Saturday, April 21, 2012
Vermont Spring Break
The kids had spring break from school so we decided to pack it up and make a trek up to Vermont to visit my folks and my sister's family. The drive up was much easier than in year's past because we decided to break the drive up and take two days to get up there. It was much easier on everyone. Our halfway point was just outside Scranton, PA and we stayed overnight at one of the local hotels, courtesy of my hotel points! We arrived at my folks house around 1pm on Saturday and stayed through until Thursday afternoon. It was a nice visit overall and it was great to watch the kids play with their cousins.
We had a nice Easter Sunday dinner at my parents house and EB (the Easter Bunny) found his way to the house and left a nice basket of goodies for them. When the cousins arrived, the adults had a ton of eggs hidden around the yard for them to find. It was fun to watch them run all over the place to see who could collect the most eggs!
My sister and her kids took Wednesday off from school so all of us could spend the day together. We went to ECHO (www.echovermont.org), which is a great Aquarium and Science Center. We spent a few hours there and walked around Church St in Burlington. My sister and her husband are in the midst of reconstructing their house and do an awesome job. It looks great!
We tried to expose my parents and sister to Geocaching, but Stacey's cell phone was having issues and we were unable to use the Geocache app. It finally worked for a few minutes in Shelburne and we found a 'cache' near the VT Teddy Bear Company!
We left on Thursday and it is always hard to say goodbye, especially when it's hard on the kids. Seeing their little faces crying and hugging their Grandma and Grandpa goodbye just tears at your heart. Makes me wish we lived closer to them so that the kids can have a closer relationship with my folks and have the opportunity to see and grow up with their cousins, like I did! We do cherish the times they are able to come here to VA to visit and us being able to go to Vermont as well. We'll be up there again in December/January for a late Christmas and a 70th birthday party for my mother!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Geocaching
The family has found a new hobby and it's called Geocaching. It has been around for a while, both Stacey and I have heard of it, but never really understood what it was all about and what the craze was. Know we know!!
For those of you who may not know what Geocaching is, Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. When you arrive at the destination, you use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache. They may be at your a local park, at the end of a long hike, underwater or on the side of a city street. When you find it, you sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location. Then you share your geocaching stories and photos online. There are currently over a dozen "cache types" in geocaching, with each cache type being a different variation of the game. People can put little prizes in their cache, but if you take a prize, you have to put something in its place.
During last week's twins club meeting, the Pierce triplet boys gave a presentation about Geocaching. They explained how it worked, what you need to do, etc. Stacey came home that night and was telling me all about it and we decided to give it a try over the weekend. We both read about it online and Stacey downloaded the app onto her smart phone. Off we went to begin our new adventure in Geocaching. We were out playing this game for about 4 hours on Saturday. We found 2 'caches' out of 5 locations. We loved it so much, we went back out again on Sunday. The Wheeler family joined us for the day. Out of 7 locations, we found 5 'caches'. We all have so much fun, that we decided we would do a some geocaching each weekend. I think we are going to try downtown Fredericksburg next.
We are heading up to Vermont in a few weeks for our Spring Break and we told the kids that we will Geocache along the way and make at least one stop in each state we drive through. We are definitely hooked on this! It is so much fun; the kids really enjoyed it; and best of it, it's also FREE!!!......
We are going to put a 'cache' here in our neighborhood and when we get to Vermont, we are going to put one in my old hometown! Can't wait. Below are some pictures of the adventures we had! If you are intersted, go to www.geocaching.com
Kids at Salamander Loop - our fourth location, but no luck finding the cache:
Broughton-Wheeler Kids at our first find of the day!
(Note: the cache is in the tree next to Jack's head! - it was a little camoflauge bison container. It was hard to find, but we found it!)
For those of you who may not know what Geocaching is, Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. When you arrive at the destination, you use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache. They may be at your a local park, at the end of a long hike, underwater or on the side of a city street. When you find it, you sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location. Then you share your geocaching stories and photos online. There are currently over a dozen "cache types" in geocaching, with each cache type being a different variation of the game. People can put little prizes in their cache, but if you take a prize, you have to put something in its place.
