Thankful....just soo Thankful!

 Thankful for Captain America.....

Thor.....

and my sweet and very feisty little girl...

Thankful for my husband who keeps me sane and is my rock.Thankful for my patients whom I love.  Thankful for my parents, brothers and sisters who are always there for me. Thankful for good friends and so much more...
Thankful for the everyday struggles of juggling work, babies, marriage and life!

A Turtle...a shark and a little duck

....I am catching up with my posts!!!.....


Halloween...not my favorite "holiday",  is it a holiday? My parents weren't into it and so I am not either but, my Bennett LOVES to dress up.

It was fun to get them dressed and get the pictures taken...everyone was pretty happy. Little duck was tired so I stayed home while the boys went with dad around the neighborhood.

It was all fun until the shark bit the dust!! I hear the door, dad screaming..."Brock fell, he is bleeding" Crying, screaming, blood everywhere!

Bloody Shark

Upset brother because his baby brother was bleeding and crying...and he had to come home!

Oh good Lord! My baby!! It almost hurts you more when they get hurt, right? A night to remember, for sure!

Merry Christmas!

5x7 Folded Card

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On the other side....

Before Surgery

Bennett got his adenoids removed/shrunk...last week. I hesitated and almost canceled because I could not get a pediatric anesthesiologist for that particular day and particular hospital.

Oh man! I tried to convince myself to wait, I tried to convince Greg to convince me to wait. I even called my dad (general surgeon) to convince me to wait.

All it took was laying with him 2 days prior to the surgery for a bit as he was going to sleep and hearing him struggle to breathe and I thought...okay, this HAS to get done. I prayed about it and I just put him in God's hands. 

I struggled with the idea of general anesthesia and not being there with him. That was good for me. It was good because now I get it. What a revelation, the struggle of any mom to hand their baby to someone (me) to fix their teeth when we do sedation or general anesthesia in office or at the hospital. My turn to be on the other side. 

As I sat down in the waiting area I told Greg, although I am not "happy" to be here, I am glad because it helps me to be more compassionate to other moms and completely understand and not just say it but truly mean it. I totally get it, they are your everything....your life! 

Bennett did great, recovered from anesthesia with a few kicks and some fighting but after a few milligrams of Demerol he was much better.  

After

All in all, it was good for my Bennett to get this procedure done and good for me to be on the other side. God is good.

Sometimes....I hate my job!

I really...really...love what I do.  It is rewarding, surprising, uplifting, inspiring, interesting, challenging, encouraging and I really can't see me doing anything else.

There is one thing I hate about it...a phone call about a baby and an accident. Even worse, a baby that is close to my own baby's age and the icing on the cake...when you don't get to tell mom, it is going to be okay.

This happened again this morning, I was at a meeting and got "the phone call" I get back to the office, look at the tooth and immediately think to myself "Oh, No!  This tooth is done, I know, I don't need an x-ray, I know.

We take the x-ray, we confirm the diagnosis, mom is crying, I am trying hard NOT to cry and remain professional but I just want to hug her and say, I totally get it...I KNOW!!

Mom and dad help and were totally awesome, we remove the tooth...I should say the pieces of tooth and I think we were all ready for a drink or at least I was....although I don't really drink.

My little guy is totally recovered, happy with a balloon a popsicle and lots of love. He was so brave!

Broken Pieces! :(

No Tooth!

N

Happy Camper!

I guess I can't complain and I shouldn't really because I get to help my little guys and their families get through a tough time and that is a goood thing!
XOXO

Life is happening....too fast!

You know how people tell you.. "Long days...short years?"...."Deep breath...sigh....It is soo true!!"

I am just speechless...my babies are growing too fast and I feel that I am missing out! I almost want to go to school with them and just sit and watch them develop into what I dream they will be.

Dream and hope that I am half the parent my parents were to me. Hope that I don't screw up so bad that they blame me for everything later...LOL!

For now, I will continue to try to do my best, to lead by example and to keep my focus on my family.

Because that is all I can do. Hope, Dream and Pray.

Picture Book Mission Trip

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Our Mission Trip

A Beautiful Sunset in Valladolid

 There is so much to say about this trip that I will have to spend quite some time writing what happened, how lives were changed, how friendships were born, how love grew among our group and how we, the ones that were there to serve, where the ones that were served and how we were blessed far more than the patients and children we served.

To say that I am grateful for the opportunity is an understatement, I now have friends that are my brothers and sisters  and my heart is overflowing with joy.

We did a Vacation Bible school for almost 500 children!

We completed 2 construction projects

We did crafts

We loved on them

....and they loved on us!

We built friendships that will last a lifetime

We visited a jail. We provided dental work and our church band played for the inmates and their families!
We shared with them, they shared with us, we cried together and laughed together!

Saw patients that suffer from conditions that are much easier treated in the US that we could not do much for in Mexico! Which....kills me!

We helped upgrade the hospital from the 1970's crash cart they had to a newer model!

 and...this is exactly how I felt at the end of the day...every day! Just like Bennett is......passed out on Greg's lap. Except I had to bathe kids and put them to sleep before I could pass out myself!

