Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Hershey Park

We spent Memorial Day Weekend at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania.  It is only a 2 and a half hour drive from where we live and it was a much needed family getaway.  We arrived around dinner on Friday and first visited Hershey's Chocolate World.  The kids packaged their own Hershey kisses (Anna even made off with a few of her own), Emma and I made our own Hershey candy bars, we took a trolley tour of the place, and had dinner and of course a few sweet treats.

Emma the Factory Worker

Boxing up the Hershey Kisses

Preparing to enter the factory and make her very own Hershey Candy Bar!!

Factory line

Emma picked on the computer all of the ingredients that she wanted in her candy bar.  Sprinkles?  Um .....YES!!

She chose white chocolate


She added chocolate chips and toffee chips

It was then coated with chocolate

Sprinkles added to the top and there is Emma's very own perfect candy bar:)


Posing with the world's largest candy bar

We took a trolley tour through Hershey World and the singing cows were by far Anna's favorite part!

The next day took us to Hershey Park.  We spent the entire day riding the fun kid rides.  We knew that there were a lot of kid rides, but didn't expect to be there all day and still have more that we didn't make it to!  The park was huge and had so much to offer for little kids.  Even Anna could ride a ton of rides all by herself.  Both girls LOVED it and were not scared at all.



Emma was a "Hershey's Kiss"




Seriously does it get any cuter?  We were on the Ladybug ride, which twirls around and around like the tilt a whirl.  We told Anna to put her hands in the air and she did!  She loved every minute of it:)



Girls loved the "Boardwalkers" which were a traveling band throughout the park.

Anna busting a move to the music

Daddy and Emma having fun on a ride


It was impossible to get a cute picture of both girls in front of one of the characters!  Emma wanted to keep hugging them and high fiving them and Anna was just so enthralled I couldn't get her to look at the camera.  Both girls loved them!



Sunday took us back to the park, but only for the water park.  It was HUGE and was perfect for the girls on the hot day.  There were multiple huge kid areas, wave pools, lazy river, slides, along with adult slides.  We all had a blast.
Water park!!!  Total awesomeness!!

More waterpark!

The one water ride I wanted to go on but didn't get a chance to.  It looked like so much fun.

This girl LOVES the water

Emma loves the water, too!


Perfect ending to a great trip - a big mint chocolate chip ice cream cone



I could NOT believe Emma wanted to go on this ride.  It was big and went really high.  Jay went with her and she didn't hesitate at all!

We don't get away with our family of 4 very often, but we had such an awesome time.  It was a much needed distraction for us too because the day before we left Anna had a kidney ultrasound that didn't go so well.  We were expecting it to be "just another test" and were not prepared at all for bad results.  She has gone from one kidney cyst in each kidney (which we knew from her ultrasound one year ago) to "over 10" in the right kidney and "over 3" in the left.  She also has an AML (angiomyolipoma) in each kidney.  Although both cysts and AML's are common in people with TSC, the big jump in the number of cysts is very alarming.  In a small percentage of kids with TSC, they can also have polycystic kidney disease.  I won't go into the details because I really don't want to think about it, but basically it is not good.  Our doctor is on vacation all week and won't be back until next week to discuss these results with us and what they mean.  The wait is killing me because I have so many questions.  We will most likely be referred to a nephrologist (kidney specialist) and I am mentally preparing to have to wait even longer for answers. 

We also have a 24 hour EEG for Anna next week and an appointment with her developmental specialist.  We will go and get hooked up to the EEG and bring it home with us so that she can wear it overnight.  After we get these results we begin the 4 month weaning process from her current medication.  We have a lot going on right now with Anna's medical care and we keep praying for good outcomes!  I will keep everyone updated as we learn more.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Happy Birthday Emma!

I cannot believe that my baby girl is already 4 years old!  I know that all other moms can relate to me when I say that I remember like yesterday bringing her home from the hospital.  I can't fathom how 4 years have passed since that day when I brought her home for the first time.  I will never forget how I walked through the doors to our house and set her down in her carseat and realized I had absolutely no clue what to do next.  Was I supposed to let her stay in the carseat?  Take her out and change her?  Feed her?  Give her a first real bath?  I was so clueless as to what motherhood entailed and although I admit I am still a bit clueless at times, I can't believe how times have changed.  Emma has turned into a big girl right in front of my eyes!  Smart, beautiful, tall, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative and yes, I will admit even a bit strong willed. 

I asked her today what she wanted to be when she grew up.  We went through many different career choices such as doctor, fireman, engineer (OK - I will admit I tried to tell her what that was), etc.  She paused for a moment and serious as can be said, "I want to be a princess when I grow up."  That pretty much sums up everything she loves right now.  She loves all things girly - dress up, jewelry, high heels, and even tries to talk me into letting her wear makeup every single day.  The girl loves princesses!  She is starting to get picky with her clothing too.  Every morning she says that she wants to wear "a pretty dress."

Her birthday celebration was fit for a princess as well.  Grandma came into town to celebrate with us.  We had an action packed day.  We went to the Smithsonian National Zoo in the morning, and then took her for her very first pedicure.  I am sure you can imagine how much she was in heaven getting her toes painted!  She chose Panera for dinner and then we had cake and opened all of her gifts.  I will let the pictures tell the story below.
Emma woke up with balloons (pink and purple, of course!) all over her bedroom floor.  Thank you Pinterest:)


Posing with her big stash of birthday presents


Our two divas posing together at the zoo


Serious snuggling action



Elephant getting a pedicure



Grandma with the girls


The four of us:)  One day we will get a picture of all of us smiling (maybe 15 years from now).


I seriously had nightmares before we went to the zoo that one of the girls fell into the lion pit and you guessed it, the lion ate them for dinner!! 


How sweet is this?!?  Daddy and Anna enjoying the lions together


Great picture, Grandma!!


The elephants got a pedicure so Emma had to have one, too!  This is her very first ever pedicure!


She chose purple with a flower.


All time favorite meal: Panera mac and cheese, chocolate milk, and eventually an M&M cookie that she always manages to talk Daddy into!

It is also no shocker that she chose a princess cake:)


Opening Nana and Papa's gift while skyping with them




This 4 year old had been dying for an umbrella and rain boots.  Safe to say it was one of her favorites!



Very spoiled I mean loved A LOT!!


Her baby Daisy had to immediately go for a ride in her new carseat!


Our version of angle parking


She had to test out her new gear at the first sight of rain!

Our good friends Tony and his wife Angela came to visit this past weekend.  We spent Saturday in D.C. seeing a few monuments that we hadn't been to yet and some that we had.  We also saw the North side of the White House, which is a much closer view than the South side that we normally see.  It was a great day, followed by a nice relaxing day on Sunday.

Poor Mr. Tony has Pinkalicious memorized after his visit with Emma


Posing with FDR


Our gang



Family in front of The White House



Jefferson Memorial


Random picture of Jay taking Anna for a bike ride that I thought was cute

Anna is all smiles riding behind Daddy.  It is also official that she needs her own bike helmet!