It takes a Village...

I'm taking the opportunity to post on my blog for a "cyber" friend of mine who could use some help! I met Lisa on a message board a few years ago and have remained friends with her, though we have never met. She touched my heart back then when we were all struggling with our fertility issues. Lisa found out she was pregnant around the same time as myself and several other cyber-friends...then she found out that her little bean she was carrying had Down Syndrome. While many of us (myself included) would have been frightened and scared...Lisa embraced it. I watched her throw herself into learning as much as she could about raising a child with Downs and admired her from afar for her courage and strength. Now, little Jacob is a little over two and thriving and Lisa is again on another journey. She and her husband are trying to adopt another Down Syndrome child, named Cliff. Cliff is a cutie pie and my heart just swelled when I saw her story and her desire to bring him home. Unfortunately, to do that requires a LOT of money...and in order for Lisa to do this she needs the help of a Village to help raise the funds for her to bring Cliff home to them. They already have a great headstart with some wonderful people making fantastic donations!! But they could use more! I believe the power of the internet can really help Lisa and her family reach their goal! I ask that if you can spare just even a little bit for Lisa than we can help this wonderful family reach their goals!! I myself am pledging to donate a little bit with each paycheck, could you do the same?? Do you know of somebody who could donate more and would like to help?? All donations are tax deductible! Such a great cause for such a great family...and such a CUTE LITTLE BOY, who deserves a chance at a great life! You can follow Lisa's journey on her blog, which is listed on the right called "Building our Village". Please feel free to pass along as well! Donations may be made here (or click on the title of this post and it will take you to the website):
http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorwarner

Thank you and Good Luck to the Warner family!

Hooray!!

I'm slowly catching up on this blog! I'll get some Christmas pics and videos up soon I hope, but I took this last night and wanted to share. The girls are cracking me up!! By the time I finally got them in one place to shoot this video, they were tired, but it's still cute I think :). (Sorry about my horrid singing)!

Christmas Pics and updates!!

Well, I'll just start by saying we won't have Christmas cards this year if you are waiting for them!! Time has just slipped away from me and we never really got any great Christmas photos like I wanted. It seemed like the girls were either sick, fussy or recovering from some sort of black eye or mosquito bite to the face! We did get some pics from their daycare that they took so I scanned those in for you all to see below! Kamryn did her usual staring at the camera thing, but Kayla is finally starting to warm up to it! I didn't have time to get their hair cut so you can barely see Kayla's little face. Next year, I will be more organized!!

It's been a busy month! I finally took the girls out of daycare to help try and get them all healed up and recovered from their adenoiditis. Of course, as soon as they got home they got a cold/flu bug, which I got. They seem to be doing better and I like the nanny we have so far. She does a lot of arts and crafts with them everyday which they seem to enjoy! I hope to get them back in daycare this spring if they are better after their surgeries and I can build back up some sick leave again. (Fingers crossed)!!

The girls are so much fun to watch right now. Kayla is my little ham...she loves to smile and laugh!! She loves to play peek a boo and chase me around. She is so much fun to watch and I love her facial expressions!! Kamryn is my sweet and sensitive girl. She is always giving her "Kay-Kay" things and always trying to put her to sleep. She is also turning into the bossy one and the bully though, which is funny since she is usually so sweet! ALL day long I hear "Kay-Kay!! Kay-Kay!! NO!! Here!! Kay-Kay!!" And Kayla always follows and does what her sister says...but if she doesn't...Kamryn starts to hit and bite, so we are working on that! We are also getting into the temper tantrum phase...aye carumba!! It's so cute, but very LOUD when they both don't get what they want or are jealous of the other one for something...there is a lot of screaming, throwing things, and throwing themselves on the ground! I'm not sure how to handle all that, so I usually just walk away and leave them be till they calm down. Despite all that, they are usually the sweetest little girls and make me so happy!! (Except right now that they are fighting going to bed and I hear a lot of crying coming from their room)!! LOL.

Anyway, here are the pics! Enjoy!!

Videos!

For those of you not on my Facebook, here are some cute videos of the girls for you to watch! Be sure to put the speakers on, the giggles and voices are hysterical!

Snot and Poop...or should it be Poop and Snot??