During last week's twins club meeting, the Pierce triplet boys gave a presentation about Geocaching. They explained how it worked, what you need to do, etc. Stacey came home that night and was telling me all about it and we decided to give it a try over the weekend. We both read about it online and Stacey downloaded the app onto her smart phone. Off we went to begin our new adventure in Geocaching. We were out playing this game for about 4 hours on Saturday. We found 2 'caches' out of 5 locations. We loved it so much, we went back out again on Sunday. The Wheeler family joined us for the day. Out of 7 locations, we found 5 'caches'. We all have so much fun, that we decided we would do a some geocaching each weekend. I think we are going to try downtown Fredericksburg next.
We are heading up to Vermont in a few weeks for our Spring Break and we told the kids that we will Geocache along the way and make at least one stop in each state we drive through. We are definitely hooked on this! It is so much fun; the kids really enjoyed it; and best of it, it's also FREE!!!......
We are going to put a 'cache' here in our neighborhood and when we get to Vermont, we are going to put one in my old hometown! Can't wait. Below are some pictures of the adventures we had! If you are intersted, go to www.geocaching.com
Kids at Salamander Loop - our fourth location, but no luck finding the cache:
Broughton-Wheeler Kids at our first find of the day!
(Note: the cache is in the tree next to Jack's head! - it was a little camoflauge bison container. It was hard to find, but we found it!)
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Sweet Caroline
Stacey and I feel like over the course of these last few months, we have gradually seen Caroline grow into her own and become more confident and independent. Aside from school, she is keeping herself extremely busy with three different extra cirricular activities. Girl Scouts, Tap-Ballet, and Cheer; all of which have helped her grow in such an amazing way!
Girl Scouts: Caroline has been able to develop her full individual potential by increasing her skills and understanding of respect toward others; development of her leadership skills, and cooperation with others.
Tap-Ballet: Caroline started tap-ballet a few years ago, but then took a break to pursue a few other things. However, this past Fall, she expressed interest in getting back into tap-ballet and now is in her second season. Since January, the girls have been working on a routine that they will perform during a May recital. Stacey videotaped last week's session and it was amazing to watch Caroline do her moves. We can't wait until the recital.
Cheer: A cheer/gynamastics place opened up here in the county a few months ago and it has been nothing but positive for both our girls. Caroline has been doing some great things we didn't know she could do. Just yesterday during her cheer session, she was hoisted up by her instructors and she did great!
We really believe that being involved in each of these activities have helped her spread her wings and become more confident in who she is. She certainly has blossomed over the past few months and am glad she is enjoying each of these activities so much. We hope she continues these activities this year because we have seen what a positive influence these have had on her.
We can't wait to see how this amazing young girl develops in the coming years into an extraordinary person! We are so proud of her and know she will do great things. We love you Caroline.
Girl Scouts: Caroline has been able to develop her full individual potential by increasing her skills and understanding of respect toward others; development of her leadership skills, and cooperation with others.
Tap-Ballet: Caroline started tap-ballet a few years ago, but then took a break to pursue a few other things. However, this past Fall, she expressed interest in getting back into tap-ballet and now is in her second season. Since January, the girls have been working on a routine that they will perform during a May recital. Stacey videotaped last week's session and it was amazing to watch Caroline do her moves. We can't wait until the recital.
Cheer: A cheer/gynamastics place opened up here in the county a few months ago and it has been nothing but positive for both our girls. Caroline has been doing some great things we didn't know she could do. Just yesterday during her cheer session, she was hoisted up by her instructors and she did great!
We really believe that being involved in each of these activities have helped her spread her wings and become more confident in who she is. She certainly has blossomed over the past few months and am glad she is enjoying each of these activities so much. We hope she continues these activities this year because we have seen what a positive influence these have had on her.
We can't wait to see how this amazing young girl develops in the coming years into an extraordinary person! We are so proud of her and know she will do great things. We love you Caroline.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Garden Maddness
It's March 1st and we hope to be starting this year's garden this weekend! Stacey and I spent some time last week getting our bed ready and we even drew a schematic of what we plan to grow this year. We learned a lot from last year and hope that this year's harvest will be much better. Now that we have a year under our 'green thumb' so to speak, we should have better luck this year.
We are pretty excited, because although it's only March, we can start with some cold weather crops like broccoli and lettuce. We've learned all about companion gardening which talks about what plants grow well together and which ones don't do well if planted next to eachother. It has definitely been a learning experience for sure, but it has also been a lot of fun and we enjoy hanging out there with our neighbors. Plus, we feel that it provides a great learning experience for the kids too. They enjoy helping....
