May 31, 2010

Praying that everyone had a happy and safe Memorial Day. Please take a moment to remember those veterans both past and present who continue to figh to keep us safe and our country free! Especially those who have given the ultimate sacrafice.

Another busy day preparing for the Watson side for Trystan's birthday. All the Watson family came over this evening to celebrate Trystan's birthday. Another fun evening was had by all! After the girls went to bed I finished cleaning the house and wrapped Trystan's gift. She went to bed so excited and can't wait for her "real" birthday tomorrow so she can open her gift from all of us. So hard to believe that tomorrow our baby girl will be seven!

May 30, 2010

What a busy day we had!


This morning we went to church. Then this afternoon we ran errands: picked up the cakes, got last minute things, etc. After the errands, Tracy went to a Memorial Day Service with his mom while the girls and I stayed home to pick up the house before everyone got here. Once we were finished with that it was a quick dinner and then everyone started to arrive! The Rieke side then came over to celebrate Trystan's seventh birthday. What a great time we had! After she opened her gifts and we had the cake and ice cream, the kiddos played outside together for a little while. So thankful to have family near to be able to get together for special occassions!

May 29, 2010

Woke up this morning to Trystan's eyes bloodshot and swollen. I have been having to put eyedrops in for allergies. Poor thing is misserable with the itching and watering! The rest of the day was spent with me doing laundry, pulling weeds and picking up the house. Tracy spent the entire day outside in the heat mowing the grass. The girls stayed in and played dressup, make-up and played the Wii. This evening my mom came by after she was finished working and watched the girls so that Tracy and I could go birthday shopping for Trystan. It is so hard to believe that June 1st she'll be seven! Sunday evening we are having the Rieke side over to celebrate and Monday afternoon we are having the Watson side over. It's gonna be a fun next couple of days here at the Watson's!

May 28, 2010

This morning I took the girls to school to pick up their report cards and for them to tell their teachers good bye. As soon as they got their report cards they were checking them out to see who they had for the next year. Both were very excited to know who they were having for second and fifth grade. After we were finished at the school we headed to Highland for haircuts. Alyssa got a good trim and I got my CUT! Trystan's hair is growing quickly, but still not quite long enough for a trim. Once our haircuts were finished we came home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening here. Nice quiet, non-stressful evening. Ahhhh!!!

May 27, 2010

This morning the girls and I took my car to Vandalia to have them look at it. While it was in the shop, we ran to Wal-Mart to get photo albums for all of the pictures we took in Florida and then to Wendy's for some lunch. As soon as we were finished we went back to the dealership and our car was finished. Thankfully they were able to fix it and it was covered under waranty! Woot! Woot! We then headed back to Greenville to finish printing the pictures at CVS and then came home. Once we were home, I put all of the pictures into the albums. We still have all of the pictures coming from Disney on a CD and also a CD of all the pictures that were taken of us at the village yet to print! We are so thankful to have all of these pictures and CDs and that we were able to make those memories! God is sooo good.

May 26, 2010

Well today was the last day of school. It's so hard to believe that the school year is already over! There is a teacher in service tomorrow and then Friday morning the girls are to go in between 8 & 9 to pick up their report cards. Don't understand why they cannot just hand those out on the last full day of school? Oh well, I'm sure there is a good reason. Excited for the upcoming summer. It will be a semi-normal summer, as normal as it can be anyway. Hoping that Trystan will be starting to walk by the beginning of the upcoming school year.

May 25, 2010

The girls went back to school this morning. They were both excited about going back and also not wanting to at the same time. After today they only have one more day of school. They are both super excited about summer vacation! Friday they only have to show up between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. to pick up their report cards. In years past they have listed tentatively who their teacher will be for the next year. They are so hoping that they list it on there again this year. I hope that if they do list it on there it is the teacher that they want!

May 24, 2010

Was able to sleep in a little this morning. We allowed the girls to stay home from school today to catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation before heading back tomorrow. The van that was provided to us by Make-A-Wish needed to be returned today as well. After we drove the van back, we came back to Greenville and the girls and I went to IGA to get some groceries. Tracy stayed home to work for a while. We then came home and they played for a little while. Tracy then needed to go out and cut the grass. Really should say that it needed to be bailed from all the rain we got while in Florida! The girls and I then got cleaned up and went to Derrick's 8th grade graduation. It's so hard to believe that he will be in high school next year!

