The Akins

Callie's First Day Of School

2011-08-20T20:52:00.000-04:00

My mom had to get Callie ready and take her to her first day of pre-school because I had to work. She is going to Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School and so far we have been very pleased and impressed with what she is learning. She loves school! She only goes until 1:00 so then she spends the rest of the day running around Grandma's office and getting into the church business. Please bear with these pictures, I don't know if the problem was my mom or the camera.I let her pick out her back pack. It says something in Spanish.Callie and Payton were excited to already know each other on their first day.And Callie knows Nate. He is in PreK4. She's so cool, she already knows an upperclassman.

Cade's First Day Of Kindergarten

2011-08-19T20:40:00.001-04:00

After spending the summer with Cade, I was so ready to send him back to school. I was not one of those teary first day of school moms. I think we had that moment when he started when he was three. Cade functions so well in a very structured environment that I just get excited for him. And it doesn't hurt that he absolutely loves it. He had his breakfast of champions... waffles. He eats another breakfast when he gets to school so they are just his snack.Callie loves to help.Proud sister
Transportation the first day always seems to be an issue for Cade. I went to pick him up and they had already put him on a bus to The Morgan Center (where he used to go.) He rode the bus for an hour and came back to school. He didn't mind a bit. It is very frustrating that he can't talk. His first week was eventful and I got a call from school about once a day from his teacher or his nurse. Along with pulling out the feeding tube multiple times, he flushed his hearing aid down the toilet the third day of school. He wanted to break in his new teachers right off the bat.

Shower For Princess Azlynn

2011-08-05T20:36:00.000-04:00

Callie loves to help open gifts and Aunt Meghan was so sweet to allow her to help. We can't wait to meet this beautiful little girl!

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-30T20:27:00.001-04:00

So far, Callie has been very frustrating to teach to swim. I taught swim lessons for 5 years so I thought I would just teach her. Yeah right. She was content to just swim in the baby pool. She is one of those clingy kids that I used to hate to try to teach. So I signed her up for swim lessons with Tyler's girlfriend Sunnye and her buddy Payton. My plan was that she would want to impress both of them but the fear of the water continues. She swims like a fish where she knows she can stand.

Headed Home

2011-07-12T20:19:00.001-04:00

Thank you Charlin for being from such a cool place and thank you California cousins for showing us such a great time. We will definitely be going back.

The Reception

2011-07-12T20:13:00.001-04:00

Shane with Nick, Chris and Anthony.

Brian and Angie's Wedding

2011-07-12T20:05:00.001-04:00

The site of the wedding was at University of California Santa Cruz and it reminded me of something straight out of The Bachelor. The view was absolutely beautiful!Callie wanted to take our pic.

Sunbathing

2011-07-12T19:57:00.000-04:00

Some locals at East Cliff Beach showed us a much warmer place for us to play in the sand and sun bathe.

Sports Illustrated Model

2011-07-12T19:54:00.000-04:00

East Cliff Beach

2011-07-12T19:49:00.000-04:00

When we first got to the beach, it was so cold and windy, we couldn't even take out jackets off.

Hanging Out At The Bungalow

2011-07-11T19:44:00.000-04:00

Monterrey Bay Aquarium

2011-07-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

Capitola, CA

2011-07-11T12:19:00.000-04:00

One of the very best things about traveling with our kiddos grandparents is we had babysitters every night! We got to have way too much fun with Shane's cousins Chris, Anthony and Nick and their friends.

The Boardwalk

2011-07-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

The Boardwalk was so cool. There were rides and shops and, of course, the beach. The kids loved it.Pawpaw lost Callie's pink Toms in the ocean and she will never let him forget it.

The Beach

2011-07-10T11:59:00.001-04:00

The water was so cold and got deep quickly. It was all we could do to keep Cade from drowning. Sorry I'm so loud in this video!

Roaring Camp

2011-07-10T11:43:00.000-04:00

We went to Roaring Camp and rode a steam engine up into the mountains to see the Redwood trees. Then we had a picnic.

Santa Cruz, California

2011-07-10T11:33:00.000-04:00

Charlin grew up in Santa Cruz, CA and still has family there. We decided her cousin Brian's wedding was the perfect excuse for a trip out there. Banks and Charlin rented us a little bungalow within walking distance of the cliffs and beach. I was not expecting it to be so chilly in California in the middle of July!

Traveling to California!

2011-07-10T11:28:00.000-04:00

Our first family plane ride was pretty uneventful. I won't call it easy but it went smoother than I thought. I made Cade wear this wrap because I wasn't going to deal with losing the feeding tube.

6th Anniversary

2011-07-09T11:50:00.002-04:00

Shane and I celebrated our 6th anniversary by going out to dinner followed by mani/pedis. Shane pretended like he was forced when we walked in but he was all about it when I suggested it. This was not his first time to the nail salon. Then we went shopping and to the horse races with some friends.

This girls face makes me laugh everytime I see this pic.

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T11:26:00.000-04:00

The fourth was very uneventful for us. We just hung out at home and went to the neighborhood pool. We were so disappointed when the town fireworks were cancelled because of the drought. :(

Posing

2011-07-04T11:19:00.000-04:00

The kids love the timer feature on my camera and they couldn't get enough of it. Of course I take advantage of their posing.

Feeding Tube Envy

2011-06-30T11:13:00.001-04:00

How many kids pretend to have feeding tubes? Unfortunately, these two girls have witnessed more than most kids their age!

The Big Party

2011-06-29T23:07:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night there was a big reception and dance. Happy 50th Grandma and Grandpa!Callie whipped out all her dance moves.Even Cassie and Mark came!
And fun was had by all!