I will have to say though, gardening is also very time-consuming. How on earth did our ancestors do this all year round before the dawn of the industrial revolution?! LOL..... It's very rewarding to see the fruits of our labor grow and put on our plates.
Now that we have learned a bit more, we plan on growing more produce this year than we did last year. Especially now that we know about crop rotation and spreading out what you plant throughout the year. Makes so much more sense......
Our bed is 4x20 which actually provides enough space to grow what we want and if this year is anything like last year, we will have plenty! We also want to learn about canning and proper freezing so we don't end up wasting anything we grow.
It's going to be a good year! Happy Planting!!!!
We are pretty excited, because although it's only March, we can start with some cold weather crops like broccoli and lettuce. We've learned all about companion gardening which talks about what plants grow well together and which ones don't do well if planted next to eachother. It has definitely been a learning experience for sure, but it has also been a lot of fun and we enjoy hanging out there with our neighbors. Plus, we feel that it provides a great learning experience for the kids too. They enjoy helping....
I will have to say though, gardening is also very time-consuming. How on earth did our ancestors do this all year round before the dawn of the industrial revolution?! LOL..... It's very rewarding to see the fruits of our labor grow and put on our plates.
Now that we have learned a bit more, we plan on growing more produce this year than we did last year. Especially now that we know about crop rotation and spreading out what you plant throughout the year. Makes so much more sense......
Our bed is 4x20 which actually provides enough space to grow what we want and if this year is anything like last year, we will have plenty! We also want to learn about canning and proper freezing so we don't end up wasting anything we grow.
It's going to be a good year! Happy Planting!!!!
Friday, February 24, 2012
February Update
Wow, has it really been almost a month since our last post?! Like January, February flew by as well.... I spent the earlier part of the month continuing with my recovery and am pleased to report that I feel great! I still can't believe that I am walking around with one kidney and that Gigi has my other one... it's still all so surreal to me. It's been an amazing experience, it really has and I am grateful that I was able to do this for Gigi. I ended up losing 10 lbs, which I will now try to regain. I am at about 100% back to my self in terms of energy level. I've had a few follow up appointments since the transplant and everyone is very pleased with things turned out. Gigi continues to do well also and makes her weekly trips to the doctor for checkups. I continue to hope and pray that my kidney will work for many years!
Aside from my recovery, the kids have been busy this month as well. Jack just finished his winter league of soccer; He played very well and usually would score at least once in each game. Although they won't walk away with a very stellar record, he was able to build his skill these last couple of months, continued to grow in the sport, and is already looking forward to the spring league. Caroline is extremely busy with Girl Scouts, tap-ballet, and cheer; She enjoys doing all three. Girl Scouts keeps her the busiest and it will surely get busier now that we are about to venture into GS Cookie season! Oh boy..... Lauren is having a blast with tumbling/gymnastics. She loves going and always has so much fun.
They are all doing very well in school, thankfully. Hard to believe 1/2 the school year is already over...... They literally only have like 15 weeks left of school. Could time GO any faster?! We had parent-teacher conferences a few weeks ago and had the opportunity to speak to their teachers on certain focus areas and have been very pleased with each of their teachers. Their school really rocks! We love it.
Stacey has really done an amazing job this past month holding down the fort (house) during my recovery. On top of work and meetings, she has managed to keep everything together. She's been the best!
We never really got much of a winter this year (totally bummed!), but we did get one minor snowstorm which gave us about 4" of snow and a snowday for the kids. It was fun while we had it and we enjoyed it for the little time it stuck around. We are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of Spring, which means it will soon be time to start this year's garden! Stacey and I spent last weekend prepping our garden bed and laid out our plans for what we want to plant. Can't wait!!!
I am back to work full time now, which means I am also back to traveling. I shouldn't complain because my last trip was back in early December and I really don't travel that much. It usually comes in waves, which require some managing on the family side, but it all works out well. I am just grateful and extremely thankful to have a job. Nothing to complain about here at all! Onward to March!
