Waaaaaaaay too much...

to catch up on! And it keeps me from ever coming around here to post! So I thought I'd just delve right into what's currently going on around here, and play catch up here and there when I get the chance!

So, a while back we bought the boys bunk beds! I found them on CL and they were a bargain! My favorite part is that they come apart, so for now they'll each have their own separate twin! Anyway, they've been sitting out in the garage because we didn't have mattresses to go with them. Well, we decided it's finally time to make the move!

I've always loved sewing...well maybe the idea of sewing...I can honestly count the number of things I've made in my adult years on one hand. That being said...I've always wanted to

make them quilts! So I'm going for it! I've looked and looked and looked and looked, and finally came up with a few fabric choices we liked.

Meet the three finalists:

Baby Animals.

This is Levi's favorite! And the colors are my favorite - colorful, but not too bright and crazy. Joe-Z thinks these are too "babyish" for "big boy" beds. I'm not sure I agree with him 100%, but I think I can see where he's coming from...

Robots.

I don't know what it is, but I love these. The little guys just look so happy! The colors are a bit brighter than what I had in mind, but at least they're...not drab? I think these are the most "big boy" of the three, but still youthful.

Cowboys.

Something about these little cowboys just pulls on my heartstrings! They're just so cute! This is JM's pick...he likes it because they have puppy dogs here and there :o) I feel like this would lend to the cutest decor for the room (soooo much you can do with a cowboy theme), but I hadn't planned on doing a full blown room decorating job here...and with these guys, the temptation might just be too much...

So help me decide which one we like the best! Take a quick minute and vote on the poll to the top right --------------->

Check-ups!

Well, this morning we had Levi's 4 year check-up and Savannah's 1 year check-up.

Good times were had by all, muahahaha.

Actually, the children were pretty close to perfect...I kept thinking I must have been dreaming, as it is a rarity for them to be such angels at the doctor's office!

And for their stats:

Levi - 38lbs, 6oz (50th %) and 43 inches (94th %)

Savannah - 19lbs, 8oz (23rd %) and 30 inches (79th %)

Let's not forget the most important happening of the morning though: I got dressed in ironed clothes, did my hair and make-up, and wore perfume! Miracle of miracles, I know.

Here's to a great General Conference weekend!

Savannah's Update

I know many of you are wondering what ever happened with Savannah's condition. I guess I kind of decided to stop blogging at a suspenseful time in our lives. Sorry about that, lol.

In short, she's great. A-ok. Super duper. She's perfect, in fact.

Her test results came back (albeit weeks later than they had estimated) 100% clean. Everyone was completely surprised, doctors included. We had prepared ourselves for every outcome under the sun, except for that. We felt blessed beyond measure and we have a sure knowledge that miracles do happen. About every other month or so, her left breast still swells up, but within a couple of weeks it returns to normal. It doesn't bother her (it never did before either) and aside from that, she has no other symptoms. We were supposed to go back for more testing, but we've never felt the need.

One thing is for certain, we love her to pieces. She has been such a joy in our lives in just the year she's been with us and we can't wait to see what the future has in store for this sweet girl.

Hello World!

Gasp! I've decided to pick the blog back up!!!

Thanks to those of you who have inquired lately - I'd been going back and forth for a while now, and your sweet comments helped sway the decision to jump back in!

I'm not sure yet what my blogging will be like this time around. I'm sure it will include updates of the kiddos and our daily going-ons. But I'm hoping to use it as a journal too. Or maybe not so much a journal as a jumping board for my ideas and thoughts. I guess just to get it out there. Wherever "there" is, lol.

So, I hope you'll bear with me as I get back in the swing of things and establish a blogging routine again.

I'm excited to be back!!!

I *will* craft again...

My next craft project:

I can't wait to make this!

Questing, questing, questing, never resting...

Do any of you have kids that watch Backyardigans? That's a song from one of their episodes.

That's how I feel lately...like I'm on a quest to find out everything I can about Savannah's condition! I'd been holding off on posting about her appointment with the endocrinologist last week in hopes that I would have the results of the test he ordered and could give a full, more accurate post today. Unfortunately, this afternoon they informed me that part of her results were back, but not the results he needed to give us a diagnosis. She said to give them until the middle of next week. Easier said than done! I hate the waiting game!!!

