Great Wolf Lodge...

Last weekend, we packed up the whole family and drove almost 4 hours to Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. Well, I guess it wasn't the whole family. We left Charlie with my parents (thanks mom and dad) and took along Grandma Debbie (actually, she took us). We met up with a bunch of aunts, uncles and cousins. I am lucky to have married into such a large, wonderful and super-loving extended family.

Haley enjoyed catching up with her cousins and racing down all of the waterslides. It was hard to catch a picture of them but I made them stop for just a moment so that I could snap a pic.

Elsa had fun lounging around. Especially in the kid-friendly hot tub. She is not very adventurous. Okay, she is the complete opposite. She loved to be held and didn't want to go down any slides. I am wondering if her feet ever touched the ground?!?!

Sophie, on the other hand, is quite the adventurous one. She went down EVERY single waterslide and had a blast doing so. It took me until Day 3 to let her go down the last 2 that she had not tried (they were partially enclosed slides that she had to go down by herself). And she loved them. She had a HUGE smile on her face at the bottom of each and every single ride she went down.

Great Wolf Lodge has to be the MOST kid-friendly place that I have ever been to. From wearing our pjs to breakfast to the bedtime story telling in the cozy lobby to the magic shows and dance parties to so much more. You never had to leave the building and there was enough entertainment to keep the kids busy even outside the waterpark.

It was Valentine's Day weekend and they brought out a huge tub of heart shaped sugar cookies, icing and sprinkles for everyone to decorate.

Though it doesn't look like it in this picture, Sophie loved Wiley (the bear) and Elsa was scared out of her mind (but she can't resist cheesing it up for a picture).

One HUGE bonus from this trip... We got to meet Kylie, Jody and Matt. I will never be able to express in words what it is like to meet another family that has fought through Infantile Spasms. It is a bond like no other. Kylie is one adorable little girl and her parents are two of the sweetest and most genuine people I have ever met. They are doing an AMAZING job at raising Kylie. It was such an honor to meet this cozy little family.

(Jody, Me, Elsa, Kylie, Brandon, Sophie and Matt)




(Sophie giving one of her famous smash my face into you hugs.)


Thank you Debbie for this wonderful and memorable vacation!!!
I needed this...a break from reality...a time to just focus on the family...I had SO MUCH fun.

California or bust...

This post is long overdue. We went to San Diego at the end of November to visit my sister and her family. Though, I couldn't resist posting these adorable pictures of the kids. Oh, how we miss San Diego so very much!!!!! We had an absolutely wonderful time.

Sophie had fun playing in the sand. Elsa rode her first roller coaster and loved it. We all got to spend a lot time outside. Sophie was suppose to go back to school the day after we got home but it was cancelled due to bad weather...it took quite a few weeks for me to convince Sophie she couldn't just walk outside to beautiful weather.

Sophie and Elsa both loved the stroller walks up to Colin and Nicholas' school. Though, Colin and Nicholas got a little tired of having to walk home (it's right about a mile from their house) so we came up with some interesting ways to fit all 4 kids in 2 strollers.

We went to Sea World, Lego Land and made quite a few trips to the beach. The sand was great for Sophie's sensory issues. Though you wouldn't think she had any once you look at the picture below. But on our last vacation to the beach she cried as soon as her feet touched the sand. I guess she has somehow worked that one out in the endless hours of therapy she has had since then. She still has issues with snow but it is starting to get better.

Unfortunately, Haley wasn't able to go with us. We went for 18 days and just could not take her out of school that long.

Sophie and Elsa on the playground at the beach.

Cute picture of Elsa in her favorite stroller.

Aunt Erin and Elsa on the teacup ride at Sea World.
She practically leaped out of Erin's arms trying to get on the ride when she saw the other kids getting on.
So even though Erin was starting to get a little nauseous from the other spinning rides, she couldn't let her down.


Colin and Nicholas at the beach.

Sophie having a blast playing in the sand.

Daddy and Sophie playing in the water. It was too cold to go swimming.
But if it was up to Sophie, she would have dove straight in.

Aunt Erin and Elsa on the beach. She loved the water almost as much as Sophie.

Elsa playing in the giant rocks.

Sophie, Daddy, Elsa and Me at the beach.

Uncle Joe, Elsa, Sophie and Daddy at the beach.

When you least except it...

I had a blast in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I have to admit...I was not looking forward to this trip. I had knots in my stomach, not able to sleep, small panic attack kind of feelings towards this trip. Sophie was just coming off ACTH (her last shot was the night before we left) so my emotions were already running high from the whole drama of what we were going through at the moment. I was worried about her weakened immune system. There was no being able to stop off at some restaurant along the way and stretch our legs or burn some energy. Sophie couldn't be in public places. I knew Sophie would be fine in the car but Elsa was a whole different story. Elsa is on the go and does not like to be strapped down. I can barely even hold her at times without her wiggling around like crazy. Then once we got there, what was I suppose to do with an immune suppressed 2 year old and a 6 month old. Little did I know...

Not all of us did all of these since we took turns staying back with Sophie and Elsa at times but if we could take them we did...white water rafting, hiking to Laurel Falls, swimming (lots and lots of swimming), Ripley's Aquarium, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, Ripley's Mirror Maze, go-karts, putt-putt golf, regular golf, Cirque de Chine (simply amazing), Pancake Pantry* (best pancakes ever), Ober-Gatlinburg (mini outdoor amusement park), and that is all my mind can remember at the moment.

Ober-Gatlinburg
The faster the ride, the steeper the slide, the more fun Sophie had...she has no fear!

After the ride was over, Sophie would point to the slide and say "moh". She had so much fun.


Those gorgeous eyes...yet I can't help but notice the 2 scars...one above each eye.

Notice the mountains in the background...our view was absolutely gorgeous.

We saw several bears. This one came right through our backyard.

Laurel Falls
Sophie fell asleep on the walk up.

The water was really cold but Elsa loved putting her feet in it.

Haley and Brandon climb a little higher which made me nervous...that's why there are dads in the world.

*If you ever been to Gatlinburg, you would know why I mentioned which pancake house we ate at...I have never been to a place that had a pancake house on every corner...literally.

We are done!!!

No more ACTH. Actually, Sophie's last shot was last Friday. It has been crazy busy around here between figuring out what to do next with Sophie's treatment options and getting ready for vacation. We are currently in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We left last Saturday and we are all having a blast. The ride down went rather smooth. We made our first stop about 3 hours outside of St. Louis at Paducah, Kentucky to visit some friends (Dana, Scott and Brock). Since Sophie's immune system is currently almost nonexistent...going into public places is a gamble. So we relied on friends and family on our trip down with a overnight stop in Nashville, Tennessee at Brandon's cousin Mike's house. So about 34 hours later (only about 9 or 10 hours in the car), we arrived at our rental house in the Smoky Mountains. More to come...