A Very Davis Christmas

We spent a portion of Christmas vacation in New York City on the way to visit Tom's brother's (Steve) family. Here is a diary of our trip:

Saturday December 22: Santa made an early surprise visit to our house overnight. The girls woke up to find he had delivered their American Girl Dolls early. They also were happy to see tons of presents under the tree from my side of the family. We had a great time opening our gifts then headed out for our car trip to NYC. . .

By 6:00 Saturday night we had found our hotel in Jersey City. We had an excellent view of the city from our hotel room and a view of the Statue of Liberty during the clear daylight.


As soon as we settled in, we hopped the PATH (New Jersey Subway system) and found ourselves coming above ground right in the middle of the hole that used to be the World Trade Center. What a humbling and sobering sight. After switching trains, we headed into Times Square. WOW! We have never seen so many people in one place before. We quickly forgot our plans to grab a bite to eat in a restaurant and ate on the street corner outside Toys R Us and MTV studios (hot dog for me, pretzels for the girls and Tom).

After a visit to M&M World and the Hershey Store and a NY pizza place, we took a walk toward Rockefeller Center where we saw the beautiful tree all lit up and checked out Radio City Music Hall where we would be in the morning.

Sunday, December 23: Up Early!!! We hopped the subway (we're pros already) and headed to Radio City Music Hall for the 9:00 performance of the Rockettes for the Radio City Christmas Spectatular. A 3-D ride from the North Pole to NYC, then a tour around the city, followed by tons of dancing and singing by the Rockettes left us all in the Christmas spirit.


Then we walked to the American Girl Place (the girls couldn't wait) for a couple hours of shopping fun. Lunch at TGI Fridays was good (wow- $20 for a sandwich????) and reenergized us for our next adventure.

We hopped the subway again and headed to the Natural History Museum. We were met with a LONG line to get in followed by crowds galore inside the museum. There was soooo much to see!!!! The girls really wanted to see the African mammals and the T Rex, so we made those a priority and then called it a day.

Back to the hotel to rest and try to catch some of the Patriots game while the girls tried their new clothes on Julie and Molly (their American Girl Dolls). Tom was able to meet up with an old friend from Kansas. . .Goofball, also known as GB or better known in NYC as Michael (Is he really a title insurance salesman now????).

Monday December 24: Up early again. . .we packed our bags and headed out of the hotel for a few shots of the skyline and Statue of Liberty. We jumped the PATH again to go back to the American Girl Place for brunch. This time the girls (dressed in their Christmas dresses) brought Julie and Molly with us. One small, minor mishap on the subway (just when we were feeling like pros) left us a bit shaken, but all was well when we got to the destination. The girls loved the brunch experience, then we headed back to the hotel, packed the car and headed out of the city: Destination: Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

3:00 Christmas Eve - We arrive at Steve's house earlier than expected. Tom heads out for a run while Melanie and Kylie get reaquainted with their cousins, Liam and Lucas and their step-cousins, Mariah and Cerena. A Christmas Eve dinner of delicious Ravoli cassorole was followed by stories around the Christmas tree then spreading reindeer food on the front lawn and singing Christmas carols. Off to bed for the six kids. . .Santa is on his way!

Christmas Morning: Presents for 12 people takes up a lot of room!!!! The kids were so excited to start tearing into everything. Opening gifts was a bit chaotic, but the kids sure did have fun. Steve and Dawn's gift to their kids was the Wii system. So, guess how the rest of the day was spent??? The kids (and dads) really had a great time with Wii, especially the golf and bowling. But I think the most hilarious and fun time was watching Tom and Steve boxing. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Dinner of ham AND turkey was extravagent and delicious!

Wednesday December 26: Another day for the kids explore the Wii and play games, play Barbies, play house. . .you name it, they did it. Tom and I took a trip into town with Dawn to see some of the sights and run a couple of errands. Then we took Steve and Dawn out for a Mexican thank you dinner while Beach Grammy and Grampy took care of the six kids. Thanks guys!!!

