What's going on???

I found this article today, and thought it was very interesting. Unless you have a child with a life threatening allergy--you may not care, but the way it looks, more and more parents are going to face this issue in the future. What is causing this? Joshua has a terrible allergy to peanuts, and as a parent, it's a very scary thing. It would be nice if we had an option other than the epipen--which only works if you get to him in time. I hope that none of you have to face this--but it is more and more common, just as autism is, and I just wish we could figure out what is causing these risks to our children to rise. Anyway--food for thought--(no pun intended)!

Food Allergy Among U.S. Children Increasing According to CDC

Study supports what FAAN has been reporting for many years

A study published by the National Center for Health Statistics division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one out of every 25 children has a food allergy, representing about a 20% increase between 1997 to 2007.

The study also showed that hospitalizations of children due to food allergy reactions in the U.S. have significantly increased since 1998, with an average of 9,537 hospitalizations a year.

These findings are similar to what FAAN and others have been reporting--food allergy in children is increasing. There is no question that food allergy is a public health concern in children.

“My daughter was diagnosed with an allergy to milk and eggs 24 years ago,” said Anne Muñoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. “Parents today are getting the same advice I was given almost a quarter of a century ago. Parents are simply told to go home and avoid the allergen, and be prepared in case a reaction occurs.”

Several studies have shown that in spite of best efforts to avoid allergens, reactions will occur. The CDC study indicates that an increasing number of these reactions are severe. Children who are living with food allergies need treatment options for preventing reactions.

The increase in the number of children with food allergies clearly shows the need for more research funding to help scientists understand why we are becoming more allergic, how to stop food allergy from developing in children, and how to cure those who already have food allergies. Until there’s a cure, education of patients, health professionals, the food industry and others is key to saving lives. To view a full copy of the study, visit http://cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.htm

More Pics...

I finally got a scanner that works--so I posted some cute baby pics of Emie and Josh on their birthday posts! Scroll down and check em out--So dang cute! Love these kids--they grow up WAY too fast, it's true!!

Rawhide DOOMTOWN!

Headless Horseman!

Emie's birthday party was last night and we took the girls to Rawhide Doomtown. They had 2 haunted houses--(which I do NOT like much--I'm such a big chicken, and have issues with my personal space--but it was fun anyway) and a couple of shows and fun activities. This was the girls after the first haunted house--SCARY!!! I think all the girls had a good time. They had an awesome show with a crazy mortician (my mortician is a lot cuter!)--showing us how to prepare the dead for burial. It was full of fake blood and guts--and I thought a few of the girls were going to either throw up or pass out. You should've seen the look on some of their faces! So funny! Luckily, they made it through it alive! Then we got to try our hand at bull riding--YEE HAW! Emie and I were the only ones who actually got bucked off--go figure. Sorry Em, I guess our family isn't cut out for bull riding! Todd was dying listening to all of the conversations and watching the girls flirting with and gawking at every boy they saw. I've been a 13 year old girl--so I kinda know where they are coming from--but he was like WOW--do they just flirt with every boy that breathes??? Apparently! J/K Emie! Afterward, we went to Applebees for dessert. This group of girls is such a great group! I'm so glad that Emie has such great friends! It was lots of loud, crazy, giggly FUN! Congrats Emie on making it to 13! We love you!

Going...Going...He's GONE!

It's so cute that babies can sometimes fall asleep anywhere! Jack has been teething, and today he was a grouchy little thing. Finally tonight--he just gave up! We caught him just as he was nodding off--How cute is this baby of mine?!?! Love Him!

Kids are SO funny!

This was an actual conversation I overheard yesterday between Josh (6) and Ashlie (3), and I thought it was so funny, I wanted to remember it. I wish I had recorded it in their funny little voices, these two are so stinkin' cute!Josh: "Ash, you know what? Me and my friends, we're so nice, you know why?"
Ash: "Why?"
Josh: "Because, we found a grasshopper that didn't have any wings so it couldn't fly, so we took care of it. We played with it, and fed it some grass."
Ash: "Really? Was I there?"
Josh: "No, you were home."
Ash: "Oh, dang it."
Josh: "So we took care of it but then it was time to go home, so Logan smashed it."
Ash: "Oh, cool."

