Update on Erica

I haven't blogged a whole lot about Erica and her allergies and eczema and there's a lot of reasons for that.  I will one day blog about her history and the journey we've had up until now, but every time I try to write it all down, I get overwhelmed.  So I'll just start from last year.

In the spring of 2012, we discovered Erica had several food allergies:  peanuts, corn, soy, peas, and oranges.  After removing these things from her diet, her chronic stomach pain went away.  She started to FEEL good again.  And sure enough, anytime she ate something with one of her allergens in it, she'd feel HORRIBLE.  It was great to see such a huge improvement.  However, we saw absolutely no improvement in her eczema.  After switching between this steroid and that for her skin, the allergist finally agreed to try Immunotherapy (allergy injections) with her, as she also tested positive to MANY environmental allergens:  between the tree pollens, mountain cedar, grass, and weeds - there's something pollinating all year long that she's allergic to.  She started them in October 2012.  They said it could take 6 mos to a year to start seeing results.  Three months in and her skin is horrific.  I mean, I've said many times in the past year that her skin is the worst it's ever been, and I feel like her skin is telling me, "oh you think so?  You ain't seen nothin' yet!"  I am SOOO hopeful though, because her skin seems to flare exceptionally the day she gets her injection.  While it is soooo hard to watch her be so miserable right now, I just know that once her immunity is built up from the injections, her skin will clear up.  I just know it.  It got so bad over Christmas, that we decided to put her another round of prednisone.  It always clears her up immediately, but she usually flares worse again after she stops.  And that is exactly what happened.  Not to mention that the steroids have REALLY affected her negatively.  We decided to completely stop ALL steroid use.  We have noticed a HUGE change in her.  Her intense anxiety has vanished.  She is a happy little girl again!  We are so thankful for that!

New Look

I was lucky enough to win a new custom blog header from a giveaway over at Momma on a Mission.  And because Ashley is such a good friend, she walked me through updating some other things on my blog too!  It'll always be a work on progress, but I am glad that it's been updated a bit.  Maybe this will encourage me to blog more?  Maybe... possibly... we'll see.

Soup

I am linking up with Kelly's Korner today to share my 2 favorite soup recipes.  I LOVE soup. I love making it (because seriously, what's easier than throwing a bunch of stuff in a pot?), and I love eating it.  These are my 2 go-to soups.  They're easy and they're SO good.  I literally get compliments on them anytime I take them anywhere.  They're great to take to a friend or bring to a pot luck too!  And my favorite part about these recipes, is I can make them completely allergen free for our family!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
1 large box of chicken stock
1-2 lbs. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn (I leave this out due to allergies)
1 zucchini, chopped
1 zucchini squash, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic
cumin
southwestern seasoning
-sorry, I don't measure the seasonings, so use your discretion

Directions:
Just throw it all in a pot on the stove.  Add enough water to cover everything.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3-4 hours.

To individual servings add lime juice, sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla strips.


Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 lb. package of frozen diced hashbrowns
3 c. chicken stock
3 c. milk
3 c. shredded cheese

Directions:
Cook the hashbrowns and chicken stock in a crock pot on high for 4 hours.
Add the milk and cheese and blend until smooth.  Continue to cook on high until all the cheese is melted and the soup is hot.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.

To individual servings add sour cream, additional cheese, bacon, and chives.

Merry Christmas 2012

No children were harmed in the making of this Christmas card.

First Day of School 2012

First Day of 1st Grade


First Day of 4th Grade


And you may joke that I put them in their backpacks on the front porch - because we're homeschooling... but we actually WERE on our way out the door. Leah had a dr. appt., so we did our first lesson of the school year in the exam room waiting for the dr. to come in.

I'm so excited about our school year!

