Christmas Day 2009

Is Santa coming???


Kade wasn't really sure what to do with all of these gifts Santa brought him. Isn't this just the best gift?





Spending time with my cousins. Notice he has a cell phone in each hand. He loved, loved, loved the Benny Hill theme song ringer on my cousin Scott's phone. Just look at his face....priceless. Mommy is more like, "Benny who?"



I think I'll go for a ride on my new dump truck...



Nah, maybe not!


I'll let Daddy play with it instead!


He finally saw the wagon....Bingo!


More to come!

Christmas Eve 2009

Here are some short videos from Christmas Eve with the Killian's/Reese's. Kade loved Aunt Lisa's gift so much that he didn't want to open anything else after it. He just wanted to play.



Nope, still not interested in opening any gifts. Here you can see Mawmaw, Aunt Lisa, PawPaw, Uncle David, and Dawson (who wasn't feeling well). We missed Uncle Nate (who had to work) and Alex!!!!!!



Here Kade is playing catch with Aunt Lisa. He loved the wooden eggs from MawMaw and PawPaw. He always plays with them while visiting their house, and MawMaw found some this week and wrapped them up.



As you can see here, the eggs were a big hit...literally!



Dawson: We hope you are feeling better!

Nate & Alex: We missed you! We hope you had an amazing Christmas!

Thank you all for the wonderful gifts.

Much Love,

Kyle, Elaine, & Kade

Eight maids a milking....

It is eight days until Christmas. EIGHT DAYS! Fortunately, I am finished with the Christmas shopping mayhem, but I have tons and tons of gifts to wrap. I.hate.wrapping.presents. Have I ever told you that I am a little Obsessive Compulsive? Okay, a lot. I strive to be a perfectionist (which is both a blessing and a curse). It's a blessing because I always try my best, but it's also a curse because I am never quite satisfied with my results. I'm not a great wrapper, and it drives me crazy. I want the paper edges folded perfectly; I want the bows fluffy. Sounds easy enough, huh?

We took Kade to see Santa last night. I think he left traumatized. I assumed this was the reaction he would have, and I even felt a little guilty after it was over, but he had to see Santa on his first Christmas, right?



Or, we could blame his crying on the fact that he has another ear infection. (Actually, that sounds better. We'll go with the ears as to why he cried. Oh, just humor me!) He's had tubes for seven weeks now, and he has had ear infections the entire time. I thought tubes were suppose to fix that problem, but what on earth was I thinking?
*Sigh*

I am officially out of school until Jan 6. I have really enjoyed the past few nights giving my undivided attention to my family. I'm still reading (which surprises even me). Do you have a good suggestion for me? What's your favorite book, and who is its author? It may just end up as my next review over here.

Did I mention that Christmas is only eight days away?

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

Here is our tree. We cheated this year, as if you can't already tell, and we put it up on the coffee table (out of Kade's reach).



But just so you know, he doesn't seem to mind.



And, just to be sure, we let him open his first Christmas gift.



He wanted to eat the bow!





Daddy's Little Helper



Kade in Action:

Letter to Cathy

Dear Aunt Cathy,

We miss you so much! When this song came out, Momma said it reminded her of you, and now when I hear it, I can't help but think of you too.



I wish you could have met Kade. You would have loved him so much. He has my pouty lip (or at least that's what Daddy says, anyway). Jason came to see him when he was born. He held him, and it reminded me of when Kenleigh was little. Remember how he held her that Christmas and wouldn't let anyone else? That was so funny...



Dean still comes to visit us. He is doing well, considering you have been gone almost a year now. You can tell you were his soul mate, and that he will never love another person as deeply as he loved you. He still wears his wedding ring on a necklace around his neck. I missed him at Thanksgiving, but I got to talk to him on the phone. He sounded good, really good.



And Jamie, well, she's part of our family too now. Donna and her have became really close, and she and I keep in touch too. We all secretly hope Jason will come to his senses and marry that girl! But, it is what it is. The last words you spoke to me were about her. You said, "When her and Jason broke up, it almost killed me, but I still love her." I can see why. She's a very sweet person and she still looks out for Jason after all their history together. She checks up on Dean too. You couldn't have asked for a better best friend.

