Too Crowded

While we walked right on to rides on Friday, Saturday and Sunday were packed! We rode very few rides Sunday before heading home. We arrived home just short of midnight.

Shands/Orlando

 Jasmine was air lifted to Shands from a hospital in Georgia when she was born. After ten days of observation, she was returned to GA. Shortly after that, I met her and took her home as a foster child.

She has had a lot of surgeries there, and a couple in a hospital in Northern GA. But mostly Shands. 

Then our insurance (she has medicaid as part of her adoption, but we put her on Tricare) decided she didn't need to go to Shands. She should be seen at the University of Alabama. If Tricare had just denied her access to Shands, we could have used medicaid. But they didn't. So we had all her paperwork sent to U of A. They said they didn't want to work with her when she'd been with a different hospital for so long.

After 2+ years, we received a referral to Shands. So off to Shands we went this past Thursday. And as expected, she has one more surgery on both her lip and nose to go. These last ones take place after the child is full grown. And she is full grown at 4'9.5" We put it off until summer though.

We also discussed why her testing said she did not have EEC syndrome when she very obviously has that or a very similar syndrome. More advanced testing will be done before she decides whether or not to have birth children.

Since we were so close to Orlando and there was no school Friday (and there  isn't school Monday or Tuesday for two of my kids, Kayla has to go back Tuesday), we decided to go to Universal/Islands of Adventure on a special three day pass.

 Friday wasn't very busy in the parks and we walked right on to many of the rides, although there was a wait at the new Harry Potter ride. But we rode the old one twice in a row!

Butter "beer"

We bought Red Fish, Blue Fish shirts

Seuss Landing

 Saturday morning we went to Planet Fitness in Orlando before going back to Universal/Islands of Adventure

 Today the parks were very crowded. And there were lines for everything including the restrooms.

We have one day left on our pass so tomorrow (well, today really since it's past midnight) we'll go back for just a few hours before heading home.

River--Best of Both?

River is turning into a beautiful blend of Hunter and Jessica.

Here are some photos of Jessica as a baby:

With my mom who is currently in the hospital.

And these are Hunter as a baby:

Here is Hunter with River:

And 24 years ago, Rick with Jessica:

Here are some photos of River taken on Monday.

Look at those eyes!

Had to decide what would be the first book I would read River. There were several I considered: Goodnight Moon, God Gave Us You, Runaway Bunny, Do You Love Me Mamma and so on. But I decided to go with one of Karen Kingsbury's books, Whatever You Grow Up to Be. She has written a couple of princess ones but those were not to be found. 

And yeah, it's okay if you fall asleep while we read. We'll just read it again another day.

The next three pictures are from today. Jessica came over to get a little pamper time because she is still really sore from the C section, and I don't mind changing diapers and making lunch for her.

The card table behind me is always up during long holiday breaks and is used for games and puzzles. It's still up because we are still working on a puzzle. I am redoing the family room, and it will be up whenever the ping pong table isn't. The ping  pong table takes up the whole room.

Follow Me?

If you are interested, I have an author page on facebook HERE.

I also just got a twitter account (and have no clue what I'm doing) @kathycassel07 HERE

Our Verse for 2016

For the past three years, I've chosen a verse for our family.

In 2013 I was thinking about Jesus's words in John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

I used those words in a "discussion" with someone who took verses out of context to say you believe in any God you want because everyone's path is different. I "argued" that every path had to lead to the foot of the cross. And I used John 14:6 because those are Jesus' own words. (NKJV)

Shortly after that I went into the Christian bookstore, and they had that verse on a sweatshirt that happened to be on sale. I bought one for both Jasmine and myself.

So I claimed that as my verse for the rest of that year and the next.

Last year I chose Matthew 5:16-18

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJV)

I thought of this because every year on either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, we light sparklers and talk about how Jesus is the light of the world.

This year friends joined us.

As the kids left for school, I would tell them, go glow in the dark.

Ty made this out of glo sticks.

This is our verse for 2016:

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (KJV)

Do you have a verse for 2016? If not, why not chose one?

A Grandma By Any Other Name

Growing up, I called my Grandma "Grandma."

When my stepdaughter had children, I became "Grandma Kathy" by my request.

When Jessica got pregnant, her mother-in-law, step mother-in-law and I started talking about what we wanted River to call us. I wanted something different than Grandma Kathy. As it turns out, we all had different ideas.

So we became (left to right) Gigi, Mimi and Nanny.

My question is, is this regional? Or do  people all over the US use those names? I don't remember hearing anything but Grandma when I was young and living in Indiana. But I don't know if it was because of the time or the region. What do you think? What do your grandchildren call you or what do you call your Grandmother--and Grandfather?

Happy Gigi shirt

My stepdaughter Ashley and her children, Phoenix and Griffin

River is Home!

Jessica was discharged from the hospital yesterday. She stopped by here for dinner on her way home. Here are pictures of everyone with River.

Gigi Kathy

Gigi Kathy and Papa Rick

Jasmine. She was at the hospital from 10 a.m. Tuesday until after 1:00 a.m. Wednesday while Jessica went through labor and her C section. She stayed until River was transported to NICU.

Tyler

Kaleb

Kayla

Hunter's niece, ZonaMae

 Jasmine with Hunter's mom, Lisa

 River's daddy, Hunter

 Rick

Tyler 

 It's hard work being a baby

 The kids played a game Ty got used at Game Stop

If one of your resolutions for the New Year was to read the Bible or have daily devos with your kids, check out my blog post HERE.