One day I will remember to upload the pictures backwards so they are in actual order.

I figured since I can not do much of anything because I overworked myself these last 2 gorgeous spring days and hurt my back, that I would update everyone on how things have been. My last blog ended with Katie getting ready for her Awana car race. She had one second place the week before for design and now we have 2 second place trophies sitting on her shelf because she won second place for the actual race. It was acutally such a close race that they had to rerace the cars and she came in second. Jeff was there to watch and we were cheering and so excited. I had to get to the church early to help set up and forgot my camera so I am waiting for my mom to download hers so I can post some pictures. We are so proud of her. I took Shaylan for her doctors appt to the ENT and she does have to have her adenoids removed. They are very enlarged. I am waiting to hear from the surgical center as to when the surgery will be. I am a little nervous because they actually have to put her under instead of just gasing her like they did when she had the tubes put in the first time. She needs to have the tubes put in again as well as the adenoids out. I know that in the end we are going to be so happy with the results but it is nerve racking to think of her going under. I worry the most about her because I had such a tough pregnancy with her. In the beginning I was carrying twins and lost one. Then at my next ultra sound they told me she had a cyst on her brain and an amniotic band that could cause birth defects. I had to go for another ultra sound and they found that she was fine and that the cyst was just a shadow and the band was the split between the two babies. Then at 31 weeks she decided she was ready to enter this world but they needed to stop the contractions. Finally on her delivery date everything was going okay until I had a reaction to the morphine and got really sick. So from conception on it has been one thing after another with poor Shaylan. I know God is in control but I am human and I worry. Jeff is still not sure what his plans are about work. He just got another dollar raise which is great because every dollar at this point helps. We are getting the cobra until after Shaylans surgery and it is really expensive. After her surgery we will cancel and go back on his old insurance. I am still looking for something that I can do at home as far as work is concerned or someplace that I can work part time and take Shaylan. I have even thought about babysitting but I would need to find a child or two and I am not sure I can. We have been doing all we can to save money but it is not easy. It is exciting to think of where we are now compared to last year though. This time last year we had to make the tough decision to sell our house. It was the right decision though but on occasion we talk about it and miss our little bugalow. It was our starter house and we did so much. So many memories we made there. I am actually headed to the house in a couple of weeks because our friends are still living there and their little one is having a birthday. I am excited but at the same time a little nostalgic. Especially at this time of year because I know all my flowers and plants are going to be poking out of the ground. I just keep reminding myself to be thankful for what I have and I am. It is just tough at the same time. We are more than likely going to stay here and make this the dream home we want. We are currently trying to get a portion of our yard cleaned out so we install new fence and move the dog pen. Right now it backs up to our neighbors yard and their dog barks and gets my dogs started and they stand at the fence and bark. So we are trying to avoid that because my poor dogs need to spend a lot of time outside. Especially our border collie. It will be nice though because there will be a tree for them to get shade and it will be a little bigger than what they have now. Then I can make a garden in the spot that their pen is now. At least I know it will be well fertilized. A few of my former classmates and I are working on our 10 year reunion. By the time we have it though we will be onto our 11th year but that is okay. We are currently trying to find a place. It has been fun getting together with the girls to plan it. I can not wait to see where everyone is and the changes in everyones lives. I know my life has taken so many different roads so I will be interested to see what everyone has been up too. Easter was nice this year. I had the egg dying at my house again this year. On Good Friday I was able to go to my sisters to meet my niece for the first time. She is so tiny and cute. She has a furrowed brow which makes her look mad but it is so adorable. We ended up bringing my older niece home with us so she could dye eggs and sleepover. Then on Saturday we were afraid that the weather was going to be awful for our egg hunt but it turned out gorgeous. The kids enjoyed getting out and playing. My mom got Katie a new soccer ball and we got her a net so she has been practicing. Her season starts this Wed. She has practices on Wednesdays and whenever the trainers are available and games are on Sats. So she has been practicing as often as she can. On Easter Sunday we went to church and then to Grandmoms for dinner. It of course was delicious. Then yesterday started Easter break for Katie and I actually slept in. Jeff did not ask me to get up and make his lunch. He actually told me that I did not have to get up at all this week. I almost fell over. Now I sit here because of my achy back. Jeff took Katie to the grocery store. I have to finish straightening up because my sister is coming down tomorrow for a visit but I think I may have to wait until the morning. We have a few busy weekends coming up. This weekend we have the Kixx game and then the weekend after that we have soccer in the morning, a party in the afternoon, a party on Sunday and then the Phantoms game in the evening. Then on the 11th I am having a Discovery Toys Party. I can not wait for that. It will be fun to get all my friends together. I know there is a big sale so it should be great. Well I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoy the weather as it changes to gorgeous spring temps. I know I am.