You would be so proud of David, and how he has turned his life around. He and Susan are still together. No, they haven't managed to kill each other yet. I know, amazing! They live in SC now and take care of Swai and Oddysea full time. Tewsdai is running wild god-knows where (so if you could haunt her, we would all appreciate it! Just kidding!) Seriously, she needs a good kick in the rear--but, she misses you too, I'm sure.

Donna is still doing good too. She has good days and bad days. I can always tell when she's missing you. She loved you so much. I think she's finally forgiven you for slamming her car door after Zane was born (I know you know what I'm talking about). I begged her to quit smoking after you passed away. I don't know if she has or not, but she said she would. Zane and Shonda aren't married yet.

I miss your laugh. I can still hear it, clears as day, inside of my head. I live really close to where you are buried. Every time I drive by there, I think of you, and I wonder what you are doing in Heaven. I know that's where you are. I wonder if Jesus is fussing at you for smoking. I bet Grandma Granny is! I wonder what kind of trouble you and Danita are causing, because we all know Cathy + Denita = nothing good.



I'm just thinking of you today. I love you so much!

Grrr.....

I am so aggravated. *Insert frustration here* I have been trying to delete my profile from My.Space for over 3 weeks now. The site continues to tell me I will receive an email to finalize my request, but the email never comes! Grrr...guess it's not My.Space...it's Theirs.

Moving on...

I took my final for my statistic's class last night. I have never been so happy to finish a class in my entire life (and when you stop to think about all the classes I've taken--and there have been tons---that's pretty amazing!) I have a presentation tonight for my Adolescent literature class and that course will be over as well. On the other hand, I have really enjoyed this class. I must say, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed reading!?! There was a point at the beginning of the semester when I was completely defeated once I found out I had to read 15 novels by the end of the semester; however, most of them were really, really good. I will even go as far as to say, I have somewhat been inspired. It has led me to create a new blog if any of you are looking for good reads over Christmas vacation. As you can tell, I decided to begin blogging late into the semester, so there are only 2 reviews so far. But, it is slowly coming together, and I hope it keeps me reading.

Wow, books have really changed from when I was a kid!! Some of these books should never, ever be used in the classroom because of content or language. It's sad that many of them have really great life lessons in them, but because of the content/language students' aren't exposed to them. Instead we shove the classics down kids throats and hope it turns them on to reading. So, if you have children in school, especially upper middle grades or high school, I really encourage you to research novels that your children are reading.

The only class I will have left is my Foundations of Education course (this is the class my teacher called me an overachiever in). This semester has been so stressful. Remind me to never commit to 9 credit hours EVER again.

That's about all that is going on my way! I hope you have a great week!

Nov 28

I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to post the past few days. So, you get three things today:

I am thankful I got to see an old/new friend today at Sams! Beth, you were seriously the highlight of my shopping trip. I hope we meet up again for lunch sometime soon.

I am thankful for birthday parties. Today, one of my friends had a birthday party for her son. He turned one! It won't be long until I will be planning Kade's first birthday party, and I hope our party turns out as fabulous as Ford's.



I am thankful to be completely finished Christmas shopping for Kade. Now, I have all of my other nephews and niece to buy for and I am DONE!!!! My goal: Be finished by Dec 10. Don't know if it will happen, but I'm going to try.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving with your families!

Nov 25

Today, I am thankful I still have 30 days (EEEEKKKK!!!!) to shop for Christmas!

Also, have you heard about this? This little girl is on a mission to raise $20,000 by Thanksgiving to adopt a child with Downsyndrome. She has already raised over $11,500 in a week! If you read the past few days posts on their website, you will see a remarkable example of "child-like" faith. She has no doubt that God will provide the $ to adopt this child. What a wonderful Thanksgiving blessing that would be! I am truly moved by this little girl's passion. She could change the world all by herself! Help spread the word! How exciting! I can't wait to see what happens!

Nov 24

I am thankful today that given the local economy and the fact that my employer cut out raises this year, we still got a Christmas bonus! Thank you Lord!

