Little Miss McKenna...

July 8th is going to be a big day for this precious little baby girl as Nick and I will be taking her down to the Med Center for surgery. The day the babies were born we noticed a bump above her right eyebrow. We were told by the nurses, doctors, and her pediatrician that it was bone and probably caused by the way she was positioned in the womb. She was head down on my pelvis for a good 3 months at the end of my pregnancy. Our pediatrician told us that if it really was her bone, then by the time she was 6 months it would have smoothed out. Around 6 months it hadn't really changed and to us seemed bigger. At their check-up appointment our doctor suggested we see a pediatric surgeon because to him it looked like some sort of cyst. I took her a few weeks ago to to the specialist and he confirmed it to be a benign dermoid cyst. According to webmd.com, a dermoid cyst is a saclike growth caused when skin and skin structures become trapped during fetal development. McKenna's doctor suggested we do the surgery to remove it pretty soon because at this point it's just underneath the skin and would be easier to remove. If we waited until she was a toddler or until childhood, it has the potential to attach itself to her skull making it more difficult to remove and most likely will continue to grow. The surgery is a 30 minute procedure and she will be able to come home with us that day. Thankfully they don't have to use any tubes to put her under, just a mask.

I realize this is just a minor surgery, but it's still scary to think about especially since she is only 11-months-old. It makes this Momma nervous and anxious thinking about it. I know God is totally in control of this whole situation and He has really given me peace about everything.

We would appreciate some prayers for our precious angel. Please pray for her doctors and nurses, for her to cooperate well and for her recovery. Mommy & Daddy would appreciate some prayers too as we will probably feel very nervous that week and especially that day.

I will post updates here about the surgery and after.

Thanks for your prayers!

We're Stuck on You, Daddy!

Happy Father's Day, Nick - from your girls!

Untitled from Carissa V on Vimeo.

Healthy Eating & Living

Why is it so hard?? I feel like it's so much work to be healthy by eating and doing the right things for our bodies. Do you feel like that? If it's easy for you, can I have your secret??

I've been reading about nutrition for children and how important it is. For the past 3 weeks I have kept Eden completely off of foods with dyes or preservatives and she eats mostly organic foods. I haven't noticed any huge changes in her, however she ate some fruit snacks the other day and almost immediately after she was running around screaming (silly screams) and just well, hyper. It's not unusual for her to be running around being silly and screaming , but this was a little different. If you know Eden well, you know she is a busy bee to begin with, but honestly her behavior has even been better. I honestly can't say it was because I kept her off those foods, but I bet it helped in some way. If you are interested in learning more...here are the books I have been reading...really interesting and eye-opening stuff!!!

For a while I didn't buy organic foods because my thought was they are too expensive - and yes, organic food is definitely more expensive. However, with careful planning and organizing, about 80% of my groceries are organic and still within our budget. If you shop at HEB you can purchase Central Market organic foods (USDA organic) for less than name brand organic choices. Also, I discovered that the 365 brand from Whole Foods Market is less expensive than name brand as well. It's extra work on my part, but I feel it's worth it.

Here are some things I have discovered that we love...

I bought this orginally for Eden, but I actually really enjoy this cereal in the mornings and for munching in the afternoons. The babies love it too.

Even Nick loves these veggie chips...perfect with a sandwich!

These are yummy too, however for some reason Eden doesn't really care for them.

Eden LOVES these...and I love how easy they are!!

Do you have any organic eating tips or things you like??

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14

Roomie Reunion

Last Saturday night we had all my college roomates and their husbands (& kiddos) over for dinner. It was so nice to all be together and catch up on each others lives. College was such a fun phase of my life and I miss it. God brought us all together in such a unique way and I'm so blessed to know these ladies!

The girls...Krista, Cynthia, Me, Anne, & Rachel

The boys...Patrick, Nick, Mike, Henry, & Scott

Rachel w/ Caleb & Maddison & Me w/ Jillian & McKenna

All my girlies!!

Mantle Makeover

This is what my mantle has looked like since we moved in 2 years ago...