Isn't that AWESOME?? I was cracking up! These kids are so funny sometimes.

Welcome Fall! FINALLY!

It was finally getting cool enough outside to put our Halloween stuff up--so Todd and some of the neighborhood boys put the spiderwebs and spiders up and I helped add the finishing touches and VOILA! I just love this time of year! For one, it's finally cooling off, at least at night, and I just breathe a sigh of relief that it will be cool for the next few months! I love Arizona winters--just cold enough for jeans and a t-shirt, and maybe on the coldest day a hoodie. I love that we don't have to bundle anyone up before we go out. Most of all I love that my kids can start playing OUTSIDE once again after being cooped up all summer long because of the heat. I have to admit though--we have a great neighborhood with LOTS of kiddos, and I loved the summer because they all seemed to just bounce from one house to another and pool hop, so they weren't really home all that much! I love that Todd and I can snuggle under a blanket, and I can finally have my comforter on at night without sweating to death--although truth be told on Oct. 1, the beginning of the winter season I cranked the A/C down to 70 so that I could enjoy this one perk of fall a little bit early!!! So happy fall everyone--FINALLY!

AAAAAHHHH! I HAVE A TEENAGER!

Stop the world, I want to get off! Emie turned 13 today! Yikes--this means I am officially OLD now! I can't believe it was 13 years ago today that we brought our first little girl home! I was SO nervous about taking care of her. My mom came and stayed with us for the first week, and helped me with everything. I still remember so vividly the day that mom left us. I was sitting there nursing Emie in my new rocking chair as Todd walked her down to the car to help her take her stuff down and see her off. When he came back up to our room, there I sat, sobbing. He says, "What's wrong?" I say, "I don't want my mom to go, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with a baby!" Trying to comfort me, he said, "It's okay, I'll help you." I'm like, "Are you kidding, YOU don't know what to do with a baby either!" Then we had a good laugh! And so it began!Emie was such a sweet baby, as long as she was with MOM! Anytime anyone else would hold her, she would literally freak out! She wasn't even crazy about her dad until she was about 2! We were buddies--hanging out day and night. Literally--the kid never slept! She was so busy, and had such a hard time sleeping for more than 45 minutes at a time. She was a cat napper during the day, and would get up 4 or 5 times during the night--which made me pretty much a zombie for most of her childhood! She was so stinkin smart too, I still have her little baby book, (she's the only one who has one if that tells you anything), and it amazes me that she was talking by 9 months old, saying "hi", "bye", "ma ma" and "da da". She loved books, and sesame street, and she had a mom who had nothing but time to hold her and read to her and sing to her all day. Man, how things change the more kids you have huh?A funny story about Emie--once when she was about a year old, we were at Grandma Allen's house and Emie got up onto the table and was eating some leftover chicken and rice that someone left on the table. Grandma saw her up there and goes, "Emie, what are you eating?", not really expecting an answer. Without losing a beat Emie says, "BOK BOK BOK", just like a chicken! We were laughing so hard!I am so proud of the young woman that Emie has become. She is faithful--reading her scriptures every night, she has already read the Book of Mormon twice by herself. That is so amazing to me! She is such a good big sister--always reliable as a babysitter, and as a friend to her younger brothers and sisters. I know this isn't always easy, but she is so obedient to her dad and I when we ask things of her. I always tell her that she is like our poor little guinea pig in this great parenting experience! We will make all of our mistakes on her--and just hope she is able to make it despite us! We love you so much Emie! I am so grateful for your sweet spirit in our family, and I am in awe of the great young woman that you are despite all of the wickedness that surrounds you! Stay strong, and stay close to your Father in Heaven. He will protect you and guide you through the years to come. These teenage years will hold some of the most important decisions that you will ever make. If you remember who you are--a daughter of God--those decisions will be easy to make! You're awesome!

I may NEVER die!

“God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things and right now, I am so far behind I will never die.” - unknown

Not sure about the theology of this statement, but I certainly understand the sentiment.

