Bruises, Allergies, Flowers, oh my!

Look... I'm back. Two days in a row. Okay, yesterday didn't REALLY count. One paragraph isn't really a descent post, but at least it let you know that I was still alive.

Lately, however, I have been having problems with bruising. I have no idea where the bruises are coming from, but they just show up. I'm at the point where I find a new bruise almost every day. I have them on my arms. I have them on my legs. Anyone that didn't know me would think I was being abused. And I'm afraid that as the weather gets warmer and shorts come out I will get more looks. Think I'm exaggerating?

This my left arm with all the bruises that are fading...finally.

And then there is my right arm...

Then there is my left leg. This is the inside of my leg.
The outside has bruises as well, however they are fading.

This is my right leg. At least it is just one bruise.

And finally there is my upper left arm.
I know where this one is from, but let me just say that it shouldn't have caused all this bruising.

So yeah...I'm having a great time. Not knowing what is going on. My body is revolting...I think. Or something like that. I'm just hoping that it goes away. Soon. Either that or I may be wearing pants all summer.
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In other news, Cassie had allergy testing done on Monday. She has very sporadic allergies that include sneezing, itchy eyes and skin, runny nose, and lots of complaining. She had a total of 21 scratches done. 10 scratches in 2 batches and then one separate one.

She didn't enjoy the scratches...they don't feel the best to have done, but she took it in stride shedding only a few tears. Then when the itching started she became a little more irritated. The hardest part about allergy testing is the fact that you can NOT itch what-so-ever. This is enough to drive a person insane. I kept her sane for the time being by letting her play on my phone and showing her pictures of her back as the process went on.

This picture is a little bit after they started the 15 minute test period.
You can see that under the B section there are some reacting already.

This is towards the end of the 15 minutes. Just a couple more minutes to go.
You can easily see that there are some reactions. Some of the smaller reactions are hard to see though.

The largest reactions were from dust mites (bottom welt) and dust (above dust mites). Other reactions were for grass and mold. The smallest reactions, however, enough for them to write down...cats and gerbils.

Yes...my daughter is allergic to her pets. Fortunately, I have OCD and vacuum a lot so she isn't affected. Yeah for OCD!!

So now we are going through a cleaning process and getting hypoallergenic covers for her mattress and pillow. I also am drying all her stuffed animals (which harbor lots of dust mites) for an hour on high heat to kill the mites. It is keeping me busy but hopefully these things along with her allergy pills will keep her from going insane.
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At this moment I have more live flowers in my house then I've ever had at one time. Becky bought me some daisies last week because she is the best friend ever. They are bright and cheerful and I've now split the flowers between in the kitchen and bathroom to spread the beauty.

Colorful flowers from Becky...THANK YOU BECKY!!

Then, this weekend, Andy and I went out to a friend's bar and my friend bought me a rose. I am loving being able to see flowers throughout the day and I'm thinking that maybe I need to buy flowers every so often to cheer up my home.

Pretty rose from Bill.

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Lastly, a picture of the cutest little boy I know...

I did a little photo shoot with Brady today while he was with me. I think this is my favorite picture of him alone that I took today. I also got some pictures of him with Kalli. (Becky-I'm working on getting them all on disk for you. :)

The sweet prince. He is changing so much lately.
Look at him holding that head up like a champ. And those beautiful blue eyes. And that dimple that shows up when he smiles.

Yes...I am in love with Becky's little boy!

I'm still alive and sane...kinda

Today was my first day watching both my niece, Kaitlynn, and my nephew, Brady. At the same time. By myself. In case you don't get my point....I was outnumbered. By a 14 month old and a 2 month old. Gulp.

Kaitlynn hugging Brady.....again.

Things actually went quite well. No one was hurt and I stayed sane.

Brady sleeping in the front carrier thingy.

Brady had a little bit of a cranky period, but I put him in the front carrier that I have and walked with him doing a few things I needed to do....like feed Kaitlynn. He was out in no time at all and woke up happier and ready to go. I did take some pictures and a few videos...some of which I will share.

Tomorrow is another day with the two of them and I'm actually looking forward to it. Soon I'll have this all down and we'll have some sort of a little schedule. At least that is my hope.

Kaitlynn with Brady.... Sooooo cute!

One of the things that I did today as well was questioned the little mr Brady. He is such a little peanut.

First interview with Brady

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Cassie and Kalli excited at the PAC at intermission time.

NOTE: After putting this picture of the girls on I was looking at it and it blew my mind at how different they look. Kalli is blond with very fair skin while Cassie has brown hair and is very tan compared to Kalli. How is it kids can look so different, but come from the same parents. I just find it amazing/interesting.

Yesterday my mom and I took the girls to see the musical 'Cats' at the P.A.C. The girls had an absolute blast, Cassie said that the performance was better then the movie or any of the videos that I had showed her online, and my mom was thrilled beyond belief to get out of the house.

My mom is only a little over a week past her surgery and didn't think that she would be able to go to the musical. I, however, was determined. Saturday we did a trial run and took her out to just a couple stores. She was tired by the time we got home after the transferring in and out of the car and such, but was happy to be out of the house and breathe fresh air. She actually said she didn't mind the cold air because....she was out of the house!

I'm proud of my mom and all that she has been able to do in the past week. She still isn't as independent as she would like to be, but she is an overachiever. (love you mom!) I do think that she is learning how determined I am as well. When I said that I'd figure out a way to get her places, I meant it. And I succeeded. So a pat on my back, and one on my mom's as well for everything she has done and for trusting me....kinda. :)
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And lastly, I'll leave you with this....about a week ago or so, I was doing some wedding things with my almost sister-in-law, Kelli. I saw this sign and asked her actually asked her to turn around so I could take a picture.

Huh...interesting....

Yeah...it's a special called "if you love her lube her". Wow....that is all I have to say....Wow.