Update

So this year I made a resolution to make myself "healthier". I went to the doctor the other day to have a check-up done and to check on my clotting disorders. To start I have two clotting disorders, anticardiophospholipid/antiphospolipid syndrome, also known as Hughes syndrome, and I also have protein c/s deficiency. I have not had them checked since I was pregnant with keylan and figured it would be good to know what I need to be doing to prevent anything from happening. I also had a CBC done, metabolic panel, and thyroid function tests done. Everything came back good, except my liver enzymes. They are elevated, so I have to go back in tomorrow and have more tests done. Hoping it is nothing serious and can be dealt with by diet change and exercise. I am also waiting for a call from the hematologist so I can get in and be checked out.

2011 Recap and Whats Ahead for 2012

So the kids are outside playing right now while Jeremy cleans the patio off so I am blogging for a few minutes. Last year was a long year. My mom had multiple surgeries on her eyes throughout the year and the end of 2011 she was blind in her right eye, today though she was able to see her hand. It was about 1-2 inches from her face but she still saw it =) We have lost several people this year (Uncle Jay, jeremy's great uncle, Granny Gardner, and my Uncle JD); we miss them so much, but I know that they are watching over us throughout the day everyday. My little boy turned 1 in April and Shiana turned 4 and Sydney turned 11 in July. My best friend moved to North Dakota and I miss hanging out with her every day! We made several trips back and forth to visit family and the most recent was when my Daddy had a heart attack. Looking ahead to 2012 there are so many positive and exciting things that I am looking forward to.

January: we have my dad's birthday and my niece's birthday this month. I am also starting school work with Shiana to get her ready for school.

February: Valentine's Day, I guess. Jeremy is suppose to start ACAP appointments this month.

March: I turn 24, I feel old already. 

April: My little boy will turn 2, already. I am not ready for the terrible, oh wait he has already hit the terrible twos.

May: This month I will be packing, and loading and moving and unloading ALL of our stuff. This is the month that we FINALLY get to move back home to Alabama. I am so ready and as weird as it sounds, I am ready to pack and move. Keylan will also be having his first birthday party at home =)

June: Hopefully by the middle of this month we will be moved into a house or apartment (3 bedrooms at least) and have jobs.

July: Shiana turns the big 5! Another BIG party =) Sydney will also be turning 12. Oh and my little brother turns 21, definitely need to figure out something fun to do with him.

August: My mom's birthday, Jeremy turns 28 and Shiana will be starting Kindergarten. =( My little girl starts school, but that only leads to new, fun things to learn.

September: Can't think of to much for this month

October: Our FIRST Halloween at home with the kids. Hoping we are in a house because I am wanting to go all out on decorations. lol. Looking forward to the pumpkin patch and trick or treating and new corn mazes this year.

November: First Thanksgiving at home! Have to figure out a good routine since we will be dividing the day between my parents and Jeremy's family =)

December: I know we just came out of December, but this is the month that I am looking forward to. The start of new official family traditions and figuring out new things for Christmas Eve and Day. I finally get to have the kids open presents in their own home first on Christmas morning =)

This of course is not everything; but hopefully we have a good year with health and wellness. I will also be getting Keylan into his own room for the very first time ever when we get a new place and getting rid of the paci and completing the potty training, which he is actually not to far away from. So this year looks like it is going to be a good year.

New Year Resolution

This next year I am focusing on making my family healthier. My dad had a massive heart attack the other day, they were able to get a balloon/shunt into the left side of his heart but there was way to much damage done to the right side of it. He is going to be referred to a cardiac specialist in Birmingham and bypass may be done then. But I have been thinking about making a healthier lifestyle for my family, and this has put it in more perspective. I am doing the research and to help myself and also my mom, dad and brother with information. We are also going to start exercising and being more active. Another resolution is to get certified in phlebotomy so I can draw blood and make more money. I also think that I am going to make my way to be a dietitian and work in the hospital. So I am going to use my blog, or make a new one for our "journey" on getting to be more heart healthy. Hopefully I can find some good information and help others be more aware of the signs of a heart attack and prevention along with recipes that I find, and once I try it I will do a review.