Celebrating Ron and Judy

2011-06-29T18:53:00.000-04:00

The anniversary festivities began with a family dinner on Friday night. We watched an amazing slide show that my Aunt Jenny put together. She interviewed each of the seven kids. Each kid talked about their favorite child hood memories. After their interview, pictures were shown of their own family from their marriage to present. There was an in memory section and then a slide show with random pictures from each decade- 60's- present. It was a tear jerker. Then we celebrated a little too much at the painted pony. Here is my grandparents with 19 of their 20 grandchildren.This is the farm my mom grew up on. My Uncle Dave and Aunt Robin live there now.Judy and Ron 50 years ago.And then they had a kid every year. And one year, they had twins. My Aunt Jenny is missing in this pic.

Family Photos

2011-06-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

This is the Girres family. My mom is the oldest of 7 children. There are 20 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. It's one of those big, Catholic, Iowa farming families. I have always loved being part of such a big and loving family and get togethers are always a blast. Travis was deployed and Shane had to work so they were photo shopped in.

The Villager

2011-06-29T18:31:00.000-04:00

The Villager is one of my favorite places in West Bend. It's a pharmacy, gift shop but most importantly, an old fashioned soda fountain. The kids like it too! That's my grandpa Dutch in the background. You can have coffee with him every morning at the Villager.

Living Vine Bed and Breakfast

2011-06-29T18:18:00.000-04:00

We stayed at the local B&B while we were in West Bend so our family could all stay together. It is a cute old house, decorated with antiques. They probably don't allow children there anymore after our kids stayed there a few days... They love spending time together!

Skeet Shoot At The Helleseth Farm

2011-06-28T17:16:00.001-04:00

Our second trip to Iowa in June was for my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. We got to see most of our aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom's side.Aunt Jenny was loving on Allie.Travis was deployed but we picked up Robyn and Bryson in Kansas.Callie loved playing with Keaton and Aiden's guns. Then the girls decided to hunt the ducks.Cade was chasing them signing duck.Cade liked the chicken coop... Yuck!Emily, Mason, Callie and they finally got to meet their cousin Brooklyn Dad and Uncle Joe.The kids had fun on the Razor.Grandma Judy, Amy and AllieBrooklyn and Bryson are almost the same age. We aren't used to cold nights in June! The weather was beautiful.

Happy Father's Day to Grandpa!

2011-06-19T12:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to PawPaw Banks and Papa Bob

2011-06-19T12:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

2011-06-19T12:29:00.001-04:00

Cassie and Mark helped me get the kids these cute Harley T-shirts. Shane loved them.

Chino with Chino

2011-06-15T23:02:00.000-04:00

Stockdale Watermelon Jubilee

2011-06-15T22:55:00.001-04:00

MeeMaw hooked the kids up with some adorable outfits for the parade.Callie rode in Sylvia's car. Cade rode with the city manager... AKA pawpaw.

Cade likes pretty ladies

New House!

2011-06-07T22:49:00.000-04:00

Cade was excited when we signed the papers for our new house. He finally has his own room!

This is actually Cade's bedspread on Callie's bed in Callie's room. We got this all straight eventually. His room was being painted.

I will post more pics of the inside of house when I finally get it the way I want it. It may be awhile...

Halfway Home

2011-06-05T19:35:00.001-04:00

Travis and Robyn's house in Kansas is almost exactly half way between Iowa and Texas. We were so ready to stop for a nice meal and good nights sleep. And of course to see B :) Callie and Bryson did a little house work for Travis. Cade was glad to stretch his legs.Cade loves Trav. Probably because he's so much like Grandpa. B wanted to come back to Texas with us.

Time To Party

2011-06-04T19:03:00.000-04:00

These girls hogged the dance floor for about an hour.

Got to see some of my Girres cousins too!My cousin Adam and Andrea got married the next weekend in Minnesota and I am so bummed I missed it. Congrats ya'll! Probably the next wedding... We had to lead the chicken danceI sure have missed Brooke.Mark's BFF Josh was lots of funLove these girls!I wanted to show everyone what a great time Tyler was having..And here my mom is telling us no more drinking or shots or something like that... I can't remember.... Sorry for partying!We had such a great time celebrating the beginning of a wonderful life for two wonderful people. Love you Cassie and Mark!

Mark and Cassie Radtke

2011-06-04T18:18:00.000-04:00

Cassie was a gorgeous bride and I was honored to be her Matron of Honor. Callie was loving every minute when all eyes were on her and Em.

I just love this pic of Grandpa Dutch!

Isn't she beautiful? Mark is one lucky guy!

Getting Pretty

2011-06-04T18:05:00.000-04:00

Callie loves all things girly so this flower girl thing was right up her ally.

Em loved it too

The gorgeous bride and her mama (Aunt Joanne)Like mother, like daughter

Pretty pretty princess is ripping out her tiara. That cute hair didn't last too long.

Me and my cousin Brooke

Rehearsal and Dinner

2011-06-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

Uncle Ty Ty loves helping out with the kids.

The kids quickly charmed my cousins out of their cameras.

Callie loved her gifts from Mark and Cassie. She got a cute little Vera Bradley purse.

Thanks Mark!

My cousins Katlyn and Kelsey with their mama (Aunt Michelle)

I am officially the albino cousin

Dutch was having a great time with us.

Bridal Luncheon

2011-06-03T17:59:00.000-04:00

We had a nice lunch break while we were getting ready for the big day.

We Finally Made It!

2011-06-02T17:55:00.000-04:00

After a very long car ride, we made it to my aunt Joanne's and got to celebrate with this happy couple. Cade and Callie were glad to be out of the car.