Thursday, December 27: We packed up our car one last time and took a bunch of family photos before heading back to New England. A LONG drive through Connecticut with tons of traffic was frustrating, but we finally pulled into Tom's dad's house in Rhode Island for a Christmas celebration with him and Donna around 7:00. More gifts, conversation and food! Then wearily we headed home to Cape Cod where Jayhawk was eagerly waiting our return (not really. . .I think he barely lifted his head when we came in!).

Crossroads

Last summer I wrote a new book titled Crossroads. After I wrote it I
let it sit for awhile because it was kind of an emotional story for me
to write. It's about a family's struggle with a cancer diagnosis and
it was inspired by my best friend who recently combatted cancer
(successfully). As I was writing it my father in law was going through
chemo and radiation and just as I finished it, my father was diagnosed
with cancer and my mother underwent brain surgery (all in the same
week). It was tough for me to read it again to edit it (and my mom is
my usual editor), so it remainied untouched for awhile. Once she was
feeling better I sent it to her and she edited it and I gave it to
family as Christmas gifts. I have gotten such a positive response from
those who have read it that I have decided to release it to the
public. It's NOT a sad story! I don't like sad stories or sad endings,
so you will never catch me writing one. It's about strength and
inspiration during tough times (with a side story of mystery). If you
are interested you can purchase the book at www.lulu.com. Enter my
name Kelli Davis in the search and you will be taken to all my books.

Here's the synopsis:

Corruption, scandal, murder, intrigue. Anne Stone deals with these
issues on a daily basis with unflappable conviction. She ran from
abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father to become one of the
nation's top investigative reporters. One call from her sister, Megan
threatens to disrupt Anne's career when she finds out that their
mother, Anita has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is refusing
treatment. Anne remembers her mother as a person who never stepped in
to help Anne when her father was on a rampage and Anne has to dig deep
within herself to find compassion for a woman who turned her back on
her own family.

Anne's love for her sister ultimately is what convinces her to return
home and offer support. Once home, Anne is forced to work on her
relationship with her mother and often is tempted to give up and
return to New York. But something helps convince Anne to stay in
Colton, Colorado and it has nothing to do with Anne's mother or
family.

Enter Kaylee Taylor. Kaylee is a feisty, imaginative six year old who
is battling leukemia for the second time in her young life. She shares
a chemotherapy room with Anita and brings life and joy to a dismal
setting. And beside Kaylee sits her father, Jake Taylor - a man whom
Anne grew up with. As children they skipped rocks, climbed trees, rode
motorcycles, skinny dipped and played practical jokes on their
siblings. Jake knows all about Anne's troubled home life and may hold
the answer to her being able to put the past behind her.

Sweet Snowville and Foggy Bottoms

We spent our snowy, rainy, windy afternoon indoors today making a Gingerbread house. The girls had fun creating their masterpiece with a little eating along the way. We added the little Gingerbread house that Melanie made at a party the other day to the scene as the dog house. They named the big house Sweet Snowville (since we are snowed in) and the dog house is Sweet Foggy Bottoms (since it is so foggy outside we can hardly see the neighbors houses right now). Tom keeps saying he's going to eat them. . .but I'm more worried about Jayhawk since he ate last years Gingerbread house!

Cheetalishish Christmas

After only four weeks of classes, Melanie's hip hop group put on a little Christmas show for the parents. I recorded it as you will see below. The first is only part of the routine because my memory card became full. The second is the full routine, but a back view most of the time. Watch them both for feel of the whole performance. I think the girls did great for only practicing for four weeks!!!

Cheetalishish Christmas (Front view - Partial routine)

Here is the partial front view. My memory card filled up half way through, but you can see Melanie's face more. . .

Cheetalishish Christmas

Here is Melanie's Christmas Hip Hop routine. For some reason the instructor had us sitting behind the girls, so I got the back of Melanie. She's in the first group that comes out with the short black pants (white socks). They performed it again and I got some from the front, but my memory card ran out half way through the performance.

Lady Frostina the Snow Girl

We got about 6 inches of snow the other day. Melanie's school let out early and she, Kylie and Jayhawk spent several hours playing while it was still snowing. Then Friday Kylie and I had fun building our snowgirl! Kylie says it looks like she's wearing a skirt (sorry I can't make the perfect snowman) so she has to be a girl and her name can't be Frosty. Oh and that's not a pipe in her mouth it's her "whistle." So, here's our creation. . .