Tomorrow it's back to school for the girls. They only have two days left and then pick up their report cards on Friday morning.

May 23, 2010

Got up early this morning to hit the road for our journey home. Left the hotel about 8:30 a.m. The only time we stopped was to hit a drive-thru for something to eat, restroom breaks, or gasoline. By eating in the car, we were able to get home a little quicker. Driving thru Atlanta today was surprisingly "light" traffic! That helped shave off a lot of time by not having stop and go traffic.

Home-Sweet-Home! We arrived home about 5:30 p.m. It was then time for unloading the luggage and such. I am so thankful that our villa at GKTW had a washer and dryer (with provided detergent) so that I don't have to do a bunch of laundry now that I'm home. All I have to do is put the clothes away. I have minimal laundry to do! Woot! Woot!

A special thanks to Give Kids The World and Make-A-Wish for providing us with this wonderful trip!

May 22, 2010

This morning we went and had breakfast at the Gingerbread House and headed back to the villa to pack up the last of the things. We had to be checked out this morning by 11 a.m. Went into the House of Hearts to check out. More surprises! We were also given a Pass Port with a list of parks around the globe that we can go to once for free! WOW! There were many other things in our check out package. Just to name a few: a star like the one that was put on the ceiling, a CD with pictures of the village, another CD with all the pictures that were taken of our family while there, etc.

One of the great things about GKTW was Trystan NEVER felt out of place. All of the kids there were there for a special reason and had special needs of their own. She never felt like anyone was staring at her or wondering why she looks the way she does right now.

After we checked out, we were back on the road about 11 a.m. We decided to stop and stay at the same place we stopped at on the way down. Once we checked in, we swam and then went to Applebee's for dinner. Then it was time to hit the beds so we could be well rested for our long drive home tomorrow.

May 21, 2010

After breakfast at the village, we went back to Magic Kingdom today. We rode sooo many rides and saw a lot of characters. The girls got to meet and greet with Princess Ariel & Prince Eric. Also Princesses Cinderella, Aurora, and Belle. Then got to meet and greet with the Pixie Hollow characters Tink, Terrance, and Fawn. That was pretty cool. They also got to meet Peter Pan & Wendy, Mary Poppins & Bert, Pinnoccio, and more! The girls have many favorite rides at Magic Kingdom but the ones we had to ride numerous times were the Tea Cups and Splash Mountain!

We were at Magic Kingdom all day! We were able to stay for the fireworks at 9 p.m. as well. One of the things that Trystan really wanted to see was Tink. She really wanted to see her fly. Guess what! She flew that evening. That made her day even more!

After the fireworks we headed back to the village and went straight to bed. It was a very long day. Cannot believe that this is our last night here! :(

May 20, 2010

This morning the Disney Characters visited the village. The girls got to see Mickey & Minney, Belle, Goofy, and Pluto. That was really cool! After breakfast, we decided to take a break from the parks and go to the beach. It was about an hour drive to Cocoa Beach, but well worth it! The girls had never been to see the ocean before. They were so excited to be able to go. The weather was gorgeous! The girls collected shells and played in the water. We took turns taking Alyssa out further so she could "jump" the waves.

We arrived back at the village late in the afternoon. I guess the girls didn't get enough swimming at the ocean so we headed for the pool. Every Thursday at GKTW is Christmas. They docorate the entire village like Chirstmas time and all the kids can go and visit Santa and get a gift. There was also a Christmas parade, cookie decorating, snow cones, and cotton candy!

Can tell we were at the beach today didn't feel as hot there and we all got sun burned. Even with 50 SPF sunscreen! Oh well, another magical day!

May 19, 2010

This morning we went to Epcot. None of us had ever been, so decided to try it. We've decided that that park is more for teens and adults. There were a couple of things that we were able to do there though. We went and rode on the Finding Nemo ride and the intereactive show with Crush. The girls loved both of these! There was another imagination ride that we went on, they liked it but not as much. Just before leaving Epcot, we went thru the character meet and greets. They got to see both Mickey & Minney, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, Daisy Duck, Stitch, and Donald. By this time it was lunchtime. We decided to head over the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon.

