North Pole

We were looking for something Christmasy to do with the kids this last weekend. After doing some research, we decided upon Santa's Workshop in North Pole, CO. This place is about 30 minutes from us. It's basically just a North Pole themed amuzement park. They all sorts of little rides as well as shops. They also have a post office. A few of you will be getting post cards from us. Be sure to look at the postage stamp. Your kids will find this very cool.

We all had a great time. Luckily the weather was in the 50's so we didn't get too cold. We did not visit with Santa in his house. The line was entirely too long. We were not up for that. The kids had a lot of fun though. Caleb did not like the roller coaster. It was the only ride he cried on. Campbell did not like the space shuttle ride. She almost cried on that one.

We spent nearly 4 hours at the park. Caleb was so exhausted. We barely go in the car before he was asleep. We followed the park excursion with a nice lunch in Manitou Springs. Caleb did not wake up for lunch. He slept through the shift from car to stroller and the entire lunch.

That night we sent Campbell to the Tween Night over at the Y. This is the first time that she has gone. She had a blast and requested to go again. They have the night twice per month. We will probably send her once per month. We may also try out the Parents Night Out. Caleb is old enough and potty trained. Aaron and I might actually get a dinner by ourselves once a month.

Holiday Program

Last night Caleb had his very first holiday program at his preschool. He attends preschool at a Luthern Church so I'm sure you can imagine that the songs were religious in nature. His class sang three songs. The first two I had not heard before, but they were cute. The last one was "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".



Caleb did not sing during his songs but he was dancing. He was full on rocking it with tongue out and all. This was during a song called "My Gift to Jesus". Definitely not a rock and roll song. Caleb likes to rock and roll though. It was a very cute little program.



On a side note, a bunch of parents and grandparents need to learn some manners. After the program we had to stress to our children that we did not want to ever see them behave the way some of these adults behaved. They were pushing and shoving people to try to get the best picture of their kid. One woman was waving her arms around trying to get her kids attention. In the process of doing this, she was totally in the way of other people trying to see their kids. People were also talking throughout the entire program. The teachers were trying their best to keep the kids quiet all while these parents couldn't shut their traps for a 30 minute program. Rant over.

Busy

So, it's been a while...

We have been busy so I will just give you a quick recap. My brother and sister and nephew came into town for Thanksgiving. It was good to have them here for a few days. While they were here we went to the Pro-rodeo Hall of Fame. That was my brother's one request. The boys hated the statues. We also took all the kids to see Santa. Caleb and Landon were both afraid at first but quickly warmed up. Caleb had Santa laughing with all his talk about monkeys. The child has a lot to say about them because he is one.

On Thanksgiving we also had our friend Angie over for dinner as well. Of course we all ate way too much, but what else do you do on Thanksgiving. My family left on Friday morning. The kids and I did some shopping but didn't really find any great deals.

We got 11" of snow on Sunday. Aaron decided we should go hiking. We headed over to Garden of the Gods. The odd thing was that though we already had 8" at our house there was only maybe 2" over there. Oh well. We did a small hike through the park and then did lunch in Old Colorado City.

Aaron's brother was came to visit on Monday. He was here on business and stayed with us for 2 nights. The kids were thrilled to spend some time with their Uncle Pooky.

Aaron has been out of town for Reserves this weekend, so the kids and I were on our own. We spent Saturday afternoon shopping in Denver. That evening we went to the Parade of Lights in Downtown Denver. We had a great day. It would have been nicer with Daddy but what can you do?

Today we just hung out. Campbell had a little girl over for a play date. Other than that we just did housework.

So, now you are caught up on us. I'll try to keep up better in the future. No promises though as we are trying to get ready for Christmas and the traveling that we have planned.

Delayed

This is a word we are not use to hearing about our dear daughter. She was born 5 weeks preterm but hit all of her milestones ahead of full term babies. She was walking by the time she was 10 months old. She was speaking in full sentences by 18 months. She could sing her abc's by 18 months. She was reading by age 4. At age 10 and in the 4th grade she is working on a 9th grade reading level. She is anything but delayed.