Get Elfed!

Check out our family's moves! Click below. . .


ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

Kylie's Family Party

Since life is crazy for us the next few days and on Kylie's actual birthday (Tuesday the 11th), we decided to celebrate as a family on Saturday. She opened her gifts yesterday afternoon. You may notice we acquired a new piece of real estate. . .that's the Barbie House from my parents. Kylie wishes to tell Grandma and Grandpa, "The Barbie house is the best birthday present ever!!!"


She also loves the Bride Barbie from Beach Grammy. . .she opened that up and moved her right into her new house along with 30 of her best Barbie friends. Tom and I gave her the Leap Frog talking globe and the HS Musical cheerleader outfit for dress up play. We also gave her Honey Pie Pony for her Strawberry Shortcakes, Shrek the Third and the Hannah Montana - Meet Miley Cyrus CD. She loves the magnetic dollhouse from Uncle Eric, Aunt Joni and Alex. Thanks everyone!!!

After gifts we headed out to dinner to the BBC (British Beer Company - Kylie's choice) where we all feasted. Kylie and Tom shared a pizza and Kylie almost ate 3 pieces! Then the waitress surprised her with a big piece of chocolate cake for dessert.

After dinner we bundled up and went to Heritage Museums Spectacle of Lights where we got to see Santa and ride the carousel while walking through beautiful light displays. It's one of our family yearly traditions and seems to get better every year.

Today we are hanging out at home. . .Melanie has been fighting a cold and ended up awake last night with a fever and horrible sounding coughing and wheezing. She's feeling better except tired this morning, but I thought we should stay home. So, I found a substitute teacher for Sunday School. They are happily playing with all the new toys and we are going to have movie and game day in our PJs.

Ballet Routine

Kylie is harder to see in this one. She's on the far right, kind of behind the teacher. This is part of the routine she will be doing for her Peter Pan recital - they will be Tinkerbells.

Tap Routine

Kylie had her observation day at tap/ballet class and I played around with my movie feature on my camera. I guess I didn't realize how easy it was to use, or else I would have been making tons of movies all along! And if I can upload them, watch out! I have a whole new hobby! Here's a tap routine that she did.

Over the Rainbow

We celebrated Kylie's fifth birthday on Sunday with a Wizard of Oz theme. Our guests were greeted with a yellow brick road at our entrance leading them into the basement (Over the Rainbow). (Notice the squished Witch?)


Their first stop in Munchkinland was to make their very own ruby slippers, then Melanie (AKA Dorothy) led them on a scavenger hunt to find the witch. Along the way they found Toto and two of the witch's brooms. Then they had to reassemble their own scarecrows which gave them their "diplomas." Then they had to chase rotten apples out of the forest (relay race) which awarded them their badges of courage (and helped them find and melt the witch). A fun game of don't get stuck in the witch's castle when the music stops was a blast. Finally they had to help the tin man get his heart and were awarded with their own heart necklaces. All the girls clicked their heels together and said "There's no place like home," and were transported back to Kansas (upstairs) for cake and ice cream.

Making our ruby slippers



Our scarecrows were really cute! Thanks Beach Grammy!

As soon as everyone left, Kylie couldn't wait to try on one of her presents from her school friend Jessica. Perfect gift!

Updates

Kylie was very brave and held really still for her MRI. The results came back 4 days later and showed no Chiari! And a completely normal brain. Thank goodness!

An update on my parents. . .mom is still feeling pretty good. She has occasional headaches and has to be really careful not to overdo it. My dad is still feeling pretty tired. He had his first appointment with his oncologist last week and has more testing to undergo. They still can't find the primary site of the cancer and can't proceed until they do. . . the cancer on the small intestine was on the outside of the intestine, so they know it is coming from somewhere else. He also has to have a surgery to reduce the size of his prostate which is going to happen very soon.

Our First Thanksgiving. . .

