Christmas 2012

We had a fantastic Christmas!  All three of the boys were super happy with their gifts; we could not have done better.  Not sure if this Christmas will ever be topped!  (Until it's time for cars, ha!)

 

 

Not sure what got me up so early, excitement maybe?  This picture was taken at 6:30 a.m. before the chaos began.

 

 

After his milk, Paxton started playing with his favorite present of the day.  Funny it's normally the first present that becomes their favorite.

 

Quick peek outside - we had a white Christmas and it was gorgeous!

 

Stockings!  I thought this picture was cute because he had his whole face in there to see what was in it.

 

Paxton's first coloring book.

 

Time again for new soccer balls.  We can not keep track of these things to save our lives.

Tristan got a waffle maker!  He was so surprised.  He got up bright and early today to make them too!  Maybe I can stop investing in Costco's 60 pack of waffles now?

 



 

Aidan opening his big gift - a new iPod.  His other one had a button that wouldn't work easily so it was time for a replacement.

 

Tristan's big gift - his new cleats.  Not just any pair of cleats but ones that aren't even released in the USA yet, we ordered these from China!  Tristan strives to be original in his footwear selections.

 

Paxton's big gift - his train table.  This was a shocker to us all because it was given to us by a friend that was moving.  We didn't intend to get him so much stuff for Christmas.  He was a little overwhelmed and began to refuse to open anything more.  The three gifts that are still under the tree may turn into birthday presents!

 

But he loves the train table just as much as the first present he saw that morning!

 

Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Paxton with Santa Saturday night!  He didn't talk to him (except to say goodbye) but he did sit there and take a picture - oh and of course he took the candy cane ;)

Merry Christmas Everyone!  Hope you have a wonderful time with your families.  Love to all!

MRI *Updated*

Tristan had his MRI Wednesday to check his pituitary gland for any lesions, tumors, or abnormalities.  We are waiting for the results.

He thought the whole process was cool and that the tech was super smart.  There were some concerns with getting a clear picture because of his braces but the tech made some adjustments.  Will update when we know something!

* Update - his results were normal, thank you God!  Now we are waiting to hear about our insurance and beginning this road of daily injections.

12.12.12

Here's our 12/12/12 picture since the world is supposed to end ;)

Metal

It's been a long road to get to this point.  Tristan has been through the expanding retainers, permanent retainers, and then 6 months of waiting for his teeth to all come in.  Wednesday he finally got his braces!

Applying the glue.  This contraption looks painful.

All of the brackets are on, just need the wires.

All done!  Man oh man, he has been in some pain the past three days.  Luckily, because of all of the previous work done he only has to wear them for 12-18 months.

Tristan

We got the much anticipated phone call from the endocrinologist last night.  Tristan failed the growth hormone test; he is definitely deficient in his growth hormone.  I am completely shocked - I really thought that it would come back normal, that he's small due to genetics.

Of all of the blood draws that were taken he needed to score a 10 on one of them to pass the test.  It didn't matter what any of the other numbers came to.  The highest that Tristan got was 6.2, wow.

So, we have to schedule a MRI to make sure that there's no other reason that his pituitary gland isn't working properly (a tumor or what not).  Then, we will start the growth hormone injections after we complete all of the education and insurance hoops we have to jump through. 

Now I'm curious if Aidan has the same issues.

Our Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a fun day for us all.  We've been spoiled the past few years with Josh's family coming to visit and I thought this year would feel weird without them.  Although we did miss them we had a great time with our friends.

The Thompson Family -

My wonderful Karol:

Lots of food, football and fun!  Even a little shopping that evening but I can't go into too much detail as it's a big surprise for the boys ;)

Who would have ever thought?

If you were a neighbor of ours you might just see Josh biking around with our Burley.  A few months ago, my friend Lisa called me and asked me if I wanted a Burley?  She was at a garage sale and found one in great shape.  I laughed and had to admit that I didn't even know what it was!  

Anyway, we got it and Pax is in heaven.  He loves going for rides with his Dad.

Tristan's appointment

Thursday was Tristan's growth hormone test.  We left the house at 6:30 am to make it by 8:00 for his appointment in Denver.  The doctor's office had a gorgeous view and Tristan's nurse was super nice and informative.  She placed an IV for easy access to draw the blood and administer the meds.  Tristan was the perfect patient and thankfully has great veins!  They took 15 vials of blood!  

3 games of Scrabble and 4 hours later, we were set free to get some much needed lunch and make our way home.   We should know something after Thanksgiving.

Aidan

Earlier in Aidan's update post I shared that he was in the middle of trying out for Colorado's state soccer team.  I'm so proud to share that he is 1 of 38 boys that are moving on in the process!  Yay Aidan!