Anyway, I'll try to summarize what we found out at Dr. Deeb's office last week:

He thinks that Savannah's condition is what is causing the cyst, not the other way around, which is what we'd thought up until this point. He believes that she is in precocious puberty. It's when a child's body goes into puberty early. It is nearly unheard of in a baby her age, his quote was that it's as rare as "lips on a chicken", lol. It can have a number of causes, including brain damage, problems with the pituitary gland, tumors in the central nervous system, problems with the adrenal glands, and a couple of very rare Syndromes. If the tests come back positive for androgens, we'll head into a laundry list of tests (including an MRI and CT scan...how in the world do they keep babies still for those anyway...?) to rule out all of these bad scenarios. Fortunately, 85% of the time (in girls) the reason for the onset of puberty is unknown and can be "turned off" (he said we would get into that later). I honestly just can't see her having any of those other causes, you know??? She is thriving so well, and aside from her physical development, doesn't seem to have any other issues. So, we're very hopeful.

After all of that though, he said that there is still a slight chance that she is not in precocious puberty, in which case we would continue on the path to find out more about the cyst on her ovary and what caused it, etc. Joe-Z and I joked afterward that we never thought we'd have been talking about it, actually hoping that she has a cyst, lol. Just the week before, we'd been hating that cyst and wishing it had never made an appearance at all. But, compared to the other options, it's looking pretty good! :o)

Either way, we're just excited to find out. To know where to go from here. We're actually really okay with it all. We fasted this month on her behalf, and while neither of us felt that she would be miraculously healed, we both felt very peaceful and felt that we would have the strength to get through whatever lies ahead. I'm so grateful for the blessings we receive from prayer and fasting. How would we make it through this life without them? Heavenly Father surely does love us!

If you'd like to leave a comment, please do! And if you'd like to say you're sorry for us, feel free! But know that we're honestly just happy! As Jim Bob Duggar said, "we're hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst." And it wasn't the worst! She doesn't have a malignant tumor on her ovary, and what she does have is treatable! So, life is good!

And besides, we're still hoping it's that silly cyst on her ovary :o)

P.S. - her 4-month well-check stats: 13 pounds, 10 ounces (50%), 25 and 1/2 inches long (90%), 73% for head circumference.

I can't even think of a title

So, I'm exhausted. And my prayer from the minute I woke up this morning was that the kids would all take good naps this afternoon so that I could too.

All was seemingly going great...all 3 kids were down and it was the quietest I remember my house being in a long time! After about 10 minutes, I hear Levi and I decided to go check on him. To my dismay, he was inside John Morgan's crib, trying to wake him up! I took him out and warned him that if he did that again or woke up his brother or sister, he was in BIG trouble. Ummmmm, yeah. 5 minutes later, he was back in the crib and they were all 3 awake.

I banished him to the couch where I sat and watched him, making sure he sat there, arms folded, eyes closed, not moving a muscle! After 7 minutes, he was out like a lamp!!! The other two...not so much :o(

He's even cute when he sleeps :o)

For those of you who missed it on Facebook...

more Savannah pictures!!!

Savannah's Development...

So a little background on this whole ordeal:

Two Saturdays ago I noticed that Savannah had lumps in her breasts, kind of hard-ish and round-ish. I asked Joe-Z if he'd noticed it and he said he'd felt them for the first time the night before. I called the on-call doc, but they said it didn't warrant an urgent care appointment and to just call our normal pediatrician on Monday morning. So I did, and they wanted to check her out "just in case." He ruled out an infection that day and sent us for a blood test, "just in case". He said that if she'd have been a newborn or even a couple weeks old he wouldn't be concerned, since lots of newborns (boys and girls) often have breast buds. But, since she is older he wanted to make sure her estrogen levels were normal.