Our first Thanksgiving in our new home was simple and relaxing. We woke up for waffles (on my new Belgian Waffle maker - early Christmas from Tom), watched the parade and then had a dinner of turkey breast, mashed potatoes, corn and homemade bread. It was a beautiful day outside, so we loaded up the dog and went to the conservation land for a walk in the woods. Jayhawk took a swim and the girls played on the beach and playground. Then it was home for pumpkin pie and a movie.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged to relay 8 things about me that no one knows. Thanks a lot Tom! Since I had to help Tom with his list, you should check it out on his blog in a couple of days (it takes him longer to type). Ok, so here's my list:

Eight Things Not Many People Know About Me
1. I was editor of my high school yearbook.
2. I got a 4.3 GPA in HS (merit classes) and 3.8 in five years of college and that was with a lot of extra curricular activities (we'll keep those a secret awhile longer).
3. I originally majored in Journalism in college but switched after my freshman year to OT because I didn't like one of the journalism professors.
4. I cry very easily during happy occasions - at weddings, movies and even in church when the Cherubs sing. Just something about happiness and love that makes me weepy
5. I know how to Two Step, do the Cowboy Cha Cha, the Tush Push and the County Line AND I own a pair of Ropers! (for those of you New Englanders who don't know what those are, they are really cool lace up cowboy boots). By the way I hated country music until I started dating Tom (boy from Florida whose favorite band was Nine Inch Nails) and we were dragged weekly to the Cadillac Ranch by our friends (ok, $1 anything was hard to pass up). Soon after we started dating, we realized how much we liked to dance together. I bought him his first pair of cowboy boots and he bought mine.
6. I was a Lionette (dance team) and we danced in the Cotton Bowl parade and halftime show in Dallas Texas on New Years Day 1991.
7. I lived next door to a pig farm until I was 14 and even fell in a manure pile as a kid when I was exploring my neighbors' property. Whew, I stunk.
8. I love to write. Ok, that's not such a secret anymore. But did you know I wrote my first complete novel at the age of 10? It was titled Triplet Trouble. Since then I have written five other complete novels . . .Golden Rain, Cape Bounty, Crossroads, Boy Crazy and Butterfly Girl.

Ok, that's it. Now I need to tag someone. Hmmmm. . . .Can I tag more than one person? None of my friends have a blog, so I have to choose friends who will do it through email. Ok, I tag -

Kim
Donna
Amy P
Amy R
Wendy

Don't disappoint!

MRI Results

As most of you know, Melanie had an MRI last week to rule out Chiari. We got the results yesterday and it came back positive for Chiari Malformation. What this means. . .part of Melanie's cerebellum (the small part of the brain in the back of the head responsible for balance and coordination) is protruding below the skull. This not only can cause problems with cerebellar function, but also a vast array of other possible symptoms because of the restricted cerebral spinal fluid flow in and out of the brain (the opening is blocked by the cerebellum). If you had asked me three months ago if I was expecting this diagnosis I would have said yes - which was right after my mom was diagnosed and I recognized some of the similarities. But in this journey, the doctors had convinced me that we wouldn't find anything. I was even met with resistance to getting her checked out. I'm so glad I was pushy and insisted on testing her. But even I had decided she wouldn't have it.

So, the next step is to visit with a neurosurgeon. There is no reason to do surgery unless her issues becoming severe and debilitating. Over time the space can deteriorate or different conditions can arise. At that time surgery might be necessary. It is my understanding that she would just need to be followed by a neurosurgeon with routine checkups and MRIs.

Also, Kylie is now going to have an MRI. That is in the process of being scheduled.

Melanie's neurologist found it unusual that my MRI that was done a couple of months ago came back negative. I guess it is rare for it to skip a generation and go from a grandmother to her grandchildren. She would like to look at my films when we come back to her in February for Melanie's 3 month follow up. I checked into it yesterday and the same radiologist that read Melanie's films also read mine. You wouldn't think he could have missed it. I don't have the balance issues that Melanie does, but I do have issues swallowing where food gets stuck in my esophagus and I also have a constant pain/pressure in my right ear that radiates from my neck. Both are possible symptoms of Chiari according to some research that I have done.