She has always been a tiny little thing. Previous to this year she was estimated to be between 5' - 5'2" at full adult height. That changed at this year's well baby appoint. (Yes, I still call it a well baby even though she is clearly not a baby anymore.) This year she had dropped on the curve and they said that at this rate she will only reach 4'9". Panic set in and we agreed to see the ednocrinologist.

Three weeks ago they ran all sorts of blood tests on her. They also did a bone age scan. This scan is just an x-ray of her left hand and wrist. From this scan they can tell what age her bones are. Apparently, bones are not necessarily the same age as the person is cronilogically. Yesterday we got the results back.

6 years 10 months. That is the age of our 10 year old daughter's bones. The good news with this is that she is the size of an average 7 year old so she is tall for her bone age. While this is the best news we could have received and what we were hoping for, the doctor is still concerned. He normally sees a bone age that is 1-2 years behind the cronilogical age. Being 3+ years behind is slightly worrisome for him. We now have a choice to make.

Her IGF-1 (human growth hormone in the liver proteins) level was at 91. Normal levels of this hormone in 10 year old girls is 120 or greater. Deficient levels in 10 year old girls is less than 60. So as you can see, she falls right smack dab in the middle of the gray area. She is neither deficient nor normal. We have to decide if we want to put her through further hormone testing or just let things go.

The hope is that with no intervention, she would reach her full expected adult height of 5'5-5'6 three years later than her peers. She will go through puberty three years later than her peers. (She'll be the flat chested girl all through high school.) The fear is that if we do nothing it affects not only her height as an adult but her ability to have children of her own (many, many, many years from now) as an adult. We still have a bunch of research to do to see if this is something we really need to look into. The height is not our main concern at this point. Even without intervention we are certain that she will hit 5' at a minimum. Our concern is other health issues that may be affected.

This whole "delayed" issue is certainly new territory to us.

Crafty

Aaron and I have decided that we are going to be a bit more crafty with our gift giving this holiday season. He is putting his woodworking skills to use and I am putting my sewing "skills" to use. We are just trying to be a bit more frugal and show the kids that it is about what comes from the heart not the pocketbook.

Aaron has been working on a stick horse for Caleb. It's going to be very cute. He is also working on a couple of doll beds for Campbell. It is what she wants for Christmas. He has been able to use all wood that is just lying around the garage so no real out-of-pocket expense. He did have a to purchase a $3 dowel for the stick horse, but no big deal.

I am making super hero capes for the little boys in our lives. I am making matching pj's and robes for Campbell and her (4) 18" dolls. She will be thrilled with these. I will be making bedding for the beds that Aaron is making as well. I am also making a quilt for my secret santa person. Hope they like it. Once those projects are finished we will have to see what else we can get to. Caleb has requested a space alien quilt, but we will have to see if I can get to that for him.

Campbell has also gotten into the crafting goodness. She has learned how to make pillows. Two of them are already completed. She also has a couple of purses she would like to make. Finally she wants to make a stuffed animal for her brother. Hopefully we can get all of these projects completed in time.

Family Traditions

On Monday, Aaron flew to Atlanta and then drove to Montgomery, AL. He was attending the commissioning of his cousin Brian. Brian was being commissioned as an officer in the US Air Force. Aaron got to swear him in.

History

Our kids have seen a very historic day. This is something they will be able to tell their children, grand-children, great grand-children, etc. Like so many people have said, we were all told as kids that we could do anything we wanted, even become president of the US. But, when you looked at that poster that is placed in every classroom across this country, all the faces looked the same. Sure they had different hair colors and styles. Some were heavier than others. But, every single one of them had the same color skin and they were all men. Now that poster changes.

I've been trying to explain to the kids how incredible this really is. Caleb doesn't really care. Campbell doesn't quite get it. She understands that it's the first time. I think part of her not quite understanding the significance is her life. She, unlike myself, has grown up in a very diverse lifestyle. She has friends of all colors. She has never really known a world where prejudice is allowed in our household. She's been around it, we just have sheltered her from that and made it clear to her that everyone is created equal no matter what. Apparently that has worked. As she studies more history I think it will start to sink in. I may make a trip to the library today to get her a book on the Civil Rights Movement.

All in all, today I can say that I am very glad that my kids are American. Yes they can!