So Many Wonderful Things.

Great news in the Richards house... 1-Last night at 10:06 pm my second niece was born. I am so excited. I feel like my sister has been pregnant forever. She told me back in July that she was expecting but because this winter has felt so long, her pregnancy felt twice as long. But now Miss Hanna Gael is here. She is beautiful. She looks just like her big sister Ava. I have only seen pictures because well 1) I am sick again and 2) She is an hour away and not convient to get to since I have two kids of my own. My plan is to get up there next Friday since Katie has off from school. Mom is there now getting tons of pictures so I will be sharing them when I get them. 2-Shaylan will be entering Kindergarten in the fall. Because of her speech concerns I was not sure if she would be ready. I talked to the Child Study team in the district and the psychologist told me to register her and they would do the screening to see where she stood. Yesterday we went for the screening and the psychologist did the test. When we sat down to talk she told me that Shaylan is more than ready for Kindergarten. I was thrilled to hear that. She said that her articulation was a concern but she would discuss it with the director to see if we needed to have her evaluated. She thinks maybe once we get her hearing cleared that the articulation will clear itself. We are still going through with the speech therapy that our friend is doing and that may be all she needs. I was able to get Shaylan an appt for this Friday to see the ENT instead of next Friday. Hopefully we can get the tubes put back in soon and see how she does. I did find out that her adenoids are enlarged but I want to see what the ENT has to say about that. I only heard from my Aunt who is a nurse and was able to retrieve the radiology report on Shaylan. I am just thrilled to know that Shaylan will be going to Kindergarten. We just have a few more letters to learn and a few more other things to learn and she will be in perfect shape. 3-We had Katies conference last week and she is doing great. The teacher could not say enough good about her. She just loves having Katie in her class and all the kids have accepted her. She has a few close friends and gets along with everyone. Her academics are right on and the teacher is very impressed with her reading. Katie loves to read and she does it all the time. She loves to read to us and there are times when we actually have to tell her to put a book down because she is not allowing us to get things done. She is great. Math seems to be her favorite subject which I am happy to hear because it was my worst. 4-Last week was the car design judging for awana’s grand prix at my church. Katie won second prize for design. She got a trophy and a certificate. Her car is painted like a cheetah but of course being in Katies fashion it is pink and purple. She came up with the design herself because she knows that cheetahs are the fastest animal and she believes her car is going to be the fastest in the race. She did the painting of the body and the spots and I added the detail. Jeff has it all souped up with super smooth wheels and the right weight. So maybe this Sunday she will win another trophy for winning the race. We will see. I know she is excited just to win the design. I dont think she will care if she wins the actual race. 5-A few weeks ago, a couple of team players from the Philadelphia Phantoms visited Katies school. Because they saw such a positive attitude towards reading they awarded each student a ticket to a game. They also gave a discount to the families so we can attend as well. They are lower level seats and the students get a present from the team. We are all going and can not wait. We are also going to a Kixx soccer game at the end of this month with our church. Katie earned a free ticket for playing salao soccer. My family is going to be busy for the next couple of weekends. This weekend we have a birthday party for a girl in Katies class at this place called Pump It Up. The whole place is like a big bounce house. I cant wait to go and see it. I am also looking forward to meeting some of the other parents in Katies class. We have also had some bummer things happen. We have all been sick again. Both my kids had head colds that lead to ear infections. Jeff was sick with it and now I have another sinus infection. I called the doctors office and they are calling in a prescription for me. I am glad because as of now we have no insurance. We are waiting for the cobra information to come in so we can sign up for that. Hopefully it is soon and hopefully they will back cover the doctors visits we have had in the last few weeks. I sure hope so because there were a few and I would hate to have to pay them. So that is what has been happening in our world for the last week. More pictures to come of Hanna and of Katies car!