B-ball

 Basketball is a whole new world for me.  I feel like a fish out of water

 but I'm having fun.  So far they have played 2 games, won the first in overtime and lost the second by 20 points.

 

 

Here's Aidan (15) and his best friend Brendan.  Can you see the little blonde against the wall on the right?  That's Jordan, the love of Aidan's life so far.

 

 

Aidan told me that when he plays basketball he has to think constantly.  Unlike soccer which must be second nature to him.

 

To our surprise Aidan is a starter for his team.  Way to go buddy!

Trick or treating

I had to share this!  Who is that "girl" in the middle? 

 

 

Tristan!  He had so much fun with this, maybe too much fun?

You might be wondering where Aidan is?  He spent the first part of the evening in his bedroom.  We had quite the disagreement on Halloween but don't worry -  he did get to join in for some fun towards the end.

Tristan's Birthday Celebration

Tristan decided to keep the birthday tradition of forcing his friends to go to a haunted house with him.  This year we chose an indoor haunted house due to 32 degree weather.

 

 

When you are waiting in line there is normally someone who tries to get the crowd worked up.  This time it was Pumpkin face.  This picture is hilarious - look at Tristan and Jack laughing on the right at their friends.  Pumpkin face is staring down Elias and Jaylen is the one in the gray/blue striped hoodie who won't look up.

 

 

Haunted houses are not cheap so of course I really want to get my money out of it right?  This one should have taken at least 30 minutes but these boys were done in 17 minutes!!!!  I'm pretty sure they get scared and end up running through it but won't tell a girl that.

 

Cookie cake.  Another birthday tradition for Tristan.

 

Best friends and a wonderful group of young men!  We are truly blessed.

Tristan's medical update

We saw the endocrinologist Tuesday and I'm so happy to say that is was the best doctor appointment I've ever been a part of.  Tristan's doctor spent an hour with him, talked directly to him, wrote a ton of notes, and asked a lot of questions.  The care and concern that he has for what he does is completely obvious.

After the questioning he has decided to run a few more gastro tests to rule out other possibilities as to why Tristan isn't gaining weight (he's lost another pound from his yearly physical).  He also completely disagreed with the radiologist's findings about the bone age.  The radiologist said it was normal for Tristan's age but Dr. B reads it as the bone age of a 9 1/2 year old (you should have heard Tristan laugh out loud when the doctor said this).  This is in our favor and is good news.  He says that Tristan will grow (probably to be taller than Josh) and depending on the additional testing there are treatments and help available.

Our next step- 11/15 we will be in Denver for a 4 hour growth hormone test plus the gastro stuff.  Tristan is so excited!!!!

Happy Halloween

I took Pax for pictures in his costume and he was completely "in character."  

We are so fortunate to have great weather today so trick-or-treating is on!

Boo at the Zoo

Sunday night Josh and I took Pax to his first Halloween outing - Boo at the Zoo.  The weather was gorgeous and we had so much fun!

 

 

The escapee and myself.  Everyone loved his costume, especially the tatoos. 

 

Ready to go!  We both had an idea of what we thought he might do (be shy, be scared, not want to stay close to us, or fight with us to eat all of the candy),  but he proved us both wrong.  He was so excited, happy to see everyone, and was a pleasure to be with!

We saw a lot of these faces.  You would have thought that he'd never been to the zoo!

 



 

Pax and I making the rounds.

 

See what I mean about the faces?  What a hoot!

 

He did not meet a stranger.  We were able to do the entire thing except for the haunted house.  He would not cross the threshold when we tried to enter, he just peeked around and shook his head no.

 

The end to a perfect night. 



My morning indulgence

I love coffee and my last coffeemaker was ready for retirement.  Josh got me this one and I could not be happier.  The coffee is great and the boys are loving the hot water function on the right side.  After heating the water for about a minute they can add boiling water to their cocoa, apple cider, ramen, and their instant oatmeal.  Pretty cool!

My little update - I'm really proud to say that I've lost 10 pounds.  I'm not really dieting at all, just being conscious of how much I eat.  I did cut out sodas, haven't had one in three months.  I'm still going to the gym, just not as often as I'd like.  Twice a week would be great but with our busy schedule and how tired I normally am when I put Pax to bed, I sometimes only make it once.  So, I think I could lose more if I was selfish and put myself before the boys but that's not going to happen :)

Say no to crack

A little something funny to brighten your day. 

 

 

Josh could not help himself from snapping this in our backyard.  We had to have some fencework done (the wind in Colorado can be brutal) and he said that everytime he looked outside, this is what he saw.  I'd love to know what Josh looked like trying to sneak the picture!

