Genes...Jeans?

(Kadyn's silly face)
Kadynism...

Daddy: "Kadyn, you must have your mommy's genes."
Kadyn: "No, mommy has her own jeans, they wouldn't fit me. Mine are just right."

Of course, we knew the humor behind the dialog. However, it wasn't until after the conversation that I really stopped to think about what he said. Kadyn, in a way, was right...my genes won't fit him...his are just right. He is his own person, unique and wonderfully made. He may have our "genes" but he also has his own genes that "fit" perfectly.

According to the pediatrician, Kadyn is the most severely allergic kid in the clinic right now...and it's a big clinic. Allergies seem to be linked to your genes. Although his genes seem a bit too big for him, (anaphylaxis seems so severe for such a little boy), I have to remind myself that God created him. God's eyes saw Kadyn's unformed body. And all the days ordained for him were written in His book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). To God, Kadyn's genes have the perfect fit...nothing too big, nothing too small.

Now that Kadyn is 3 I would love to enroll him in a preschool. However, something is holding me back from sending him. Only in the past few days have I realized that it's because I'm scared to hand his life over to someone else...someone that I don't know, and don't trust. Questions flood my mind..."will he eat something he isn't supposed to have?" "Will the staff forget to read the labels on snack foods?" "Will the staff know how to properly administer an epipen?" "Will they know when to and not to give the epipen?" "Will another allergy present itself unknowingly?" (A few weeks ago he had another allergy scare...with walnuts...a nut we thought was on the "safe" list. He complained of his throat feeling funny, then threw up 3 times, then his face got puffy and his nose got so stuffy I couldn't even understand what he was trying to tell me when he spoke...scary.) It's frustrating as a parent knowing that these "genes" most probably came from me/us. However, as his jeans continue to get bigger, and he, older, I realize I need to keep things in perspective. God created him, God will protect him, God has a plan for him. That doesn't mean that I won't be prayerful the entire time, that doesn't mean that I won't ask 100 thousand questions of each preschool I interview to make sure I'm sending him to a safe one, but it does mean that it's time to let go. God is in control.

Kadyn, you are right, your genes are perfect little man. I thank God that he chose YOU for us and I can't wait to further watch as your "jeans" continue to grow.

It's a stretch

So, mommy said now that the holidays are over, there really hasn't been much to take pictures of. I informed her that there are important people out there that wanted to see our cute faces on the blog so she brought out the camera...
(I know this one is just like all the other bath pictures, but it's too cute! And yes, we are sure now that Kai will have adorable dimples too.)

Boulder even wanted in on the picture fun.


I made sure to wear my Green Bay Packers shirt for Grandpa and was *really* wanting to call him right away on the computer (skype) but it was 11pm there.

I had my 3 year old check up the other day. I'm in the 80% for weight, and 93% for height. I passed all my tests with flying colors and only briefly cried when I got 2 shots, though I didn't trust nice strangers for the rest of the night. According to me, my name is Taydin Dames Teeny. But, that was good enought for the Dr. :) He thought I spoke very well, had an excellent vocabulary and have mellowed out quite a bit...he just didn't see me trying to keep some of my special things away from my little brother.

Goodbye Trailblazer

Our old house sold today. I've written this post 100 times in my head by actually putting words on the screen is harder than I thought. A few weekends ago Ryan and I spent the entire day cleaning that place out. I have been unable to return since. I don't think I'm cut out to move a lot, or maybe it's the magic of it being the house we brought our babies home to. Whatever it was, that house will hold a special place in my heart forever. Don't get me wrong, I love, LOVE, our new house. And there are things that I am clearly glad to be done with ($500 winter heating bills and raking so many pine needles immediately comes to mind) But, some things I never want to forget about Trailblazer are...

~The scriptures we lined on the floors in our baby's room before the carpets were put down.

~Sitting in our new recliner (the only piece of furniture in the house at the time) in what became Kadyn's room with a bulging tummy, rocking and singing to him, explaining that daddy was working hard to make the home perfect to bring him home to.

