Happy Birthday Baby Camille!

Happy birthday sweet Camille.  It's hard to believe its been a year. I've pondered lately on what each of my girls have taught me about life.  I think Camille has taught me joy.  I can be uptight as a Mom sometimes.  I want things done my way- behavior, attitude, appearance.  The longer I am a Mommy the more I learn about what to let go and what is really important to me.  Of course I still expect a lot, but I've learned to breath a more and let life flow a little more.  Camille is full of love.  She smiles easily.  Laughs often.  She makes people happy when they pass her in the grocery store with her loud & energetic, "HI!"  She has taught me that sometimes the most important thing in the whole wide world is whatever she is doing.  No phone, no Facebook, no e-mail.  In the moment.  She is a JOY.

When Todd and I were considering having a fourth, we were all kinds of uncertain.  Originally we decided that maybe we'd only have 3, but I just couldn't shake the thought that maybe 4 would be better.  It's what we had always said we wanted...and it does make a nice even number.  I'm grateful that the Lord knew what He was doing when He placed Camille in our family.  She is a perfect blend of cute, fun, and happy.  We are blessed to have her in our family and celebrate her sweetness today!

PS I know I am missing several faces in the pictures below.  This is why *I* like taking the pictures- because no one sends me pictures of them.

Our first swim lesson...well, almost

I thought we met our quota on emergencies.  No?

Breaking news from last night: http://www.khou.com/news/local/9-people-overcome-by-fumes-at-swim-school-249651331.html

As posted by me on our neighborhood site when the news broke out:
To give a little more info- lessons were underway when all of the sudden half of the swimmers and instructors were sick (and panicked-which is understandable). The rest of the pool, then the entire building was ordered out. We weren't sure what was going on, but kids and instructors were throwing up and coughing like crazy. Staff passed out water and checked on everyone. The swimmers closest to the middle of the pool seemed to be the most effected. My little girl was on the side and her class all seemed fine. Several of the instructors and children went to the ER via ambulance- some just precautionary. It was a scary experience, but we are grateful to be fine so far. Thanks again to EMTs, fire fighters, & police officers for running into the danger when everyone runs out. Hats off to FINS for being ready in the face of emergency.

Our Sydnee, fun-loving 7 year old with a heart the size of Texas.

****
The full story: Sydnee had been 15 minutes into her first swim lesson when all of the sudden I could tell something was not right.  I watched as one of the instructors and a little girl came to the side of the pool panicked.  Soon after the little girl began throwing up, and I later saw the instructor receiving oxygen. There is a viewing room for the parents and within seconds everyone was out of the pool and the parents were all super confused as to what was going on.  We assumed that there had been some of sort of pool contaminate and they were going to have leave the pool.  Unfortunately, it was way more serious.  Somehow chlorine gas had burst out in a plume into the middle of the pool, although that's still a presumption.  The authorities- of which there have been loads- cannot figure out what exactly happened or how.  I will say this- because the weather was nice- they had opened one of the large wall openings (I'm not sure how else to describe it)- this act alone may have saved Sydnee and several others from getting the brunt of the chemical blast.  The pool, from the viewing room, is like a broken T or an upside down/backwards L.  Sydnee was on the side and the people most effected were in the middle.  Once all of the parents/children/instructors were out- ambulances began to arrive and access the situation.  As an adult this was serious stuff and at this point in the night we still were not sure what was going on.  Sydnee seemed fine.  EMTs asked her to breath deeply and let them know if there was any pain or if there was any tummy pain.  She was fine.  Scared, but fine.  They treated the most effected first.  Several of the worst were instructors- which should read high schoolers/college students.  Soon after the treatments began 4 were rushed to hospital.  We stayed and watched.  I wanted to make sure Sydnee was OK and she had a tag around her neck which put her in line to be treated (if needed).  Since she was non-emergency, she was one of the last to be seen.  The EMTs decided to admit everyone left to the hospital for tests.  Sydnee at no time showed any signs of exposure.  They said she would ride in the ambulance unaccompanied (meaning I couldn't go with her) and I could follow.  I decided to decline.  I felt like riding in an ambulance without me, when she was by all appearances fine, would be more traumatic than necessary.  So I signed the papers, they told me what to watch for, and we left.  By the time we left, the only people remaining were searching for the clues as to why this had happened.  Fire trucks, police cars, and soon HazMat authorities lined the streets.  We got home and cried a little, then watched a movie and ate ice cream- our solution to a rough night.