Nov 23

Tonight, I'll keep it short and sweet (and to the point):

I am thankful that I will NEVER, EVER be the kind of teacher that I have for my class tonight. He is a teacher who deliberately embarrasses students for being "over-achievers" or a teacher who picks on quiet classmates. I really pray that I will be an encouragement to my students to always give 110% on assignments. I am thankful that I recognize that as educators, it's our own fault that students sometimes give half efforts or fail to participate in class discussions. I am thankful for the educators in my life who never made me feel the way I left class tonight...and the teachers who make me want to be the best teacher I can be.

Nov 22

Some of my classmates and I went to TN for the night to do some Christmas shopping. My goal was to have it all finished when I got home today...so much for that. I was able to get some really cute clothes for Kade. He's growing so fast! Other than that the only thing I bought were small gifts for his daycare teachers.

Since I missed yesterday you get two things I'm thankful for:

1. My home! It's good to get away sometimes, but it's also good to be home. It's so comforting to walk in the door and be surrounded by your "life" (even when it gets hectic!) I am very thankful I have a roof over my head and a warm place to lay my head down at night. And, my sweet husband--he makes my home a happy place to be. I miss him terribly when we are apart!

2. I'm also thankful that tonight I get to go to bed early. My last big school assignment is completed, and I can breath a big sigh of relief. Whew! I almost thought this semester was impossible. Then, if it were (impossible), would I believe in Phil 4:13?

Nov 20

Tonight, I am thankful for movie night. Kade is already in bed, and Kyle and I are getting ready to watch a movie and stuff our face full of pizza. Tomorrow I will be going to TN with some of my classmates to spend the night and do some...make that ALL of my Christmas shopping, so I am thankful that Kade decided to crash early so his daddy can have some of my attention too!

Nov 19

Wow, the month is over half over! Can you believe this time next week, we all will be stuffed full of turkey, dressing, and fixings (and gearing up for the biggest shopping day of the year)!!! I am so excited, I can hardly stand myself.

Today I am thankful for these movies:






I am looking forward to watching them Thanksgiving evening with my family!

Nov 18

I am thankful for a good prognosis at the doctor's office for my dad's hand.

He is back at work. Yes, you read correctly. He is doing very well. He went back to the doctor on Monday, and he received a good report. His middle finger is healing better than expected, but the doctor is now concerned with his thumb. His doctor told him he could return to work as soon as he felt up to it as long as he promised to take it easy. (We all know he is over doing it, but that's what he does. He works. He's worked his entire life to have something to show for all of his hard work. He doesn't know life any other way. He's the hardest working, stubbornest man I know.) He has his first therapy session this morning. Thank you all for your prayers! Please keep them coming.

Nov 17

I am thankful for this group of people. Together, we raised over $5,000 to support a cure for breast cancer. It was so cold on the day of the walk, so we had to take Kade and Kenleigh home, but we were so honored to participate in honor of Grandma Pat! I love this group of people! They are some of my best friends, and I pray that none of them are ever faced with breast cancer.




Kenleigh sporting the cure ribbon on her cheek, and Kade wearing Pink for the ladies!



Thank you to those of you who gave to support our team. I pray that it is because of one of our $1's that a cure is found in 2010!

Nov 16

I am thankful for this song. It has gotten me through so much, specifically infertility. I just love it. It reminds me, even in the worst of times, that the Lord deserves to be praised. Enjoy!

Nov 15

Today, I am thankful for Lisa, my fabulous sister-in-law. She has Kyle's quirky sense of humor, so she is constantly making me laugh! She makes the absolute best chicken-and-dumplings in the South. Actually, her apple dumplings are pretty fantastic too. This picture is from yesterday's dumpling dinner. I love ya Lisa! Thanks for all you do :)

*The expression on Kade's face is priceless. My dad says he gets this pouty expression from me, but I think he's wrong. He's sad because he couldn't taste the dumplings.

Nov 14

I am thankful for my mom and dad. I have two of the best parents on Earth. I am really blessed to be a child of parents who are still married. Sadly, this is almost unheard of anymore. I can see how much they love each other.

I must tell you all too, that I am really thankful that my dad wasn't hurt worse than he was Friday night. I received a call around 8:30 from my mom telling me that my dad had an accident with a saw. As he was putting down hardwood flooring in their house, he cut his left hand pretty bad. He had a 4.5 hour surgery last night where he lost his index finger, but the doctors are trying to save the others. We covet your prayers that his hand will heal quickly.