On Wednesday of last week we got the call informing us that indeed her levels were high and we needed to do an ultrasound, "just in case" and have us meet with a pediatric endocrinologist. So, we went for the ultrasound on Monday morning (and, can I just say, Savannah was fantastic...didn't cry once!) and we were waiting for our appointment on Thursday to follow up with her pediatrician. Well, to my surprise, the phone rang Tuesday morning and it was our very own pediatrician, Dr. Jones. The only other time I've had a doctor call me at home was to tell me they'd seen something concerning on my ultrasound with John Morgan and we needed some additional testing, so I knew when I heard his voice that something was up.

He informed us that Savannah has a growth on her right ovary. The growth is pressing down on her ovary causing more estrogen to be produced and released, hence the enlargement of her breasts. At this point, they believe that it is a cyst. Statistically speaking, the chances are greater that it's a cyst. If it is, it will go away on its own and her estrogen levels will go back to normal. (Whether her body will go back to normal is unknown at this point, we'll have to wait to see the endo. to find out) As far as what causes the cysts, my doctor didn't know. Once again, a question for the endo. On the flip side, if it's not a cyst, then it's a tumor. A germ-cell tumor, which can be benign or malignant. The chances of this are smaller, and so the chances of it being cancerous are even smaller. The way to determine the nature of the growth is to wait and see...which is killing me. { I never really have had patience to brag about :o) } If her symptoms continue (a process they call feminizing, meaning her breasts and other female parts continue to mature) and her estrogen levels don't drop back down, then they'll know it's a tumor. I asked how long this "wait and see" process is supposed to take, and was once again greeted with "I don't know, you'll have to talk to Dr. Deeb about that." At least he's honest, I suppose. At that point I began to be frustrated with the unanswered questions...I figured if he'd seen it before then he should have had more answers for me. So I asked him how common it was and he laughed out loud and told me that in their practice, this was *maybe* the second case they'd seen. (Then I felt silly and mentally cursed myself for that lack of patience attribute!) He did say that her height and weight growth are very encouraging. Usually babies with cancer don't thrive as well as Savannah has been, so that's a plus. So, for now, we keep our appointment with the pediatric endocrinologist for the beginning of February and see what he has to tell us then.

All in all, it's been a roller coaster. We're very happy to have news though, and to at least know the source of it all. And we're very hopeful that it is just a cyst. She's just so perfect, you know? How could anything be that wrong with a little one so perfect? One thing we do know, is that families can be together forever. Whether we spend six months or six years or sixty years with Savannah here on this earth, she'll be ours forever! No news can be of more comfort to us than that!

Recent Savannah pics!

I was changing JM's diaper in another room and Savannah was absolutely hysterical. All of sudden she's quiet, and I think "uh oh." But, alas, it was just Levi bringing Savannah flowers to help make her happy :o)

For a long time, this was her favorite place to sleep: Mommy and Daddy's bed!

She does a lot of yawning! The ducky is courtesy of Levi :o) He wanted her to play too!

I know it's kind of mean, but I promise I didn't run to get the camera just b/c she was crying. I was already taking pictures, and she all of a sudden got upset, and I just couldn't resist! She's even cute when she's crying!

She looks deep in thought, no?

Smiley baby! For the most part, she's usually quite the happy camper!

Tummy time on the boppy.

Under her mobile. She LOVES that thing! And I love her big bright eyes!

Mommy and Savannah = BFF

A sign of the times...

How wonderful the times we live in...Savannah can get to know her grandma through voice and sight, half a country away!

Blessing Day

Savannah was given a beautiful blessing by her Daddy last Sunday.

{I have to give a special shout-out to two very wonderful women here that helped make her blessing a success! Chris Burtoft made that dress especially for Savannah. It was breathtaking. People kept asking "Where did you buy her dress?" ;o) It fit her personality so perfectly. We couldn't have been more happy! And Cleo Miller (Mema) made that beautiful bonnet you see Savannah wearing. It was simply gorgeous! She made a handkerchief and then turned it into that bonnet. When Savannah gets ready to go through the temple, she can snip the stitches and it turns back into a beautiful hankie she can take with her!}

It was such a special day. We feel so blessed to have this wonderful daughter of God here in our family. She is perfect!