Isn't it a scary world we live in sometimes?

I have to give props to the FINS team.  They were very concerned about their own instructors, but they were also attentive to the parents and children involved.  It was emergency that they never saw coming, nothing they planned or trained for- but they were ready.  I have to also express a prayer for the emergency personnel.  I know I said it before but it takes a lot of guts to walk into a situation, unknown, ready and willing to help whomever needs you.  They are heroes to me.

I should mention one more little hero.  At one time Sydnee looked at my with wet eyes and said, "Mommy, I'm scared."  I told her that she was going to be fine, that the danger was over, and that good people were here to help.  Then I leaned in closer to her and said, "The best thing you can do right now is pray.  It will make you feel better."  And she did.  In the middle of chaos, my sweet little girl bowed her head, closed her eyes, and said a little prayer.  No one saw her but me, but it is an imagine in my head that I hope stays forever.  

When life is crazy, when the unexpected happens, when there is known or unknown danger/ fears, when people are hurting or when we just don't know what else to do- we pray.  Sometimes its all we can do. Later that night we prayed as a family.  We expressed our gratitude that our little one was safe.  We expressed thanks for those that stepped up to help.  We pray for FINS, their instructors, their staff, and owners.  We pray for those that were admitted, and we will keep praying for their recovery.  I'm not sure what next week's swim lessons will be like- it will require bravery from everyone involved to step back into the water.  It was a night to remember and a sweet reminder that when life gets scary, we know where to turn.  What a blessing.

Guilt is a good motivator

One of my favorite family members told me she checked up on my blog recently.  She didn't have a lot of reading material because this blog has not been my priority!  Since I've sent out valentines and put this blog address on the card, I thought I might should update y'all.  But please note the last line: "Infrequent updates occasionally available on our blog."  Keep your expectations low, OK people?

Most people give their yearly updates in December with their Christmas cards.  We didn't do Christmas cards because something happened at our photo session and the pictures- for the most part- were not usable.  We were not able to reschedule, so I vowed to send Valentines- and I did!  I sent them on Feb 14th. :)  Better late than never, people.  The only pictures that were salvaged are on the Valentine above...except the one of Camille.  I took that with my very sophisticated iPhone. :)

So! To give my sweet family & friends: an update, here is my 3rd blog post since Lucy's birthday last year. You're welcome!

January: This month was too far away for me to be expected to remember anything.  Let's just move on...I'm sure I did something, but if I can't remember- what makes me think you'll care?

February: This was one of the busiest months of my life, well, it seemed that way at least.  To honor one of my sweet friend's little boys- I created a team for the Color Fun Run 5k.  It was a memorable experience and I was grateful to be one of Atticus' Angels...even though I was GREAT with child and I waddled instead of ran.

Some of our team after the race.

My shoes and my swollen ankles

Ava turned 8 and it was her year to do a friend party, so we went all out.  I did a lot of the early prep work, but then my darling sister Leah & my beautiful niece Samantha came to run the show.  It was a tea party, and every tiny aspect was just lovely.  I hope it created some nice memories for Ava and that she could tell how much we love her through all this effort.

Seriously the best cake I've ever made. My Mom and I kept licking the frosting off of the bowl, spoon, other people's plates...OK, not really the last one, but it was tempting.

This is the night before Ava's party.  As you can see, Lucy's Tinkerbell banner is still up. Birthdays 2 days apart, what do you expect?

I love the tiny details of a party, they make me happy.

All our tea party attendants.

What would a tea party be without the Mad Hatter?  I hope Ava knows how cool her Daddy really is!

By this point I am VERY pregnant and once we celebrated Lucy's & Ava's birthday, we anticipated the arrival of Camille.  All of the girls had come early, Ava 10 days early, Sydnee 1 day early, & Lucy even came 12 days early- and naturally we thought our last little angel might as well.  We were wrong.

March: Leah came and stayed with me the first week of March.  We wanted to make sure that if I went into labor in the middle of the night, someone would be there with the other girls.  It was fun hanging out, but that's all that happened.  I was induced on 3-13-13.  Love the date.  And Camille Ruby was born.  It was a very easy labor- for the most part.  The epidural worked!  Hallelujah!  I pushed only once.  The sweet little girl became our 4th little lady and we have loved her every minute!

