True Story Tuesday: Our Snow Angels

Phew!  Made it just under the wire!  Since this is the last TST until the New Year *sniff*sniff*, I had to write something.  And leave it to me to create my own TST material this week!  For more True Story Tuesday fun, go visit Rachel & Mr Daddy at Once Upon A Miracle.






Sunday, we headed home from our annual trip to Phoenix.  We ran into snow in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.  I love our weather.  Thankfully, it didn't start sticking until we hit the CO state line.  But blowing snow in NM is fun too.


We were just a few miles from our house, following behind my dad.  They were behind a small white pickup.  For some reason known only to God, SWP decided to test the off-road capabilities of their truck on a snow-packed and iced-over highway.  They slipped off the side of the road, overcorrected, tried to flip, then fishtailed for a while before straightening out. 


My parents started to come to a stop quickly when the chaos started.  I tried.  Their ginormous 4X4 stops much better on ice than my little front-wheel drive minivan rocketship.  I started sliding. 


You know those moments of extreme clarity?  Where your mind races, but in a good way? 


I had a choice - middle of the road, or towards the ditch.  I chose a soft slide into the ditch over 360s in the middle of a highway.  In fact, we slided in so softly, the kids didn't even realize what had happened.  But we were stuck. 


A state patrol officer stopped almost immediately.  He, Jerome, and my dad tried to push the van back onto the highway, to no avail.  And, of course, this was the first time my dad did not have a tow chain in the back.  And no one we flagged down had one either.


Finally, Jerome called a buddy who lives near us.  He hopped in his car with his chain and headed our way.  Right as our friend neared our car, an entire truck full of college students pulled over to help.  They didn't have a tow chain, but they did have muscle to spare.  They literally lifted the front of my van and pushed it back onto the highway.  Then they jumped in their car and left. 


After we got home, the girls started calling those kids our snow angels.  I think the name fits.

A Day of Thanks

I am sitting at my grandma's table. The girls are running around stealing chips and candy, and getting away with it because we are at Grandma's. And because it's Thanksgiving.

My family is gathered around the kitchen counter, munching chips and salsa and talking about nothing and everything. But we are together.

Today my heart is full. It is a good day to give thanks.
Tiffany

True Story Tuesday: Saint Pukeicus???

In case you were wondering about yesterday's post, the photos are in chronological order!  So, yes, my sis-in-love Kristin got it right!

And Rachel cracked me up because she had it, then she second-guessed herself!

Anyways, are you ready for another ridiculous, yet true Bleger story?

***CAUTION***

***BODILY FUNCTIONS IN DISCUSSION***

***DO NOT BLAME ME IF YOU HURL***

I still can't figure this one out...


Last Thursday, Madi had a rough evening.  Whiny, grumpy, complaining of a stomach ache.  We just figured she was overly tired and sent her to bed. 


Fast forward almost 4 hours.


I awake just before midnight to Katrina's yells from their shared bedroom.  I stumble in to find Madison mid-puke on her bed.  She was surrounded by undigested spaghetti, and still going strong.  I went back to our room to enlist Daddy's help. 


We got her pj's off and Daddy took her to the bathroom to clean up while I cleaned the mess.  Once she smelled halfway decent, Daddy built her a nest on our bedroom floor near the puke bucket (a necessity to family life, I might add), and snuggled with her while I stripped the sheets and got everything in the washer.  And then we settled back in ourselves.


Daddy woke up at 5 AM to torture himself go running with his friend.  He got up, got dressed, and left the house. 


He got back at 6:30 AM so that we could all get ready for the day.


He sat down beside me on the bed and asked, "Why is Madi on the floor?"


I thought, perhaps, she had rolled off the nest during the night, so I told him as much.


He responded, "No.  Why is she sleeping in our room?"





Really?





He didn't, did he?





Oh yes, he did.




My man has the ability to bathe, prepare a bed, properly align a puke bucket, and snuggle a child, all while sound asleep.


Sometimes, I wish I could make this stuff up.


You know you have family legends!  Go link up with Rachel & Mr. Daddy for more TST fun!

Monday Mugs: Paper Fun

Mondays are hard! Blogging on Mondays shouldn't be!

 

 

Can you guess which Bleger girl is which?

Because, at the same age,

you could probably mistake them for triplets.