Once we got to Magic Kingdom, we ate lunch and the girls rode rides. Late this afternoon we headed back to the village to take a dip in the pool and eat dinner. After dinner we went back to Hollywood Studios for their Fantasmic Show. This is one of our favorites!

What a wonderful and busy day we had today! It was very warm, but that's Florida weather. Oh and no rain again today! Woot! Woot!

May 18, 2010

Today we hit Disney Hollywood Studios. As soon as we arrived the HSM 3 float came thru so we watched that show first. We then went and saw the Little Mermaid Show. Trystan was chosen to speak into the microphone to welcome everyone to the show. That was pretty cool! We then went in and did a couple of character meet and greets. The girls got to meet Mr. & Mrs. Incredible and Mickey. Found out there that we are not to wait in any lines, we are to use our GKTW pass for everything! The rides there that the girls loved the most were The Great Movie Ride and Toy Story. Alyssa and I also rode the Tower of Terror. Wow! What a thrilling ride. Alyssa however didn't like that one at all!

No rain today, but boy was it a hot one! :)

May 17, 2010

Sea World Today! What a wonderful day. We had our very own private tour guide for Sea World. Lindsay was wonderful and very informational. The girls got to see many different sea animals and fish. There were different shows that we were taken to see. First we saw the Sea Lion show it was a funny commical show. Other shows that we saw were Believe (Shamu's show) and a wonderful dolphin show. The shows were absolutly amazing! We all got to feed the Sea Lions and dolphins. The girls deffinately loved that! It did storm again today, right when we were feeding the dolphins it began. Thankfully, it was right at the end of our day. Just before leaving the park, we let the girls shop in the gift shop. They also got post cards they sent to their classes back home.

What a GREAT memorable day!

May 16, 2010

We didn't have to get up quite as early this morning because our drive won't be as long as yesterday. Arrived at Give Kids The World between 2 and 3 p.m. We were welcomed and given our welcome packet and the girls were each given a t-shirt and stuffed animal. Trystan was given a Mickey Mouse and Alyssa a Shamu. Our villa wasn't quite ready yet, so we walked around the village. We didn't walk very far and my cell phone rang and our villa was ready. We headed back and were taken to our villa.

Once at the villa, I unpacked the suitcases and had to head back up for a meeting. The girls and Tracy stayed at the villa while I went to the informational meeting. After the meeting I headed back to the villa and just as we were getting ready to change into our swim suits to go swimming, it began to storm. It wasn't a quick storm either! So, change in plans, we decided to go up and have dinner and do inside activities in the village. After eating in the Gingerbread House, we went over to the Castle. There the girls were each able to make a pillow, and Trystan signed her star and gave it to the Star Fairy to put on the ceiling. How magical it was to see the star disappear in the magical box. The Star Fairy only puts the stars up at night and delivers a pass port to you villa during the day. The pass port tells you exactly where your star is on the ceiling. Every day the Fairies bring gifts to your villa while you are away. At first it creeped the girls out that someone/something was sneaking into the villa while we weren't there. :) Also while we were in the castle, the girls went into the spa and got their nails done and temporary spray on tattoos. Trystan also got her make-up done. We then headed over to the Ice Cream Palace for ice cream of course! FREE! and it's open 24 hours!! YUMMY!!

GKTW is a wonderful place! You do not pay for anything while you're there. Meals and all of the activies are done at no cost to the wish families. Amazing!

May 15, 2010

Woke up extremely early this morning and we were on the road by 6:35 a.m. Can't believe the day is already here for the trip!

The girls loved driving thru the mountains! They thought that was pretty cool. The mountains were gorgeous.

We drove all day and stopped in Perry, GA to rest for the evening. Once we got to the hotel the girls wanted to swim of course! So while Tracy stayed up in the room to rest from driving all day, I took the girls down to the pool. Man was the water cold! Sure it would have been refreshing if the hot sun had been shining down on us. But they still had fun!