Who can resist those almond-shaped eyes?!!?

April: Heather came and helped me out when Camille was 6 weeks old. She was going through a growth-spurt and I was grateful to have someone else there to try to figure out what this baby wanted.  We got through it, though, and she has been a really easy baby since then.

Also in April, the Kennedys all took on a Healthy Living Challenge.  We all contributed money and the person with the most points at the end of it would get the cash.  Here were the rules:
1. 30 minutes of exercise a day
2. 8 ounces of water 8 times a day
3. 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day
4. Daily scripture study
5. Limit of one sweet or coke.
6. Personal pray twice daily.
7. BONUS points- no sweets/cokes
8. BONUS point- one hour of exercise
9. Weekly point- if you ate fish 3 times a week
10. Weekly point- Red meat eaten only 3 times or less.
11. A personal daily goal point.  Mine was to hug each of my girls every day, which was harder than I thought it would be.  Todd's was to play the piano.

It was really hard finding time to exercise...OK I had the "time".  What I mean to say is that it was really hard to find the motivation and energy when my baby was only tiny.  I really didn't do a lot of exercising until the summer months.  The other parts of the challenge were not as difficult. Just so I don't have to keep you in suspense- Jacob won, only missing a few points for the entire time we did the challenge.  Impressive.  Not far behind were Dad & Anne.  Todd and I have remarked how we need to do this again, it was a great motivation to take care of ourselves.

The biggest high light of April was Ava was baptized.  Normally for kids growing up in the LDS church, you are baptized when you turn 8, but since I was so very pregnant, we asked her to wait a couple of months.  We enjoyed the company of many family and friends for her big day.  It was a very special event for a very special little girl.

Todd also turned 36, which means he is OLD.  OK not really.  I just like to say that.

May:
Because everyone needs more to do when you have an infant in the house and 3 other little girls under the age of 8, in May we decided to redecorate the play room.  It was a yucky chocolate brown color and although I love eating chocolate- it didn't work for this play room.  So we spent a weekend tearing down the ugly border and changing the brown to a sun-shiny yellow.  I pretty much love it.

Here's the little nook area, I did the valence myself.  Never under estimate a woman with a staple gun!

June:

When the summer was approaching I wanted to put the girls in some summer camps- but they are so expensive!  So I decided to create my own camps.  No, really, I did.  I know I'm crazy, we've established that a long time ago! I invited friends and neighbors- and people came!  In droves! I filled 24 spots for 3 weeks.  It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work!  To check out the pictures from there, go to my blog: www.stampwithlinz.blogspot.com

The Craft Camp welcoming committee

July:

We had our annual Kennedy 4th of July get-together at our favorite ranch house in central Texas.  We hung out together for 3 days and had a wonderful time.  I love my family & their families!

Samantha, my niece, & Camille- aren't they cute?

My sisters and I at the Belton parade

Landry & the Edens were back from Australia! It was soo good to see them!

Our 4 little ladies

Miss Sydnee

August: With school fast approaching, we decided to take a little vacation and go see family & friends in San Antonio.  While we were there we also went to Sea World and the Alamo.  It was a wonderful vacation and we enjoyed seeing  "Uncle" Bill & "Aunt" Nancy (who are really my cousins but since my Mom was an only child I always thought they were my aunt/uncle.)  My kids adore these people. Me too.

We also got to hang out with the Moores, whom we have vacationed with every other year since our kids were little.  We love San Antonio- but we really love the people that live there!

Also at the end of August Todd and I decided to punish ourselves by entering a team fitness challenge: 500 meter swim, maximum push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups in 2 minutes, and a mile and a half run.  Did I mention I hate running?  And swimming?  And well, exercising without a soccer ball or a Frisbee or something? As part of the challenge, we were timed and had to get all of our events done in an hour.  We competed.  We survived...and I think that's pretty good.  I was pretty confident I was going to drown, but here I am breathing and stuff- so win/win.  Am I right?  Todd and I had great teams, but let's be clear- I'm thinking it was a one-time deal for me, man.  I'll stick to the soccer field.

September- School in session! Ava is in 3rd, Sydnee in 2nd, and Lucy is doing a Mommy Preschool until next year. We love our school and are blessed  Preschool has been a lot of fun too.  Just like my other girls, Lucy is the only girl.  I've decided that this is the Lord's way of letting me get to know little boys.  They sure are fun!