I woke up this morning so buried under a pile of work that I knew I really needed a productive day. In my prayer this morning--I said, "Just please let me get something accomplished today!" Somewhere around 3pm, I realized that not only had I made no progress on the “pile”(of laundry, of junk, of dishes, of e-mails), but I hadn’t really even made a dent in the work that accumulated from TODAY! More for the “pile”. Holy Cow--it looks like a bomb went off in my house! No one is allowed to come over without at least 24 hour notice! Did you ever get so far behind in your emails that you simply decided to erase your inbox without looking at it? Wow, what an exhilarating sense of weightlessness! :) Freedom! If you have never done it you really should try it at least once!

BTW (If you sent me an e-mail today--you may want to resend it!) Oh well, I will try again tomorrow!

Party Time!!!

YEAH!!! AMAZING JAKES!!!

Josh's new racing bike! (Pray for him!)

We had the gang from the neighborhood, and a couple of cousins come for Josh's last minute (sorry neighbors--I am so unorganized!) birthday party at Amazing Jakes. He has been dying to go there--and we have never been, so it was TONS of fun! Two things I learned--One, if you're gonna go to Amazing Jakes, plan on spending LOTS of time there! There is so much to do if you buy the unlimited games! We got there at 5:30, and easily could've stayed until midnight if they would have let us--and it wasn't a school night! Two, go in the afternoon, and take advantage of the all you can eat buffet. You can eat lunch, play, then eat dinner, play some more and then go home and your kids will pass out! My sister-in-laws did this recently and the kids had a blast! I thought we would go the next time there's an early release day!
The boys were so much fun, and so well behaved. The rides weren't crowded at all and it was so fun to see the pure joy on their faces as they ran free in that place! It's like a boys dream in there! The games with the guns were their favorite--(sorry moms, but it's true!). And Josh got many new weapons from his friends to put in his arsenal! The boys are into hunting right now, so it's so funny to watch them run around pretending to hunt, and talk about what they "bagged" that day. I just love these dang boys! The other funny thing was to see the looks on their faces on the bumper cars as they rammed each other! They were so determined and like UUUUGH as they drove those things. It was so funny!
Watching them bowl was hilarious as well! We're lucky no one got a ball dropped on their toe! Ashlie had a great time too, she got off the teacups and says to me, "that dumb ride makes me so seasick"! She's so stinkin cute.
So thanks parents for letting your boys come! Josh had a blast, and I hope that it wasn't too hard to tear your boys out of their beds in the morning for school! You only live once right!?! As for Amazing Jakes--two thumbs up! We'll be back for sure!

These faces were priceless!

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

I can't believe that Josh turned 6 years old today! I am so amazed at how the time has flown. This little boy has brought our family nothing but joy! No, I'm serious--even when he is in trouble, even when he's loud and obnoxious, even when we can't get him to slow down for one minute--We LOVE this little boy! (No wonder he's so rotten huh?) I guess that's pretty terrible, to admit to the world how spoiled this little guy is, but it's true. I think it stems from the fact that I wasn't sure after 3 girls that I would get a boy, so even when I was pregnant, we refused to believe it. Joshua came into the world with a bang--a whopping 9 pounds 10 ounces, and when we saw him, I was overcome with love for this sweet little boy that I waited so long for. In the hospital, I wouldn't let him out of my sight--which was weird, because I have never "roomed in" with my babies until him. It was like I thought someone would take him or something, (paranoid, I know!).
As a baby, he was the cutest little thing--(when I get my scanner working, I will post some pictures). My little "bubble boy" was allergic to EVERYTHING--including me and my milk! I had to watch what I ate very carefully, and even then he was always covered with eczema and hives. I swear that boy had to take Benadryl almost every day for some sort of breakout. He took it willingly too, like candy, always with a grin on his face! I nursed him for 15 months, until he could finally tolerate regular soy milk. I look back on that and can't believe I did it. I'm not someone who loves to nurse my babies. I have nursed all of them, but I feel awkward, especially in public, and usually by 7 or 8 months, when they are taking solids well, I'm more than done. With him, it was a sacrifice I was happy to make.
It's been so fun to see Todd with Joshua. He is an amazing father to him. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful example in Todd for Josh to emulate, and look up to. I love to see him copy everything his dad does. From when he was little, he would just follow Todd around, every chance he got. He wants to be everything that Todd is--especially a mighty hunter! Heaven help him! Josh--we want you to know how much we love you and how glad we are that you were able to join our family! I can't imagine what my life would be like without this little guy in it! Happy Birthday big guy--we love you so much!