May 14, 2010

This morning while I was in the shower, I hear a light knock on the door. It was Trystan up early to tell me, "Mommy, tomorrow is a very special day!" We had breakfast and then it was off to school. The girls was excited that it was pajama day at school! Tracy and I ran to Collinsville to pick up a rental car. While we were there the man was showing us the vehicle and closed all of the doors only to realize he had locked the keys in the van! So we went inside to complete the paperwork only to find out that he didn't have a spare set. Therefore, we had to make another trip later in the evening to come back to pick it up. None too happy about that. Hoping that this is not the tone being set for the upcoming week. Please pray for safe travels, great weather, and good health. Love to all!!

May 13, 2010

Nothing much to report today. Dropped the girls off at school this morning. I then came home and did some packing for the trip. I also worked on getting Alyssa's music onto her iPod for the journey. Then went and picked up the girls from school. Thankfully neither of them had much homework, so the evening went smoothly. Trystan and I took Alyssa to dance and then ran errands while we waited for her to finish. The rest of the evening was uneventful as well. Thank you God for uneventful days! :)

May 12, 2010

This evening was an exciting evening at the Watson house. Trystan's wish grantors from Make-A-Wish threw a pizza party for Trystan. They had us invite Trystan's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Though there were a lot of people here at the house it was a great time! The wish grantor's brought pizza, drinks, and cake. Along with plates, napkins, forks and spoons, and even the ice for the drinks. They also brought a bouquet of balloons and gifts! While they were here, they gave us some information while they were here about the wish trip. The next couple of days will be very busy around here! Thank you God for your showers of blessings and for the Make-A-Wish foundation.

May 11, 2010

It was back to school today for Trystan. She was excited to go back today after missing yesterday to go to the hospital for scans. Nothing much else to report.

Still praising the Lord for the great news!!!

May 10, 2010

Today we dropped Alyssa off at school and Tracy, Trystan and myself headed for Children's. We arrived right at 9:30 a.m. and went directly to radiology for her CT scan and x-rays. They did a CT scan of her chest and x-rays of both her lower legs. Right after we were finished in radiology we went straight up to the 9th Floor Clinic for her doctor's appointment. They called her back and did her vitals, height, and weight. Trystan's gained ten pounds since February 1st! The doctor then told us that her chest CT was clear and both her leg x-rays looked good as well! Praise the Lord for all of the blessings he continues to send! We were so excited and relieved. We now feel a little bit more ready to take our Make-A-Wish trip. On the way home we let Trystan choose where she wanted to eat lunch and she chose Culvers. We went inside to eat and it seems everywhere we go Trystan continues to win over people's hearts. The lady that waited on us asked me questions about Trystan. While we were finishing eating our ice cream, the lady came out and gave Trystan two stuffed animals; Mr. Scoopie the ice cream cone and Fudge the dog to congratulate her clear scans. Later the manager came out to congratulate her as well.

We made it back to Greenville just in enough time to pick Alyssa up from school. Thankfully neither of the girls had any homework! Alyssa had to be run into town for dance. While she was at dance I ran some errands. We then came home for dinner and not too long after that it was already time for bed! What a day! So happy!!!!!!

May 9, 2010

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Started off the morning with a wonderful card from Tracy and home-made cards from my girls. We then headed out the door for church. After service we went to eat lunch with Doris and the rest of the families at Blue Springs. We then came home and the girls played together on the Wii for a little while. This evening we went to eat dinner with my parents and the rest of the Rieke clan at Farmer's in Highland. So thankful that we are able to spend time with our mothers and the rest of our families.

Tomorrow we are scheduled for Trystan's three month scans. We can't believe it's already been three months! Please pray for clear scans and good bloodwork results. Earlier in the month I had felt a suspicious area on Trystan's lower left leg. We are going to have them x-ray that leg to be sure that it is nothing. We will then go up to the 9th floor to see Dr. Wilson. After that doctor appointment we will then go down to physical therapy to set up something with them to get Trystan doing some exercises and maybe a walker instead of crutches on her left leg only.