~Having beginning stages of contractions while standing on a mini ladder, painting the hood above the stove.

~Continuing to have contraction in Home Depot while I was fighting for our refund on the wood floors that caused our remodel to be 5 weeks behind schedule. (I still think that because I was in labor it helped us get our refund!)

~Bathing my kids in the kitchen sink and the first time they each moved to the actual tub.

~Spending countless hours in the backyard on the huge, HUGE, deck...watching Kadyn learn to walk...all too quickly.

~Designing my kitchen.

~Our guestroom and all the wonderful people that filled it.

~How we filled our "dining room" with baby equipment (swing, jumperoo, bouncy chair, highchair) until we got a dining table.

~Preparing our guest room to become a nursery because our family was going to grow by another 21 inches.

~My beautiful mantle that Ryan made me so I could hang up stockings.

~Our HUGE Christmas trees to fill the entire front window.

~Our wonderful neighbors. It was so great living next door to such a wonderful family that embraced us so kindly...not to mention he was a pediatrician that I could bring all my kid-worries to.

~The amazing, amazing, amazing job Ryan did on remodeling. He put his heart into that place.

~Listening to baby coos, baby giggles, baby belly laughs.

To the next owner of Trailblazer,

May you hear the laughter in the walls and feel the love of God under your feet. Take care of our little house.

Here's to making new memories!

Merry Christmas!!

I LOVE Christmas time. I love the smell of pine trees, cookies baking, and apple cinnamon. I love listening to Christmas music, hearing the kids squeal in delight, and laughter. I love watching faces light up, being with family, and love...yes, I believe you can watch love. I love wrapping gifts, I love putting ornaments on the trees (each one with their own special memory), and I love that this is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Thank you Mary for trusting in God to deliver the ultimate gift. Thank you Joseph for believing in something others would have turned from. Thank you God for sending your son to die for our sins...something we don't/didn't deserve, yet you fully and wholly gave. This gift came so small, so innocent, and yet meant so much. The true meaning of the season.

Christmas Eve was spent with both of our families (Taylor and Jesse included) at our place having our traditional fondue. Yum! Christmas day was spent skyping with Grandpa, having brunch with Grammy, Pops, and Uncle Anders, and then dinner with Papa, Nana, Uncle Drew, Aunt TT, and Uncle Jesse. I LOVE this time of year.

Kai's 1 Year Appt

One thing that I always forget is that the boys have a great Dr. that gets booked out within 2 days of being able to call in to make an appointment. I called 3 1/2 months in advance to set up his 1 year appt and the best I could get was a month late and going to Redmond. Really? Ugh. It took 45 minutes each way to go 20 due to traffic but I didn't feel like we were covered in germs when we left...maybe worth the drive :) Needless to say, he had his 12 month appt at 13.

The poor guy got 3 shots but took em like a champ. He smiled the entire time we were in the office, screamed for 20 seconds while the nurse gave him his shots and then stopped, but wasn't as giving with the smiles after that.

His stats? This is the whole reason I'm posting this...

The nurse was thinking he was 12 months so I recalculated his stats to fit 13. He's around 65% for height (just over 31 inches) and 8% for weight (just over 20 lbs). His head is also down to 50%...go figure. Did I just say 8% for weight? Yes, yes I did. Crazy, I know. Especially since this child can eat and he started out at 9.8 lbs--off the charts for the first 4 months!!

Love this "little" boy!!

Merry Christmas!!

Kadynism...

Kadyn to Mommy---"Mommy, did you know Santa and the bears are related?"
Mommy to Kadyn---Um, no...what makes you say that?
Kadyn to Mommy---"Mommy, it's only obvious (only this is said as ah-vee-us. It's Santa Claus and bears have claws. I think Santa was tricking ("ticking") me. "

Kai Isaac is 13 months old today...

