Orlando!

I had the Amazing opportunity to tag along on Kristin, Randy, and Alyssa's vacation to Orlando. Thanks to Kimmy, (who kept the kids while Clif was working) I was kid free for almost a week! We started our vacation off with a stop at Krispy Kreme for doughnuts. We checked in to our condo and headed to Shades of Green (a military hotel where we got an amazing discount on Disney World tickets!). We got a good night sleep and after a brief (or not so brief) sales presentation, we were on our way to Animal Kingdom. The Condo we stayed in was gorgeous!!! Thanks Mom and Dad Bell!
Animal Kingdom started a little slow, but once we saw the "Bugs Life" show, and ate our PB&J sandwiches, our energy levels picked up! Some of our favorite things at Animal Kingdom were, the "Bugs Life", "Finding Nemo", and "Lion King" shows, along with the rides, Expedition Everest, and my personal favorite...The dinosaur ride! There was also a raft water ride, which didn't soak us nearly as much as the sudden down pour. It must be Monsoon season in Florida! Even though it rained every single day, we did not give in and become Poncho People!
After our fun-filled day at Animal Kingdom, (and thanks to our park hopper pass) we headed to the Magic Kingdom to catch some of the night shows. We went on the Haunted Mansion ride and rode Splash Mountain twice. We saw part of the fireworks show, and ended the night with The Light Parade. Day 1 was pretty much perfect!

We got up bright and early for day 2, and headed out to The Magic Kingdom. Thanks to Disney's Past Pass we were able to schedule rides and shows and do everything we wanted to. We rode "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Snow White", "Peter Pan", "Thunder Mountain", "Space Mountain", and our favorite, "Splash Mountain." We watched "Disney's Philharmagic" in 3D, and a really cool "Monster's Inc." comedy show, and saw the Firework show again! We also had a blast at Disney's Dance Party!

Every morning before we left the condo we filled our packs full of ice water, and packed Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, and carrots to have for lunch. We had a pretty good routine down!

Disney World really is the Happiest Place on Earth, and truly Magical!

Day 3 was at Universal Studios. We got completely soaked on the water rides, and not just because of the ride! It rained on us while we were riding "Jurassic Park" and soaked us again. I think we spent more time wet than dry! We rode "Spiderman"(a 3D ride), and "The Hulk" (a crazy fast roller coaster).

Probably the highlight of our day, and maybe even our trip was Harry Potter land. It wasn't actually called that.

It was pretty impressive, and even after an hour in line, the ride was worth the wait!!!

Day 4 was spent at Epcot. There were several rides and shows that were fun, and some rides and shows that were not, (I didn't realize Disney was so political) but the best part of that park was visiting the many different countries!

We ate a snack at most of the countries we visited, and enjoyed exploring other cultures!

We watched Epcot's Fireworks and Light show, and then hurried back to catch Magic Kingdom's fireworks for the last time. I was actually a little sad to leave knowing it was our last night at Disney!

Day 5 was at Seaworld, and one of my favorite days! We saw a sea lion and walrus show, the Shamu show, a dolphin show, a pet show, and an acrobatic show. My favorite shows were the Shamu Rocks night show and the night sea lion show where they made fun of all the other Seaworld shows. I don't think I have ever laughed that hard! We also had an ongoing water fight!

The scariest roller coaster I have ever been on was at Seaworld. It is called Manta, and we pretty much flew through the air Super-Man style. I was screaming so loud my throat hurt!

We found another dance party and totally rocked Seaworld, then watched another a-m-a-zing fireworks show! It was a great way to end a GREAT week.

I was sad to leave Orlando and Kris, Randy, and Alyssa, but I was very happy to get back to my THINGS! And believe it or not...they actually missed me! I have the most amazing husband in the world who let me leave for a week and go on vacation with out him. Thanks Clif for letting me go!

Thanks Kimmy for watching my kiddos while I was gone (boy did she earn her money!)

Thanks Randy, Kris, and Lys for letting me crash your vacation!