Tyler with our cousin Caleb (Cassie's brother)

Someone doesn't want her picture taken

Cassie with her flower girls

Road Warriors

2011-06-01T16:34:00.000-04:00

The month of June held several long road trips for us. We drove to Iowa and back twice in a span of about 3 weeks and each trip takes an average of 18 hours. We drove through the night on our first trip for Cassie's wedding with my parents and Tyler. The kids, for the most part, did very well. Callie needed Cheetos at every stop and had a few bouts of vomiting (she gets car sick.) Cade did well as long as he could get out and move around frequently. The TV was a Godsend. They let Tyler drive but not me. I really don't understand that because more than once I caught him texting and driving...

Baseball Banquet

2011-05-31T16:03:00.000-04:00

The Angels celebrated their year with a big banquet.These sweet boys helped with the Angels all season and made them each pennants.I think he was Shane's favorite Angel...And Callie came for the cake.
There was a DVD presentation and it was the cutest thing with pictures and videos from the season. We had a great year!

Sidewalk Chalk

2011-05-25T16:02:00.001-04:00

Last Game Of The Season

2011-05-25T15:13:00.002-04:00

Cade had fun playing with the Angels this year!

Playing With The Neighbors

2011-05-10T14:17:00.000-04:00

AKA cousins. My sister is living with my parents until their move to Colorado at the end of June. We love having them right next door!

Callie loves to care for Allie and always tries to get us to leave her in her care.

MRI / EEG / CT Scan

2011-05-08T00:30:00.001-04:00

WARNING: tons of boring medical info in this post.
Cade's developmental pediatrician wanted Cade to have an EEG (electroencephalogram-measures electrical activity of the brain) because of Cades history of 2 grand mal seizures. She wanted to make sure Cade wasn't having little seizures daily that would effect his development. She also wanted an MRI to look at his brain structure. He has an MRI in the NICU but none recently.
Cade also had a dentist appointment and x-rays revealed that he is growing malformed, pre-cavity clumps of teeth that are erupting bilaterally on his lower jaw where his six year molars should be. He determined that Cade should see an oral surgeon and these teeth should be surgically removed. We saw an oral surgeon and another pedi dentist. Cade of course was uncooperative for the x-ray they needed. So they ordered a CT scan to get a good look at Cade's teeth. We were already signed up for the MRI and EEG with sedation so they just tacked that one on. So here we were, NPO again for another long day of studies.Cade loves to get sympathy for his owies so he was milking this IV (that took 3 sticks) for all it was worth. Typically when Cade has sedation for procedures, they will use Michael Jackson's drug of choice, Propofol. However, Propofol happens to be an anti-seizure drug so that would make the EEG invalid. So the anesthesiologist used a different drug Cade has never had before, Precedex. During Cade's procedures, his heart went into a scary arrythmia called prolonged QT syndrome. So a stat 12 lead EKG was ordered to look into this arrythmia. The results were immediately faxed to Cade's cardiologist and Shane took Cade the next day to see the Cardiologist. His EKG in the office was normal. He thinks Cade has something called medication induced prolonged QT syndrome and gave us a list of meds to avoid. On the list is Benadryl and all of Cade's asthma medicine. Can this kid get any more complicated??? He had a very rough time and took two hours to wake up from anesthesia. He couldn't even walk to the car :( We have follow up appointments for all of these results and I will get back to you on that.

Happy Mother's Day To MeeMaw

2011-05-07T00:20:00.000-04:00

We had a great lunch at Sylvias

I think my kids are pretty lucky to celebrate all of these mamas on mother's day, even their GG and granny.Someone looks like her granny...

Happy Mother's Day To Grandma!

2011-05-07T00:15:00.000-04:00

Callie loves to help cook so she jumped right in to help with brunch.

Her favorite kid is the one on the left...

Grandma is pretty proud of these grandkids. Missing a couple here though...Balloons from the kids that they assumed were theirs

Mother's Day

2011-05-06T00:13:00.000-04:00

These sweet babies bring me more happiness than they will ever know!

Sleep Study/ Cranial Facial Update

2011-05-05T23:52:00.001-04:00

We had an appointment with another cranial facial surgeon in Austin for a second opinion regarding Cade's soft palate and swallowing difficulties. I was hoping for a quick fix but of course that was not the case. This doctor thinks Cade's palate does need to be fixed eventually but not now. He still feels Cade is a huge surgical risk due to his small jaw and low muscle tone. He also believes that Cade's swallowing problems are due more to muscle tone than to his soft palate anatomy. He noticed that Cade has partial paralysis on one side of his palate which he assumes continues down the muscles of the throat. He recommended VitalStim therapy which uses electrical external stimulation combined with traditional swallowing therapy. His hope is that the extra stimulation will strengthen Cade's muscles. We have had a difficult time finding this therapy but will hopefully begin that soon with Himmel Home Health.
Another issue that concerned the doc was that Cade had never in his life had a sleep study. He said a kid as risky as Cade, especially a kid who had a trach and then a trach that was removed required a sleep study. So Cade and I signed up to stay the night at Dell Children's Hospital.
We went around bedtime in our pajamas. They had me put Cade to sleep and then tried to hook up electrodes to his face, chest and legs. They monitor things such as breathing, oxygen saturation, leg movement, etc. This study was mainly to determine if Cade was having periods of apnea. Cade did not like being hooked up and pulled the electrodes off many times during the night. We did not get much sleep. We have only heard unofficial results but everything was fine. I hope we don't have to repeat this little study any time soon!

Sip and See For Jamie!