In this process I have emailed Julie Clark who was the featured mother on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. She and her three daughters all have Chiari and she has started a support group in Montana. I heard back from her yesterday and she gave me a very useful web site. Check it out if you 'd like to understand more:

The Chiari Institute

There is 16 hours of educational video on this web site that she encouraged me to watch and take notes. I haven't done it yet, but I'm sure I will!

Finally, here is a real life story about a family with Chiari that I found useful. If you don't read anything else, at least read this story. I see a little bit of us in all of them. (Melanie has suffered from extreme leg cramps in the past. . .Kylie can't stand to walk more than 10 feet without a stroller).

Life - StatesmanJournal.com

Storm update

We had quite the adventure Saturday and Sunday. The Nor-Easter dropped tons of rain and lots of wind on us. We had branches down all over the place, but no trees in our yard. Our basement filled up with water from one of the window wells, so we spent a majority of the storm trying to deal with that. Tom spent an hour out in the wind and rain digging a ditch from the window well out to the yard to drain the water away which really seemed to help. Luckily he took a break at the opportune moment because when he went back outside there was a huge branch in his place that had dented the ground when it hit. We lost power for about 18 hours and had a fun time camping out in our bedroom in front of the fire place. Here's a pic of the girls sound asleep cuddled up with the dog while the storm raged outside. The mail from Saturday was whipped from inside the mailbox and flew around the neighborhood. We were able to collect some of it Sunday morning and found that we actually got some really important mail that day - some of which was never recovered. Ahhh well, that's our luck it seems!

Hurricane A-Coming!

Well, more like a tropical storm or Nor-Easter as they call it here. But at one time Noel was a hurricane. We could get 4+ inches of rain with winds 35-50 mph with gusts up to 75 mph. This is supposed to go on all day today, so check in tomorrow and we'll let you know how we held up. Kylie and I battened down the hatches yesterday, bringing in all the bird feeders, chair cushions, flags and anything else that might blow around. We stocked up on batteries, firewood, groceries and water. We don't need to go anywhere today, so we'll stay in and play games, read books, watch movies (if we keep power). It's just like we're sick again - stuck in the house for another day!

Dad came home from the hospital yesterday! He has to follow up with about a gazillion doctors next week, but at least he's home and can start really recuperating!

Bop To the Top!

I almost forgot to take a picture of the girls in their costumes! I thought of it just as we were leaving for Trick or Treating. They are wearing their costumes and dress up clothes all the time, so seeing them for Halloween is just like any other day.

Kylie missed her Halloween party at school. She was still not feeling well and battling the rash. I gave her Benadryl Wednesday morning, she slept ALL afternoon and by Trick or Treating time was feeling well enough to go. So far as of Saturday, the rash has not come back again, but then again neither has her appetite.

Melanie is Gabriella and Kylie is Sharpay from High School Musical. If you've seen the movie, just think of the characters' personalities and they fit perfectly with who is in which costume.



We had fun trick or treating in our new neighborhood and handing out candy to all the neighbors. Tom and took turns taking the girls out, then we left our candy bowl on the front step and jumped in the car and headed to our old neighborhood. Our old neighbors were happy to see us (we were only their second trick or treaters) and we got to stop in on our old house. The new owners invited us in for a minute and we got to see all the changes they made. The girls were a little weirded out to see their old house with hardwood floors!

One more bit of good news

Something I forgot to mention in my list of good things. . .When the Red Sox won the World Series, we got a free sofa! We had bought our furniture at Jordan's during their Red Sox World Series promotion last Spring. Now we wish we had gone for the more expensive set!

God doesn't give us more than we can handle!

I want to thank all of you who have sent words of support and encouragement and apologize for not updating everyone sooner on how my parents are doing. I think I've been letting it all sink in.

Mom was discharged from the hospital last week and is physically doing very well. I think she gets tired, but is becoming stronger and steadier on her feet everyday. She will see the doctor again on Thursday and will hopefully be cleared to take a shower and wash her orange hair (from the iodine).

Dad's surgery was slightly delayed due to a mass that was found on the sonogram. The gall bladder surgery ended up being a full open surgery instead of the laproscopy that was originally planned. They removed the gall bladder and 18 inches of the small intestine which was cancerous. He is slowly recuperating from the surgery and was moved from the ICU to a regular room today. As of right now the path report on the cancer has not come back (a week later) to indicate what type of cancer. He was seen by the Physical Therapist and was up walking for the first time today. He's in room 115 at St. John's Hospital in Leavenworth.

