Too Close to Home

OK! I'm an avid watcher of the Today Show. It's a sort of morning ritual while I'm getting ready for work each morning. This morning they showed a story that hit way too close to home. I was appauled at what I was hearing... "Toddler Too Thin"

A 2-yr-old little girl

Weighs only 22-lbs

DENIED HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE

Considered to be "too small"

That prompts the question, "What is the world coming to?!". As you may recall, our little Bethanie is 2-yrs-old, only weighs 22-lbs, is also NOT making it on the growth curve. If I found out that our insurance could decide she's uninsurable by being too thin, it would **** me off:0 Last week it was the 4-month-old refused coverage after being considered to be obese.

Moral of the story: The one's making the decisions cannot decide whether they want us to be fat, thin or indifferent and have no morals with regards to the well-being of our next generation! Scary thought, huh?!?!

Alright, I'll get off of my soap box now:)

Can we slow down just a bit?!

The past week has just flown by! We have been on the move with so much going on since last weekend... Football, college planning, dental visits, work, work and even more work. I'm getting tired just thinking about it all!

Quick updates:

My new job is going GREAT:) I was very nervous starting into a new dimension of my career; however, it has turned out to be an exciting change that has already provided me with challenges and opportunities for personal growth. I'm still in the healthcare arena, but my formal title is "Director of Marketing/PR"... fun sounding, huh?!

Tony is Tony! Keeping the family in "reality-mode" and making sure he gets in the KSU home games keeps him busy outside of work these days.

Devin has finally decided on a college major. (YEAH!). It looks like he'll be majoring in journalism/literature with a focus on arts and multimedia. I'm glad he's finally made a choice and, unlike many, I really think he'll be part of the 10% that actually comes out of college without changing his mind. Dev has also set his sights on a private college not far from here... that part I see him changing once he realizes how much it's going to cost!

Emmalie and Bethanie are becoming our inseparable duo. Though I really don't think Bethie has a choice... Emma's a very demanding "mother hen" sometimes:o Grandpa Larry bought Bethie a cool reading toy for her birthday (a Leap Frog TAG). It is so cool and easy for her to use. We get quite the laugh watching the girls sit in their chairs and "read" to each other.

That leaves us with Dalton... Where to I start with him?! Probably the biggest news is that we were finally able to meet Dalton's girlfriend this week. Emily is a very pretty and mature young girl. She's very, very athletic... which is a good thing or she wouldn't be putting up with Dalton for long. Dalton has decided to try wrestling at school for his next sport... to "tide him over" until basketball season, that is. (We're beginning to think he is going to try every middle school sport possible at least once just to say he did it!). Thursday was his last football game:( It was preceded by a school newpaper article on him Wednesday. We've put together Part 2 of his football montage for you all to enjoy...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Another couple of busy weeks ahead with parent sports meetings, pumpkin patchs, haunted houses and the list goes on and on. I'll close with one of my favorite verses:

I paint the world with lights,

because that is how we see it.

Without light, we would never know

the colors of the rainbow,

or see our reflection in the faces

of our children.

We would not know where we came from,

and we would not know where we're going.

40 Degrees NOW... Are you kidding me?!

Our grand plans to celebrate Bethanie's 2nd Birthday at the farm were a little dampened by some bitterly cold temperatures outside today. So we did the next best thing... we brought the pumpkin patch to our house!


My side of the family was unable to make it back from western Kansas in time, so we had a small and quiet time. (Which was nice!). Well, until Em & Beth started to fight over the same doll that is:O

Bethanie puffed her cheeks way out to blow her candle.

Our friends Aimee & Mark's handsome son Caleb...

...And their adorable daughter Katelynn.

Think Bethanie liked her cake?!

Bethanie & her Great-Grandpa Chet

Bethanie shows off her new jewels...
Aimee makes absolutely beautiful bracelets!

Bethanie poses for a picture in her own pumpkin patch

The girls had tons of fun... despite the frigid weather

Emmalie playing peak-a-boo around the hay stacks

The boys somehow managed to yet again escape any photo opportunities:) As did Tony! We'll be making our trip to the farm next weekend (we hope)... so I'll get some decent pictures of the boys then.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Happy 2nd Birthday Bethanie!

On Octoober 7th, 2007, our family was blessed with the arrival of one Miss Bethanie Ailene! Her big blue eyes would stair up at us... and she'd immediately get her way. That has not changed over the past two years:)


In 2008, we had a still so small and fragile girl with a baby face who was full of curiousity!


And this year... we have a grown-up looking, fun-loving, all smiles and energy toddler! Bethanie still has not made it on the growth curve for her weight, falling below the 3% curve line for all but one month of her 2-years. She's still our small "baby" girl (we're starting to put her in 18-month clothing now)... but she definitely isn't fragile anymore! Our little Bethie-Boo has taken on the philosophy that she is just as strong as all of her older siblings. (Now, if we can just get her to stop biting them out of frustration... which is another post in and of itself!). She's been off of the Prevacid for four months now and is doing very well. There are no more surgeries in her foreseeable future, either:) Bethanie has been a great addition to our family the past two years... our little ray of sunshine! We cannot wait to see her learn and grow even more over the coming years!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY BETHANIE!