Aidan's update

This has got to be one of my favorite pictures of Aidan.  He picked the background and I love how it came out!  How about those teeth - our first round of braces have truly paid off.

Aidan is doing so well, he got all A's and only 2 B's for his first report card this year.  His soccer team has really improved, they are currently 3rd in the state.  He's in the middle of the tryout process to make the State of Colorado's soccer team for his birthyear.  Everyone who was born in the year 2000 (if you received an invitation) can attend the 3 tryouts to try to make the top 18 to form the team.  We've got one more tryout and then we should know something shortly after that, will keep you posted.

Aidan also tried out for the school's basketball team and he made it!  First practice is tomorrow.  What a size difference there must be between the 7th and 8th graders - Aidan and the two other boys that I know who made it are small.  Where as Tristan did not make his team due to his size.  Hmmm, I can't wait to see how this basketball season goes.  Aidan had his yearly physical and he's also running pretty small, 69 lbs and 4'8.  Our doctor said we could start his testing too but I've decided to wait until we get all of Tristan's results.  (I have a pretty good feeling they are perfectly normal, just tiny.)

A new way to do dinner

Like every other working mom, I struggle with making dinner for the family.  Having no time, my lack of energy, no ideas for what to cook, not having certain ingrediants on hand - these are all of the reasons that normally stop me from cooking a well-balanced meal for us.  Not anymore!!!  I ran across this awesome offer in an email that I got and gave it a try. 

 

 

 

Suppers for your family made easy. Save time & money. Just hit reply for the package below. Let us know, (size wise or full size) or visit our web site for your own selections, side dishes and desserts.

www.suppersolutionsinc.com

Colorado Springs

FREE delivery, Fri. Oct. l9th at 12:30

 

OCTOBER PACKAGE Braised Steak in Vaquero Sauce Buffalo Chicken Wraps Cortez Enchilada Bake Cranberry Chicken Hearty BBQ Beef & Beans Honey Flaked Chicken Lasagna Soup Mediterranean Beef in Flatbread Peruvian Whitefish Potato Baked Chicken Spicy Italian Pasta Sweet & Sour Chicken Size Wise (in session) $181.22 Full Size (in session) $238.22     I've ordered it twice now, each month they have different recipes.  What a lifesaver!  It's so easy, all I have to do is pull out the ziplock bag for that meal and defrost it.  Follow the directions and in 15-20 minutes you have your dinner.  I add 1-2 sides and "poof" dinner is ready.  Tristan and I are having a lot of fun trying the new stuff, Josh and Aidan suffer through them, ha!  

Update on Tristan

 

Here's my handsome boy in this year's school picture.  I thought it turned out well and he was excited to incorporate his two favorite colors, red and black.  (That's pretty much all that exists in his closet except for some gray and white.)

 

We had a great time yesterday celebrating the big 14!  I'm glad it turned out to be a good day for him because the day before he found out that he did not make his school basketball team again.  Second year in a row that he's tried but no luck.  This time around the coach told him that the skill level is right on, it's his size that is holding him back.  Ugh, it's so frustrating.

 

So, earlier this week we had his yearly physical.  Everything was ok except for his growth charts.  Tristan weighs 81 pounds (3%), he's 5'0 tall (8%), and his BMI equals to 3% on the curve.  Over the past 14 months he's only grown an inch and hasn't gained much weight so our pediatrician wanted to run some bloodwork and do a bone scan to check his bone age.  It was a first for him to have blood drawn (6 tubes of it).  The blood work came back normal and the bone age came back as 13 years old so that's relatively normal.  We are still going to see the endocrinologist in a few weeks to see if they want to check his hormone levels.  It is so difficult for a young boy to be so much smaller than all of his friends.  We've been comparing and he's a good 25-35 pounds behind everyone.  But he's still a force to reckon with on the soccer field.  (His team is going to finish in 2nd place for the State of Colorado!)

 

 

Last night at his birthday dinner.

14

I can not believe that Tristan is 14!!!  Busy day with our normal practice schedule, scouting out two high school soccer teams tonight (yes, high school - we are trying to decide where he will go next year), and a dinner out to celebrate his big day. 

Lots to post about, just not enough time!  It's a priority for me this weekend so check back soon.

Fall

I

 

I love the colors of Fall, the red trees are my favorite.  Too bad we only got a week of Fall weather and now it seems that we have snow coming our way Friday night!  Will keep you updated!

The benefits of big brothers...

For the record - this does scare me a little!

Our 2nd Summer Project

We needed to cover our two window wells in the backyard to protect Pax.  I think he should be the company's new spokesperson!