Nov 13

I received some really exciting news yesterday. Go over and congratulate The Whites who recently found out that they are expecting #2, due in June 2010. After a long battle with infertility, God surprised them with this wonderful news!

Also, I added an updated picture of Kade over there ------------------->
He just turned 9 months old this week. He has 2 teeth, is crawling EVERYWHERE, is pulling up, saying Da-Da (and on occassion, "No No No."), waving bye-bye. He has stranger anxiety and can't stand for people he doesn't know to touch him. He still isn't sleeping through the night *sigh*, but the exhaustion is so worth it. I bought him this CD yesterday and it is so good. I love, love, love it!




This CD is packed full of Christmas songs about the birth of our Lord. (Which brings me to something else to be thankful for: that some companies still find it "politically correct" to have christian meaning behind the season. Praise God!)

Nov 12

Wow, I didn't realize how difficult this would be. I have so much to be thankful for, but when counting my blessings, I must include the smaller blessings in my life and some of that you wouldn't care to much to hear about...so, I'm trying my best to give you the most important things.

Today, I am thankful for forgiveness. Without that, I wouldn't have the relationship I have with my family for acting a fool when I was in high school. Without it, I would have someone mad at me constantly with all of my imperfections. Without it, I would be mad at someone else constantly. Without it, I wouldn't be saved by God's AMAZING Grace!

Nov 11

Today, I am thankful for all of the Veterans serving worldwide to protect this wonderful country we call home. I also am thankful for the firemen/women, rescue workers, and police officers (even YOU, Mr. State Trooper, who gave me a speeding ticket yesterday.) I pray for all of your continued safety and for God to pour out blessing upon blessing on you and your families. Thank you for serving the people so that we feel safe.

Nov 10

Today I am thankful that the Lord cares for His scattered Sheep. As some may stray from the flock, He, Himself, goes out to care for and bring them back. He doesn't delegate this task to anyone else; He never gets overwhelmed or stressed out like we allow ourselves to be. Yet, He personally rescues each one, even his most unworthy servants. Isn't this amazing?

Thankgiving...and being Thankful

This weekend, I attempted something I had never before tried: I cooked a turkey. Now, for some of you, this may not be a big deal, but for me this was HUGE. I admit that I don't enjoy cooking. I'm not very good at. I'm not confident at all in anything I make; I prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I just don't do it. But, alas, this weekend I faced my fears and cooked a Thanksgiving meal for Kyle, me, and our parents. To my surprise, it was really good. I may have to give cooking a shot.

Eating turkey, stuffing, and fixings put me into a thankful spirit. So, to copy my dear friend Deidre, I am going to try to post every day with something I am thankful for during the month of November. Since I am already 9 days behind, today you get an extra long list.

1. I am thankful for my amazing husband. He helps so much around the house and with Kade. I am so lucky to have him as my husband and the father of my child. He is a very special person; I am deeply blessed to have him in my life.

2. I am thankful for my equally amazing son. I had to wait five years for him, but he is nothing short of being perfect. He has a smile that melts my heart. He's 9 months old tomorrow, and growing ever so fast, but I am so blessed to be his mommy. His only word is Da-da, but I know he loves me every time he gives me sweet baby kisses. (He rarely shares those with Da-da.)

3. I am thankful for having a job. In the county I live in, the unemployment rate is nearly 12%. My job drives me crazy at times and stresses me out. But so many people around me would love to have a job, even if it is one that they hate.

4. I am thankful for the bible study I am doing. It has been really great for me spiritually. I find myself looking forward to the next day's lesson. It has been very enlightening so far, and I hope to gain new insight upon completing it.

5. I am thankful for friends who encourage me during my imperfections. Thank you for always being there for me and praying for me. Thank you for being a strong support system for me. Deidre, you are the best and I love you and value our friendship tremendously!

6. I am thankful that school is almost over. Only 3 weeks to go. I will never again take 9 credit hours while working full time. This has been so draining on me personally and professionally. I love studying education and I can hardly wait until I am responsible for a handful of students. But, school has caused me to shift priorites and rely heavily on other people. I look forward to having time to breath again in the coming weeks.

