Kyles Eagle

Ive written here about Kyle once or twice before. He is my nephew who just turned 18 and has autism. He is one of the kindest, whole hearted, special kids I know. This last Sunday he did something that not many people achieve, something he had to work very hard for and something that took him a really long time. He earned his Eagle Scout award. We went to his court of honor on Sunday which was the most moving, tender thing I have seen or been to in a very long time. They did a great job recognizing him and his accomplishments. Kyle even gave a talk and sang a song because the music on his slide show was not working. I bawled almost the whole time trying to blame it on pregnancy hormones but I know it wasn't all that. Kyle has such a special spirit about him and you could certainly feel it strong that night. The reason that I write about this is one  I never want to forget how hard Kyle worked but two it reminds me that we can accomplish anything we put our minds to!! He didn't let his disability get him down, he didn't use it as an excuse he simply choose to do something and did it. I hope that one day I am as strong, brave and special as Kyle. He is one of my hero's here on earth and I am so happy that he is part of my life to remind me of what really is important. Love, charity and kindness!!

Bott Family Christmas Party

Today we had my side of the families Christmas Party. We did our annual breakfast, cousin gift exchange and then my mom gave all of the grand kids their presents. Its always fun for all of the cousins to get together even though it can be hectic. Food was yummy and the company was fun.

School Chirstmas Fun

This past week the boys had lots of fun with school Christmas activities. They had parties, gift exchanges, assemblies and the parents were invited for a school sing along. It was so much fun to be able to help out at their parties, and to go to the sing along with Layne and Landon. This sure is a fun time of year with kiddos in tow!!

Family Trip to see Santa

Friday night we had a little family date. We went out to dinner then hit up the mall to see Santa. The boys took a turn sitting on his lap and telling him what they want for Christmas and then we got their picture with him all together. Once we were done with Santa we looked around for a bit and then let the boys ride on the rides in the middle of the mall. When we got home we had a movie night with lots of treats and popcorn. It was a fantastic way to spend our Friday night!

Field Trip to Santa

On Wednesday I went with Landon and his preschool class to the mall to visit Santa. It was so cute to see the little kids get to excited when Santa walked in and was jingling his bells. They all took a turn sitting on his lap and telling them what they wanted for Christmas and then Santa gave each of them a coloring book. We took a few pictures of the class as well. It was a fun afternoon.

Verizon Christmas Party

On Tuesday Verizon had their annual Christmas party. It was so much fun this year!! They brought in horse carriages that gave families carriage rides around the center outside, they made each child a badge like the workers there use, they had crafts, a cake walk, 2 photo booths, tattoos and then gave out sandwiches, cookies, cider and hot cocoa, they also had some special visitors Santa, frosty and 2 penguins from the north pole. Its always fun to have the family come to work. They love being able to visit and seeing where I work. Verizon did a outstanding job this year. We loved every second of it!!

Children...

It always stops me in my tracks to hear my kids talk about Kael in great detail. They mention him often, we have his pictures all over and we keep him a part of all family events but when the boys go out of their way to ask questions, talk about their memories and express their feelings it is very bittersweet for me. The sweet part is I know that they know him, think of him, remember him and love him.... the bitter part is I also know that they are hurting, miss him and wish he were here just the same that I do. Daxton got down Kaels book just before bed time last night. He looked through all of the pictures and asked questions. He didnt remember Kaels casket and was very thorough with his questions... then he asked me when Kael is going to come back alive... how I wish I knew and had a anwser for this question. Its hard for me to even try and grasp I cant even imagine how it must be hard for their little brains to wrap around. Once Stefon and Landon heard Dax and I talking they wanted in. So we re-read his book and they both got to ask their questions. Its very interesting to me to see how much they want to know and understand. Now that Landon is older he also wants to know all about it. He wants to know why Kael passed away how come his body didnt work and when he gets to meet his big brother. I love hearing Daxton and Stefon tell Landon about Kael it really is a sweet thing. To hear their memories and talk about how special he is. Its a little bit tough to explain to Landon why he cant meet Kael on earth and how he passed away. Im sure as he gets old it will be a bit easier but it stings right now just a little bit. The good news in all of this is that I know Kael wont be forgotten in our little family. We will live his legacy forever and Landon and baby girl will know all about their big brother, how special he is and the huge impact he made on our lives. With todays events it saddens me to know that now 26 other families will know this heart break, a child, a sibling, a mom a dad it will hurt so badly and they will have to learn to walk this grief walk. I pray for thier families there are no words, nothing that can be said or done to make their situation any easier. I pray those children did not have to suffer long and that the horror that they witnessed was short lived. I cant imagine how awful it was for them. I will pray for their families for weeks to come as this journey I can only imagine will be rough. Remember hold your kids tighter, tell the ones that you love just how much you love them and never take one second for granted.