2011-05-01T23:47:00.000-04:00

I think we did a good job without our mamas... Meet this sweet sweet baby girl Jamie Katherine!

Happy Easter From The Akins!

2011-04-30T19:59:00.003-04:00

Shane had already changed out of his church clothes...Cade loves his buddy David!Easter with the Krugs... Cousins ready to hunt!The kids wanted to play some ball. They still need quite a bit of help.

And we always love spending time with the Dosses.

Easter With The Akins

2011-04-30T18:46:00.002-04:00

We had a great time celebrating Easter with the Akins. Meemaw put an Easter egg hunt together and the kids got to see some of their cousins they don't see very often. Meemaw got Cade and Callie eggs with washable tattoos in them and when I asked Callie if she wanted it on her hand, she looked at me like I was crazy. She said "no, I want it on my back"

Thomas, Shane's California cousin, was at basic training in San Antonio so we got to pick him up and spend Easter with him too. The kids loved him.

Granny and her baby

The kids had a good time with Baylee, Reilee, Caitlin and Ty.

Granny likes for Callie to put lotion on her legs.

These ladies spoil these kiddos.

And of course they always love wrestling with Uncle Blaine.

My Little Drummer Boy

2011-04-15T18:43:00.001-04:00

Cade is just posing with a few of his favorite toys. Elmo was Rachel's. When we would go to Amy's house, Elmo was the first thing Cade would drag out. We decided when Rach passed away if she would have had a will, she would have left Elmo to Cade. He even has one of Rachel's hospital stickers on his foot. Cade loves his Elmo! And his drum.

Crazy Cousins!

2011-04-15T18:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Robyn! (And Aunt Meghan... my two sister in laws share a birthday. What are the odds of that!)

Grandpa's Little Helper

2011-04-07T18:34:00.000-04:00

Grandpa was thrilled when Grandma bought the kids this play set and he was even more excited to put it together! He had his right hand man there to help.

And he put it in this nice shady spot.

Sweet Baby Allie

2011-04-06T18:29:00.000-04:00

Allison is the BEST baby. She is so easy to watch and she is always full of smiles so I jumped at the chance when Amy wanted me to keep her. Of course I had to dress her up and pose her for some pictures. She reminds me so much of her oldest sister. I can't get enough of her adorable face.

And Baseball Continues...

2011-04-05T18:25:00.001-04:00

When Daddy is out of town, Mommy gets to run around with Cade. Because Mommy was never a stellar athlete, Coach Jon helps Cade bat.

Dying Easter Eggs

2011-04-03T18:18:00.002-04:00

Callie was all about helping Cade but he didn't cooperate very well for very long... Callie took over the project by herself. She of course had to see what it tasted like.

You can see in the background that Cade was content to play with the water hose the entire time...

Don't believe this innocent face for one minute. While Callie and I were inside cleaning up the mess, Cade smashed every one of Callie eggs into the deck. :( She cried and put him in time out immediately. Cade seemed to be thrilled he got a rise out of Callie. The little toot is just like his daddy.

Don't feel too bad for Callie... She dyed many, many more Easter eggs this season.

Our First Family Movie

2011-04-03T17:59:00.000-04:00

I can never get my kids to sit through an entire movie at home so I knew they weren't ready for the theatre. Recently they have been watching The Wiggles, Live In Concert all the way through. And so we got brave one Sunday afternoon and went with Amy and Em to see Hop, just in time for Easter. The kids did great, for a little while. Callie was by far the worst. She would pronounce very loudly when she would drop a piece of popcorn and she wanted to sit by Em, then Cade, then Daddy, then Mommy, Aunt Mayme, then Em again, and so on. It was an experience. Maybe we will go again someday. Cade did surprisingly very well. It must have been loud enough to keep his attention.

Zoo Trip

2011-03-28T17:37:00.001-04:00

Callie likes to hold the map. She watches a lot of Dora. We always have quite the stroller caravan.

They could have watched the monkeys for hours. Cade thought they were so funny.

And thanks Callie for your super cheesey cooperation.

I would be a little concerned too Em.

Cousin Time

2011-03-26T17:33:00.000-04:00

We have to play with Em and Ally as much as possible. They will be moving to Colorado soon :(. Callie told me she is going with them. She just makes it up and they listen.

We love the Jost girls!

Baseball, Baseball, and More Baseball

2011-03-26T16:58:00.000-04:00

Cade is so lucky to have so many adoring fans...

Cade's team isn't a typical team so they don't have typical games. They really just take turns batting and then field the rest of the time. Cade only pays attention when he bats. The rest of the time he is doing somersaults in the outfield or going out to visit all of his adoring fans. Callie likes to drag him back out to where he is supposed to be.

And then she likes to hang out a bit. She keeps telling us that it is her turn to bat. She can't wait to have a pink helmet and play baseball.

We try to get him to focus...

What a ham. He loves attention!

He is the sweetest little ball player ever.

We are so proud of our baby!

Can you tell?

Other teams take turns helping out with Cade's team. The lucky boy/girl that gets to help Cade always has their work cut out for them...

Come on Cade... Get back out there. (she is dressed for a wedding shower)

Callie decided if Cade wasn't going to play with Coleman, she would!

Team pic with The Dodgers

And he's thirsty!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T16:53:00.000-05:00

Callie was in trouble for something... that is why the big bottom lip is out. Cade is letting her know that it's OK.

He loves her to the moon and back.

Our Little Slugger

2011-03-15T14:06:00.000-05:00

Cade needs quite a bit of help with just about every aspect of baseball. Shane is perfect for the job because he played baseball through high school and he really enjoys doing this with Cade. There is a wide variety of disabilities with the other kids on the team and they love Shane and Shane sure does get a kick out of them. Shane helps pitch sometimes too which means the unathletic mama has to get out there and help out Cade.