May 8, 2010

We were able to sleep in a little this morning. Woot! Woot! This doesn't happen very offen. We ususally have something planned or going on. Late morning we ran to Edwardsville for a few last minute items for our Make-A-Wish trip. Once we were finished we came back home and Cade came over to play with the girls for a little bit while Tracy and Tim worked on cleaning the outside of the camper. Another wonderful "uneventful" day! You all know how we love them!!

May 7, 2010

Today at school the first grade classes had a Mother's Day Tea Party! We had a lot of fun. Each child made I ginormous hat for their mother. The kids served us tea and cookies. After our snack we made a placemat that the teacher is going to laminate.


After we came home from school the girls had a little down time before we headed out the door for Alyssa's dance recital. She did a fabulous job! We are so proud of her. It is amazing to see the progress she's made every year. Alyssa loves dance! I'm so glad we are able to allow her to continue.

May 6, 2010

Another regular day at school for the girls. After school, Tracy and I, had a meeting with the school on assistance needed for Trystan for the next calendar year. The meeting went well. After the meeting we came home and the girls did their homework. Soon Alyssa and I were out the door and on our way back into town for her dress rehersal for dance. While Alyssa and I were at the rehersal, Trystan and daddy stayed at home together.

Alyssa did great! Can't wait for tomorrow evening's dance recital!

May 5, 2010

Nothing much to report today. The day was uneventful and went by smoothly. We can never get tire of boring days! Thank you God for days like today...

May 4, 2010

Alyssa had her Spring Concert tonight. We went early to the school to eat pizza and look at the baskets that were for sale. She sang her solo beautifully, we are so proud of Alyssa!

May 3, 2010

This morning Trystan and I dropped Alyssa off at school and headed to St. Louis to pick up her new leg brace. Her appointment was at 9:30 am and we arrived in the office about 9:25 am. We were called right back. The man came in and put the brace on and made some markings on it. He did this because it needed to be cut down a little. The man left the room for a few minutes and came back in, put the leg brace on and decided that it also needed to be streached open some. So he again left the room. He finally returned and put a stocking on her leg to prevent rubbing and then the brace. Soon after that we signed out and left. We were back in the car and on our way home by 10:15 am. I sure do wish that every doctor's appointment went that quickly and smoothly! Oh well, you can't have it all!!! :) We stopped for a quick lunch on the way back. Trystan had plenty of time to go back to school and she didn't complain about having to go either! I signed her right at noon and took her to her classroom.

While both of the girls were at school I came home to get some things done before having to go back into town to pick them up. I arrived at the school to bring the girls home only to find out that Alyssa had another practice for the Spring Concert! Once she was finished with practice, the girls sat in the car and did some homework. It was then time for Alyssa to head to dance. After dance we came home, had dinner, baths, and then it was time for bed. Whew!! What a day!

Before all of this happened with Trystan I would have been complaining about all of this. Now, I thank God that we are able to do it. Trystan's illness has opened our eyes to so many things that we should be thankful for, especially the little things that are taken for granted everyday.

May 2, 2010

This morning we went to church then came home and ate lunch. The girls did some reading and Trystan took a nap. Later, Alyssa rode her bike and I walked. We went for just shy of four miles!
Trystan's new custom leg brace is finished and we will be taking her to St. Louis tomorrow to pick it up. Before we leave there, they will put it on her to be sure that it fits properly.

We would again like to thank everyone who continues to pray for our family. It means so very much to us to know that there are so many people out there that deeply care. God continues to answer so many prayers.

May 1, 2010

This morning Alyssa had dance practice. So after Trystan and I dropped her off we headed to the grocery store to do some shopping. I pushed her in her chair and pulled the grocery cart behind me. Trystan got the things on the lower shelves, while I reached those off the upper. We finished shopping just in time to run by and pick up Alyssa from dance. From there we headed home. The girls played and I went downstairs to exercise on the treadmill. Later in the afternoon, Trystan had her first bath since March 18th. She was super excited. We had to wait a few days after she had her cast removed because when they pulled the tape off it tore off some of her scabs. So, they told us to wait until they scabbed over again. Today was the day! I let her soak and play until the water was too cold. Another day of so many little things to be thankful for!