Our neuro appointment last week went well. Melanie demonstrates more signs of Chiari than Kylie does (balance and incoordination) so she will be given an MRI next week. . but the neurologist doesn't seem to think it will show anything. Kylie's issues are more related to her overall low tone and some bloodwork was done for her, but no MRI. Tom took the whole day off work and we went to lunch and shopping after the appointment. It was a fun and much needed family day.

Although, Kylie was still a little under the weather on Thursday from her cough. She slept from 5:00 that evening until 7:30 the next morning. That night, Melanie woke up at 10:30 after vomiting in her bed and proceeded to be sick all that night. She missed school Friday but was better for the weekend until she started coughing on Saturday. She seemed fine by Monday morning so we sent her to school and I went to work. Soon the school nurse called and said she had a coughing episode as soon as she got off the bus and vomited in her classroom. Luckily Tom was able to get her while I finished my testing at work, then I came home to find her feeling pretty good with just occasional fits of coughing.

Kylie seemed back to normal yesterday except for a weird rash that had developed over her back and chest. She kept complaining that her back hurt and was up a couple of times during the night. The rash would go away for awhile and then return mysteriously. This morning, rash was gone and she was doing well and had a good appetite for breakfast. Then 5 minutes before she was leaving for school she complained her tights were hurting her stomach. I hoped for just tights that were getting too small and sent her off to school. Sure enough 1/2 hour later, Tom is calling me to tell me Kylie threw up at school. After some coordination he was able to pick her up and stay with her until I got home. He did a great job cleaning up the inside of his jeep, her sheets, mattress, clothes and her!

So, my friend Kim was able to visit my dad the other day and reported he looks good and is handling things well. The title of my blog today "God doesn't give us more than we can handle" comes from Kim. So, that is my mantra this week! Let's just hope Tom and I don't end up getting sick with the stomach bug (we've both been coughing already). Oh, and somewhere in all this the Red Sox won the World Series, right?

I will also continue to focus on the other positives. . .
Mom is doing well.
They found the cancer because of the gall bladder.
The girls aren't sick with anything serious.
Maybe we'll get all our sickness over with now and be free and clear all winter.

Chiari, Gall Bladders, Wildfires, Fevers, Mold and the RED SOX

It has been a crazy week for our family. . .



Mom underwent surgery on Monday for Chiari Malformation. She was diagnosed a few months ago due to dizziness, headaches, neckaches and various other symptoms. This is somthing she has had her entire life, but because of recent changes in her spinal canal, she has had the recent onset of severe symptoms (other lifelong symptoms include incoordination and balance issues). The cerebellum part of the brain has herniated below the skull and limiting the flow of cerebral spinal fluid to and from the spine. Coincidentally, Extreme Makeover Home Edition featured a family on Sunday night who all suffer from this condition. The episode was very informative and educational, so check it out if you want more information. You may need to download the media player in order to watch it, but the entire episode is featured in the link below (copy and paste).

http://ll.static.abc.go.com/streaming/move/00070006/static.html?d=20070521&aff=abc&wrapped=1

Something the episode really highlighted was how hereditary this condition can be. With Melanie and Kylie having some similar syptoms, I thought it would be important to have them evaluated as well. We made an appointment with a neurologist in Boston several months ago and that appointment is tomorrow.

Mom's surgery seems to have gone fine, but Dad has been struggling with stomach pain and issues for a couple of weeks. He has avoided going to the doctor because he wanted to wait for Mom to get settled. But yesterday the pain was too intense, so he finally visited the doctor who ordered a sonogram. He was immediately hospitalized and will undergo gall bladder surgery this morning.

Eric was in San Diego for work through all of this and was affected by the wild fires. His meetings were canceled and they were afraid they would get stuck there, but he was able to get out and back to KC ok (he mentioned his rental car had 1/4 inch of ashes on it).

