We have all had a pretty good week. The boys have really enjoyed getting back into the routine of school since being off for a week due to snow and ice. Slade has officially moved to the 1 year old room where they sleep on cots instead of a crib and eat regular food and drink out of a sippy cup. I ended my week of school with "Smile Kentucky", a program where dentists from the community donate their time, skills, and supplies to help many less fortunate children who badly need dental care. They come to the school on Friday which is set up to move these kids through, doing thousands of dollars worth of free dental care. We all participate, along with the private practice dentists. It is a great thing......and great that it is over....imagine hundreds of elementary school kids running crazy through the halls and rooms of our school. It was a success and I look forward to participating next year as a senior student. My heart is heavy these days as I have been reading friends of friends of friends blogs that are extremely sad. Example, a little two year old girl named Tuesday Fiona recently lost her battle with neuroblastoma. She was an adorable identical twin and she was only diagnosed last July or so. I feel for her family, her sister who will no doubt someday ask why she never got to grow up with her twin, and most of all I feel for her, as she suffered so through her last days with pain and confusion over what was happening to her. There are so many people every day who have life changing disasters happen while we struggle over relatively unimportant things. Little Tuesday who I never knew, may you rest in peace.
Hendrix had his first Bball game in two weeks thanks to the snow. Here is a clip of a rebound and shot he made during the game today.

Okay, well no pictures because I am getting worse and worse at thinking when to take pictures to capture moments but here is a quick update on our life: Ice Storm 2009........mean anything to anyone???? Well, if you are in central Kentucky it should. We, along with most everyone I know, have not had power OR WATER since Tuesday. Even my school and clinic have been closed along with Brandon's factory. These things Never close, mine because we are considered an emergency facility (you know, dental emergencies....) and we stay open no matter what, and for a factory to close down and lose all that money.....well, it has been bad. It really wouldn't have been that big of a deal had it been Brandon and I (I mean we love to camp right?) but having two young children (one of which has just been in the hospital and is supposed to have daily breathing treatments...electricity run breathing treatments, makes the whole situation a little less of an adventure and a little more nerve racking. Speaking of camping, thank goodness we are campers. We pretty much just pulled out all our camping gear and tricks and went with it....okay the gas fireplace helped, sure, but lets face it, we were roughing it. I sit here tonight with a much greater appreciation for electricity (having just boiled bottled water for a bath merely hours ago, but I also am painfully aware of how many fossil fuels we use every day....just our house alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It really is ridiculous. We bought a generator, almost $1000, and it won't run our heat pump, our washer or dryer, or any other large appliances in the house. For example, our microwave uses approx 2500 watts, this thing we bought ( and haven't opened) can do a max of 5500 watts, so not very much is going to be run off of it, and you have to keep pouring gas into it constantly. I just can't believe how much it really takes to run our house.....not good for our environment at all, but I just can't live like the omish and still keep up with my career. I almost died without my internet these few days, and I could do without all this, but I have to get emails for school. My husband tells me I should start practicing what I preach and be a better environmentalist........yes he has become quite the "green machine" although he would never admit it. Anyway, we're plugged in again and wasting as usual. Right now I'm on the couch, heat turned to 70 degrees, had the gas as a second source of heat on most of the night, flat screen on even though I am not watching it (those use a lot of energy), bathroon light on upstairs for the boys....while they sleep, and I can see three lights on from where I am sitting, none of which I need. We basically suck as a species. Well, enough rambling, no pictures captured, just more of our life.....

New happenings.......I have started school back with a bang. After getting many patients "treatment planned" I am now doing a lot of Dentistry which is stressful and demanding, but also fun and interesting. I am finding it more difficult each day to commute an hour back and fourth every day with two kids at home and with Hendrix doing more activities, which is why I am glad things are starting to wind down with school and I will be finished next year, thankfully.

Hendrix had his first basketball game on Saturday which went way better than expected. Since he is playing with 5 and 6 year olds and since the goal is 7 1/2 feet, I didn't really expect Hendrix to shoot, and honestly, just hoped he would stay on the court during a game. He caught on much more than I thought and besides a size difference, you can't tell he is two years younger than everyone. He even made two baskets on Saturday!!! I wish I would have video taped that. I didn't even have my camera because...............this brings me to my next subject....

Slade started getting sick at the end of last week and I had a bag packed for the Hospital on Sat, however we did not end up going and I was able to rush to Hendrix's game at the last minute....BUT......Slade got worse and was hospitalized Monday morning with pneumonia, in respiratory distress and fever.....really sick baby! He was released today and although we have a lot of medicines, he is feeling much better and I will be back to school tomorrow. He however will stay out of daycare until Tues or Wed of next week. Thank goodness for Nana and Daddy who can take off and stay with him. Here is a picture of him yesturday. He caught right on to the whole I.V. thing, but it was awful putting it in. You really can't tell how sick he is in the picture because he is his usual happy self!

Well it has been a busy holiday season as usual. I was able to be home with the boys for about a month so that is very nice. Slade is walking and running everywhere....also falling down a lot so he has a permanent bruise on his head. The boys loved having their first christmas together and Hendrix is really getting into Christmas now so it is really fun to see it through his eyes. Below are some pics from the last month. Slade will turn 1 y/o in Jan....hard to believe! Nutritious Christmas morning breakfast.......
Bacon and M&Ms

Party at our house with some friends


Santa visits Slade

Santa visits Hendrix

Enjoying his new Leapster


Making a gingerbread house with Sasha


Taking Slade for a ride


Christmas picture


Hendrix and Drew at The Grinch on Ice


Slade does not need help getting in his toy box!

The one good snow we have had so far


Cookies from a party I had


Homemade choc covered pretzels for Hendrix's teachers

Hendrix's First Basketball Practice

Well, although my last and most difficult final of the semester is tomorrow, I couldn't miss Hendrix's first basketball practice. We persuaded them to let him try out even though all the other kids are two years older. Turns out it was a great decision. He loves it and he is definitely on par with the rest of the kids. More pics to come I'm sure!

Hello all. New things in our life: Slade is taking about 4-5 steps before turning up the motor and crashing, so he'll likely be walking soon. He has also been rather sick, as my kids usually are their first year, with a trip to the ER in the middle of the night to get a steroid shot because he couldn't breathe and last night a 103.2 fever (on ibuprofen and tylenol) due to some type of infection??) He is doing much better this morning so we'll see if it lasts. I thought I would post a few short videos that I have taken lately. Hope all is well!

Congratulations President Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I really don't know what else to say. Despite living in one of the most backward thinking states on the planet, Obama won, and he won big, which I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone reading this, but I am just so happy and proud that he won so definitively. I have shed many tears of happiness as I'm sure many have. I guess I didn't realize how much I felt invested in this election and it's just so hard being in Ky sometimes where I feel like a fish out of water, so HOW WONDERFUL to know I AM in the majority, and I'm not the crazy one here. I took Hendrix to vote yesturday and tried my best to explain things to him but I'm not sure he really got it. They did however have kids voting which he took part in and, of course, he voted for Obama who he still thinks is part of the family as much as we have talked about him over the past months. I am just so proud that our country is truly in a place where race doesn't matter.....I think it says something for how far we've come, how much hope we can still have that anything can happen, and sets a president for how things will be done in the future. Today, I am REALLY "proud to be an American"!!! Good day to all!!!