Andrew Got His Cast Off!

It was a big day for Andrew. We went to a new pediatric orthopedic surgeon and he removed Andrew's cast. Andrew was so nervous to have the cast saw come near him, but the cast tech was very patient and much more warm than the last person who had to take off his cast last time. After a quick set of xrays, it was determined that the bone healed beautifully.
Some of things that I learned after having a child with a cast one is that the cast will ruin your furniture! For some strange reason, Andrew thought it would be a great idea to run the rough cast on our coffee table, stripping the stain off and "sanding" it down. The scratches did quite a bit of damage. Another thing that I learned it that the hair on your skin under the cast seems to grow fast and thick. Thankfully the doctor said it will go away. The last thing I learned about a kid with a cast is that once the cast is removed,  he will keep his arm in the same position as it was when he had the cast on, just out of habit and comfort.
When we got home, Andrew decided to take the cast off of Fred. He was so excited to share this moment with Fred.

Ashley's FIRST birthday!

Recently we have been watching home videos, and the kids have loved it. The latest one that we watched was when Allison turned one year old. In the video, I made her a chocolate chip pancake and put one candle in it. Ever since then Andrew and Allison have been so excited to do this when Ashley turns one. Well the day came and yes we reenacted the same scene we did for Allison 2 1/2 years prior. Ashley didn't know quite what to make of everything. She did manage to  pick out all of the chocolate chips.
Ashley Marie has been such a beautiful gift from God. She brings out the best in all of us. Allison is so kind and loving to her. She can't wait for Ashley to be her little sidekick and play with her. Andrew calls her "my baby" and enjoys holding her, carrying her and taking care of her. When she starts messing up his Legos or transformers he will pick her up and put her behind the baby gate and shut the door. She screams and he looks at me with a guilty look on his face.
As for me, I am enjoying her soft baby skin and her squishy cheeks, arms, tummy and legs. I love kissing her open mouth and I am guilty of holding her too much. Although I don't think a baby can be held too much.

Paul loves his "You There". He enjoys that she is an odd ball like her siblings. There are moments when he sits back and observes the chaos we have created and says "The whole bunch of you!"  He loves those crazy out of control moments, even though he pretends he doesn't.
Ashley was a cool breeze we needed amongst the painful heat of life and I am so grateful to have her in our lives.

My pirate

Andrew is always making us laugh. His imagination is always running wild, even when he is supposed to be sleeping. He has not let his broken arm slow him down. He still manages to wrestle with Paul, run in the back yard, and I have even caught him eyeing his scooter. I told him there is no way I will let him ride anything until the doctor has given us the green light.
He is the sweetest met, and sometime I think he is too kind for his own good. I love his magical way of lighting up a room with his smile alone. He will always be my sweet baby boy.

Happy New Years!

Since I worked New Years Eve, we celebrated a few days later with a sea food feast with Uncle Dude, Aunt Becky, Grandma Duck and Papa Razzi. The kids had a blast banging on pots and pans. Our neighbors must either think we really know how to party, or they must think we are nuts.