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Do you shop at Amazon.com or know someone who does? Click on the link below, or any Amazon link in this blog, to help us earn Amazon Credit in order to buy therapy equipment! Anything you order off Amazon counts! Please bookmark Madi, Ramya and Deena's link and pass it on... every order helps!

http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=missmadi-20

Monday, September 30, 2013

The Littlest Miss Keeping Me On My Toes

Madi has a way of keeping me on my toes in so many different ways.  She is one spunky, fun, and amazing little girl!  She was in need of new wheelchair decorations, as her chair was looking very shabby (and I'm not sure how considering that Ramya's still looks so nice!!) as quite a few ducks and portions of ribbons had come off.  For her new decorations she chose.... fluffy monsters and psychedelic tie-dye ribbon.  Yup, that's my girl!  It was a bit tricky trying to figure out how to attach it all, but I was able to pull it off.  She sure is proud of her new look! 





 

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Visiting Tolmachoff Farms? We have a coupon for you!

 
Make this fall season  unforgettable, come on over to Tolmachoff  Farms and experience the ultimate holiday outing where there is something for the whole family:  6 acre family corn  maze with a scarecrow theme (search for pieces of your map as you walk through),  mini corn maze (perfect for little ones), petting zoo, train ride, hay pyramid, farm theme activities (corn grinder-grind corn to feed chickens), play area (corn box, adult/child pedal cart track) and much more.



Save $2 Off Tolmachoff Farms this fall with
http://phoenixkids.com/coupon.php?bid=154294&id=164


Monday, September 23, 2013

A Quick Medical Update

I'm going to start my medical update with... David!  I know I don't talk about him often when I'm talking medical stuff, but David got some news a few weeks ago, and I thought I'd share. 

David's been struggling a lot with having brain fog, being excessively tired, frequent headaches, etc... In addition to some medication changes for his anxiety/depression, we decided to get him allergy tested because I suspected some underlying food sensitivities that are aggravating his system.  We got his allergy tests back right before vacation (FYI- we did IgG and IgE to test for allergies as well as sensitivities) and it turns out he is highly sensitive to eggs and all dairy.  He is also sensitive to broccoli.  The doctor doesn't feel the eggs or broccoli are likely aggravating his system, though he does recommend cutting them out, but dairy can definitely be contributing to these symptoms. 

Some dairy allergies produce a drug-like effect on the central nervous system and lead to brain fog. Food reactions can also trigger irritability and confusion. Some of the most common food allergies are to cow's milk and other dairy products, such as cheese, ice cream and yogurt made with milk. Some people cannot digest or absorb casein, a protein in milk, or lactose, a sugar molecule in milk. This causes an allergic reaction. http://www.livestrong.com/article/333669-foods-that-cause-brain-fog/
 
So, starting today, David joins our growing list of family food allergies.  Eggs, dairy (all types), and broccoli is out for him.  Conner can't have gluten, dairy, or peanuts.  Madi cannot have eggs, gluten, or much dairy, as well as almonds or peanuts.  I suspect Ramya has a dairy sensitivity as well, as I have noticed she gets diarrhea after eating dairy.  I know dairy bothers me too, so at this point, we are all just going to be dairy-free.  For now, that's our list.
 
Right before vacation I turned in stool samples of Ramyas.  The doctor wanted to make sure she didn't have any internal perisites.  I got the test results back today and I'm happy to say, she's parasite free!  Yeah!  I pray I never ever have to collect samples again.  Yuck.
 
We've had a looooooot of shower chair drama, which I will post later.  After a very long wait, I am happy to say the correct chair (part of the long story) should arrive tomorrow.  I can't wait to be able to get the girls in the shower!  YEAH!!!!!  I'll post a picture, as well as the whole long story soon :).
 
Tomorrow I take Ramya down to the general surgeon because we are still trying to figure out if she will need the cecostomy tube some time in the future.  The surgeon wanted to meet with us after we went in to GI.  I think that's our only appointment this week, so that's nice.
 
