the boy's birthdays

Jace turned 9 in August!

 So our family of 6 went bowling & to the archade which was super fun and for his first time bowling, Jace was pretty darn good!

 Sam enjoying his "ride" at the bowling ally

 His birthday theme was a movie party, watching "The Three Stooges"...which is funny to some, particularly 9 year olds

 He also had a family party this year and added a few buddies to the mix, fun times!

 While the big kids watched the movie, these three little girlie cousins gave each other make-overs!

 Happy 9th Birthday to an awesome, fun-loving boy! Happiness just leaks out of this guy. His smile is surely contagious...We love you Jacers and are very proud of you!

Then we celebrated Daddy's birthday at Grandma & Grandpa Allred's. A few days later, Bryan and I were able to get away for the afternoon and attend the Monday night Seahawks v. Packers game with Mike & Lesa. Bryan's been a Seahawk fan for 35 years. Yes, he's very loyal.

 At the end of September, Cade turned 7. Jace just wants world-peace in every picture!

 Cade posing so sweetly for his birthday photos. He requested a "Power Miner Lego party" which was a challenge but I think I pulled it off and it met his high standards :) Caden is a super smart kiddo who adds a lot of creativity and affection to our family. This little man can build any lego set you put in front of him and creates some pretty cool creations on his own. We love you Caders!

 This was the first year Cade's had friends over for a birthday party and a fun group it was!

 We celebrated that night with a family party...yes, this family knows how to party!

Then Sam turned one in October! He started crashing walking right before he turned 11 months and has had a bruise or two on his forehead since. This boy falls more than any of our other kids, he's surely the quickest little bugger and his bumps prove it! He's independent & keeps busy cruising around and opening cupboards and drawers all. day. long.

I can't believe he's already a year old! Sam is such a sweet, loving baby...he's quiet, mostly layed back and petite, weighing 19 lbs. 11 oz and 29 inches at his 1 year appt. We sure love our little Sammy and feel so blessed to have him as our caboose! Love, love our Sam-Sam!

 We had a fun little monster themed party for him... see, there is our peace sign again!

 He wasn't that into his monster cake...just took little bites, no cake smash for this guy.

 

Flarp from the goodie bags was our entertainment for the night... these little monsters kept us giggling with their sneezes, gross noises and antics!

 

cancelled cath

Maddie's heart cath was scheduled for this Friday but unfortunately, we've had to cancel it due to her having a little head cold. I know...sounds crazy. Our life has become so normal with her but in preparing for her 7th heart cath, we knew keeping her healthy was a priority. Easy to say, hard to do. I teach preschool, I have lectured those mother's enough and they are all very respectful of the "well-child policy" so we tried there. We tried limiting her going into grocery stores, public places, etc. but she still came down with a stinking cold. It's frustrating and times like these remind me that I am raising a child with a chronic illness. Her heart will never be fixed. Catching a simple cold then having a heart cath is not good- her risk for infection increases and the policy is to cancel. I'm grateful they always have Maddie in mind, her medical team is amazing.

As of now, her cath is rescheduled for Dec. 11th. Dr. Johnston is calling it an interventional cath as he's hoping to close her fenestration (hole created in her heart used as a pop-off for blood flow), as well as looking for & taking care of any collateral vessels as well as making sure her pulmonary arteries are wide-opened and growing well. After her Fontan, we knew she'd need to go back to the cath lab...just the timing was the question. After three open-heart surgeries and six heart catheterizations, we should be pros at this but it doesn't get easier. She knows she has to go back and when we've talked about it, she's anxious and tears up. I swear the older she gets, the harder this is.

She needs to have a good 2-3 week window of health- being clear of any illness. It feels impossible. We have four children, two of which attend public school. I teach 11 other children two days of week, preschool in our home. She takes ballet once a week. We spend lots of time with family and cousins. Can we just put her in a bubble and carry on with life? Bryan and I differ on how much we want to expose her...wished this was easier at times. What a balance it is between having her experience a normal life but compromising her health in achieving that goal. Prayers for keeping Miss Maddie healthy are always appreciated. Just want to get this cath over with. 28 days to go.