I don't think big is the right word...

Rather, the correct word is HUGE!! Here's mommy at 36 weeks. These pictures are not for the faint of heart. Is it even possible for her to get any bigger? Ouch.

Here is my view of mommy's tummy. WOW! And yes, sweats have become a regular part of her outfit at home.

MIA with less than a month to go

We have been really busy around here. I hope to never again have such a void in postings.

I've gotten out to enjoy the fall weather the past few days. The only problem is that we don't have many beautiful fall leaves in our yard...we have poky pine needles and lots of 'em!

After a hard day of playing in the needles Daddy helped me carve my pumpkin. I wasn't so sure about this whole carving thing. I was much more interested in my new Buzz Lightyear Pull-ups. Hmm. Buzz or Pumpkin? Pumpkin or Buzz?

You mean there's stuff IN the pumpkin? The pumpkin definitely won out over Buzz in this scenario.

Sam took pitty on me and my pine needles and invited me to Drake Park to play in actual leaves.

And of course, I had to bring my Buzz Lightyear Pull-Ups to show Sam. It was tough to put them down. I'm not really a fan of "wearing" the pull ups though...just carrying them around.

Sam's Daddy told us to put our arms around each other. I'm learning okay?

Best Buddies.

**Some important Kadyn updates from the past month**

1. I now take naps without mommy or daddy holding me until I fall asleep. I sleep in mommy and daddy's bed for naps. We read books, have some milk and then I play with my toys for about 15 min. and eventually fall asleep.

2. My "creative play" has taken a new level.

3. I still love Thomas, but it's been a real treat to get to watch Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2. I even sing the theme song "You've Got a Friend in me!"

4. I've reached a whole new level of getting closer to 2. Mommy: "Kadyn, get off the table please." Kadyn: "No" Mommy: "Kadyn, off the table now!" Kadyn: "No."

5. I continue to act as a parrot. I watch, I listen, I repeat...even days and days later.

Bring on fall!

We went to Nampa, ID for the weekend to see my "Uncle" Trevin's wedding. Unfortunately, Mommy and Daddy forgot the camera for the wedding but did remember to bring it to the pumpkin patch the next day.

We met up with lots of friends and family of friends at the pumpkin patch; Sam and Abby, Hannah Joy and Ellie, Hannah Grace, David and Hudson, Eva and her little brother. All the kids got to go on the train ride...even the babies (they went with their mommies).

Then off to the bouncer.

I even got to practice my climbing skills. My daddy is so proud.
There was also a GIANT slide. We had to climb up the ladder first. I offered to take up the rear in order to guide the heard of 2-3 year olds in the right direction.

For being the youngest of the older kids I did a pretty good job (I think I was younger by 5 mo. to 1+ years). It only took me 10 minutes to get up the guts to inch my way down the slide.

Sam was showing me how all the big kids go down the slide. I was just proud that I actually went down the ginormous thing.

In the midst of all the jumping, sliding and trains I managed to find enough time to pick out the best pumpkin in the patch.

I love fall and I love pumpkins!

God's Blessing

I finally heard from the Dr.'s office last night regarding the "prognosis of the lump." It's benign! Praise God! I had a post-op appt. this morning and it turns out that it was a collection of breast tissue? It does not mean that I am any more likely to get breast cancer in the future either which was another sigh of relief.


It's a blessing in and of itself that I am cancer free, that I can't describe. However, the blessing that I'm referring to in the title is that of all the family and friends that were praying for me and my family. Even those that aren't the prayerful type were offering up prayers, good thoughts and support. I'm astounded at how many people cared. I didn't really shed any tears prior to the surgery, as I mentioned I had God's peace covering me. However, I can hardly keep my eyes dry thinking about all the love and grace that was surrounding me during this hard time for my family.


It's really put into perspective what's important in life. Having a dirty house? Having a dirty car? Don't care. Selling our house? Potentially losing a lot of money on our house? Don't care. What's important...eternity. My God. My husband. My son. My unborn child. My extended family. My friends.


So, I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. I want to thank you for caring so deeply that I was not only covered in your individual prayers but also in small group prayers and bible study prayers. In addition to the prayers, I want to thank you for the flowers, for the dinners, for the cards, for the hugs.