Natalie's 9th Birthday Party

Natalie wanted an "art party" and sleepover for her birthday, and I aim to please. So we had some of her friends and their families over for pizza and painting last night. Then the girls stayed over for a slumber party. They stayed up until 2am. Then at 5am, I got woken up by Erica. Then we were all back up at 7am. I was so tired today. I am way too old for this! haha I did go back to sleep for a few hours after the festivities were over. Natalie had a blast, which made it all worth it.


Natalie's ready for the party to start


Rainbow/tie-dye decorations


They painted art canvases with their initials


Ashton painting


Natalie was so happy to be with her friends


Abigail, Natalie and Dana


All their finished artwork


Natalie opening the Secret Password Diary that we got her. She's wanted this since Christmas last year!


now she has a matching penguin with Dana and Abigail


giving someone "the eye"


This girls loves presents!


Dana got her matching princess pajamas


Jordan, Ethan, Abigail, Dana, Natalie, Ashton, Ethan
Erica, Evie, Graham, Leah


I tried to make tie-dye cupcakes, but they were a huge FAIL, so at the last minute we went to HEB to pick out a cake


Happy Birthday dear Natalie...


Natalie, Abigail and Dana making bracelets


Evie and Erica - I have NO idea what's going on here


Dana, Ashton, Abigail and Natalie watching the first movie of the night. When it was over, we had a midnight snack of leftover pizza. Then we watched another movie. Only 1 girl fell asleep during that movie. Finally at 2am, I told them they HAD to stop talking and GO TO SLEEP. :) And they did.


We are very tolerant in this house.


Dana and Natalie at breakfast


Abigail and Dana enjoying donuts for breakfast


Ashton was the first to fall asleep and the last one to wake up.


Graham triple strawing it


Leah REALLY enjoyed her chocolate donut!

My kiddos

I haven't done an update on the kids in awhile, so I thought I'd hop on and do that real quick. These are all some pics I took a couple weeks ago.


Natalie will be turning 9 next week. She still loves soccer and can't wait for practices to start next week. She'll be playing on an academy team this season. She loves fun jewelry and picking out her own clothes. She loves to draw and anything to do with art. She's still enjoying piano and is getting pretty good at it if I do say so myself. She's an avid reader and always has at least a couple of books with her anywhere she goes. She's always taking care of things around here. She's on top of her chores and really, everyone else's too. She is super driven and very caring and giving.


Erica started taking a hip-hop dance class halfway through the summer and found her calling. Unfortunately for her, Daddy is not thrilled with it and has said no hip-hop in the fall. So back to ballet/tap/jazz for her. Erica loves anything to do with music and dancing. She started piano lessons this summer and has taken to it with ease. Her teacher is really impressed with the amount of focus and talent she has. She can wipe the floor with you on Mario Kart or Just Dance on the Wii. The girl is GOOD. She is reading magnificently and is so excited to be checking out chapter books at the library now. She struggles a lot with anxiety, which I think may be tied to her current health issues that we are working through (eczema and food allergies). But she is overcoming her shyness more and more each week. I am so proud of the progress she has made.


Graham is just all boy. He can't sit still to save his life and he always talks SO LOUD! I don't know where he gets that from. ;) He is really into super heroes right now. I think Spiderman is probably his favorite, but he also likes The Hulk, Superman, and Batman. He is the only one of my kids who will say "I love you" out of the blue to me and it completely melts my heart each and every time. He can't wait until next year when he'll get to play baseball (tee-ball), and neither can I!


Leah has more personality than anyone I know. Her favorite color is pink and she loves wearing ruffly skirts and dresses (as long as they don't itch, and she's quick to tell me if they do!). She started taking dance classes this summer (even though the studio doesn't usually let them start until they are 3) and she has done amazing. Her teacher comments on how well she listens and follows directions. She is very independent and knows exactly what she wants. She's my only child that has ever liked to hear my sing, and she insists on singing with me each night before she goes to bed. The top 3 songs on her playlist right now are "Jesus Loves Me," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," and "Jingle Bells." She cracks me up!


My perfect little Cherubs!


Or something like that...


Eh, I'll keep 'em!