Anna's New Hair Cut

Mike and I are not picky about our children's appearance, but there are two goals we have had with her hair. 1. Keep it long and 2. no bangs. Well yesterday, Dec.26th, while Mike and I were enjoying a little Wii golf, Anna was working at her new art desk in the dining room. We had her all set up so we could play while Kate was asleep. At about the 7th hole,she walks into the living room with a very pleased look on her face. "Look at my Hair" she announced proudly. She had cut her hair at various places in different lengths. We weren't pleased at all, and she was greatly disappointed at our reaction. At that point she was embarrassed and wore her hood all the way into the hair dressers. As you can tell from the pics they had to cut some length off to blend. It looks like a teenager haircut with all the layers and blending. I like it though. Lesson learned...Anna is still too young for even the safety scissors.

Before


After her hair cut


After the professional cut

Random Kate Fun

Kate has a lot of fun no matter what she is doing.

Packing peanuts disaster

Here is what happens when you open a big box of Christmas presents that is 3/4 full of peanuts, all the while forgetting how hard they are to clean up!

Pre christmas photos

Here are some photos from before Christmas. Some are from our trip to a local horse farm that decorates big time for Christmas. Others are from Anna and Ayden's (neighbors little boy) Reindeer cookie party.

Chipman Family Christmas

We had such a great time at Christmas this year. This was the first year we did not travel anywhere. It was different not seeing family and friends, but oh it was nice not packing and driving hundreds of miles. We cooked a huge meal Christmas Eve. That evening we went to our church's Christmas Eve service. We took our children bathed and in their p.j.s so all we had to do was put them in bed. They went to bed almost 2 hours late which meant they woke up early (5:15 a.m.) as well. Its weird how it works like that. We had a great time watching the kids play with all the toys. We especially enjoyed the naps we all had later. For Christmas this year we got a Wii from Mike's parents and we have really enjoyed it. I've played so much my hand hurts. It has been one of the best Christmases ever.

I love you and good news

Every night when we put the girls down to bed we tell them, "I Love You". This week Kate attempted to mimic the sounds back to us. Had she not immediately repeated the phrase we might not have known what she was saying. To her credit the inflection was correct even if the exact sounds were not. Yesterday, while Mike was laying in the floor, Kate crept up to him, gave him a kiss, and said in her little way " I love you" (though not that clear). It was so precious and out of the blue. How sweet.
On another happy note. Pulmicort, Kate's expensive asthma medicine, has now gone generic! Praise GOD! I told the lady at the pharmacy that was the best news ever,because that means we no longer have to pay a co-pay on it. What an answer to prayer. I was so glad it happened now instead of years from now. I think for most meds it 5 years or so before it can maybe go generic. What kind of great timing is that! Love ya'll. Merry Christmas, Emily

Say Cheese

Kate has started posing and smiling for the camera the last couple of weeks. She is such a ham. I hope she stays that way. I have a hard time getting a picture of Anna looking normal. She likes to stick her tongue out or make a weird face. Enjoy the grins!

The Jump Bunch

Anna attended a Physical Education class for eight weeks called Jump Bunch. It was only once a week, but as you can tell she thoroughly enjoyed herself. We have signed her up for the winter session coming up in January. At the end of the session. The students get a certificate, a bracelet and a Jump bunch temporary tatoo. Anna has been wearing hers for over a week. I haven't the heart to rub it off!

Some trick or treating pics....more to come.

Here are some pics from trick or treating at Annemarie Garden several weeks ago. The little boy in the bat costume is my friend Sarah's little boy, Ayden. He is one of Anna's little buddies.
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Kate Asleep at Church

When we went to pick up Kate in the nursery this is what we found.

Our Trip to the Specialist in Annapolis

Yesterday we went to the specialist in Annapolis. This was a branch office of the National Children's Hospital in D.C. It was great. We gave the Dr. a description of her 5 experiences with breathing illnesses. When I told her, Dr. Chaney, that she had RSV at 3 months old I noticed she made a face. After she wrote everything down I'd told her, she looked at her paper and then looked at us and said, "Kate has Asthma". Our pediatrician has been treating it as such but to hear a doctor confirm our suspicions was comforting. Its easier to accept something when you know what you are dealing with. After talking with her we feel better educated and comfortable with treating her. Maybe we can keep her out of the doctor's office and ER. They gave me a number I can call when I am having difficulties and they can help me determine if I need to take her to the Dr. or just administer treatment at home. Dr. Chaney gave us some more prescriptions for her current medications and an inhaler to use if we are away from home for the day and have an episode. One really relieving thing she told us is that as long as we keep an eye on the weather Kate can play outside without being hindered. Extreme cold, seasonal changes and hot muggy weather as well as colds could cause her to have an asthma attack. She told us that one of her meds can be used before she is exposed to such conditions as a preventive measure. So tonight before we go trick or treating I'll give her a treatment. One of her meds I can stop when she gets better and only use it as needed after that. The other low dose med I will be giving her 2 times a day for months maybe years. Dr. Chaney said that there was a good possibility that she will out grow this. We can hope and pray that is true. Her meds are extremely expensive, so we really hope she outgrows it sooner than later. We also all got flu shots yesterday. That is definitely not something Kate needs to get. We that is all I know for now.

Wow that was fast!

Today while the kids were napping I actually remembered to call and make an appointment with a specialist for Kate. Her pediatrician had given me a list of 7 different specialists about 9 days ago and I just now called. I called the first number on the list and due to a cancellation I have an appointment tomorrow 10/30 at 2pm with a Pulmunologist in Annapolis (only 1 1/2 hours away) Thanks for all the prayers. It was miraculous how easy it was. It was totally a God thing. We have a 9 am appointment with her pediatrician tomorrow too! Pray for patience in the waiting room!

Kate's Health Update

As many of you already know Kate had an asthmatic episode about 2 weeks ago where she was having difficulty breathing and spent the night at the hospital for observation. She has been on 2 breathing treatment meds since then. She has a follow up appointment on Thursday. I need to start calling to make an appointment for her with a specialist. Since this seems to be an on going issue for her I want to get as much information as I can. I'm thankful God gave her such a spunky personality, I think it will benefit her while dealing with this.

The Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday we went to T&A Farm's Pumpkin Patch in Dameron, MD. We had a great time together as a family.

The Maryland Zoo of Baltimore

We went to the Zoo on Oct. 1st. It was FREE that day! The girls were good and had a great time. We had a 2 vehicle caravan with moms and kids we know.

The Chipman Cartoon

Just something Mike made in his spare time.

Kate's First Year

This Past year has been a whirlwind. Its hard to believe my sweet baby Kate is one year old. She has developed quite a personality and loves to play with her sister. She likes to play with her baby doll as well as rummage through anything that is not tied down. The following are some pics highlighting how much she's grown over the year.