It has not been the most enjoyable week in the Novilla household...mainly because all of us have been sick with something or another, which leads to just plain grumpiness. Last weekend, we ventured out of the house and went to the Texas Renaissance Festival which was a LOT of fun (pictures to follow)...but not 24 hours later, Kayla started running a fever...then Kam...then the snot started flowing more freely (it had already been flowing from the last sickness), which led to much coughing and long nights...then the doctor decided to start the girls on some new antibiotic thinking that they may have a sinus infection now which is causing all the coughing and breathing problems...which led to the dreaded "D"...ugh. So between fevers, snot, coughing and "D", I've also been sick with a stomach bug and Kiko has been just hanging in there with all of this. It's been miserable. I've decided to possibly look for a live-out nanny now, a local person...so I don't have the drama of personality conflicts or homesickness or not being able to walk around in my birthday suit (just kidding on the last one...). lol. I can't afford to keep missing work when the girls are sick right now...hoping that a nanny for a few months anyway, will get me into next year and give me time to build back up my sick leave. That's the hope anyway...

The girls do seem to be enjoying daycare though and I hate to take them out of it just because they get sick...so I'm torn. It's good for them to get sick, right?? Good to build up immunities...but at the risk of not being able to pay the bills? Probably not. Argh.... Maybe we will try this school thing again next year...

Anyway, here are some cute pics from the Renaissance Festival. We didn't dress up, but the girls had fun! They had their first Shetland Pony rides (Kamryn hated, Kayla loved) and then Kayla got to ride her first Carousel (Kamryn was asleep). Can't wait for more memorable times with them!! Heading to FL next week! Our first ever plane ride...should be INTERESTING!!

Lots of stuff...

Sorry that I have been remiss in posting, but it has been a very crazy month and I haven't had much time to sit down and type. The only reason I have time today is because I was in a minor car accident earlier this week and am home recuperating! Don't worry, I am fine, just really sore!!

So the last month and a half have been...interesting...

First, our nanny decided she needed to go back home to Utah. So that left is in a lurch trying to get the girls into a daycare quickly. Fortunately, we found one that is close to my work that I liked. They have video monitoring so I can tune in anytime and see what they are up too...which is actually a bad thing for them, because Kiko calls them all the time asking questions about what they are doing, where they are, why are they crying, etc...lol. I love my over-protective hubby!

And of course, not 48 hours after starting the daycare, the girls came down with a HUGE viral illness, that kept them and me down for nearly 10 days. Then Kamryn developed an ear infection to which they put her on Amoxicillan...to which, we found out she is allergic to a week later when she was covered in HIVES!! Poor baby!! They then developed some chest congestion and coughing which wasn't going away so now they are on another antibiotic and liquid albuterol to help them and it seems to finally be working! To say it's been a stressful month is an understatement! But I think the daycare will be a great thing for them in the long run and they will learn so much more...as long as their little immune systems can hang in there!!

I don't have many new pictures to post, but will try to get some done as soon as the weather cools off some!!

Need to post more!!

I've been told that I need to post more often! Sorry about that! Things have been pretty hectic with two toddlers around the house! They are into EVERYTHING! And even though we think we are babyproofed, we really aren't!! Kamryn has figured out how to open the inside doors, so we have ordered some locks to keep them out of rooms that aren't meant for them yet!! Kayla is like the little instigator, always right behind Kamryn pointing to a door she wants opened!! The girls are also fighting more...learning to share doesn't seem to be high on their priority lists. Kamryn is the biter...she has given Kayla a few bites on her arm already. I was told that one would be the biter and the other would be the bitee...I must admit, I thought Kayla would be the biter. Kamryn is usually so sweet and gentle and loving...until it comes to a toy or something she wants...then she's a brut!!

They are both definitely beginning their terrible two's early!! Every day there is at least 3-4 temper tantrums EACH...I have to try not to laugh at the foot stomping, hand clenching, throwing themselves on the ground kicking and screaming. The other day, Kayla was stomping her feet and screaming because I wouldn't pick her up. So I started stomping my feet and screamin too. She stopped and just stared at me...and then started stomping and screaming but laughing...and Kamryn joined in...so we all just stomped our feet and screamed and laughed till they got over whatever was bugging them. Wonder how long I'll be able to pull that one off...lol.

We took the girls to Moody Gardens today to a place called Palm Beach. They had SO much fun!! Little Kayla had a smile a mile wide the whole day and just squealed and laughed so much. We were only there a couple of hours, but I don't think I've ever seen them so excited!! We're hoping to be able to get out more and more with them now that they aren't so little and fragile!! It's about time!! This time last year they were still so tiny, so it feels great to be able to take them out and enjoy life one little smile at a time!! Here are some pictures! Enjoy!