Life as we know it

I started running right after Zoie was born. As a mom, it was something I enjoyed. I could pop her in the stroller, get fresh air and a workout while still being with her, but doing something for myself. At that time I was only running 2-3 miles. But, Zoie has always known running, and what it feels like from her side of the fence (being in a stroller with fresh air on her face.) After I had Ivie, I had gained close to 40 lbs with a preemie and needed to get my weight off somehow. So I picked up my running. I set goals, I got a new, 2 new 😜 Double joggers, and I started slow. Pushing an extra 150 lbs isn't easy, but it kicks your butt into gear. One of my goals was to run a half sometime in my life since all I knew was 5K's. So I trained with my girls by my side for 3 months and completed my first half in May 2015. It was easier than I had thought, for being my fist one, but I didn't realize what it physically would make me feel like afterwards. This is when I remembered s...

I haven't blogged for a while. Life takes you to unexpected places, and these 2 girls keep me more than busy! I blog when I want to share a great deal of information, or need to get stuff off my chest and can't have the same conversation 20 times. Today we had the highest highs, and some really low lows. Maybe it happens that way so you find peace in a tough situation. We got a repeat, repeat, repeat, sweat test done for Zoie on Friday. She had two As a newborn, one 3 months ago, and one on Friday. Only 2 of the 4 have come back with results. Her newborn one read 36, Friday's read 80. What this means..... 36 was very low. If that's all we had to base her CF off of, we would say she doesn't have CF, but genetically she did, therefor she was on the cusp of having it. We wanted to do a repeat now to see if levels had changed, or if her CF had changed and what we needed to do as she gets older. Friday's was an 80. A ton higher than 4 years ago. This is bad, and good...

Okay, so, since we have never went on a family vacation, im not experienced on blogging them obviously. Bare with me, as I do my best to share in words with all of you,Zoie's Make-A-Wish beach vacation to Newport Beach, CA. Zoie's wish got accepted about 2 months prior to our vacation after going through several steps and an interview process with Make-A-Wish Colorado. Obviously Zoie couldn't tell us in words what her wish would be, but we know she loves the water, she loves textures, being outside, on walks, on runs, and music, so what better place to experience this all than at the beach! We choose Calofornia because it was fairly close, had Disneyland, we knew the temp would be tolerable, and Newport had the Boardwalk. Make-A-Wish was SO accommodating in every way, in helping to make sure first and foremost that Zoie's needs were met! Our family friend, Erin Hoffner threw us a wonderful, beach themed, send off party two weeks prior to our departure. Here, we got to ...

I remember when you were born, 4 very short years ago. School wasn't even in your dad and I's minds. It's almost as if we forgot that when you have a child, part of them growing up is sending them off to school. You would think this would have crossed my mind being an Elementary Ed Grad, but we were so caught up in the now, and making sure we took our lives day by day, that no, school never came up. We decided to keep you home for your first year of preschool, due to your Cystic Fibrosis and learning delays. We wanted to strengthen your immune system an extra year, keep working on home therapies to help your brain development, speech, and muscle movement. You also had a very special friend at home to learn and grow with you; your baby sister Ivie. The last year you two have taught each other so much, she has pushed you, and you have pushed her. I'm so thankful we kept you home for that extra year! We have found a great preschool for you! It's called the Monroe Ear...

My role as a mom is like peanut butter and jelly. Zoie is my peanut butter, Ivie is my sweet jelly. With Zoie, things can get sticky real fast, her diagnosis can complicate things in the blink of an eye. Ivie isn't quite as complicated or sticky, but we all know these healthy kids can be complicated too, just in different ways. In this circumstance, different colors. I'm lucky enough to have a peanut butter and a jelly kid, as im sure most of you are. Your peanut butter may be your little toddler who throws himself down in the middle of the aisle at Target, or your teenager who argues you about everything. Your jelly may be your sweet newborn baby who just lays there and sleeps all day, or your precious 5 year old who has started taking care of himself and given you a bit more freedom finally! If I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it may look similar to yours, but never exactly the same. As moms, I believe we need to think of our bunches of kids the same way. My peanut...

I feel like I have so much to catch up on! Birthdays, running, doctors appts, and the girls have kept me so busy. Spring time is always the busiest time for us, even more so than summer! Okay, to get one thing out of the way, Zoie had a hard, or I should say, we had a hard appointment at Childrens two weeks ago. her checkups with CF and Neuro were perfect! She is in the 14th, yes 14th percentile for weight! This is huge for us! Her lungs were clear, her meds and CBD oil are "working" as good as expected for now, and her GJ tube swap was easy breezy. All of this was kinda overshadowed at the end of our neuro appt when our awesome, yes an awesome doctor asked us if we had done anything to prepare for the future. I have a weird relationship with our neuro doc. I love her because she is amazing at helping us manage seizures, and she's on board with CBD. I hate her because it's so easy for her to say to us "how Zoie will probably pass" or "have we thought a...

Hey Ivie Mae-bay. That's what I call you, either that or Ives. I can't believe you're turning one. It seems like yesterday I found out I was pregnant with you after one miscarriage and lining tests up to see if you were healthy. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I told your daddy and no one else for a while. We kept you our little secret for a while until we knew you were healthy. I think we knew deep down you were, because we trusted God, but the odds were stacked against you. You were "supposed" to have either Cystic Fibrosis or Microcephaly like your sister, so we call you our miracle baby. You didn't have either, and you were a perfect little baby growing inside of my tummy, so at 10 weeks after genetic tests confirmed you were a girl, we named you Ivie Mae. You and I got lots of bonding time your last two weeks in the womb. We spend those two weeks in Greeley, sitting on a bed in the hospital, as I got to hear and watch your heart beat 24 hours a...