 So...long story short...it was wonderful, possibly my favorite mission trip ever, it will be hard to beat but, I am going to try! I will post more on the story of the little girl with cataracts.
Thank you for asking about my trip and encouraging me...you are all awesome!

My Baby is UNO!

Who said long days...short years? sooo true!!!!!!

I feel I just had my baby girl and now she is one!! Happy Birthday sweet baby!

Enough of my favorite families moving!!! No Mas!!

I Love this picture and what it represents...it also made me smile as I wrote this.

I just DO NOT like when you guys take my babies away! I know...I know they are really your babies.

I have said good bye to many families I love in the last 4 weeks and I have cried every single time. I get so attached to my kiddos and you...the moms... that I just....aaah! I am just really sad.

I just had to write and vent and complain and share that I am sad..ok?. I love you guys and I am going to miss you!

Many Hugs and Kisses....

My Brock is 2 years old!

My Brock is 2 years old! I can hardly believe it. It seems like yesterday that we brought  him home. He is such a loving little guy! I can't get enough of him. Although he is showing some traits of the "terrible twos" he is still a sweetie. He loves his big brother and baby sister and is very quick to tell her not to touch this or that. My little enforcer!
I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and he asked for a Mickey Mouse cake so, I went online and showed him a pirate one and he smiled and said "ese" which means "that one" in Spanish. He smiled and said "Aaarrghh"

As always, I had fun making it with my mom and my sister and he absolutely loved it! That made me zoo happy!
Happy Birthday My Sweet Love!!!  Te Amo!!!

My mom and my sister are soo talented!

Look mom!!!..I make a cake and talk on the phone at the same time!

Isn't  he cute!

Brock was thrilled!

My pirate girl!

Memorial Day Weekend 2012

We were in San Diego this weekend for the AAPD meeting and one of my favorite things to do in San Diego is to visit the USS Midway. Greg and I love history, we joke about going back to school for a history major...someday!

Sorry, the picture is blurry...

The more history I learn about this country, the more I love it. I also love how much Greg loves this country, it is contagious!  We try to teach Bennett, in simple terms, about freedom and how it has come with an enormous sacrifice from many. 

He was very interested and asking a lot of questions...as usual...we stopped and listened to a veteran tell some stories and when he was done I shook his hand and thanked him for his service. He turned to Bennett and shook his hand and Bennett said to him, "thank you for your service, sir". I almost cried. When I looked up, I saw that the man had tears in his eyes as he thanked Bennett for talking to him and he said to me, " he is so precious! Don't let him go into the service. I felt as if he had a deep sadness, a sense of loss... I wanted to ask him more questions but, I didn't want to upset him more. I can only imagine what he has seen and the pain he has endured. 

Next to him, there was a poster with these words:

The veteran,

Not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of press.

It is the veteran,

Not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the veteran,

Not the campus organizer,

Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the veteran,

Not the lawyer,

Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the veteran,

Not the politician,

Who has given us the right to vote,

So true! I am thankful for the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for this great country. Freedom is not free.

One day, we will be able to tour the whole carrier from top to bottom without strollers, frozen breastmilk, baby food, bottles and diapers. 

The kids loved it!... We were exhausted!!!!

Peace and quiet!

Love it when I can have a conversation with my husband without interruptions!
I love my babies.... but its nice to have a few minutes of time with my sweet love!

Sent from my iPhone

The little girl I am going back for in July.

I am on a mission. When we visited one of the villages and we were doing crafts with the kids, I noticed this little girl was holding the cross right in front of her eyes, I also saw her hold her crayons super close to her face.  I wondered why but, I was not very close to her until I got her on the chair to pull a tooth! 

Once she was close to me, I noticed she had a cataract on her left eye. You can see in the picture that her left eye has a white spot on it. She was likely born with it and as time has gone by, it keeps getting worse and it will continue to worsen until she goes blind. 

I asked her if she had seen a doctor and she said "yes, but they told me I was too young to have surgery" which is not true.  If she waits longer she will be blind in a few years. 

So, in July we are going back to Valladolid and I am going to look for her and bring her to the hospital for surgery. I am excited for her even though she has no clue! Our family donated a ophthalmic microscope and we are trying to help purchase more equipment for eye surgery. I can hardly wait. 

If you or someone you know is an Ophthalmologist or an Optometrist, please....PLEASE consider coming!

You may save a life!

 A man that had surgery told my dad he was going to kill himself because he did not want to be a burden to his family anymore...he could not work because he was blind!  Do you think it was a coincidence when the ophthalmologist chose him and 79 more patients out of a crowd of almost 300? NO way, not a coincidence. A MIRACLE!

How Spoiled Are We?

Every time I go on a mission trip, I am reminded of how much we have and how spoiled we are. In every way possible. Food and water, anywhere and everywhere, endless ice cubes...air conditioning...I can just go on and on and on, I suppose that is one of the reasons I keep going back. It helps me appreciate things and people more. It helps me focus on more important things and not sweat the little things.

Where are the parents of these kiddos?

Playing outside no shoes, no water, gatorade or smart water.

Our team!

More on this little girl....later

Our Favorite Oral Surgeon, who has come with us every year since we invited him!
Thanks Matt for always being willing to serve!