Father's Day

I realize this post is late, but I am trying to catch up. Happy Father's Day to the wonderful father of my kiddos!! This year for Father's Day I let Zander make all the decisions. He decided to get daddy a Wii game that he (Zander) had been wanting. Super Mario Galaxy 2. He decided to make daddy biscuits and gravy for dinner. I have no idea where that came from! And he decided that he wanted to make daddy a cookie cake. So, we made the cookie cake and Zander decorated it. Can ya tell? We had a blast and even let Clif watch whatever he wanted on TV that day. It was fun seeing Zander be creative and decisive. He also gave Clif a card he made and a few treats he had picked out at the store.

Zander is an Entrepreneur!

Zander decided that he wants a Nintendo DS (a lot of his friends have them). We talked about maybe being really good and asking for one for his Birthday in June, but he says he needs it sooner so he can play it on the bus. He asked how much a DS would cost and decided to try to earn his own money to buy one. The first day he took out all the garbage and was really bummed when he only got one dollar for 15 minutes of work. We thought that for a 5 year old four dollars an hour is a pretty good deal. I used to get one dollar for cleaning the whole kitchen everyday for a week! The next morning I walk into my room and found him making our bed. I thought "wow, that was sweet"... and then he informed me that I had to pay him for it. I laughed for a minute, then what did I do? I paid him! We were pretty impressed that he took initiative and went out looking for work. Here is what it looked like after Zander made it, and below is what it usually looks like. He was not too far off! He is such a fun kid!!

Emberlyn's First Day of Pre-School

Embers started pre-school on Monday. There is a pre-school here for special needs kids. On Sunday night we were talking about Emberlyn starting school and she got so excited, she was kicking her legs and laughing and smiling from ear to ear. I'm not sure what she understands, but I actually think she knew what we were talking about. She was too excited to sleep so we let her stay up a little later, then all the excitement took it's toll and she eventually fell asleep. The next morning, Zander said, "Embers you get to go to school today" and she got so excited again. She was so giggly and happy! I got her all ready for school and Daddy came home to help her get on the bus. She was holding up her head all by herself, so we got some fun pictures of her. We don't normally see so much emotion from her.

My mom embroidered her name on her backpack for her birthday. Thanks NINI! She loves it.

Shady was so excited for Embers too!

The bus has a lift with a ramp so we just roll her chair onto the lift and up she goes.
There is a lady on the bus to help with the pre-schoolers, she is very nice and already loves Emberlyn!

I didn't even cry (that hard) when the bus took my baby girl away. I was so excited to see Ember so excited that I couldn't feel anything but happiness for her. Shayden and I got to go to the school that day to show them how to do her afternoon meds. She was sitting up in her chair and supporting her head when I walked in. She looked like such a big girl sitting in the circle with her class. There are some ADORABLE kids in her class, and her teacher is great!!

She was pretty tired when she got home, but she was still all SMILES! She had a huge smile on her face the rest of the day!

Shayden's First Birthday

Our sweet little Shady Bug turned TWO... April Fools! She actually turned ONE on April Fools Day. She is a happy, adorable, spunky, and moody one year old (among many other things). She crawls everywhere and is into EVERYTHING! She discovered how to flush the toilet on her big day. She thought that was great! She pulls herself up with the help of the furniture or anything available and takes steps as long as she has a hand to hold. She stood for over a minute by herself until she realized that no one was helping her, then she sat down. She explores the house all day long and discovers new things everyday.

Shady yells for "DADA" all day and occasionally says "Mama". She babbles non-stop and makes the funniest faces!

To start her special day off right, we took her for a walk, and then she kicked back and watched a "Baby Einstein" DVD.

Aunt Kimmy and Uncle Brando gave her a box of Tissues to pull out. She LOVED that! She got to make a mess on purpose. Shayden's cousin Makayla, Aunt Bethany, and Uncle Trevor were in town to help us celebrate! We took Shayden to the Playground and she really loved the little slide.

She is usually afraid of the swings, but she really enjoyed swinging on her B-Day.

Then, we came home and she opened her gifts. She got some new toys, a purse, and some new clothes. Girls are so fun to shop for!

We had Pizza for dinner (Shayden's favorite) She ate a whole piece with only her two bottom teeth. She is a pretty good eater.

Then we watched her demolish her Birthday Cake. She Loved it! and made a total mess. We expected nothing less.