Kylie woke up last night with a fever of 103 and was miserable. We canceled a bunch of activities today, but she seems much better. She ate 3 pieces of toast this morning and two full cups of pink milk. For those of you who know her well, you know that this is more than she usually eats in a whole day. I think she's feeling better!



This all comes just after we had the Disaster Specialists at our house for four days completely cleaning our new basement of mold damage from a toilet overflow. We had to throw away a ton of stuff. All in all it was about $8000 worth of damage but luckily our home owners insurance covers it.

Soooo, with all that going on the RED SOX start playing the ROCKIES tonight. I have to say the Rockies are probably my favorite National League team because of my large family contingent in Denver who are ALL avid sports fans. So, Aunt Karen, Uncle Bob, Cindy, Kenny, Todd, Kim, Ryan, Kelsey, Lauren and Erin. . .check out the impression one Cape Cod guy has about the Rockies team and Coors field. . .it's kind of funny, but don't take it personally! I know that where the Rockies play is much more urban than where we live. I love the fake mountain in the background!

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071023/MEDIA0302/71023008

Tom was able to go to the last two playoff games against the Clevland Indians and had a blast. He may be able to catch one World Series Game (he's got a connection). At the playoff game on Sunday night, Tom ended up visiting and hanging out with Trot Nixon's wife for several innings. His friends took pictures, but I haven't seen them yet. If I get some I'll post them to the blog.

The Cat, the Spider and the Jack O'Lantern

Today we worked on carving our pumpkin. Wow, we couldn't pick an easy pattern could we? Well here is the result. Doesn't look too bad! Just don't look closely at the spider's legs.

Pumpkin Time

We finally made it to the pumpkin farm this weekend. The girls had a blast picking out their pumpkins. Usually we get one for each family member, but somehow we now have five on the front porch and two inside. Daddy is just such a pushover when it comes to Kylie's sweet puppy dog eyes.

In other news, things are super busy around here. Melanie's 2nd grade teacher broke her ankle and we are now in week three of a substitute teacher. Rumor has it that her teacher won't be back until Christmas! Anyway, things are stressful with that change in more ways than one.

I have had 3 job offers in the last week or so. I think I will accept one and a half of them. When it rains it pours!

Go Red Sox!

Playoff baseball starts tonight and we're ready! Even Jayhawk is getting into the spirit!

Hey. . .aren't those daisies in front of my house gorgeous? I was really excited to see my favorite flower start to bloom last week. I never know what's going to come up next.

Reunions

Even though the reasons for traveling to Kansas were grim, it was great to be able to see our family and friends. I hadn't been home for over a year, so any chance to see them all is welcome. One friend in particular, Karen, I hadn't seen since we were freshman in college. I hate to admit it but that was 15 years ago! Yikes! Above is a picture of my reunion with Karen and Kim. We were voted as best friends in our high school yearbook and served on the Lionettes dance team together. It was great to be with both of them again.

I am happy to report Kim is doing awesome. She just got back from Hawaii and looks terrific (and very healthy!). She bought herself a zippy little convertible that I got to ride in. Wow! I'm jealous! She also brought me an authentic Hawaiian pineapple which I carried all the way back to Massachusetts. The girls and I are enjoying it!


I spent an afternoon hanging out with a couple of my OT buddies, Michele and Amy at Michele's house. It was a low key day, letting the kids play while we watched the Chiefs win their home opener. They have grand ideas of our Fab 5 taking a Disney Cruise together next summer. Our little group of 5 has now turned into 20 members (counting husbands and kids). Next year will be our 15th year since we met each other in cadaver lab. Seems like just yesterday we were bonding over the lovely smell of formaldehyde and our deceased guy's body parts.

We got to spend lots of time with my brother and his wife, Joni and Alex. The girls love hanging out with their cousin. They have so much fun together. We really enjoyed the Norman Rockwell Exhibit at Kansas City's Union Station and of course the Deanna Rose Farmstead is always a must see! Everytime we got there, they have new things to see and do. Here are the girls at a Rockwell soda fountain, Kylie feeding a goat a milk bottle at the farm and the cousins posing on a cow.



Tom missed us while we were gone and we missed him too. He has been crazy busy at work and it's not slowing down for awhile!