I literally just put some things on it that I already had to fill it up and haven't done much to it since. I was ready for a change so I gathered some ideas I found online and applied it to the new look.

I really like the way it turned out. I'm sure I will change it again soon, but for now we are enjoying it. The old window was on the front porch when we moved into this house. I cleaned it up and gave it a fresh coat of white paint. The little candle holders were used at our wedding on the cake tables. I literally spent $5 for the wreath for this simple re-do. Everything else was stuff I already had around. Love that!

Whatcha think???

Silly Saturday

Here is a little something to make you smile today. :)

My girls are so silly.

I'm Back!

Howdy!
I'm back...yay!
I haven't blogged in forever...for many a good reason. Life has been crazy around here, as you can imagine, and it's impossible for me to sit down and blog (even though I really want to). I finally feel like I am at a point where I can and we FINALLY got a new computer (insert happy dance here). We have had Nick's computer he bought in 2003 for college and it is slow as molasses. Blogging with that thing is nearly impossible without feeling like I need to throw it out a window. Now I can sit and watch my girlies play and write about them - among other things. :)
Speaking of my girls, Eden turned 3 on April 24th. It was an emotional week for me. Just thinking about the fact that I have a 3-year-old gets me weepy. I still remember her as a baby and just can't believe how big she is. We celebrated with friends and family with a "zoo" themed party (Eden's idea). Parties around here are always a lot of work and I was determined not to stress myself out with this one. Nick and I decided on a budget for the party and tried really hard to stick with it. It's so easy to spend a lot on birthday parties (at least for me) and it's really not necessary. What's important is that the birthday girl and her friends have fun. The part I love (and usually go overboard) is getting to decorate. My Sister-in-law shared with me about a lady on etsy who makes customized birthday decorations. You send her the information and she creates a document that she sends to you with all the decorations. You print them, cut them out, and put them together. It's extra work on my part, but totally worth the price tag. I spent about $40 on the invitations, all decorations, and thank-you cards (that includes stamps too). I knew I wanted to go with this idea so I ordered it about 2 months in advance and worked on it little by little throughout the weeks before the party. The week of was busy, but not really stressful (which was my goal).
Here are some party pics...

The tin buckets were filled with animal crackers and goldfish...

Food Table - we served hot dogs, chips & dip, and yummy fruit salad. Isn't that frog the coolest?? My Aunt put that together and brought it for the party!

Dessert Table

Paw Print Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes....yum!

Lion Cake Bites

Bear Cake Bites

Presents

Party Hats

Dash is my in-laws dog who made a surprise visit to the party...Eden and Dash are best buds so it was a fun treat for her!

Eden got a sand box from Nana & Pawpaw and it was a party pleaser for sure!!

Bounce House Fun!! Our good friends, the Merritts, let us borrow this really awesome bounce house...thanks again guys!!

E with "Khaki" (Cathy) and GG

Sweet friends and family...

Opening Presents

Elephant Peanut Hunt

Cousin Cayden

Blowing out her candles! YAY...THREE!!!

In other Vann news, my twinsies are getting so big. If you can believe it (because I can't) they are 10 months!! Both officially started crawling about 2 weeks ago. Man is life different with 2 crawling babies. I'm actually glad they started this new phase because they were getting bored easily not being able to get around and do what they want. I would constantly have to switch them from activity to activity and they were getting so tired of the exersaucers. Now they can move freely about the house playing with what they want to. It's definitely a challenge keeping them from getting things or doing things they aren't suppose to, but they are definitely a little happier being "free" to do what they want. Last weekend, I went through all of Eden's toys and removed all things that were too small for babies, so now I'm not worried about them playing in Eden's things. Eden however is having a hard time letting the babies play with her. She thinks they are after her and all they do is take stuff from her. Haha. We are learning to SHARE - an interesting phase for sure. It is so funny to see their little personalities really coming out.

McKenna - Isn't that picture adorable?? She loves to swim!!

Jillian - Such a sweetheart!

Here is one last picture -as my dad says - just for grins. :)

Blog ya lata!