We had planned on the weekend before. All of Joe-Z's brothers and their families came to town for the special event. Unfortunately, Joe-Z (and John Morgan) woke up with (what we can only imagine was) the flu on Saturday. Joe-Z was still in bed come Sunday morning. Bless his heart. So, we opted to wait for the next Sunday and asked a few of our good friends to help with the blessing. It was hard. We have so many good friends here. Our list was way too long, so we decided to go with the people we've known the longest. We had a great bunch!

A special thank you to: Brad Wonsch, Bill Miller (Papa), Danny Roberts, Andrew Harris, Seth Brock, and Drew Blimes (not pictured).

Mama's Holiday Wish List Meme

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

- A new, post-baby wardrobe! (on second thought, maybe I ought to wait until a few more pounds are shed...lol)

- A sewing machine - having a baby girl makes me want to teach her all the things she'll need to know in life...so I guess I need to get busy learning myself!

- A trip to Disney to see Candlelight with the hubby (I'm totally dreaming here...)

- A mantel for the fireplace...it would add SO much to the living room!

- To go see a movie at the theater, with no baby in tow!

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

- It'd have to be the blessing dress that was made for our little Savannah. It was handmade with love especially for her and it it gorgeous!

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

- I really want to learn how to quilt so I can give out quilts to soon-to-be-mommies!y

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

- Hmmmm, Christmas was always wonderful for us. The first gift that came to mind was a mini-pinball machine (our Dad gave us money for Christmas that year and took us out the next day to go shopping for ourselves!)

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

- They're loving anything sports right now. And anything pretend-play-oriented also seems to be a big hit. I personally really want to make them a flannel board, but every time I start I get discouraged with how bad everything looks - I'm just not that great with scissors I guess.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

- Cranberry Salad, hands down. Wouldn't be the holidays without it!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

- Well, said flannel board is in the mix (maybe...) and I saw a cute template for free recipe cards and a holder that I might try to pull of.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

- A Mom For Christmas (ever seen that one...with Olivia Newton-John? Too bad I can only find it on eBay and it sells for like 40 bucks!)

9. Favorite holiday song?

- Silent Night, for sure. I sang it to Levi all the time as a baby...it was kind of our thing. I'd add on "Levi mommy loves you at the end. It was very sweet.

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

- Driving around to look at Christmas lights. We've already been out once this year...makes for a nice family Sunday drive.

You should all go over here and enter to win for yourselves! Just make sure that if you win, you share your winnings with me ;o)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Going Up?

Funny Sportscenter Commercial.

Savannah Update

Well, I apologize for the lack of postings about Savannah. She's had a cold since she was 2 and a half weeks old. And she'd been really sick the last week 2 weeks.

And it has made. life. tough.

But for 3 days in a row, we've all been enjoying our sweet, non-coughing, non-throwing up, non-diarrhea, non-cry-all-day-and-night-long Savannah.

Let me assure you that she. is. amazing. And beautiful. And sweet. And she smiles! And coos back to you.

We love her so much!

{And you will too...once I find the time to upload the pictures and videos. Stay tuned!}

myself again

I went to the gym for the first time tonight since Savannah was born.

It. Was. Heaven.

27 minutes, 1.75 miles, and 188 calories later, I feel like myself again.

Not too intense. Just enough to give me a taste of how I used to feel when I made the time to exercise. I feel good physically, but even better mentally. For me, life is SO much happier when I can run. Why, I'm not sure. But, hey. I'll take it!

Bring it on, YMCA!

30-Day Giving Challenge

Alyssa (from Keeping the Kingdom First) is hosting a 30-Day Giving challenge over on her blog. Basically, the challenge is "to grab a journal next month and GIVE in some fashion every day in November. This could be large or small, simple or extravagant."

Take a second and read all about it here.

I'm so excited about this. I have a feeling that my giving will likely be more about my time and energy than a monetary gift. Probably particularly involving my family. I think this is going to be great. And I can't wait to gain some perspective on the full-circle blessings of giving to others.

Savannah and Co.

We {heart} Kim Brock of KimBE Photography.

Savannah at 3 weeks:

P.S. I know I have yet to tell her birth story. Work with me - I'm juggling 3 kids 3 and under!

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