Home school preschool with Shiana

So I found an awesome program for homeschooling Shiana. It has everything that she needs to know and work on before Kindergarten. It is only a 9 month "course" but she knows a lot of it so we should be able to squeeze a few months together. Hopefully we will have her ready for Kindergarten and I am going to play selfish mommy and say that I want her to be the smartest in her class (but I am pretty sure every parent says that about their kid). The main thing we have to work on is reading, writing, and letter recognition (she knows her alphabet, just not individual letters when asked to find them). So the plan for month 1 is:


Month 1 Reading     Consonant/Vowel Blends B,C
                                Short Vowel Sounds A
                                Long Vowel Sounds A
             Writing        A,B,C
                                Number 1,2
                                Copy Complete Words
              Arithmetic   Counting to 20
                                Circle & Rectangle
              Science       Feelings - Happy
                                Feelings - Angry
                                Feelings - Sad
                                Feelings - Scared
              Social Studies    Understanding Safety Rules
                                        Safety Rules - Group 1

So about mid-month or weekly or when ever I decide to do it I will update on how she is doing. They also have programs for 2 year olds and 3 year olds. I plan to start this the first on January and hopefully during the different holidays I can add in some extra stuff for her to do.

Unit 2 and an Update

So I am going to do a quick update for Unit 1 from school; I had to make chocolate chip cookies and taste vanilla ice cream at different temperatures. I have to say, personally the recipe that I had to use was not that good, much prefer the fridge ones or my own homemade ones. And the ice cream obviously tastes better cold. And my 1960s class was to pick something from the timeline that was provided that affects our life today and I did TIROS I, the first weather satellite that was released in 1960.


This unit I am just seeing how different starches react in hot and cold water so not much there. And for the 1960s discussion this week I have to discuss the public perception of veterans that returned from vietnam and the veterans that have returned from the Iraq wars. So that should be interesting.


So Shiana has been in Alabama since the day after Thanksgiving. It has been a nice break, but I am so ready to have my little girl back home with me. Thankfully we will be home for Christmas in a week and then we will actually be spending our first New Years Eve in El Paso. Then, it will only be 5 short months till we head back to Alabama for good. Hopefully they fly by but not to fast. In that time I will turn 24, wow lol, and my little boy will turn 2. I cant believe that he is already almost 2, where has all the time gone already. I honestly am not looking forward to having to pack everything up with two kids that I know will drag it all out again, lol, or that long drive by myself with two kids in the car. But I am excited to see where the next chapter starts and where it leads us. But I am going to end here for now and try to clean up some more while the little boy is taking his nap. If I don't write before Christmas, MERRY CHRISTMAS and I hope everyone has a good and safe one.

New term

So I started a new term for school today. I am taking a food lab class (YAY! I love cooking) and Exploring the 1960s (not to excited about that one). So I figured since I am taking a food class, and every week I will be making a new recipe I am going to blog it. This first week I have a choice between making cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal, or snickerdoodle) or brownies. I decided on chocolate chip cookies. I plan on making Friday or Saturday my cooking day, so I will write on Wednesday what is going on that week and then another post after I make whatever it is I make. I probably what go so much into the 1960s unless it is something that interests me or a good debate. 

Traditions

This is the 3rd year that shiana has been gone for the first part of the holidays. The past 2 years were nice; the first one I was completely "alone" (keylan was still baking) I felt blessed to have a healthy daughter and a healthy growing baby. Last year was a little more rough, shiana was older and missed home really bad and keylan was of course a breeze to take care since he was only 7/8 months old. This year has been so different, shiana still misses home but she is not crying every night cause of it. And keylan has completely changed since she left. Usually he is a constant screaming terror, but he has not screamed one time other then the 2-3 tantrums he has had. But though the time is nice I have realized that we have no family traditions of our own for the holidays. I remember being little and going to the Christmas parade(which they have completely changed the route for this year )= ), going to have Christmas pictures taken (this is our only year to miss formal pictures) going to see Santa and riding the reindeer carousel while at the mall, looking at Christmas lights on Christmas eve after visiting granny brand, decorating the tree together and leaving cookies and milk out for Santa and carrots for the reindeer and then not sleeping all night and getting up early. How could I have missed starting all those kinds of traditions? The only one we have is christmas eve granny gardner's house. Next year will be different! We will be back home in Alabama with our families around and really seasons. Hopefully we will have a house (even if it is renting) so we can decorate. Halloween will be more then just going on post to trick or treat, we will be able to decorate and go see our family and then trick or treat, thanksgiving we will all be stuffed from all the meals that will be made, and my favorite part starting traditions with my kids. I want shiana to be able to look back when she is married with kids and say " this is what we did every year, these were our traditions". I do know that we will do elf on a shelf next year and hopefully things will just happen.