7. I am thankful for my grandma who did something really special for Kyle and me this weekend.

8. I am thankful that God always, always provides. Even when we don't deserve it, He pours out blessing upon blessing on us.

9. I am thankful for the sunshine the past few days. I'm in love with summer. I love basking in the sun and laying out by the pool. Winter/Fall has never been a favorite time of year for me because I don't like being cold. The past few days has been Spring-like. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!! I know it won't last long, so I'm savoring every second right now.

Until tomorrow...hope you all find time to be thankful today! I love you all!

Look who's 7 months old now....

He's getting so big! He can sit up, clap his hands, and say da-da... He is even starting to pull up. Where has the time gone????

Update...

Sorry for the delay on posting. Kyle and I have both been extrememly busy with school this summer. Kyle has one year left on his Masters, and he has been working extrememly hard at work! I am so proud of him and how he juggles work, family, school. I, on the other hand, am finishing up the first year of my teaching degree. I have had the best time so far, and I can see why this is one of the most rewarding professions on Earth!

Kade will be six months old next week. I just can't believe it! So stay tuned for some new pics and video later this weekend. He is learning something new every single day. When he shows me new things, I think my heart will explode from all the love I have for him.

Til next time....

Alex is here!

Kade got to meet his cousin Alex tonight! He flew in from Montana today, and will be here for a few weeks.


All of the Killian grandchildren...


Dawson was so excited that he got up at 6 a.m. to wait for Alex's 4:30 p.m. flight.


Aunt Lisa was excited too!


Maw Maw is going to have a late night tonight...


We have missed you so much Alex! We can't wait to spend lots of time with you
this summer!

The Beach...Take Two!

First and foremost, I need to start this post by thanking these guys:



You really made our trip to MB much easier since Kade seems to enjoy your silly singing and dancing. Much to my displeasure, I have found myself also singing your stupid songs. "Wiggle-it party, wiggle-it party, wiggle-it party, snap, snap, snap; clap, clap, clap; wiggle your hips just like that." Now don't all rush out at once to buy it, but it did really make our drive much easier...

Now on to more important stuff. It's what you all really continue to come to this blog for anyway:


This was just an idea I had on the beach, but isn't it just the cutest!?!


I think this is my favorite. He is so handsome here--ladies, watch out!


I am the luckiest mommy alive, because I get to wake up to these beautiful eyes every single day!

And I am gonna throw this one in for good measure. Alex will be here on Wednesday! And we are all soooooooo excited! We've missed you so much!

Greetings from Myrtle Beach!

We are on our very first family vacation!



Putting his feet in the ocean...



Cassi catching a wave...



James in the ocean...



It's a hard life, but someone has to do it so it may as well be me!

This post has been Swimming in my head....

This post is dedicated to my Great-Uncle Clifford.



He passed away on Father's Day 2009, and we all miss him so much already! Angie and I were always together as kids, and he would come and get me in rain, sleet, or snow just so we could hang out. In fact, one of my most fond moments of his life is how angry he got with us (me and Angie) when his truck broke down in the snow...as we made up songs to sing to the tune of Christmas songs about other cars that had broken down. I can remember him saying, "Girls!" I think he meant to say "Shut Up!" I will never forget this moment, ever! It was so funny to us.

As I was at the celebration of his life, I was listening to my Uncle Gary give the eulogy. He taught Gary how to hunt. "What did he teach me?", I thought. I looked around the church at the many friends and family who were gathered to honor him, and one thought popped into mind. It was, "How many of these people did he teach how to swim?" I'm willing to bet the farm he taught most of them.

He did teach me and Leigh Ann how to swim. I am pretty sure he taught my mom too. And I am quite certain we could establish our very own army if we named just how many people he did teach.



