This last week has been a bit of a whirlwind!!! The beginning of the week started off with a very sick Ethan!! Keeping me awake at night, and causing mommy to be very much sleep deprived!! I almost felt as if I had a newborn again!! I couldn't get my kids to school on time!! Which stinks, because they wouldn't get up and get moving in the morning. I had a birthday and turned 20!!! I WISH!! I actually turned 30, and realized that it's just another age!! Of course, I realize that others have said this all along but as a child you hear all these different ages and think how crazy life will be and that it has some "magical" effect that will take place. Well, yes my life is crazy at 30 because I have 5 children, a dog and a cat, and a car payment, a mortgage payment and student loans to pay off, and various other "debt" ( credit card, doctor bills, regular bills, etc..) --- but it's just another day "in paradise". Because if I didn't have my family, and all of this " craziness" life wouldn't be as interestesting to live. Now my next dreaded age is turning 50 I think. Because turning 40 is just like turning 30!!

But my daughter Kaylee also had her birthday on Sunday the 27th of April!! That darling daughter of mine is now 9 years old!! I can't believe how fast the time goes. One thing that CHris and I can remember from 9 years ago: We were in our white subaru ( which we no longer own) and we brought our brand new baby home for the first time, ( being first time parents as well) -- and then we drove so very cautiously over all the dips and bumps. And I would look back after everyone and make sure that she was okay!! Of course she was, but I was concerned. Since then, we realize that if we just drive normally that the baby will be okay. Some unique facts about Kaylee:

She has had two surgeries so far in her life. One when she was almost 3 and half. ( October 2002) She had "ureteral reflux" --- so after giving her a preventive medication for those first three and half years of life, we finally got the go ahead to have it corrected with surgery. Chris stayed the night with her the one night she was in the hospital. I had Heidi who was still only about two months old. So I went home and stayed with Katherine and Kaylee and we went up to visit her the next day, and thought she'd be staying another night as well. But they said that she was doing better then expected and let us take her home that day.

In March 2006 we decided to have her "extra toe" removed. Her feet were hurting her quite a bit, and shopping for shoes was practically a JOKE!! I couldn't find anything that would fit the extra width on her right foot.

She's laying down on the table but if you look closely you can tell that her right foot has a little extra something there. Here is the view of her extra toe from the top of her foot.

This is a view of what her foot looked like from the bottom. The doctor did a really nice job of removing the extra part of her little toe. When she was a baby it didn't make that much of a difference but as she got older -- well, you can imagine. Now you look at her toe and don't notice that she ever had the extra part there. ( I thougbt I had taken some pictures strictly of the foot after the surgery but I can't find the picture that I want) So I'll just have to post one later and take a new picture of her foot today. She's quite the girl!!

She has been working on helping her brothers and sisters this last year and is helping a lot more around the house. She likes to listen to music and loves movies!! She also likes to help make food once in a while.

She also likes to climb trees, and ride her bike and she loves to play in a pool. She was born in Rexburg, Idaho while Chris and I were students there at Ricks College. We were POOR college students and he managed to make some money working at Subway Sandwiches. LOL - I laugh it all now. But my golly it sure was tough!! Now it's still tough, but with a lot more children and more bills, but it all makes life fun to live.

Even though she's now 9 years old, she has only lost three of her teeth!! I just don't understand. But I love her anyways!! Happy Birthday Kaylee !!! ( Even though it was yesturday)