Aside from my recovery, the kids have been busy this month as well. Jack just finished his winter league of soccer; He played very well and usually would score at least once in each game. Although they won't walk away with a very stellar record, he was able to build his skill these last couple of months, continued to grow in the sport, and is already looking forward to the spring league. Caroline is extremely busy with Girl Scouts, tap-ballet, and cheer; She enjoys doing all three. Girl Scouts keeps her the busiest and it will surely get busier now that we are about to venture into GS Cookie season! Oh boy..... Lauren is having a blast with tumbling/gymnastics. She loves going and always has so much fun.
They are all doing very well in school, thankfully. Hard to believe 1/2 the school year is already over...... They literally only have like 15 weeks left of school. Could time GO any faster?! We had parent-teacher conferences a few weeks ago and had the opportunity to speak to their teachers on certain focus areas and have been very pleased with each of their teachers. Their school really rocks! We love it.
Stacey has really done an amazing job this past month holding down the fort (house) during my recovery. On top of work and meetings, she has managed to keep everything together. She's been the best!
We never really got much of a winter this year (totally bummed!), but we did get one minor snowstorm which gave us about 4" of snow and a snowday for the kids. It was fun while we had it and we enjoyed it for the little time it stuck around. We are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of Spring, which means it will soon be time to start this year's garden! Stacey and I spent last weekend prepping our garden bed and laid out our plans for what we want to plant. Can't wait!!!
I am back to work full time now, which means I am also back to traveling. I shouldn't complain because my last trip was back in early December and I really don't travel that much. It usually comes in waves, which require some managing on the family side, but it all works out well. I am just grateful and extremely thankful to have a job. Nothing to complain about here at all! Onward to March!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Recovery Week
My recovery so far has been going pretty well. I feel like my appetite has finally almost gotten back to where it was pre-surgery. For the most part, the pain has pretty much subsided, but I still tire easily and don't feel that my energy has completely come back yet. I think I still have a few weeks left before my energy fully returns. I still take it one day at a time. I can't lift anything over 10 lbs for 8 weeks, can't drive for 2 weeks, can't exercise for 8 weeks, but other than that, I should be able to go back to my normal routine; with a few adjustments of course.
It still hits me every once in a while that I now only have one kidney. It's still kind of weird to think. Other than the scar to prove it, I don't really feel all that different, I can't tell that I have a missing kidney, nor does my left side feel weird from where my kidney used to be. I just now need to get used to the idea that I only have one.
This whole experience has been pretty amazing! Ever since I was 18, I have been an organ donor and never really thought about being a living donor. I just assumed that my organs would be used after I passed on. It's been amazing being a part of something like this to see how I have been able to donate a kidney. I believe everyone should consider being an organ donor; it truly is the greatest gift to give! If I knew that by giving one of my eyes to my mother so she could see, I would do it in a heartbeat. I can live with one good eye..... Her blindness is much more complicated than that unfortunately.
I continue to still be so overwhelmed by the goodness of people who have come by with meals, posted accolades on facebook, people who have called or texted. I grately appreciate all the support everyone has shown me and the family during this time.
Grandma and Grandpa went back to Vermont yesterday. It was nice having them here this past week to help out with laundry, playing with the kids, etc. It was a huge help and relief. It was hard for the kids saying good-bye. Once you see your kids cry, you cannot help but cry yourself. Breaks your heart.....
I am techinically "off" from work for one more week. Not quite sure what I am going to do with myself, but hopefully I will start to get more energy and be able to do a few things around the house. I guess I should just enjoy my last week and continue to take it easy.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Transplant a Success!
Praise the Lord, the transplant was a success! We couldn't have asked for a better team of doctors through all of this. I was wheeled into pre-op around 7:15, where Melissa (our neighbor/friend and chief anesthetist) began administering my cocktail of some great drugs. Wow..... I was way above the clouds within a few short minutes after she gave me the drugs. I don't even remember going into OR. Having Melissa there definitely helped calm my fears. When I found out that she worked at the hospital, I put in a special request to have her be there on the day of our transplant. Thankfully, she kindly obliged. She talked me through everything, reassured me about the surgery, etc. I was able to get knocked out peacefully.