How does this all relate to his life? I'm glad you asked:

Can you imagine what that "learning process" felt like? Some of you may remember first hand, some may not. I don't. However, I can imagine what it felt like. And I bet it went something like this:

I imagine feeling anxious--excited to learn, but scared of the "deep-end." I wouldn't be able to touch the bottom. I'm sure as a child, a very scary feeling is "Sink or Swim." I can imagine he told me that I would need to kick my feet and move my arms to stay on top of the water, and that he would be right there with me as I learned. I can imagine he took me out to the deep end before I felt ready, because he had more faith in me than I had in myself. I can imagine me in the water, kicking with all my might and him reaching out his hand to bring me back up when I started to go under. I can imagine the excitement I felt when I realized I was swimming after all. I can imagine how proud he was of me in that moment and satisfied to know he had prepared me for this venture.

His absence here has left many people feeling as if they would "sink." They are in deep waters, over their heads, and feel as if they are drowning in sorrow. And I can imagine him, right there beside us all, reaching out his hand, saying, "You have to kick your feet with all your might to stay on top of the water." I can imagine him taking us each to the deep end of grief and saying, "I know you are ready," even if we feel as if we aren't. I can imagine him reaching out his hand to all of us, and pulling us back up with fond memories when we feel as if we are sinking in sadness. And I can imagine how proud he is that his family and friends are learning to swim through the rest of life without him, because he had prepared us for this venture.

This analogy doesn't compare to the impact he left on so many lives. But I'm willing to bet, even in Heaven, he is teaching someone new how to Swim! It saddens me to think that Kade will learn how to swim from someone else, but rest assured I will be thinking of you, Uncle Clifford, in that moment.

For Gloria and family....

Uh oh...here we go again!!!!

Guess who has an appointment today with the Allergist...Yep, Kade. I'm pretty sure after being off his antibiotic for an entire 10 days--may I remind you it was a 20 day antibiotic this round--I'm willing to place my bet that he has [uh um...and we all say together] "ANOTHER EAR INFECTION." I just don't know what else to do for him. We've taken the paci, seen a chiropractor, pediatrician, ear, nose, and throat specialist, and allergist. As much as I hate to say it, tubes are probably our next step. I'm trying to hold off as long as possible, because I really think this is allergy related, but I'm beginning to have doubts. I just want him to be better....ya know? Will you all keep us in your prayers so that we make the best decision for his care?

I'll update later with the results of our appointment.

***************************************************************
I stand corrected. Praise God Kade does NOT have another ear infection. So that means one of two things...1)The 20 day antibiotic did the trick, or 2)The chiropractor is working!!!!!!!!! We left with NOOOOOOO antibiotics and clear instructions to continue breathing treatments every 4 hours for the cough. As I type this, my son is sleeping away on the sofa. (Which is also where you will find me as soon as I hit "post.")

Whatever the latest culprit is I am told is viral. Probably from his previous daycare. Long story short, Kade was suppose to start a new daycare today. We were not happy at all with our last provider. We found out the hard way that paying the most money does not = the best care. Anything that could go wrong, did. I had my last straw with them last Thursday when I picked him up (we had already submitted our notice at this point), and I saw on his daily sheet that he had refused bottles all day long. He ate for the first time at 3pm that day. He was there from 7:30-5:30 and ate only 5 oz all day. If I'm honest, I think he already had a touch of this virus thingy which he probably caught from there, but.... Correct me if I'm over-reacting, but I was furious! I could not believe they didn't call me. He ate nada, zip, nothing for 8 whole hours. Yes, that pretty much did it for me. He did not go back. He was to start the new daycare next Monday, but I called the new provider and begged to let him start today. And then, he didn't even get to.

Anywho, just wanted to update and give God praise that my little man's ears are still clear. Now, just hoping this virus has began to run it's course and will be moving on soon.

Happy First Father's Day Love!

I am growing really fast Daddy,
And I am watching all you do.
Because when I grow up to become a man,
I hope to be like you.

I love it when you play with me,
Even when you give me baths;
You make those crazy noises that
Always seem to make me laugh.

I can't believe you will soon
Show me how to fly a kite,
And I just can hardly wait until
You will teach me to ride a bike.

Then one day soon, Daddy,
You'll teach me how to hunt;
You'll show me how to scout for deer
And how to hold my gun.

Don't be sad because I'm growing up,
I'm becoming just like you.
And I'm so excited over
The fun things you and I will do

This is your keepsake to remember
Once I'm big and tall
That it really wasn't that long ago
I use to be this small.