Chrismas Shopping With Purpose

I have found my Christmas mojo.  Last week, when Jerome asked me what we were getting everyone for Christmas, I said, "Nothing.  I don't even want to go there.  Don't talk to me about it.  Shush."


Yes, I know.  Bah Humbug!


Every year I would obsess about finding just the right present, what they would like, what I have given them in the past few years.  And it stressed me out.  But, wow, have I had a realization this week!  I love to receive presents that have a story, or a purpose, behind them.  A reason.  And I am sure our family and friends feel the same. 


And there are so many people who, especially in this economy, still feel God's pull to bring home a precious orphan.  My heart has done a 180 on adoption since our pastors arrived at our church.  I have met precious children who have come home to their forever families.  I have held them.  I have snuggled them.  They have stolen my heart. 


And I thought, perhaps, my bloggy friends were looking for a little more purpose and meaning behind their gifts this year as well. 


So, here are a couple of ways and families you can help:


Our nanny Sara and her husband are working towards adopting their first from Africa.  She makes stocking caps and beautiful jewelry.  You can find her Etsy site here.  She is adding new pieces daily, so keep checking back.  But I would suggest doing it quickly, as I plan on raiding her stock this Sunday for my presents.  BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!


Also, our pastor's wife has a post on her blog completely dedicated to families trying to adopt.  Each link in the post is a family raising money for adoption through creative endeavors.  There is literally something for everyone!  You can go here for her Shopping With a Purpose post. 


UPDATE:  My new bloggy friend Laura pointed me towards a friend of hers.  Chris and Lindsey adopted a sweet little girl from Guatemala.  Lindsey was recently diagnosed with Lyme Disease after a 3 year battle to find a diagnosis.  They are selling anything and everything they can think of, and accepting donations to help with their medical expenses as well.


If you know of someone selling their wares for a purpose, be it adoption, medical costs, etc, please send me a link.  I would love to include it in this post.


The knowledge that a present I purchased to bless someone else is working towards bringing home a sweet babe is well worth the time, in my eyes.

True Story Tuesday...Faster Daddy!

Remember when Jerome and I went on our wonderful weekend getaway in July? 

Well, one stop we made was in Telluride.  Yes, Telluride, the playground of the rich and famous, summer residence to Oprah and Tom.  That Telluride. 

Home of the wonderful ski area as well.  See the run behind the house?

Well, a long time ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth I was a kid, Telluride was just like all the other little Colorado ski towns.  It hadn't been "discovered" by all the fur-coat wearers.  It was just a great place for locals to ski.  And it was cheap enough that a blended family with three daughters and one son could afford to go together.

I was a baby when I started "skiing".  My mom has photos of her, somewhere, skiing while pregnant with me.  She refuses to give them to me - something about a beehive and polyester.  Anywho, this particular ski trip took place when I was about 2.

Daddy skied down the mountain with me on his shoulders.  I know, he would probably get arrested for child endangerment these days.  But, back then, nobody worried about stuff like that.  We just went out and had fun.

So, we skied down the mountain.  And I discovered that it was great fun to put my hands over Daddy's eyes while we were skiing. 

He didn't think it was so funny.

Mom later wondered how I knew so many cuss words at such a young age.

We blamed it on Grandma.

Have a funny story to share?  A legend that lives on with every family reunion?  Then go visit Rachel & Mr Daddy for more True Story Tuesday!

The Sun Will Come Out...

... after driving 7 1/2 hours through snow storms.  Yup, that is what I got to do yesterday....

... after winning the meanest mom of the year award for waking Sleeping Beauty far too early and not letting her have anything to eat or drink.

... after driving completely across the greater Denver metropolis in the snow during rush hour to get to the hospital on time.

... after having our amazing friend greet us at the hospital entrance, coffee in hand.

... after sitting in the waiting room, so grateful for all the things my baby did not have to go through, and praying for all the babies that had it so much worse than mine.

... after watching my kid be SO STINKIN BRAVE during the CT scan, and only flinch a little when the IV accidentally fell out while she was using the restroom.

... after collecting poop samples in the Old Navy restroom.  Saint Poopicus returns!  It never fails.  Take the kid to Old Navy, look at clothes, poop within 15 minutes (usually when I find something cute for me).

... after returning said poop samples to the lab.  So happy that is not my job!