My Baby Boy

2011-03-15T13:35:00.000-05:00

I remember staring at a sonogram screen at our first glimpse of our baby and looking at the unbelievable little body growing inside me. And then we heard "It's a Boy!" and of course we were thrilled. We couldn't wait to see him grow up. Shane and I instantly pictured a tough and rowdy little boy that would no doubt give us trouble just like Brad Paisley so sweetly sings in his "Anything Like Me" song. We thought of all of our days ahead... Saturday morning soccer games, little league baseball and high school football games because we just knew he was going to be a little athlete. This is the day we found out we would be having a little boy... Well when our Cadester was born, he wasn't quite what we expected. In fact, it soon became apparent that the boy we hoped would be a little star may not even be able to walk. When you are told you have a special needs child you can't help but feel robbed of a lot of little things in addition to a mountain of concerns. We worked and worked with therapists and finally when Cade was 2 years and 3 months old, he took his first steps. I am so proud of everything Cade accomplishes because I know how much harder he has to work at everything. I was so excited to hear that the New Braunfels Little League has a little baseball team for special needs children ages 5-12. They are the Angels. We couldn't wait to see what Cade would think of baseball. When we put that little uniform on Cade, I couldn't help but cry.

He loves baseball! He can't throw, he can't bat and he can barely run but it is the cutest thing in the world to watch. He loves to wear his hat and run around the bases. He loves giving high fives to his teammates. He is usually wandering around the outfield, doing somersaults, or visiting us in the stands to give us kisses. I don't think that Coach Jon, the man behind it all, realizes what an Angel he is to me. Such a little thing that we thought we would never see now entertains us every Thursday and Saturday. Thank God for such amazingly thoughtful people.

Happy Birthday Grandpa (And Liz!!)

2011-03-11T14:23:00.000-05:00

We had a nice little seafood feast for my dad's 53rd birthday.

We just had to switch the candles around and we sang happy birthday to Liz as well.

We were taking good care of our babies.

One Talented Grandpa

2011-03-11T02:13:00.000-05:00

I have been shopping for picnic tables for awhile and I found them all to be too expensive. My parents don't have enough seating out on the deck when we are all together. I remembered my brother Travis built a picnic table in middle school shop class. How hard could it be? I googled some simple little plans and presented them to Rog. He used to build houses, surely he could build a picnic table. He dislikes doing these little "trinkety" things but I talked him into it, on his birthday no less. He eventually got pretty excited about the idea. He got the wood from these palates he already had and spent next to nothing building a table in about 2 hours. Cade has to be the little helper...

And don't all these cute little faces make it look adorable? They LOVE their table and Amy, Robyn and I have informed him we will need 3 more.

And all on his own, in his crappy handwriting, he designated a spot for each kid. He even included the little girl that will never get to sit at her Grandpa's table.

My kids are very blessed in the Grandparent department!

Grandma Krug's Sweet Rolls

2011-03-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

I have been blessed with some pretty amazing people in my life. My Grandma Dorothy was a fabulous cook and owned a few cafes throughout her lifetime. She used to make these amazing caramel rolls. She passed away when I was in high school and with her went a lot of her recipes because many of them were in her head. But when Kelsey was here, we got the recipe from her dad for these rolls that I have been missing for 10 years! They were amazing!!!! And they sure made me miss my Grandma!

Kelsey and Alex Came To Visit

2011-03-05T13:22:00.000-05:00

My cousin Kelsey from Colorado and her boyfriend Alex came to see us for a long weekend. We had such a great time with them. Callie of course loved entertaining them and giving tours and she renamed Alex Aligex. We went to the Salt Lick for some BBQ...

Howl at The Moon...

The Alamo...

Gruene Hall...

and a few other places. Kelsey got in some quality time with all these new little cousins she has.

We had a great time entertaining! I guess we will get to visit them in Arkansas once they get settled in.

Allison's Baptism

2011-02-27T15:10:00.000-05:00

We baptized my third precious niece. We were so happy that my grandparents could be here.

I wish I could say that Emily and Callie behaved but I would be lying. They took good care of their own baby though.

I'm so happy for Amy and Michael. Allison is already so blessed with wonderful parents.

Father Tony knew how to get the girl's attention. They were front and center for the baptism of the newest member of the family.

Cade is SO sweet to his baby cousin.

Callie filled in for Em who was having a melt down at this point.

Cade and Callie love spending time with their Great Grandma and Grandpa Girres. Callie referred to them collectively as Papa RonJudy. I don't know where she gets this stuff but they were Ron and Judy to her. I think she is confused because she has so many wonderful grandparents.

San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo

2011-02-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

We went with MeeMaw and PawPaw to the Stock Show and Rodeo to ride some rides and see the animals.

"Pose with Cade or you can't ride the horse" gets an instant "cheese" from Callie.

Callie was scared to death in the petting zoo. She had food in her hands and those animals must be starved or something because they crowded round which was a little overwhelming for my short baby girl.

Cade of course loved them and wanted to kiss them.

Swallow Study / Cade Update

2011-02-07T17:14:00.005-05:00

You can read my long and complicated medical explanation or just scroll down to see a cute pic of Cade...