I was wheeled into OR around 7:30; Gigi about an hour later. Our transplant coordinators, Lisa and Melissa (different one), did a great job updating Stacey and Pops on the progress of everything. A special thank you to our friend, Diana, who came down to spend the day with them for support. I requested a picture of the kidney once it was out of me and we have it! I won't post it here, so if anyone wants to see it, let us know and I can email you the picture. I was intrigued to see the kidney. I was in recovery by around 11:30 and Gigi about 2 hrs later. I finally got to see Stacey around 1:00, although I don't recall the moment. I stayed in recovery until about 6:00 and was finally brought to my own room. I did get a chance to see Gigi briefly in recovery as they wheeled her to her room.
The Morning After Surgery:
Wednesday night was a lot of sleep and coping with the pain, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I thought I was going to be in rough shape. I would have to say Thursday and Friday were probably the worst days out of this whole process.
Praise the Lord again for how great my kidney is working for Gigi! She got a champion kidney!!! LOL...... I truly am grateful for how everything turned out. Remarkably, Gigi is recovering very well, looks great, and is doing great! We couldn't have asked for anything else. We had many people praying for us and our support system has been phenomenal. God was certainly with us through all this.
My parents arrived into town on Friday afternoon and will stay for the week to help me out at the house while the kids are in school and Stacey goes back to work. Stacey was able to take the week off so she could be at the hospital with us. It's been quite a week indeed!
I was discharged on Saturday afternoon! I was ready to leave and anxious to see the kids. Thanks again to Diana who came to the house to watch the kids while Stacey and my folks came to get me. Doctors' are estimating that Gigi should be able to come home on Monday!
Today is Monday.....5 days post surgery, 2 days since I've been home, and I am feeling better with each passing day. Still a bit tired and sore, but feeling great! Hopefully Gigi will still be able to come home today.
I am on short term disability from work and am tentatively scheduled to return next Monday, but ultimately it's up to my Surgeon. I go for my follow up appointments next Tuesday. I am confident my recovery will continue to go well and I should be back to my routines throughout the coming weeks.
Thank you all again for your support, love, generosity, etc.... the meals we have received thus far have been absolutely wonderful and amazing! You all helped in more ways than you know and we truly are grateful for everything you've done. God Bless You all!
I was wheeled into OR around 7:30; Gigi about an hour later. Our transplant coordinators, Lisa and Melissa (different one), did a great job updating Stacey and Pops on the progress of everything. A special thank you to our friend, Diana, who came down to spend the day with them for support. I requested a picture of the kidney once it was out of me and we have it! I won't post it here, so if anyone wants to see it, let us know and I can email you the picture. I was intrigued to see the kidney. I was in recovery by around 11:30 and Gigi about 2 hrs later. I finally got to see Stacey around 1:00, although I don't recall the moment. I stayed in recovery until about 6:00 and was finally brought to my own room. I did get a chance to see Gigi briefly in recovery as they wheeled her to her room.
The Morning After Surgery:
Wednesday night was a lot of sleep and coping with the pain, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I thought I was going to be in rough shape. I would have to say Thursday and Friday were probably the worst days out of this whole process.
Praise the Lord again for how great my kidney is working for Gigi! She got a champion kidney!!! LOL...... I truly am grateful for how everything turned out. Remarkably, Gigi is recovering very well, looks great, and is doing great! We couldn't have asked for anything else. We had many people praying for us and our support system has been phenomenal. God was certainly with us through all this.
My parents arrived into town on Friday afternoon and will stay for the week to help me out at the house while the kids are in school and Stacey goes back to work. Stacey was able to take the week off so she could be at the hospital with us. It's been quite a week indeed!
I was discharged on Saturday afternoon! I was ready to leave and anxious to see the kids. Thanks again to Diana who came to the house to watch the kids while Stacey and my folks came to get me. Doctors' are estimating that Gigi should be able to come home on Monday!
Today is Monday.....5 days post surgery, 2 days since I've been home, and I am feeling better with each passing day. Still a bit tired and sore, but feeling great! Hopefully Gigi will still be able to come home today.
I am on short term disability from work and am tentatively scheduled to return next Monday, but ultimately it's up to my Surgeon. I go for my follow up appointments next Tuesday. I am confident my recovery will continue to go well and I should be back to my routines throughout the coming weeks.
Thank you all again for your support, love, generosity, etc.... the meals we have received thus far have been absolutely wonderful and amazing! You all helped in more ways than you know and we truly are grateful for everything you've done. God Bless You all!
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