Shayden has been such a light in our family. She is constantly making us laugh and keeping life fun. We are so thankful that she is a part of our family! Happy Birthday Shady!

Make-A-Wish

We have been working with Make-A-Wish, to have a playground put in our neighborhood with a "Special Needs" swing for Emberlyn. This has been a great opportunity for all of us. We have met some truly amazing people and are humbled to see strangers work so hard to do something for our family and community. Our Make-A-Wish rep Stewart came to a Warrensburg Parks Board Meeting with us to present our playground idea to the City. We have also been working with some people from The City of Warrensburg to figure out where to put the playground. There is a field right across the street that we have dreamed of putting a playground on since we bought this house! It would be perfect. Anyway, the meeting we went to made the front page of the Newspaper here (not a lot going on in the Burg) and Clif was quoted a few times in it. It was fun to read so here it is...

NEW PLAYGROUND?
Sue Sterling
Staff Writer
Warrensburg - The Parks Board will work with a local couple and the Make-A-Wish-Foundation to establish a memorial playground for a handicapped child.

Clifton Bell, father of the 3-year-old girl, said she has a neurological condition and "has very little capability to do anything."

"She loves parks and she loves kids," he said, and they thought a playground would be a fitting memorial. "We could go to Disneyland, but we want to do something for the community."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation "has done a lot to make this happen," Bell said.

Stewart Schrader with Make-A-Wish said the foundation found someone to donate equipment and labor.

"We want to do everything we can to make their wish come true for the Bells," Schrader said.

The Bells live in Clover Creek subdivision and hoped to locate the playground on park land in that development. But Park Director Kory Alfred said Bell agreed that land is not suitable for a playground.

Alfred said the playground could go to Cave Hollow Park, where the city removed outdated equipment and the department would not have to add maintenance costs.

Bell said they hoped to find a site closer to their residence, perhaps in Hawthorne Park, which has become "very popular and busy."

Bell said he is willing to buy a lot, but Alfred said the playground will have long-term costs.

"Once the wish is granted, it will be up to the community to maintain it," Alfred said.

City codes require a parking lot with one parking spot for every three users. The annual cost to maintain a four-acre lot with playground, parking lot, shelter, drinking fountain and sidewalks is $10,200.

The parks budget is tight, Alfred said, and adding to maintenance costs would be difficult.

Board member Kathy Howard suggested Alfred and Bell explore other parks for a suitable site.

"It may be that somebody in the community is willing to come forward," she said.

She told the Bells, "It's marvelous you thought to do this. It's just a matter of how to make it work."

Howard urged the board and staff "to keep all options open. ... There are constraints, but if we all work together, there may be opportunities."

Alfred said a homeowners' association in the development might provide and maintain a site. Bell said Clover Creek does not have an association.

Howard said an alternative would be to start one "so you can do it and not have to meet city requirements" for parking.

Board member Andy Haynes recommended referring the issue to the parks Building and Grounds Committee.

Alfred said he would work with the Bells on ideas.

Bell said they also would start work on options.

The board will reconsider the issue at the April meeting.

A man from Briarcliff Development in KC called us a few weeks ago to tell us that they were inspired by Ember's wish for a neighborhood playground and asked if they could adopt her wish. They adopted 4 other wishes and are holding a fundraiser Luau to raise money for the 5 wishes. We get to be VIP guests and are really getting the star treatment! They booked us a room at a nice hotel with an indoor water park and are picking us up in a Limo for the event. We are SO excited! We met with them this past weekend and they interviewed us for a video about Emberlyn that will be shown at the Luau. Once again we have been humbled by how much time and effort so many have volunteered to make Ember's wish come true. Mr. Hagedorn (The Briarcliff Rep) has really reached out and made it obvious that he genuinely cares for the Wish Kids and their families. We have been blessed through this experience to have the opportunity to associate with such AMAZING people!

Here is the invitation they gave to us for the Luau. It has a little blurb about all the wish kids including sweet Embers.