Cade's palate and jaw were malformed due to his chromosome deletion and he has struggled with feeding issues since birth. He currently takes all of his nutrition by mouth and almost all liquids via G-tube. Over the last 2 years we have been able to slightly increase his oral intake of liquids to sips and I thought that his ability to handle liquids improved after his tonsillectomy. We have met a couple times with a cranial facial team (cranial-facial surgeon, orthodontist, dentist, speech therapist, social worker, nurse) in Austin to discuss surgical options for Cade's soft palate. Cade was due for a swallow study and the team wanted to see how he handled liquids. I was positive that Cade did not aspirate because he has not had pneumonia since he was 15 months old.

So we went for a swallow study... In a swallow study his food and drink is mixed with barium to make it visible on x-ray and then fed to Cade while we watch from a profile view. A speech pathologist and radiologist watch the x-ray to see how the food and drink move through the mouth and into the esophagus, evaluate the coordination of his tonuge and swallow, and check for aspiration (food/drink going into the lungs). I was very disappointed to see that almost every time Cade aspirated liquids thinner than honey. Cade's problem is that his soft palate (a divider that separates the oral and nasal cavities and moves with swallowing and talking) is too short (not to be confused with cleft) and it doesn't close off his nasal cavity when he takes a drink. So liquids go up into his nasal cavity and down his esophagus. Cade protects his airway and lungs from the liquids that he sends immediately into his esophagus but then the liquids that went into his nasal cavity come down and he then aspirates those. The radiologist seemed to think that Cade would never swallow correctly without surgical intervention on his palate. They told me I couldn't give my baby sips of water anymore and he signs "thirsty" constantly. I cried the whole way home like the baby I am because it seems nothing can come easy for my poor Cade.

So I fully expected that we would be scheduling surgery at the follow up visit with the cranial facial team. Again, I was disappointed. The cranial facial surgeon said that it was possible to do a palate lengthening procedure and it could help with his swallowing difficulties and possibly even speech problems. However there would be no guarantee that it would help and it could even create more problems for Cade. It could possibly obstruct his airway and cause sleep apnea or he may even need another jaw surgery. So I was crying in the office like the baby that I am. Before when he has had surgery, it has been clear cut, he needs it whatever the risks. Now it's "well mom, we can leave this up to you. I will do it but there is a good chance these horrible things can happen." Awesome. Thanks for leaving it all on my shoulders. And asking the rest of the family is no help, way too many opinions there!

So this indecisive mom is getting a second opinion in May with another cranial facial surgeon. In the mean time, we still give Cade very small sips of only water approved by his speech therapist due to the "free water" rule and the fact that he hasn't had a pneumonia or breathing troubles of any kind in 4 years. Please pray that someone has a clear answer for us and there is a magical and perfect intervention for Cade so that he can drink and possibly even talk. Stay tuned for more Cade medical drama.

Cooking With Bri and Callie

2011-02-05T17:07:00.000-05:00

I'm sure Meghan regretted asking the girls to help her fry up some chicken strips for her Super Bowl party... They sure do love Blaine... And he does his best to entertain them!

Now if you know their daddy's, you know this little pair could be trouble!

And Callie loves sweet little Bryce.

Snow In Texas

2011-02-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

The kids had their first opportunity to play in some snow and they were so excited. Callie thought it should be Christmas again.

Of course they are confused about snow. Callie thought she should mow it.

Warming up by the fire.

Drive Thru Window

2011-02-01T17:01:00.002-05:00

The kids like their tents and tunnels they got for Christmas. Cade gets a little rowdy in there and tends to knock over the whole thing. I wish I could say the girls were patient with him but he gets yelled at quite a bit. Callie and Em like to pretend they work at a drive thru. They want to "swipe" my card and give me ice cream and french fries.

Zoo Day

2011-01-28T18:43:00.001-05:00

We had a nice little day at the zoo with Bryson, Em, Amy and Robyn. curious little cousins

We have been going to the zoo for a long time with these kids but they are finally getting to the age where they are interested in the animals.

And we're spent

Happy Birthday Uncle TyTy

2011-01-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

This proud Uncle turned 22 this month The kids love parties and giving gifts

We got him some essentials so he doesn't have to steal them from my parents

Callie said "take a picture of me and my sister Em"

Dog Sitting

2011-01-22T17:46:00.002-05:00

We watched Caesar one night for Blaine and Meghan. Cade and Callie, along with Caesar, all tried to get in our bed at some point in the night and we woke up to three landmines. My kids love Caesar and it is so nice they can have dogs in their life that I don't have to care for. Thank you Caesar for reminding us that we are not quite ready to care for a dog. Callie loves Ceasar kisses!

Shower For A Princess

2011-01-16T17:29:00.000-05:00

And I mean Shana, not the baby. I am so glad this girl is having a baby. Callie has prayed for baby Jamie for a long time and she can't wait to meet her. She enjoyed playing with her new bath tub, too bad it was the punch.

Callie helped Shana open her gifts and was so excited about all of them. She brought me some hair bows and said "mom lets take these home."

And I got to see all my old friends and their moms. Juls missed out because she was in Costa Rica.

Callie loved Taylor because she let her wear her jewelry. She couldn't keep her hands off of things though...

Callie disappeared for a while and was found cutting everyone more cake.

They are going to be great parents!

Star Of The Week

2011-01-16T17:26:00.000-05:00

Callie was star of the week and so she brought home the class frog and we had to take it with us everywhere we went. Callie wanted to show the frog her favorite store Target.

Shane and Sarah Klar's Wedding

2011-01-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Sarah and Shane! Callie enjoyed running circles on the dance floor and staring at Sarah because she thought she was a princess. And we got a little Allison time in too.

Just Another Day In Surgery

2011-01-14T17:19:00.000-05:00

This boy can handle anything.
He doesn't like his blood pressure being checked but he does like that his best bud Grandpa came with him to get his fourth set of ear tubes.Cade's newest set of scratches were from walking down the stairs a little too fast, falling and hitting the wall and getting a perfect imprint of the Monterrey texture.