... after driving back across the greater Denver metropolis to retrieve my water bottle from the house we stayed at.

... after getting stuck in traffic on the highway out of town for 30 minutes only to realize that the stop to get my water bottle probably saved our lives - horrific accident due to fog that we missed by literally minutes.


We made really good time, considering.  Wolf Creek, the big pass we had to cross, was horrible.  Kat was asleep, so I just kept plowing on.  The snow plows hadnt been able to get all the way through because so many people were off the side of the road, or flipped over.  I was very excited when we got off the pass, to say the least.


We woke this morning to Katrina removing the rest of the CT contrast from her body in a rather ... ahem ... violent manner.  Both ways.  I love the smell of Lysol in the morning.  So, we stayed home.  She was pretty puny, and the littles desperately needed mommy snuggles, so it was deemed movie and coloring day.  I got NOTHING done.


The doc and I had a long talk this morning.  She felt horrible when I told her how Katrina and I felt after the appointment.  We realized that she did not explain the diagnosis well at all.  The CT scan was completely normal, so we are looking at two options.  One is the abdominal migraines.  The other is something called Functional Abdominal Pain Syndrome.  Essentially, some children have extremely sensitive nerves in their abdomen.  They sense pain faster and stronger than other children.  There is no cure, but most children grow out of it on their own.  These are also children who are typically more sensitive emotionally than other children, which Katrina is. 


The plan is to have a prescription of Maxalt, the migraine medicine that worked, on hand in case we need it.  We will also be meeting with our pediatrician to discuss therapy to teach her coping and relaxation techniques.  Once I found out it was nerve related, my first thought was to talk to a friend of ours who is a chiropractor.  Please pray for my heart in this.  I have struggled to trust chiropractors most of my life.  And trusting one with my daughter is a huge step of faith for me.


So, how do I feel?  Relieved and frustrated.  Relieved that there is nothing huge wrong.  Frustrated that I cannot take her pain away or make it better.  Relieved that, finally, someone is listening to my daughter and taking her seriously. 

Only My Children: The Violetisms

Out of the mouth of a very silly 3 year old:

• When I grow up, I gonna be a butterfly.
• I'm not a big girl.  I'm a little girl and I'm dirty and I need a bath!
• I only eat 5 more bites.
• Someday, I'm gonna put on my tail and swim in the water like Ariel and go see Prince Eric.
• I'm squishy pants.
• I'm a soccer team!
• As told to Madi: "I'm not a child, I'm a kid!"

She is either pestering her sisters or keeping us rolling with laughter.  She's an adventurous one, that chic!

A long day

My brain is pooped.  My body is pooped.  And the bed is yelling at me.  So I will make this quick.

Today started off wonderfully.  We met the amazing Kari at S*arbucks so I could personally deliver her prize.  Yes, Brandi, she is just as amazing in person.  Like, really.  I could go on and on and gush for a while, but I don't want to embarrass her.  But, seriously, I had a ton of fun.  Sadly, Bella was in school, but I did get to meet Scout.  He is ADORABLE!  Almost two and full of energy!  Kari thought he was misbehaving, but I thought he was precious. 

And Kat did a pretty good job taking a photo of the two of us, don't you think?

Now, Rachel, no more whining about the lack of Tiff photos on the blog, ya hear?

After coffee, we met my sis-in-love, her mom, and my niece and nephew at the Children's Museum.  It was incredible.  And I will devote an entire post to it, when I have the functional brain cells.

Then, we headed to the hospital.  We met with the GI doctor.  Have you ever had that feeling that you weren't being taken seriously?  Yup, we got that sense pretty quick with her.  She told me that our pediatrician had done an excellent job ordering all the tests she would have ordered (cant argue that point), and that since they were all normal, she was having stomach pain because she was internalizing stress and worry (functional abdominal pain).  That since the pain seemed to be getting better the last few days, we should head home in the morning, but call the clinic if it came back or got worse.  But that most of these kids feel better once they know all the tests have been run and that there isn't anything really wrong. 

Excuse me?  I drove 8 hours for that?

Needless to say, it didn't sit well with mama.

So, then we had a conversation.  A conversation about how many labs and tests our local hospital has messed up with children, our own child included.  A conversation about how our pediatrician sent us here because he suspected that some of the test results were inaccurate.  A conversation about how she didn't even look completely through the test results I had brought up to see what had been done, and the inconsistencies in them.  A conversation about the licensed counselors and therapists we have been talking to, to make sure she wasn't internalizing stress or developing perfectionism issues, like her Mom. 

