Dances With Bears

I almost forgot about this video of Scarlett dancing with the Valentine dancing bear....he's a great dance partner.

We're Back

We finally made it home and are recovering from the holiday. We had a great Christmas. Jon and I were pretty busy getting ready for Santa after the girls went to sleep Christmas Eve.



Savy was worried that Santa wouldn't like the milk (it was soy milk), but he drank almost all of it.



Granny Ruth was here Christmas morning to watch Savannah and Scarlett open presents. I love the look on Savy's face when she first sees all the gifts under the tree.





Savy's favorite gift was a plasma car from Santa, and Scarlett got a "Goldilicious" four-wheeler.


There were presents and wrapping paper all over the place. I got everything I asked for and more. I also got some very cool new toys...like a table saw and a nail gun.


After we were done here, we headed to Mimi's house for Christmas lunch and more presents.





Savy and her new "Jessie" doll watching Toy Story 2 in my bed.



Monday we took Granny Ruth home to Glen Allan and stayed with Lesa for a couple of days. Savy looooves her Aunt Lesa and didn't want to go home. Here she is on the deck of Lesa's lake house telling me that we are most definitely coming back this summer to play in the water and go for boat rides!



Here's a close-up of the little table I made as one of Savannah's gifts. There's a storage area underneath for crayons, coloring books, or whatever.



We're all recovering from very nasty colds, but other than that we had a great holiday. I can't wait to play with my new toys...I've got lots of new projects in mind!

Happy Christmas Eve

We finally got around to getting the girls' photos made with Santa this week. They looked very cute in their little Christmas dresses. If you're wondering about the twinkle toes, Savannah insisted on wearing them for the pic. Here they are before they left...Scarlett wasn't in the best mood...



Unfortunately, Scarlett is at that stage where she wants nothing to do with strangers in funny costumes. They only got one picture where she wasn't crying, and this is it.



The girls had a good time drawing together when the got home.






Last night we went to Zoo Lights...thank you, Suzie, for the tickets! We had a great time.



Savy likes living dangerously...




The ice skating rink. Savy really wanted to ice skate, but since neither Jon nor I know how (and Savy definitely doesn't know how), we had to skip this.







Savy's favorite part was this slide.





After we left the zoo, we went to Old Venice for dinner. They had live music last night, and Savy really enjoyed hearing the band.

Now I've got to get everything ready...Santa comes tonight!

Follow Up

I saw Dr Vasu for my follow up appointment today. He answered some more of our questions, discussed all the treatment options with us, and drew some more blood. I'll be starting copaxone as soon as all the details are worked out. It's a daily injection, but it's the least likely to cause me any side effects. He's still optimistic, and he also encouraged me to start exercising again ASAP...I'm looking forward to it.

Savannah got out of school early today, and she was very excited to find out Nanny and Lee Ottis were waiting for her when she got home. They kept the girls while I was at my md appointment. Savy's school Christmas program was tonight, and all the kiddos were adorable.

Enchanted Forest

This morning we went to the Pink Palace museum to visit the enchanted forest with Maeson and her mom. Savannah couldn't wait to see Maeson again...those girls are like peas and carrots. I really hope they are in the same class when they start kindergarten next year.









Loved this gingerbread display





We looked at a few exhibits after the enchanted forest (we didn't have time to do the whole museum today). I thought this miniature moving circus was awesome.





I finally got my wedding dress out for this year's wedding dress project pictures. I picked a really bad time...Scarlett was fussy and the lighting was terrible. At least Savannah was cooperative, and I got a few cute ones of her.



I let her wear the veil this time.



Scarlett was only good for a couple of shots...





After that, she was done.



I'm definitely going to have to redo these...a day with better light and Jon to help.

Pajama Day

Today was pajama day at Savy's preschool. I actually got the date right this year...last year I sent her in her pj's a day early. She insisted on wearing her long fleece gown instead of pajamas, so I made her wear a pair of capri leggings underneath for warmth.




Scarlett is super fussy lately because of her teething. Jon made her a "sugar tit" tonight. He put a spoonful of raw turbinado sugar in a dry washcloth then tied it shut with a string so it made a tight little ball. She loved it!




I'm anxiously awaiting my follow up with Dr Vasu on Thursday. As far as I know, I'm supposed to start the injections after that visit. I've been so tired for the last two days. I've tried to take a nap yesterday and today, but I keep getting interrupted. Maybe tomorrow....