*He will let go of furniture and take anywhere from 3-5 steps then falls to his knees. He crawls with 1 hand, no hands but on his knees, his monkey crawl, etc.
*He's been climbing in lots of things; up on the bed, boxes, the chair.
*Kai is generally really good with leaving the Christmas tree alone which is surprising.
*He just figured out how to open the lotion bottle and take off a pen cap.
*We call him Bam Bam. He's a destructive little guy and always has some sort of bonk on his head.
*Kai always wants to be playing with or eating whatever his brother has. He's very sensitive if Kadyn tells him no.
*I think there is some sort of magnet that pulls him to Kadyn's potty whenever it's full of pee. I don't know how he knows it's full (we usually empty it every time) but it never fails...it's full and Kai's hands are in it.
*He loves putting things in buckets.
*He's still in a "mama" phase. He'll allow others to hold him but if mommy is in the room then he's all about mommy. The whine he does with it (though I know I'll miss it when it's gone) is like nails on a chalkboard. I can only listen to it for so long. And he only seems to make that whine with me.

Christmas Letter

It’s been a whirlwind year that’s best summed up as a game of Poker. We’ve won some, lost some and often wondered if we’re really playing with a full deck of cards.

As many of you know, we’ve moved out of our first house and have purchased another house that Ryan has again, beautifully remodeled. It’s on Bend’s Westside within easy walking distance to parks, downtown, work and the college. Having been in limbo now for over a year, we’re very excited to call this place home. And not a moment too soon, I was itching to get Christmas decoration up. Though we're moved in we still have some boxes left to unpack, but it's home. Appropriately, we’ll label this hand a “full house.”

Ryan’s gone back to school to get his Masters in Counseling. He’s now primarily staying home with the boys as I’ve gone back to work full-time as the Business Manager for College Excel. Ryan manages to find some time studying while Grammy/Pops and Nonnie/Poppie watch the boys 3 mornings a week. Though I know we’d love to trade places, this is working out well for our family and we’re oh so grateful for all the help from our parents. Not to mention that our kids love that special time. We'll term this a "four of a kind."

It certainly hasn't been a completely rosy year. Some hands are just harder to play. As if you have "two of kind" at a table where that might be considered the high cards. Bitter sweet. Both Grandpa Shaw and Grandma Harless passed away this year. Both incredible people that will be missed dearly. However, the lives they touched will be felt for generations. We know they are dancing away in heaven and one day we'll be reunited.

Have you ever played a hand that you wish you weren’t dealt? The day we brought Kai Isaac home from the hospital, Kadyn ended up in Urgent Care with an anaphylactic reaction to a piece of a cashew. We now carry around an epi pen, read every last detail of packaging labels and have thrown out all things cashew/pistachio related. I bring our own cupcakes to birthday parties, ask the wait staff in restaurants to make sure nothing else touches his meal, and watch like a hawk to make sure no one is given him any food I haven’t checked out first. Not to be outdone by his big brother it appears that Kai will have some allergies of his own to milk and strawberries. Apparently God thinks we can handle more than just your normal children. I however wish that this was one hand we could “fold.”

This has also been a year of joy and excitement. Like knowing you have a "straight flush." We became Auntie and Uncle twice over and Kadyn and Kai have their first cousins. Brian and Jen Harless had baby Carly in June and Cory and Chelsea (Cheney) Bergman had baby Isak in October. We also just recently learned that Wendy (Harless) and Martin Mallott are expecting their first in June 2010. YAY!! We only wish we lived closer to all these sweet babies.

For everyone that knows me, you know that this is my favorite time of year. It’s fitting that we’ve never done the holidays small (Boulder, Kadyn, Kai, houses all around the same time of year). Kai turned one on November 22 and Kadyn turned three this past week. We celebrated with a joint bug-themed birthday party. It seems that we’ve been overtaken by all things boy. Clearly, I’m outnumbered. However, this is one "royal flush" that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Merry Christmas and Blessings in 2010.