A quick note about Kadyn...last Thursday, 9/11, the day I went in for surgery, my mom was watching Kadyn. She got to our house at 6:00 am since I had to be at the hospital by 6:30am. (yes my son was awake by then). They spent the morning playing and then 8:15 he was running threw the kitchen and stopped mid-stride, looked at my mom, and said in a crying/concerned sort of voice--"mommy?" It was at 8:15 that my surgery began. Connected? Yes. One of the most important people in my life? Yes. Does it bring tears to my eyes? No. It spills them on to my cheeks. I am so blessed.


I give all the praise to God!

A day outside

I had my 5 minutes of fame today. I was in The Bend Bulletin (local paper) on the front page of the Local Section showing off my great bubble blowing skills. I went to the park this afternoon with my Grammy and my Mommy so I could practice again.
And of course spend some time on the airplane.

And who goes to a park without rolling down the hill?

Below I was playing Hide and Seek with Mommy in the tree in front of our house. I would run behind the leaves and say "Tay-din are you?" (Kadyn, where are you). Mommy would pretend she was looking for me and I would tell her I was in the "dit" (dirt). She'd go look in the dirt and then I would jump out and yell "boo."

Some things to note:

1. My words are becoming sentences as I learn to put 2, 3 or even 4 words together.

2. I refer to myself in the 3rd person "Tay-din" Ex. "Tay-din come?"

3. I also refer to myself as "You." Ex. "Mommy, hold you?"

4. My "ie" endings are becoming actual words as I slowly drop the "ie."

5. I love love love to read and I still love love love Thomas the Tank Engine.

Surgery Update

I wanted to let everyone know that I am just getting home from the surgery (if you don't know what I'm talking about read the post below). They were very kind in scheduling me for 8am so I didn't have too long to go without eating (this baby likes me to eat...a lot...so this could have been a very hard thing resulting in lots of throwing up if it were scheduled later in the day).


Everything went great and the baby is doing just fine. They removed the lump and are still very positive about it. I'll know more on Monday. God has given me a peace through this whole ordeal and I am so thankful that everything went as smooth as it did, and more importantly, the baby is doing well. My arm is still somewhat numb so I have no idea how much pain I will be in here in a little while. They opted not to give me anything stronger than Tylenol because of the baby so we'll see how that goes :)


Thanks for the prayers and support. I/we really appreciate it.

Jeep Washing & the 29 Week Belly Shots

Sam taught me the art of truck washing this past Thursday. First, you need to get a big bucket of "Wa-tea" (water)...then you get to add "SOAP"!

When the soapy water runs out, it's best to have someone older and wiser to ask for more.

Isn't Sam's mommy great?! Not only does she watch me Thursday mornings while my mommy works...but we get to wash the truck too (and get all wet!). And not just with plain, boring water...with genuine soap.

Below are the pics of my mommy's tummy. She's 29 weeks in these pictures.

My brother seems to be doing really well. His heartbeat is great (140), he's flipped out of breech position, he had hiccups for the first time the other day (well, the first time mommy could actually feel them), and he's been moving up a storm. Daddy says that mommy's tummy looks like it has an alien in it. We're placing bets around my house that the baby is going to be BIG. Though he's causing mommy lots of discomfort (braxton hicks, nausea if she doesn't eat every 2 hours, kicks to the bladder, etc.), he seems to be doing great. And we're all getting really excited to welcome him!

Mommy, however, could use some prayers right now. She's had a lump (for lack of better words) in her armpit for lots of weeks now. After some observation, no shaving, several blood tests and follow up blood tests for viruses--all coming back negative, and with the lump growing at each appointment, her Dr. sent her to a general surgeon for a biopsy. Based on family history with cancer, the surgeon thought it best to remove the lump asap (though the dr. said her guess was that it's benign).

As of right now mommy is scheduled for the lump to be removed and sent for testing this coming Thursday, September 11. Mommy isn't worried about the lump...she's just concerned for my baby brother. We're waiting to hear confirmation that the anesthesia won't bring on pre-term labor and it's just one of those things they have to warn about (a risk the general surgeon said could happen but isn't likely--but the problem being that next week my brother will only be 30 weeks). If there really is risk involved, the surgery will wait!

Sam's mommy gave my mommy the following verse and she's been hugging it ever since. Please know though that mommy has a sense of peace about this and as the dr. said, it's probably nothing. However, we welcome prayers of support while we begin the waiting game.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

God never gives us more than we can handle so we welcome the trials he's putting upon us with open arms. As long as we lean on Him, it will never be too much. And if these trials bring us closer to Him, closer to each other, or allow us to bring glory to His name...Jesus, bring the rain!! (listen to the song that mommy added to the song list to understand the meaning of that statement)