What is the Purpose of tonsils? Adenoids?

Let's hope it's nothing too important because Ana is about to have hers out!

Next Tuesday, barring no infections (currently she's with sinus infection), she'll be admitted and put under waking less 2 "body parts" (ok they're not really "body parts" per say, but it sounds better than MASSES so I went with it)

She's already processing it all and telling everyone about her "ENT and how her tonsils ARE SO BIG and need to come out.  How they'll hurt for a little, and there will be a little blood, but that she'll be a lot better afterward."

This decision was made this AM at her 1st ENT appointment for snoring, drooling and sleep apnea as well as multiple cases of "strep throat" in her short 3 little years of life.  

To be honest I wasn't expecting to leave the office with a surgery scheduled for 1 week away, but I guess why post pone the inevitable, right???????

Now both girls will have one more right of passage under their belt- a visit to the OR under anesthesia.  Who would've thought it'd happen so young?!?!?!?!?

We'll keep you posted, but in the meantime.... happy thoughts for little Ana's quick and painless recovery!

:)

God, Heaven and Death...

are 3 things of great concern and hours and hours of pondering for dear Ana. 

She is such a processor and really needs to figure these 3 out.  

She knows they're related bc for years- 3 1/2 to be exact- we've talked about our loved ones in Heaven.  And she now really knows, thanks to the methodist pre-K, that God is Our Father in Heaven, but what she can't figure out is why Heaven is so great and Earth is left with all of those who haven't died.  And, more importantly, what happens when EVERYONE dies except her.  Poor little thing is really trying to understand this, but is somehow always drawn to the very scary conclusion that everyone and everything is going to die, including her parents and Nani/Gagi.

2 comments yesterday, just for examples sake bc these come at me all day long, mostly when I'm TOTALLY off guard:

1- Mommy, what happens if You, Daddy, and Taylor all die and I don't?  Will you die too so that you can come to Heaven with us?

2- Mommy are we all going to die so that we can have Heaven on Earth like God wants? (she has learned the "Our Father" and really needs to UNDERSTAND EACH AND EVERY LINE)

I MEAN REALLY! 

 HELP!!!!!!  

Where does a mom go from here?????????? 

Ana's First School Program- Fall Festival Sing

We had a right of passage this fall with the first of many on stage productions at school.  Ana and her little classmates put on their first show of the year- a sing along in the gym at the church's annual Fall Festival.  Beautiful Chaos~

Ana and Max, her new best friend here in Tampa.  They are in class together, the neighborhood play group, gymnastics class and us moms are quite close too!!!!! (my CC connection)

A very proud Nani, watches the rest of the show with her star performer.

Here is Ana gleaming with pride after her debut appearance on stage.

Something is adoringly funny about a whole swarm of 3 year olds performing Jesus hits.

/sign/ "I Love you Lord"- Ana's new favorite song, in which little ones adorn Jesus with sign language and words

Little sister giving her support before curtain call.

Ana, with new friend Emma, signing aloud!

The star of the show... Ana Lucille

The Answer to My Prayers

Someone is going to get very rich off this product.  I know it will be #1 on my Christmas wish list!  

Trick or Treat '08

Ariel. Ariel. Ariel.  Over here Ariel.  Ariel come this way.  Ariel where are you? ARIEELLLL!!!!!!!
Ms. Ariel (ana) was the hit of all hits this year with the boys.  I don't know what it is about flaming reds, but if you're single and ready to mingle go red!
No, seriously.  The boys flocked her, stalked her, and couldn't keep away.  We even had parents apologizing for  their sons obsession with her.  And Ana ATE IT UP.  Normally, passive and a little shy in a group of kids, Ana shined all night stepping up to the leadership role that Ariel placed upon her.  It was great fun for Justin and I to sit back and watch her negotiate the swarming attention beutifully, pleasing all..... a future politician perhaps?

Tay was a little slower to start on all Hallow's Eve, but once she warmed up and realized the spooking was just good 'ol fashion (with the help of old faithful- the lollipop) fun she had a ball and kept up with the big kids.

Can I just say our little Westchase is Halloween on CRACK!  Have you seen ET?  Picture the trick or treating scene tripled.  It was perfect madness, complete with a spider man zooming around on his sportster.  WHAT A NIGHT!

What is Pumpkin Carving less the seeds?

We got the full effect this year.  Ana was a great help, digging her hands around to get "all the guck" off the seeds, washing them, drying them and placing them oh so carefully on the baking sheet

Then came the taste test- yet another example of our 2 polar opposite sisters:

Ana: almost threw up- literally. gagged, salivated and teared up

Taylor: inhaled the whole bowl and asked for seconds proclaiming "I love pumpkin seeds"

Pumpkin Carving

You, my dear faithful blog readers, may remember last Halloween where we opted out of the carving for painting.  Well, this year we decided to jump into the timeless tradition of pumpkin Carving, and thanks to the Pettits example, we had the girls draw a face (check out Tay's- not bad for a 2 year old if you ask me) and I did my best to carve on their lines.  The whole event took 20 mintues and it was utter success.  So much that Taylor was scared of the final product, 3 lit up Jack-O-Lanterns!

Where to begin?

While it really hasn't been that long since our last post I feel overwhelmed with all their is to share (and maybe a little with my sassy 2 year old that is refusing to nap, but that's a whole nother story in and of itself so we'll leave that one behind for now).

We've been to Busch Gardens, not once in a week, but twice.  Hosted Nani/Gagi and Nina/Papa.  Ana's sang in her first production at school, rode ponies, carved pumpkins, trick or treated many times and even re-landscaped our backyard BY OURSELVES (not the norm for JT and I).  Each event has been so memorable they deserve a shout out all their own, but I just don't know which to begin with.  Therefore the following posts may seem a bit out of order and all over the place.  I just want to make sure you get it all.