Walk For Wishes

We are doing a "Walk for Wishes" on April 17th. Check out our team webpage and join us for the walk or you can just donate to the Make-A-Wish foundation on our webpage too. http://kansascitywalkforwishes2010.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=328425&lis=0&kntae328425=EEBC32F95350485EAE5029A58AB3DCBB
For more info or to join our team go to www.kansascitywalkforwishes2010.kintera.org click on register and join a team, and look for Ember's Angels. We would LOVE to see you there!

Hooray, our favorite Brother and Sister came to visit us. The Trevor and Bethany Bell family is here for the weekend to PARTY!!!

Umm, that's about it.

Embers is Three!!!

This year planning what to for Emberlyn's birthday was a little tricky. I wanted to make her 3rd birthday special for her so I tried to think of all the things she likes. She doesn't show a whole lot of emotion these days so it is hard to know what she likes. I had to get creative. Clif and I made her a "Birthday Girl" shirt and I made her some birthday bows. She started her morning off with a massage, then I got her all dressed up and spent extra time on her hair. Then I painted her nails and took some pictures of her. Emberlyn was worn out after her busy morning so she took a nice long nap. When she woke up we drove out to Pizza Hut to meet Daddy for lunch. It probably sounds mean to go to lunch for Emberlyn's birthday when she can't eat anything by mouth (she can't even have a taste since she started the ketogenic diet) but Clif wanted to spend more time with her on her birthday.
Emberlyn has always loved to swing but is now too big for the baby swings at the park so Aunt Kimmy swung with her. She loved being around the other kids and even got to go down the slide (thanks to Kimmy). The weather was perfect. It just happened to be the first nice day we have had in a long time. I am sure it was all for Emberlyn! She definitely deserves it.




We got home from the playground just in time for another nap. As soon as daddy got home we headed to the Community Center to swim. Ember is our little fish. When she was younger she would splash and laugh so hard every time she got near water. She was pretty worn out from her busy day, but she still enjoyed the pool. She fell asleep in my arms while in the water. We changed her into her PJ's before we left and then headed home.

I wish I knew how to make a Ketogenic Cake and No she didn't get to eat the cupcake but I needed to get a picture of her and her 3 candles. Once again I felt horrible that she had food in front of her that she didn't get to eat but Clif didn't like my idea of putting candles in her can of Keto-Cal. ;) So we sang to the birthday girl and Zander helped Emberlyn blow out her candles and make a wish. It was a good day! I really enjoyed having an excuse to forget about everything else and focus on Sweet Embers for a whole day. I thank Heavenly Father every day that Emberlyn is part of our family. I also thank Him for every day we get to spend with her. This was a birthday I never thought we would get. I can only hope and pray that she knows how much we adore her! Happy Birthday Embers!!!

Playing with Photoshop

Shayden is growing up!

Shayden is 11 months old now. I can't believe how fast the last year has gone by. She has been so much fun. Shady learned to crawl about a month ago and has been unstoppable ever since. We had to put up a baby gate to keep her away from the stairs. She darts to the stairs every time the gate is opened. She even tried to go down all by herself. Luckily, Zander caught her just in time! She is so happy all the time now that she has so much freedom. She explores the house all day long and makes messes everywhere she goes. Zander asked me to keep her out of his room while he is at school because she gets into his stuff.

Shayden just learned how to dance. I guess I never realized how natural moving to music is. She was playing with a musical toy and started dancing every time it played music. I was listening to different songs on itunes and she was sitting on my lap. When a song came on she started dancing again. It was so cute to see!

Shayden is such a funny baby. She is always making us laugh. She loves playing with her big brother, and watching her big sister. We are so blessed to have her!

I have been having too much fun with my new camera, and Shady is so easy to practice on. She is actually fairly cooperative. I also got Photoshop Elements for Christmas and have been learning how to use it. It is very complicated,

(for me) but I am slowly learning how to use it. It is a ton of fun!

Emmerson Jayne

This is my niece Emmerson. She is the only other grandkid on my side of the family besides my kiddos. While we were in AZ over Christmas, Jen and Anthony had her blessed. We were so excited to be part of her big day! She looked beautiful in her blessing dress. Her dress is the same style as the one Emberlyn and Shayden were blessed in.
They are such a cute family. We are so glad to have Emmerson in our family!