It is only by the grace of God that I was able to get through the appointment without crying or hitting something.  Believe me, I thought about it.  Katrina started crying when the doctor was talking about the functional abdominal pain, and the worrying.  It didn't click at the time why she was crying.  It should have.  We (and others) have questioned her so many times throughout this about worries, fears, stresses, etc., that she has struggled with whether or not people believe her.  She is afraid people think she is making this up.  She knew the doctor didn't believe her when tried to tell her she wasn't worried, or afraid, or stressed about anything.  And that broke my heart.

The doctor asked me why a CT scan wasn't done before.  When I told her it was because our pediatrician didn't trust our hospital to do it right on a child, the conversation changed.  She had us go downstairs for more blood tests, since apparently some of the tests we have already run are really easy to mess up.  While we were down there, her nurse got us scheduled for a CT scan tomorrow morning.  I have the joy of collecting more poop in a cup - the return of Saint Poopicus!

And if I am going to be functional AT ALL, I need to get some sleep.  I talked to a few of my girlfriends tonight on the phone.  They helped the mama bear claws retract.  I was slightly fit to be tied.  A wonderful family friend is meeting us at the hospital in the morning with coffee.  Because she knows what it is like to wait in a hospital, and didn't want me to do it alone.  I got to talk to our other two precious princesses, and found out they are having a fabulous time with Daddy.  Because Daddy takes them to get Frosties and lets them stay up late.  Whatever.  I got to cry out my frustrations over the phone with my sweet hubby, who loves me even when I snot.  No matter what, I have reasons to be grateful.

Big Day

I am getting ready to head to bed, but wanted to give you all a quick update.  We are up in Denver, safe and sound.  We are staying at the home of the parents of some of our dear friends.  They really are wonderful people.  Kat is sound asleep in our room.  She had a pretty good day.  We only had a few episodes of pain. 

Ever wondered what it is like to drive 7 hours through Colorado in November?  Well, the day starts like this:

Sunny, beautiful blue skies.  Snow on the mountains.  Gorgeous.  We ran into snowpacked and icy roady driving over Wolf Creek, but we figured that would happen.  Not a big deal.

Today, as we drove, the storm chased us.

It was incredible to watch a wall of snow come down the mountain.

And it is interesting, to say the least, to know you are driving straight into this.

But, the drive was completely uneventful, other than losing battery on the laptop with 10 minutes left in the movie. 

Tomorrow, we are having coffee with a bloggie friend (woohoo), going to the Denver Children's Museum with my sis-in-love, niece, and nephew (triple woohoo), then heading to the hospital.  Our appointment is at 2pm.  I really have no clue what to expect.  I do know that if they suggest that we head home and come back up in a few weeks for tests, I will pull out my best mama bear impersonation.  Jerome and I have decided that we are not leaving Denver without answers.  We just need to know. 

I have no clue what to expect.  I have no clue whether we will do the testing outpatient or inpatient.  I have no clue what tests they will want to run. 

But, for tonight, I am going to giggle at my inability to publish a post on the day it was supposed to post (take a look at the previous post) and go snuggle with my kiddo. 

Thankful Thursday: Veteran's Day

Image Courtesy Google

Today is Veteran's Day.

The day we honor those who have fought bravely to protect our country's freedoms.

Men like my buddy M.  He served his country honorably, and now teaches people to protect themselves. 

Men like my dad, who didn't ask to fight, but did anyways because it was the honorable thing to do.  And has faced the memories every day since.

Men, like my friend T, who is currently d*ployed somewhere in the world, performing tasks you and I will never know about in conditions we would not wish on anyone. 

Men like Billy.  Billy was always the big brother of my friend Michelle.  Billy enlisted to serve his country.  Billy graduated from Blackhawk training in August, and was so excited to fly his first mission.  But, then they discovered cancer.  In his stomach.  And now Billy is in the fight of his life. 

To the men and women of our armed forces:

Thank you.  Thank you for choosing to fight for our country.  Thank you for willingly putting yourself in danger, to keep my family out of it.  Thank you for missing holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, funerals, life, so that my family may enjoy ours without fear. 

