My nightlight is talking to me!!

We are really liking having our new office for Greg to use. Yesterday he was down there talking on the phone and he is right underneath Briellle's bedroom (sharing a cold air return vent).
Brielle came running into the kitchen very concerned. she said
"MOM... come hurry to my room, I thought there was a boy in my room but my nightlight is talking to me!!!"
I couldn't think of what she was talking about until I followed her into her room and she knelt down next to the nightlight, which happens to be right next to the vent and said, "mom... listen, its talking to me but I can't tell what it is saying!"

I can do this...

Today I made bread. I had to make 2 different kinds of bread because Katie can't have wheat(gluten). I found a recipe on my cousin Shari's gluten-free recipe blog. Even though it takes all day (has to raise for 1.5 hours, and cook for 1 hour) it was worth it to see my little girl finally get a piece of bread with "lots of butter, and lots of honey!" Her favorite! She really liked it, and even though the bread looks different than my regular wheat bread it actually tastes pretty good.

We also had spaghetti tonight which is one of my staple meals that we have at least once a week. Everyone likes it, the kids eat well so why mess with something that works. I found some spaghetti noodles that are made from rice, and honestly I could barely tell a difference in the taste and texture to our regular noodles.

So now I am feeling like I can maybe do this diet and I don't have to deprive my baby of things that she loves! YAY
Tomorrow night on the menu is Chicken Nuggets!

A place just for him...

One of the benefits of having a husband who hasn't been working lately:
getting projects finished!
down-side: doing it without spending money, using furniture you already had alround the house that badly needs to be replaced, staining the floor instead of installing carpet, using whatever paint color we had (I think it was left over from one of DJ's houses'), and going without trim or baseboards... o-well some day we'll get it done right!

At least Greg has somewhere to work and study as he ventures on his new job (hopefully soon!!!) He has been home for a week and half trying to study for his Insurance exam so that he can start his new job. He hasn't had anywhere to study so he's been going to the library or locking himself in our bedroom. Then during breaks to give his brain a rest he was working on the basement... maybe someday he will get an actual "vacation"!! =)

Greg has always had all this "manly" decor that he has wanted to be able to put somewhere. Now he has a place all his own that he can hang and display anything he wants.
Notice the greenery in the window-well... its crazy that with as much snow and as cold as it is the ivy still stays green and lush in the window well... makes for a nice view!

Just 1 week ago this hallway was crammed full of stuff, you could hardly walk through it. we finished painting it to match the family room/playroom (not pictured) and then hung doors so that now it looks more finished and way cleaner!!!

Gluten-Free

Poor Katie, we are always thinking of ways to torture her =)
Lately I have become very concerned about her lack of weight gain, constipation, and increasingly worse eczema which can only be treated with steroid creams. When she was 18 months old we took her to Primary Children's hospital and they ran a battery of tests to determine the reason for her "failure to thrive" as they labeled it. None of these tests returned conclusive so we have just lived with and accepted her size as just who she is.

This year I really have become determined to find the root cause of these issues she has battled with her entire life. I have a cousin who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease which is an intollerance to gluten- the protein found in Wheat and Barley. I talked to him as well as my doctor and they said it is definetly possible that she has some kind of food allergy at the least so the first thing on the list to eliminate from her diet is Gluten.

So starting Monday we put her on a strict Gluten Free diet. It has proven to be much harder than I thought. I had no idea how many food products have wheat in them.... For example fruit snacks., who would have thought? But I am really convinced it is something that is preventing her from absorbing nutrients in her food (which is what the Gluten does in people intollerant to it, it flattens the celia in the small intestine and prohibits nutrient obsorption). So we'll see how this goes, I'm really hoping and at the same time not hoping that its the issue.. I'd like to fix it but avoiding wheat your entire life can't be easy or fun for a kid =(

Trying new things...

A few girls in my neighborhood have been participating in these food co-op's and I've been intrigued. So this morning was my first time and I have to say I am convinced its a great way to shop for produce. Allthough I did feel like a bit of a homeless person standing in line at the fire station with my laundry basket waiting for food! =)
Bountiful Baskets is the name of the co-op and they have pickups all over the state.
It costs only $18 the first time and then only $15 after that. I got a HUGE basket full of fruits and veggies. There is also another food co-op that you can check out if your interested (I might try this one at the end of the month). GREAT way to keep some nutritious health food in the house during the winter when we can't garden! Plus I got a watermelon and a pineapple- YUMMY!

If you can see Katie in this picture she does not look happy. She hasn't felt good for weeks now but never bad enough that I thought she needed to see a doctor. But its been going on so long that I finally took her in today and she has STREP- poor thing! She gets it often enough that maybe I should consider having her tonsils removed? But she was actually mostly sad in this picture because her Dad has made this device which fits over her finger and then attaches to a bracelet so that she doesnt suck her fingers. Its working GREAT but she did not want to put it on this morning! A friend of mine sent me a link for a device which you can buy that is similar but costs $75... of course Greg can make it better =) We'll see how it works... so far so good!

Happy New Year- 2010!

Well another year has come and gone. Seems crazy to me that time is flying by so quickly. This year is going to be a good one for us I can tell!

2009 has been full of happy memories that I will always cherish. I love my family and friends and I'm so glad I have been blessed with knowing so many wonderful people.

We spent the night partying with the Paris' playing Super Mario Bro on the Wii. I couldnt have asked for a funner evening!

Here is how the girls celebrated the new year. As usual Brielle was bright eyed and bushy tailed at 12am. But Katie.... she is not feeling well I'm afraid and although she did wake up at 12 she went promptly to bed.