We've had to make a hard choice to take Ramya's physical therapy down to every-other-week.  Because we have crummy insurance and our PT is out-of-network, we spend $115 a week right now  for her to have physical therapy.  That's on top of the $850 we spend a month on health insurance, and the hundreds we spend on co-pays and deductibles and the such.  We can't make it on David's base salaray, and so are cutting a lot to try and stay above water (he won't be getting bonuses for quite some time due to some crazy things going on that are just way to complicated to type out).  I know that our troubles are so minor compaired to so many others, and that we are very spoiled, and for that I am thankful, but it does feel kinda bleh right now.   We're praying that Ramya will get on long-term care soon.  We can apply for her again in October after our re-adoption date.  That's when she will officially have her full name and official US paperwork.  They told us she won't qualify, but please help us pray for a miracle!  Though we would still have the $850 a month, it would help so much with everything else.  We know we will be fine and we will get through this time, we just have to cut down, and sadly, this is part of what we need to do.  I try to work with her a lot on my own, and I know she will continue to thrive despite our cut-back. 
 
Thanks for walking our journey with us and for always keeping us in your prayers.  We appreciate each and every one of you!
 

 

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Fall festivals headed our way!

I love this time of year and can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin.  It's one of our family traditions!  I just got an email with links to fall festivals around the US and I thought I'd share!

Ready for some Fall Festival Deals!  I have put together a great list of Corn Maze Coupons and Fall Festival savings nationwide.  Download valuable coupons for Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches and Fall Family Activities. 
Arizona
Schnepf Farms - Queen City

Tolmachoff Farms- Glendale, AZ

California
Forneris Farms - Mission Hills

Colorado
Anderson Farms - Erie

Flat Acres Farm - Parker
Fritzler Maze - La Salle
Sunflower Farm - Longmont
Mile High Farms - Bennett
Wishing Star Farm - Calhan
Harvest Farm - Wellington

Texas
Devine Acres Farm - Devine
Fiesta Farm - San Antonio
Yesterland Farm - Canton
South Texas Maize - Hondo
Dewberry Farm - Brookshire
Brazos Valley Maize- Brenham

Louisiana
CM Farms - Dry Creek

Georgia
Lane Southern Orchards - Fort Valley
Poppell Farms - Odum

Michigan
Farmer Charley's Corn Maze Adventure - Monroe

Indiana
Amazing Fall Fun - Waterloo
Harvest Tyme Pumpkin Patch - Lowell
Hobson's Fun Farm - Rockville

Guffey Acres- Kokomo, IN

Illinois
All Seasons Orchard - Woodstock
Kuipers Family Farm - Maple Park
Odyssey Fun Farm - Tinley Park
Siegel's Cottonwood Farm - Lockport

Maryland/DC
Summers Farm - Fredrick County

Massachusetts
Sauchuk Farm - Plympton

Missouri/Kansas

KC Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze - Gardner
Shuck's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch - Pleasant Hill

Mississippi
Seward Farms Maze - Lucedale

Minnesota
Afton Apple Orchard - Hastings

Montana
The Maize at Grandpa's Farm - Billings

Nebraska
Camp Fontanelle - Nickerson

NewJersey
VonThun Farms - Monmouth Junction
Sahl's Father Son Farm - Egg Harbor City

New York
Wright Family Farm - Warwick
Harbes Family Farm - Mattituck

North Carolina
Patterson Farm Market and Tours - Mount Ulla

Ohio
The Corn Maze at the Sharp Run Market - Millersburg
Meadow View Growers - New Carlisle


Oregon
The Maize at The Pumpkin Patch- Portland, OR

Pennsylvania
Hurricane Hill Farm - CoatsvilleTriple B Farms - Pittsburgh
Reillys Summer Seat Farm
 - Pittsburgh


Rhode Island
Confreda Greenhouses & Farms - Hope (Western Cranston)

Virginia
Cows-N-Corn - Midland
Wayside Farm Fun - Berryville
Belvedere Plantation - Fredericksburg

Utah
Cornbelly's Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest - Spanish Fork



For Daily Updates on these coupons and coupons for other family attractions please visit and bookmark: http://www.usfamilycoupons.com

A quick last post

I forgot about these photos, but I think they need to be posted too.  Conner took these of David and I (he's a budding photographer) and I thought they captured our personality quite well ;).  Enjoy!