Thank you.

Just a minute...

... is all I seem to have this week.  I have at least three posts swirling in my head, but neither the time nor the mental facility to get them typed out.  I have get done with work, go to the bank and the post office, pick up the sitter, get home, unload groceries, load up the kids, get to the rehearsal dinner, try to not fall asleep at the rehearsal dinner, try to not fall asleep on the way home, get the minions to bed, and crash.  That will be the next opportunity to type.  I can almost guarantee you won't get another post out of me tonight.


Tomorrow is the library, finding some cheap sunglasses for the drive to Denver until I can get some good ones (since I have broken 3 pairs in two weeks), getting the kids down for early naps, making three lasagnas (2 for new mommies, 1 for Jerome while I'm gone), getting dinners prepped for Jerome for next week, finding time for a shower, figuring out something appropriate to wear, making sure the kids are presentable, threatening them with death and dismemberment if they misbehave during the wedding, keep them quiet during the wedding, keep them from stripping and dancing naked during the reception, trying not to fall asleep on the way home, get the minions to bed, and crash.


Sunday is church (both services), church business meeting, home for naps for the kids and meal prep for me, leadership family meeting and potluck at church, keep the minions from stripping and dancing naked in the church, trying not to fall asleep on the way home, get the minions to bed, and crash.


Monday is frantically try to get the kids out the door and in the car on time by myself since Jerome will be at bible study (sheesh - those men who want to lead their families and stuff), drop off Kat at school, drop off the littles at the nanny's, work, fix dinner, pack for Denver, arrange car stuff with Dad (I get to rock the Expedition to Denver baby!), and crash. 


And Tuesday we leave.


And my minute is up. 

The Birthday Princess

My Tiny Monkey,

Today you are 3.  You have come so far, little one.

Your eyes sparkle with delight and mischief, no matter what.

Your smile lights up the room and melts hearts.

Your adventurous spirit will take you far.

But, for today, you are still my tiny, snuggly princess.

And Daddy's sweet angel.

And words cannot express how much you are loved.  Happy birthday Violet!

Today was linked up for True Story Tuesday with Rachel & Mr Daddy over at Once Upon A Miracle.  Head on over for more amazing stories.

Who Won Coffee??? And Monday Mugs: Halloween

Ohmygosh!!  Ohmygosh!!  Ohmygosh!!  Ohmygosh!! 

I am so stinkin excited about this giveaway!  Know why???

.......

Because someone won!!!!

OK, I'm done being a smarty pants about it.  And thanks to my two awesome lurkers who came out of hiding for this contest!  Michaela&Riley and Laura Ickes, you both blessed my day! 

But, the real reason I am so excited about this giveaway is the fact that the winner and I were chatting via email this weekend about how cool it would be to get together for coffee when I head up to Children's next week with Katrina.  So, according to my wonderful friend, random.org,

the winner of the $10 Starbucks card is ...

Kari - now we really have to get together for coffee!!!!  Email me so we can coordinate! 

Are you in need of a mindless Monday Blog post? Are you struggling to deal with the weekend being over and can't muster the strength to type a single word? Well, Monday Mugs is for YOU! I may or may not "borrow" ideas from IheartFaces and post my interpretation of their weekly theme. Without submitting my photo for judgement and not being forced to follow the rules.

Mondays are hard! Blogging on Mondays shouldn't be!

Today's theme for Monday Mugs is: Halloween

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Well, we had a grand time this Halloween season.  We found these great white pumpkins at the grocery store that were just begging for an art project.

 

 

So we busted out our super expensive, art supply house palates (read: cheap paper plates), and went to town!

Little Miss Neat Freak insisted on painting "correctly".

While Thing One and Thing Two were perfectly content to mush all the colors together.

I was serious about the mushing.

And somehow, someone succeeded in painting her lip.

As well as the rest of herself...

Last Saturday was Katrina's school's Fall Carnival.  So our chicken, black kitty, and cowgirl got all dolled up...

...to hang out with a turkey...

... and get fake teeth from the principal.

And Madi made sure to wear her spurs. 

We don't do trick-or-treating because Madi is terrified of pretty much everything Halloween-related.  Even the stuffed animal spiders and bats.  And, really, I don't need that much drama.  So last night we hung out at our neighbor's house for a bonfire.  It was just right.