I Do Not Let Her Watch Jersey Shore...

2011-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

But every morning she requests I do her hair in the "Snooki Poof." I don't know where she gets this stuff.

This Never Gets Old To Them...

2010-12-29T13:14:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas From The Akins

2010-12-25T23:00:00.001-05:00

This year Miss Callie Rae, or Miss Akin as she likes to be called, has grown up quite a bit. She is now talking non-stop and is curious about everything. She keeps us all in check, She goes to school at the Morgan Center and she loves it. She loves her teachers and the kids in her class and she loves helping to take care of the special needs kids and babies. She loves her brother more than anyone but she doesn't hesitate to yell at him, spank him, or put him in time out. She tells him "I am your mommy too Cade." She likes watching Dora, Barney and The Wiggles, reading books, driving her car, gymnastics, playing outside, talking on the phone, playing with the Iphone, putting on make-up, swimming, the beach, pretending she knows what is going on watching football games, going out to eat, riding the train at the park, and being on the go. She remembers EVERYTHING and can give you a tour of the town saying when she went places and what she did there.

Cade has made tremendous progress this year as well. He is so excited to finally be able to communicate with us as he has picked up several signs. He was found to have moderate hearing loss in the right ear and now sports a hearing aid. He goes to public school half days and to the Morgan Center for the other half. He has speech, physical and occupational therapy twice each per week. Cade still enjoys fruit snacks, riding Grandpa's lawnmower, riding in Callie's car with her, any type of water play but especially swimming, dancing, playing outside, wrestling with his daddy, grandpas and uncles, playing with Callie and his cousins, driving Callie crazy, and sleeping between his mom and dad. He is the most affectionate kid in the world and will give you a hug and kiss whenever you ask for it and even when you don't. He is still a crazy little, easily excited, wrecking ball but has had increased focus and attention this year. My little boy is growing up!

Shane is still working for Geofill Material Technologies based out of Floresville. He does sales/estimating for commercial insurance restoration and renovation work and his job requires him to travel a few days per week. He enjoys many hobbies such as golf, gambling, hunting, and most recently has added riding his Harley.

I am still working full time at the birthing center at Christus Santa Rosa and have started taking on more responsibilities this year. I never get tired of helping bring babies into the world. I am into do-it-yourself projects and I try not to pay full price for anything. I still love taking pictures but have fallen behind on my blogging (as you know.) My job as a mommy keeps me pretty busy!

2010 was a rollercoaster for our little family. We started the year with the loss of our precious niece and cousin, Rachel. I still think about and miss her everyday. I am grateful that it has worked out for my sister and Emily to live in New Braunfels this year because I feel like we have really needed each other. We see them on an almost daily basis. It is also no secret that Shane and I have struggled in our relationship but I am happy to report we are working on that as well. We hope that 2011 has more ups than downs for all of us. We hope to move this year, see more progress with Cade, get our kids to sleep through the night and stay in their own beds, save more money, live smarter, healthier, and happier. We thank everyone for their prayers, support and friendship as we have had to be stronger than we ever thought possbile. We wish everyone a happy and blessed new year!

With Love-

The Akins

Akin Christmas

2010-12-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

Callie and Cade got a new horse.

Banks is telling stories about his Grandpa Froggie

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when they have a child of their own... they are so much help at times like this!

Callie helped Meemaw unwrap her gift

If you can't tell by now, these kids are incredibly loved and incredibly spoiled! We had a great Christmas!

Beautiful Faces On Christmas Morning

2010-12-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

Santa came to visit us!

I took as many pictures of Shane's beard as possible so he could see how terrible it looks. He was trying to win a bet.

Krug Christmas

2010-12-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

The kids of course enjoyed some baby Allison time.

Bryson and Callie helped Cade sprinkle his reindeer food on the deck.

Cousins are the absolute best!

Callie loved her new backpack.

My mom got Cade some tumbling mats and he knew immediatelty what they were. He was flipping on them while they were still in the package.

Cade did so well opening gifts this year.

Love the Christmas PJs

Amy had these quilts made for us from Rachel's clothes.

Travis gave all the boys these flags that he flew on a combat mission over Iraq on the last day of operation Iraqi Freedom.

My Little Lambs

2010-12-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

The kids were sheep in the Christmas Pageant at the Christmas Eve Mass this year. They were so cute!

Emily decided early on that this wouldn't be happening.

Cade crawled so fast that I missed him in the picture! He crawled halfway down and stood up and ran. Wasn't Nate a cute shepard?

Callie tried to squeeze between Mary and Jesus. She wanted to see that baby!

We let Cade go up for the group pic and put Nate in charge of him.

Poor Nate has known Cade a long time and he knew he needed to hang on to him. But Cade got so excited and knocked them both over and Nate's staff slammed loudly to the ground. We grabbed Cade immediatley before anyone could get hurt.

Meemaw and Pawpaw came to watch too.

Akin Christmas

2010-12-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

Callie loves Uncle Bwane and Aunt Menan

You can't imagine the stories being told here...

Granny and her baby Blaine being a great husband and taking care of Meghan in the white elephant.

Cade just likes hanging out in the boxes...

And everyone say "cheese"

Meeting Baby Allison

2010-12-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

I was so honored to finally get to be a part of one of Amy's deliveries. Michael was far away in the UAE but we were able to skype with him throughout the labor and delivery. My mom and I were her coaches (I'm sure she probably would have preferred more sympathetic people.) It worked out perfectly that Amy delivered at my hospital. It was so fun for me because I got to choose her nurses, her doctor, her room and everyone treated her extra special. I got to be much more hands on with the whole experience than I would have been at any other hospital. Haha Michael, you can't keep me out of the delivery room this time!