We took a trip to East Memphis last night to visit Whole Foods. That store was actually Wild Oats the last time I went, but Whole Foods took over recently. I definitely like it better now...there seems to be more variety in the products they sell, and the prepared foods bar is pretty impressive. What amazed me was the produce section. Not only did they have a huge selection, but you can really SMELL the fruit just from standing near it. I'm not saying I'll be making bi-weekly visits to East Memphis just for fresh produce, but I'll definitely be going back more frequently than when it was Wild Oats. I'll probably visit a couple of times a month for organic stuff I can't find near home. It was super crowded last night - that's what we get for going on a Saturday evening.

I'm on day number 3 with no soda and no artificial sweeteners....it's not as hard as I thought it would be. I don't feel groggy or drowsy as I feared I would from cutting waaay down on the caffeine. I'm learning all I can about the vegetarian diet. I never in a million years thought I'd be considering giving up meat and milk, but...here I am. Baby steps.

This is going to be a battle with Savy. In some ways it won't really affect her...she doesn't like meat anyway (except for chicken and the occasional hot dog), and she's accustomed to drinking water at home. I'm glad that she never liked hamburgers to begin with - ground beef is the first thing I've given up. The problem is that she doesn't like fruits and vegetables either. I don't want to force her to eat things she doesn't like, but I'm not going to continue giving her things I know are unhealthy...Scarlett as well. She won't starve herself....will she? I'm not saying I'm never going to let her have another piece of chicken, but our diets are going to become mainly vegetarian. Anyone out there who is vegetarian with children, I welcome advice about how to make this easier on the kiddos!

Jon is being a pretty good sport, but I doubt he'll be giving up meat. I introduced him to quinoa last week (my favorite new protein source), but it didn't go over too well.

I'm grateful to have such great friends and family who are supporting me through all this. Special thanks to Jen and Val who have helped me with information on diet.

Must Read

I admit, I've become a little obsessed lately. I finally had time to watch The Beautiful Truth last night, and I've been spending every spare moment researching. I came across a great blog today - FULL of information. Here's a link, and I'll also post it in my blogroll to the right.

The Wellness Warrior

I'm still juicing every day, and this was my first day without soda...just water, juice, and a little coffee (with no artificial sweetener) today.

Making Changes

Jon and I had a great date night last night. Jessica and "Burtney" did tag-team babysitting so Jon and I could have some alone time. We saw the latest Harry Potter movie and then had dinner at Carrabba's. It was much needed!


Shortly after I was diagnosed, my friend, Jen, told me about a few documentaries I should watch...Food Matters, Food Inc, The Gerson Miracle, and The Beautiful Truth. So far, the only one I've had time to watch is "Food Matters," but it was very informative. I can't wait to watch the others. At about the same time, my mom brought up juicing. Two people suggesting similar dietary changes within a week of each other...I took it as a sign. It certainly can't hurt.

I've never been one to eat my veggies. Actually, my diet was pretty terrible until after I gave birth to Savannah and needed to lose the baby weight. I started eating a healthier, lower fat diet, but I still never cared much for vegetables or even very many fruits. Yesterday we purchased a Breville centrifugal juicer, and we set it up today.

Savannah was very excited about making our own juice. She went to the market with me and picked out all the fruit. Earlier today, I picked up "Total Juicing", which is a book of pretty basic juicing info and recipes.

Here is the cast of characters. Pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, pears, apples, carrots, and kiwi. I thought it would be easier to start with mostly fruits, then work up to the veggie juices.



Savy with the juicer.



Savannah's excitement faded once she tasted the juice....not exactly the kind she had in mind. She still wanted to help with making all three recipes I'd decided to try, so I insisted she drink some if she was going to help make it. I hope she will develop a taste for it.



Scarlett loved it! She chugged her cup quickly then smiled and said "Mmmmmm."

Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy

Mom stayed the night with us Monday night, and she helped me and Savy put up the
Christmas tree.

When Lesa gave us this musical gingerbread house a few years ago, I had no idea it would be one of the best gifts we've ever gotten.




It plays "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" when the button is pushed, and the gumdrops light up. Savannah absolutely loves this, and when it comes out every year along with the Christmas tree, she is a ballerina for the holiday season. She just can't help herself. This year, Scarlett is following suit. Savannah pushes the button over and over again, and they dance together.




I could watch them do this all day...it makes me smile every time. Thank God for my little girls.