big sister and huge helper. However we are still having issues with the attitude. I know this probably will not go away until she's like engaged but still. Today's attitude problem went as follows:

Me: Ashlyn are you picking up your toys like I asked?
Ashlyn: I am not going to clean up my room. I am not going to help you. I am not going to listen to you.
Me: Ashlyn listen to yourself. Do you hear how rude and disrespectful you sound? That's NOT how you talk to me. You just lost your toys.

For some reason she didn't see that one coming. As far as Jade goes we are still just as cute as ever! Seriously it's hard to resist her charms. She is the BIGGEST tease ever. She too LOVES her baby brother. She really enjoys putting the pacifier in Dallin's mouth, even when he's fast asleep and doesn't seem to want it, she will shove it in. Poor Dallin. She will also take the paci and put it in her mouth backward (with the nipple of it hanging OUT of her mouth) and run. She knows she isn't allowed to do it so of course she does it anyway. Oh that girl is gonna give me gray hair and soon too I can feel it. I've been working at being more consistent with her. I got really slack with both of the girls while Kenneth was away. I am paying for it now! They are protesting hard, but I'm not pregnant or recovering any more and they are astonished at how fast I am! lol. Jade is talking SO well. I wish y'all could hear her. She's still stubborn so don't ask her to say anything because it has to be her idea, but I did get her to say the prayer at bedtime tonight. It took a LONG time to get her to repeat what I was saying, but when she did it was the sweetest sounding thing ever. She and Ashlyn share a room and we put Jade in a big girl bed as soon as we moved here. Lots of adjustments, but she's doing quite well.

Dallin is smiling at us now. I love him so much. I can't explain it, but the love you have for your son really is different. Not more or less, but different. I am loving it so much. He is now 7wks old. He is such a good baby. He goes to bed around 10 or 11pm and won't wake up again until 5 or 6am. Occassionally at 4am but usually 6am. The thing that really gets me is that it's been this way for several weeks. He was born a sleeper that's for sure. Then again I have also worked hard at keeping him on a schedule so I will take credit for most of it. He is so layed back and easy. Too bad he'll soon be following the rebels that are his sisters. I just want them to be close and to be friends like me and my sibblings. Dallin was a bit on the small side after all of the feeding issues but he is quickly advancing. His cheeks are "puffier" now and he is filling out quite nicely. He is SO tall! He has the longest fingers EVER and I'll be sure to post pictures soon.

Well this is a short novel so I'll stop here. We love and miss everyone back home. Please keep in touch everyone.