My newest niece! Isn't she cute? You can tell how much she already loves me!

I got to give the first bath!

Callie was THRILLED that Allison was finally out of Amy's tummy and that she got to come up to mommy's work and "work with the babies."

Another baby for big momma to take care of

Callie congratulated Emily on becoming a big sister

Attempting A Christmas Card

2010-12-16T09:59:00.000-05:00

I decided to do my own card and pictures this year to save a little money. The kids are so difficult to get a good picture of. I put on their boots, went to Gruene, and bribed Callie with Adobe. I had Shane act crazy to keep Cade's attention and make both of them laugh. And we had to take breaks so Callie could get behind the camera and take some pics of her own. Callie snapped these two pics below...

And as you can see mountain man and I were in no condition to be part of our mass mailing...

This was the winner...

Viva Las Vegas

2010-12-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

In the craziness of December we managed to fit in a short trip to Las Vegas. We met Rod Stewart singing in a piano bar... We had a ton of fun with some of our favorite couples...

A little too much gambling...

And that's what you get for waking up in Vegas. Shane is grounded from Vegas indefinitely.

Five Years Old

2010-12-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

It is so hard to believe that Cade is five. Five sounds so old to me... no longer a baby, no longer a toddler, and growing way too fast. (the pic below was taken while my horns were winning the national championship, just to refresh everyone's memory)

I always get sappy on Cade's birthdays and I like to look back at all his old pictures and marvel at the many obstacles he has overcome. I remember sitting by Cade's bed in the NICU and PICU and wishing we were far away from that place and time. I couldn't wait for all the hospital stays, sicknesses, surgeries, medical devices and doctor visits to be a distant memory. I remember telling my mother that I wish he were five. Then I would know what he would be like and we would be done with all this hospital crap. My mother advised me to not wish his life away and to enjoy every minute with him that I could.

Well now at five years old we still aren't done with the hospital crap and I don't think we will ever be too far from specialists and surgical tweaking. But I do have a pretty good idea of what my little guy is like. He is a fighter, stronger than anyone I know, improving everyday, rowdy like no other, and the sweetest boy on the planet. I wish I could talk to the scared mother of the 5 day old Cade and let her know just how much she was going to love being his mom. When it came time to celebrate Cade's actual birthday, we didn't have to think too long. Cade's absolute favorite food is waffles. He knows the sign for waffles and asks for that about 400 times a day. We had a nice long dinner at IHOP with Cade's grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousin and a few friends.

We all love you so much Cade! We wish you a year full of continued progress and many, many more happy birthdays!

You're Invited...

2010-12-05T20:00:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law Robyn, who should have been a party planner, insisted that I have a theme for Cade and Callie's birthday. I never put much thought into decorations or themes but because I had already decided that it would be at the gym, the theme was obvious... Olympics. Shane helped me snap a few pics of our olympians...

And finally we got this one of our adorable children- Don't you just want to squeeze them?And then Robyn designed this card in record time because I do everything at the last minute. Thank you Robyn for putting so much effort into creating this adorable card!

Party Time

2010-12-05T12:33:00.001-05:00

I think J&R is an awesome place to have a birthday party. The kids we invited ranged in age from newborn to school age but there was something for everyone. And they can just run wild and expend tons of energy which I'm sure their parents appreciated. The foam pit was very popular... But probably more popular was this long trampoline. It took the entire party for the kids to grasp the one-way rule (and some, especially Cade, never did)

Even the big boys got to play.

Callie enjoyed showing off her skills on the beam. She even got out her butterfly arms.

And it's not a party until Cade bleeds a little bit. He smashed Em on the mat at the end of the trampoline. Everyone was so concerned with her crying (Amy has exceptionally loud children) that we missed Cade's bloody lip. He's not one to dramatize anything, he just rubbed his head a little bit. No big deal.

Great pic of Cade with MeeMaw

This was the closest we came to a group pic. Kids these age just don't think these kinds of things are important!

Tammy you have adorable children, and I'm not just saying that because you are my boss, it's true.

Cake time always gets a little crazy

Callie put plenty of spit on the cake

Cade needed a little help

Starting to dip their hands into the cake...

and of course Em joins in.

Juliana and Chloe enjoyed the cake

Opening gifts was absoluetly nuts. I tried to hurry because party time was over and I had several helpers. I'm not sure who gave what but we loved them all!

Callie was the slowest opener ever. She wanted to oh and ah, thank each person individually and open and play with each gift. Carlee helped her hurry along.

A big thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Cade and Callie's birthdays. They are such lucky kids to have an endless supply of playmates and so many friends and family members that love them to pieces. You have no idea how much you all mean to us! Thanks again!

Happy Birthday MeeMaw!

2010-12-04T10:46:00.000-05:00

Charlin had a milestone birthday this year and we helped her celebrate at Sylvias.

The decorations were really cute

Yes she asked me to take her pic and then posed like this...

Bri thoroughly enjoyed the cake...

Callie and her Nel Nel

I think she had a good time...

We had a lot of fun with that hat

Callie thought Rachel should have these balloons.

We hope you had a fabulous birthday Charlin and wishing you many many more- Love ya!

Callie's Birthday Continued...

2010-12-01T23:56:00.000-05:00

We went to Adobe Verde for Callie's birthday dinner. Callie shares her birthday with her MeeMaw...

We had cake back at the house. Callie really likes cake.

Thanks to everyone for helping to make Callie's birthday special!