Pre-K Graduate (Part 1)

Our Alex is an official graduate of Pre-K (as if they fail students). You wouldn't believe the production Butterfly School put on to celebrate our children. I knew it would be a special night, but to top it off my parents and Cindy & Stuart came to cheer Alex on. That meant so much to me! It takes a village, and they are the best village! Each grade sang songs and Alex's class did an entire song in Spanish. I have to say, this was one of those really special moments to be Alex's parent. She was on the front row and gave an Oscar winning performance! That child loves to be on stage. She was in her own little happy place, dancing and singing while the others stood and sang their lines. She really did stand out! (Granted, I am biased but the entire family agreed). Wait, they are probably biased too ;)

After the performance, the Pre-K classes had a graduation ceremony. Each teacher spoke before her class graduated and when Mrs. Curissa spoke, she cried. She told us how special our children are and she shared how close she has become to each of them. I completely teared up. Ahh! Wasn't expecting that. I know it may seem silly, but I sat there and realized she is really growing up and moving on to big things in her life. I am so thrilled for her, but I am going to miss my Monday & Fridays with her. I digress....here are the pics:

The Luau performance (she's on the front row in green)

The Procession
Alex receives her diploma

/a>Alex with her incredible teacher, Mrs. Curissa

YaYa and B.B. (don't they look awesome)?

"The Village"-- we only got one crazy photo

After graduation, there was a full carnival: Alex rode the coveted pink horse

She was SO happy!

No fear (as usual)

She rode without any assistance

The petting zoo

Easter 2010 (April 2-4)

I've been waiting to post Easter pics because my sister-in-law has the great photos. These are just the shots taken from my camera. Andrea's are much better and include pics with the entire family, so hopefully I can add those later.

We decided to pack up and meet ABCDE at DeDe & Pop's house for Easter. We had an awesome visit. It was quick and action packed (as always). The kids had such a blast together. We are so fortunate to have loving cousins. Everyone gets along perfectly. I am so incredibly blessed to have this family in my life!

The majority of the pics displayed are from our adventure to Wye Mountain. There are thousands of jonquils on Wye Mountain, so it always makes for a beautiful photo op.

Carson was a maniac! When we loaded in the car to go home, he had scrapes and bumps and cuts from running and falling down so many times. He was not interested in the flowers. He just wanted to run, run, run (as you will see by the lack of good Carson photos). Needless to say, I was whipped when we were done. It was worth it though!

DeDe is a great helper. Such a cute shot with Alex anxiously waiting.

Alex leads the way...
But Carson tries to pull ahead.

Our precious kids

Alex was trying so hard to keep Carson still ;)

Carson (20 months), Alex (5 years old)

She was in jonquil heaven

This is my favorite photo of the group. Carson is running towards the cross.

Happy, happy girl

Beautiful flowers

Look at all of those gorgeous Darby kids

Everyone is looking!

Eston is unsure of what Alex is up to...shocker ;)

He quickly takes the lead

Eston is so dang cute!

Alex poses in front of the "Jesus Cross"

Only one pic of mommy...

Cousin love

The boys adore our Alex

Eston wins the height contest but he has a 5 month advantage

Our girl on Easter Sunday

Look, the silly Easter Bunny hid an egg by the birdhouse just for Alex ;)

Carson (with his battle wounds from yesterday) watches on in his PJ's while the big kids hunt for eggs

Check out all of the eggs

All 5 kids

What a wonderful holiday!

Recital Photo Shoot

Alex had her recital photos taken today. Can I just tell you how much was involved in this process? I can't believe the time and money involved for a 5 year old ballet recital. It's insane! She was required to wear foundation, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, blush & lipstick. Fortunately, this wasn't a challenge. When she saw herself she said, "Mommy, I want make up like this everyday." And Mommy said, "No way!" :) She did look beautiful though.

Here is a VERY rough run through of her dance. They have just started practicing and have a LOT to learn. We were all giggling. They were so cute and clumsy. Ahh, great to see all of these lessons are paying off. HA!

Enjoy!


If you can't view the video, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAMGGCHAVZE

And here are a few cute pictures taken on our phone:

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Cute Crew

Here is a pic from our fun playdate at Chick-fil-a this past Monday. I like that Alex has claimed Ebes to be her mommy and Carson is being shy for the camera. Look at all the cuteness!

Spring School Photo, April 2010

Here is a picture of our precious little man. He is 20 months old. He melts my butter!

Always listen to your GUT!

No pun intended.
Finally, an answer! Is it a good answer? No, but at least things are finally starting to make sense.

Rewind back to January-- we took Carson to a GI (stomach specialist) and had an endoscopy (a camera that looks in your esophagus, stomach and intestines) to see if there were any issues. The doctor said that everything looked normal and HE DID NOT HAVE CELIAC disease.

I've emailed my family since and told them that I think the doctor is wrong. I just felt in my gut that he has the disease. He has the low IgG immune cells, he reacts terribly to wheat, and I heard the story about the little girl that was falsely diagnosed with Type I Diabetes (she really had Celiac). So, it was a long shot, but I felt that getting the genetic Celiac blood test would be worth my peace of mind.

I just got a call. He tested positive!
Thank you, God, for giving us the persistence not to just take the first diagnosis. Thank you to Dr. Gonino's team that suggested this testing. Finally, an answer!

What does it mean?
Celiac disease is an inherited, autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. The symptoms of Celiac disease can vary significantly from person to person. This is part of the reason the diagnosis is frequently delayed.

It unfortunately means that Carson is allergic to wheat and will never be able to eat it. You do not outgrow Celiac. Of course, that is devastating to hear.
It also is highly genetic. So, Nathan, Alex and I will all get the blood test done to see who in the family has Celiac. Dr. Gonino suggested that Nathan's diabetes could be because of a hidden gluten allergy. Alex's "hand tremors", etc. It's a long shot, but it's certainly worth a blood test to find out!

So, here we go again. More diets and a lot of big changes coming our way.
In this moment, I am feeling victorious for not giving up and getting an answer.
Crazy, huh?

Here is a link to learn more:
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Celiac+disease+-+sprue