Ava & Sydnee also started soccer.  I coached Ava's team "Green Lightning" and assisted Sydnee's team the "Texans."  It was a lot of fun.

October- This month I participated in a craft show at Frank Elementary.  I didn't sell much but I did get a big head start on my own Christmas crafting...in other words I gave out what I didn't sell.  It was a win/win!

The cast of the Little Mermaid: Ariel, her sisters, King Triton, the Chef, and Sebastian. :)  We think we're pretty awesome.

And as usual, we dressed up as a theme.  Naturally in this picture Ariel is not cooperating.  Figures.

Our biggest news for this month was that Todd got a big promotion and is now the Production Control Manager for Cameron.  He loves his job.  It has been one of our greatest blessings.  We are so grateful.

November- we hosted Thanksgiving this year.  Todd's parents' house is under construction and it makes sense to have it at our house.  We love to host, we have the most kids, and half of the families live in Houston.  Here I am in my great grandmother's apron.  It was something that my Mom had but didn't want anymore.  Unfortunately it ripped right down the middle after I took this picture, but I enjoyed channeling my inner-Ruby. :)

December- Santa came to our house, which is nice.  Then we headed over to College Station for the Kennedy Christmas.

Always a good time!  New Years with the Blackhursts and fun games into the night- a great way to ring in the New Year.

Uncle Brett came home from Afghanistan, which was a huge blessing.  We love Uncle Brett!

I guess I should mention I turned 35 here.  Getting older has never bothered me, maybe I'm weird or maybe I've been to too many funerals.  I think each year is a blessing and I'm just grateful to be here. :) Stay young my people.

OK how's that for an update?  I'm sure there were other things that I've missed.  Probably deep and profound lessons and blessings...but hey- this is what you're getting.  Remember its been a year and I've only posted 3 times.  Let's just consider you updated and call it good.  OK?

Love to you my favorite people!

Numb

I've been thinking about what I would say to you all today.  I've come up with a lot of titles, but I think this one fits best.  Its kinda how I've felt yesterday and today.

The first emergency that I've ever dealt with in my life was with Jacob when we were little.  As you may/may not know, his lip ripped off partially when we were very small & it was a bloody mess.  He still has a scar.  Anyhow- I still have pieces of that day/night in my memory.  I can tell you what I was doing before the accident, and some of the details during.  I remember really being disappointed that Mom wouldn't let me go to the hospital.  Jacob and I spent our lives side-by-side and it felt a bit treasonous to not be with him when he was going through something traumatic.  Or maybe I just wanted to see what a hospital was like- who knows.  Mom said that during the drama, I was completely calm.  I got towels and brought them to her, and that despite the blood and mess- I remained.  The part of the story that is a little fuzzy and that I can only piece together from recounts of the story is when I saw Jacob with stitches.  He looked scary to me.  And I told him.

Yesterday was a crazy day at the Blackhurst house...which should read: A normal day at the Blackhurst house.  The girls were busy finishing chores, practicing piano, doing home work, and snack.  I made popcorn. It was a nice day out and Lucy wanted to go outside. At one time Sydnee shut the door on Lucy's big fingers- but it wasn't bad- it just hurt a bit and they went on their way.  No ice, just an "OUCH" moment. I think that was God throwing the pebble before He threw the brick. Not long after, though, Ava and Lucy were going outside and Ava shut the back door.  Slamming it, really, because it is hard to close.  And {cringe}Lucy was holding on to the close- where the hinges are located.  I think she was fast enough to get everything but the tip of her pinky finger out of the way.  I'll skip the details here and tell you that I knew she needed medical help that I could not give her.  I tended to her as best as I could, then 0loaded everyone immediately into the van.  Grabbed the diaper bag and we headed to the pediatrician's.  I had Ava call Todd, but she was so upset he couldn't understand her- so she handed the phone to me as we were backing out.  I told him to call our doctor and tell them we were coming.  He called back and said they can't see her, they were closing.