Christmas Crafts

Got  this idea on pinterest and thought is was so cute so we decided to try it out!! We made these snowmen out of rice, socks and ribbon. Each boy made their own and then Daxton decided we needed to make Kael one to so we all worked on his together I love that they never leave him out of anything!!  I think they turned out so stinking cute!! It was a fun, easy craft to do together as a family!!

Reflections!!

I was so proud when both of my boys came home from school wanting to do reflections at school this year. It was their own idea and they were really into it. They both decided to do visual arts and got started right away. The theme this year was magic of a moment. They both came up with great ideas and pictures. They turned in their projects a few weeks ago. I was so excited when I got an email from the PTA that Stefon's had been moved on to district. I cant wait to see how far it goes. The school did a assembly where each child that participated got to go on stage, get a certificate and prizes as well as a free kids meal to wingers. Both boys were so proud that they were called up on stage. Because Stefon's is now at the district level he also got a trophy. It brings me so much joy to see the boys excel at school. And Daxton was so good about his only getting a school award. He wasn't upset or disappointed and was so good with Stefon telling him how awesome it was that he was moving on. They are such good brothers. I love them both so much and am so proud of them!!

A little bit scary...

Things around here have been a bit scary in the baby department as of late. 2 and a half weeks ago we went in to the specialist to have my mid pregnancy ultrasound. The baby is growing amazingly well she is right on track for her due date, her brain looks great her head looks great her heart looks great and her joints at her hands and feet are also great which is huge. The one scary thing that they saw was something in her tummy around her bowel which can mean she might have infection in there or something called cystic fibrosis and also it can mean nothing at all... so of course I start freaking out!!! They decided to do a few tests on me to test me to see if I am even a carrier of the gene or not. Well last week the tests came back that I am... so the next step in the  process was to perform an amniocentesis. We scheduled the test for Friday afternoon. Thursday night on my way home from work only 3 blocks away from where I needed to be I was involved in a car accident. I drive a mini van and was stopped for a red light the truch who came behind me wasnt paying attention and drove right into the back of me and pushed me into a truck that was in front of me so my van was smooshed inbetween these 2 big trucks!! The guy behind me hit me hard enough that my stomach hit the steering wheel and also my head went flying forward and hit the back of my seat luckily I am a mad woman about wearing my seat belt so that helped. It took the cops 45 minutes to show up but when they did they decided that since my belly hit the steering wheel and my arm, neck and back were hurting that  I needed to be seen Layne came right away as soon as it happend and took me up to the hospital. They immediatley took me to labor and delivery to check on the baby. Not a place I pictured myself at 21.5 weeks. They found her heart beat right away and she was kicking like crazy they hooked me up to the contraction machiene and luckily I was having none. They monitored me for 2 hours before they sent me over to ther ER to have myself checked out. Luckily no broken bones just lots of bruisng and whiplash. They released me and gave me instructions to check in with my ob. Lucky for me the next day was my amnio. they were so good about everything and since the wreck was the night before they did another full body ultrasound to check over baby and she is still looking good. The stuff around her bowel wasnt as much either which is good news. Once the ultrasound was over they performed the amniocentesis which hurt like crap!!! I guess just another added pain from the night before.... now we wait for 7-10 days to get the results to see if indeed she does have cystic fibrosis or any other condition that they can detect. We are hopeful that all will be well with her. She is looking good and growing great but the chances she will have it are strong. The good news is there are alot of different kinds and how much they impact each individual person. Laynes brother has cystic fibrosis and has lived a faily good life and is in his 50's so we are hopeful. In the meantime please keep baby girl in your prayers. Every little prayer helps!! 

Harmons field trip

Last week I went along with Landon's preschool class to the local grocery store Harmons. It was a lot of fun! The lady gave us a tour around the store, the kids got apples and oranges and cookies from the bakery, we got to go in the back of the store and see the freezer how big and cold they are and when you walk past the milk part of the store a secret cow moo's which the kids thought was hilarious!! It was such a fun time with Landon's class!!