 

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Our California Trip Part 4: The Zoo, Cool Cars, and Dinner with my Birth Dad

Whew!  Tomorrow we drive home from vacation, and then it's back to reality.  We have preschool and doctor's appointments, therapy, homeschooling, and all of life awaiting us.  I have sure enjoyed escaping it all for a bit!  I still have the cough I've had the entire trip.  I'm hoping it goes away once we are home and I can load up on my normal natural remedies.  I'm never sick, so for me to have been sick this whole trip is just plain crazy!!!  It sure hasn't slowed me down, though!

Today I'm posting the last of my photos!  First up is our trip to the San Diego Wild Animal Park.  We got tickets from my Aunt and Uncle (thanks Petey and Chuck!!!) and only had to pay for Conner to get it.  It doesn't get any better than that!  It was our first trip to the wild animal park.  The kids had a blast and it was a great park! 















 
 
Next up is photos from our trip to Coronado Island.  We went there after we saw the Harbor Seals to walk around and eat dinner.  There was a random car show going on for a bunch of old classic cars that were racing in a race this weekend.  The kids LOVED seeing the cars and even got to sit in a few!  They were in Heaven!  There was also some music, which of course lead to dancing.  Like I said, our family is always dancing!  Oh, and Madi found a fake cow she loved.  You will see it in her dancing video.  She named it "baby" and said it was HER cow.  She was so very heartbroken she couldn't bring "baby" home.  Oh, she also tried to milk baby and loudly annouced how many "nipples" baby had.  Yup, that's my girl.
 









 
 


Tonight we ended our trip by going out to dinner with my birth dad, Mark and his wife, Michelle.  Michelle's mom, Judy, came to dinner with them as well  It was our first time meeting Judy and we all thought she was very sweet.  We hadn't seen them for a few years, so it was nice to finally get together again.  We had a lot of fun with them, like always.  I, unfortunately, forgot my camera and don't have a picture.... so bummed!  One day I will have to post my adoption story for you.  I know I've shared bits and pieces, but never the whole story. 

That's all for now!  I have some medical updates to post soon, but that can wait for another day.  I'm headed to bed so we can pack and start heading home at a decent time tomorrow.  Have a great night sleep and a blessed day tomorrow!
 

Our California Trip Part 3: The Beach

One thing is for sure, my kids LOVE the beach!  They are having a blast.  The girls like to play in the shallow water, but especially love the sand.  They could play in the sand for hours!  Conner loves boogie boarding and wants to go allllllll day long.  He's not a strong enough swimmer to go by himself, but happily lets me tag along.  Yesterday we got to meet my friend, Colleen, and her kiddos, at the beach.  She's a momma friend from Phoenix that moved to California earlier this year.  We had a ton of fun catching up and letting the kiddos play.  It always does my heart good to get some time in with  a good friend!  Oh, and the other day we went down and saw the Harbor seals.  They were so cool and the kids really loved watching them.  Here are some photos from our days at the beach...







 
Fish face!

 
(My little hamster shoved a huge piece of hot dog in her cheek at our picnic :))

 
(Madi wanted to see if she could fit in the cooler :).  She thought it was hilarious!)

 
 

 
(this picture has a funny story....  Conner dug a hole and Madi inched closer and closer to help and then fell in!  We were all laughing so hard, it was funny!  Madi thought it was just the best thing ever!)