This is where the first story comes in.  Ingrained in my brain, and I've said it out loud many times- I am good in an emergency.  I am clear headed.  I don't faint, I can run.  I can take care of the wounded.  Its inside me.  I can do this.  Yesterday was a little different, though. My plan of attack hadn't worked and I wasn't sure what to do then.  I sent an SOS to my nurse friends- was I over-reacting?  Todd and I decided to meet in the parking lot of the urgent care place.  Luckily he arrived soon after I pulled up.  Let me interject that my van is full of a bunch of calm little girls.  Lucy is hurting, but not crying.  She is collected.  She knows this is an emergency, and somewhere written in her genetic make-up, she knows to stay calm, and she is.  Todd looks at the finger and determines we need to go in.  He wants it to be x-rayed. The voice of reason. Blessed, blessed man.  Oh how grateful I am for him.

We went in with our game faces on.  Todd filled out the paperwork.  Ava and Sydnee cared for Camille.  I held on to Lucy, her ice pack, and blood-stained towel.  The staff was extremely kind and professional, and I am grateful.  REALLY grateful.  I was experiencing so many emotions but forcing them down so I could be focused on Lucy.  They did x-rays and determined the tip was broken and that {warning: squeamish look away!}finger nail would have to come off.  That's all I'm going to tell you because the rest is playing in my head like a broken record and I'll spare you the nightmares.  If you really want to know the gory part- then text me.  I took Lucy for the x-rays but Todd would need to do the rest.  We learned when Ava got stitches and when Lucy was admitted into the hospital as a baby that I cannot handle seeing my girls in pain.  So we switched.  Have I mentioned Sydnee is my new favorite for not doing this to me?  (Knocking on wood.)

In the waiting room Ava and Sydnee were angels.  Just sitting there.  Saying their silent prayers and watching the Disney channel.  I held Camille and we walked around.  Pacing the floors. I heard Lucy crying in the background, but only for a little bit.  Todd said that she was incredibly brave and that she tried really hard not to cry.  After what seemed like forever- they come walking in. Todd said that the cast is a bit of an over-kill but that the doctors know what a 3-year old is like and wanted to take precaution.  Lucy calls her cast a "pillow" for her broken finger.  Once we were all united, Lucy said she wanted to go to "Uncle Donald's" (McDonalds...somehow she has linked Scrooge Duck, uncle of the triplet cartoon ducks Hughie, Dewey, and Lewy to McDonalds. PS Todd and I loathe McDonalds.  Insert sacrificing parent moment for the children whom have been through a lot).  I like Todd take the big girls and I came home to put Camille to bed...and to have my cry.

This is what I learned:

1. I should always have my diaper bag packed and ready for an emergency.  Blessedly, I had snacks, baby food, a spoon, and even a bib!  All things for the girls to feel comfortable in a messy situation.  I also had my wallet, which had my insurance information.  I need to remember the importance of being prepared, and I'm grateful that somehow this time, I was.
2. I can still do emergencies, but I'm still not ready for the stitches.  I haven't seen the finger since it has been bandaged.  I will eventually, of course, and I'll be fine- but I will have to fight my emotions.
3. I had an impression yesterday that I listened to- and I'm grateful.  It was simple, really.  The thought was- that I didn't need to work on the computer during Camille's nap time, that my time should be with Lucy.  Now, I am a bit of a paranoid- so I worried about why I had that impression. :)  BUT!  After the trauma of last night, I'm grateful that we had little pleasant moments together before the chaos.  I'm also grateful that I don't have to endure the guilt I would have felt if I ignored it.
4. It's just a tiny tip of the finger, but its somehow attached to my heart.  Lucy will have to see a hand specialist to make sure it heals properly.  Its possible that the trauma will have damaged her growth plate and she might never grow a fingernail back.  It's also possible that it will be damaged and grow back deformed.  And of course, its possible that it will all be fine and dandy and a story to share at her wedding.
5. Although my focus will be on Lucy, I will need to care for Ava as well.  The wounds on Lucy's finger may heal perfectly within a couple of months, but if I'm not careful- Ava could carry this burden of guilt for a lifetime.  I am hopeful that there is no permanent damage so that Ava does not have to have a constant reminder of an innocent mistake.
6. Lastly, that I love my family.  I would do anything for them.  Hopefully, I won't need this reminder again any time soon.

xoxo,

Lindsey

Note to self:

Dear Lindsey,
In your spare time, could you create a new blog header?  Lucy is 3 and Camille isn't even in the picture. Seriously, lady.
Thanks,
Self