OUR FAMILY

Walk-N-Roll 2011

2011-07-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

Team Shirts. I designed this shirt and am proud
of the only creative moment I have ever had in
my life. This will probably be the only 'moment'
I ever have! I designed this with half of the
awareness ribbon being the spine. The heart
represents Bin's lesion so that's why his name
is in the middle of it. This is my official Spina
Bifida Awareness Ribbon.:)

Team Bin minus a few that were off in the rest
room and getting a bite to eat before the walk
began.

Mommy and Oaxie patiently waiting to start
the Walk

Bin on the Go with his family & friends

Bin won 1st place for most money raised by an
individual and 2nd place for most money raised
by a team. Super appreciative of every one's help.

Fun times in the Lake

Bin and Oaxie are 5!!

2011-04-10T16:43:00.001-07:00

Yummy Spider Man Icing!!

TaTa liked the icing too!!

New Boots!

Awesome new scooter! If you have non-carpet

floors, I highly recommend this! Adults can ride

it too.

One of the only things Oaxie asked for...

a toothbrush???

Could not wait til morning to fly new kites!

Bin and Oaxie's 5th birthday was last Monday but my computer was down so I could not post all the pictures until now. We did not do anything big this year like, go to Sea World (last years birthday adventure) or have a big party (3 year old party). We discussed what we were going to do for several weeks and never made a decision so guess what we did...absolutely nothing!:) My parents were in town to help watch the kids so Jon and I could go to my dear friend Mary's 60th birthday party and stay the night in Ft Worth. First time we have been away from the kids over night since they were 1. Thank you Mom & Dad for helping. As a matter of fact that is the first time Jon and I have been alone, on a date in over 2 years! Crazy, I know!!

So, back to their birthday. We ended up cooking out with all the Grandparents. We actually did not get their presents until the day of the party! I do insist others not to do the same because my mom and I ended up buying too much and spending more than we should have waiting until the last minute. Also got the cakes last minute too!:) Oaxie saw the horse cake the day before in the store and the little tiny spider man cake just happened to be on clearance so we got it too!:) Oaxie only asked for two things, a horse cake and a Sonicare toothbrush! I still don't know why a toothbrush of all things but there was no way I was spending 75.00 for it!! I found the electric iron man one instead, which she loves!! They totally enjoyed themselves but I do know that next year I am going to have to break down and have a party with friends. I overheard Oaxie in her room talking into her pretend phone saying, "Hey Jace, (her best buddy) today is my birthday and we are having a party. You want to come over?" Then and there I knew I had won "terrible mom of the year award" for not having a party with friends.:( Next year Bin and Oaxie, I promise I will do better! I love you guys infinity and beyond!!!!!!

The Hot Rods First Game

2011-03-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Bin playing catcher

Atleast she was not picking the flowers like I
thought she would do in the outfield!

Jace (Oaxie's best friend), Bin and Oaxie

Today was our first Tee Ball Game. I am so disappointed in our camera! The image came out very bad but at least you can see Bin hit and run! We were so proud of our little Hot Rods! Bin and Oaxie both hit the ball and got on base. Oaxie made two scores and Bin made it to second base twice!! I put the video up of Bin b/c when I saw him hit the ball and run, my mind went back to when I was sitting in the doctors office, 18 weeks pregnant with Bin and Oaxie. She told me that "Baby A (Bin)" had Spina Bifida and more than likely would not ever walk! Of course there were many other things she told Jon and I that day but those were the words I heard in my mind today. Thank goodness I had my glasses on because I boo hoo'd. Most people who follow this blog have children with spina bifida or are our family and understand what we have gone through for the the first (almost) 5 years of Bin Boos little life. To see him actually running to base makes my heart leap for joy.

Texas Snow 2011

2011-02-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

I promise that is not a gang sign. Oaxie is trying

to spray her pretend spider webs!!!!

Taking a break to warm our clothes up, just to

go out again, and again and again!

Finally done for the day and ready to relax by

the fire.

Love this face!!!

I think Ruby loved the snow more than Oaxie

This was her first time to see snow. AND, no

that is not a deer frozen in the snow it is Jon's

practice target!

Yep...the snow finally arrived in Texas this week and burrrrrr it has been cold! School was called off Tuesday and Jon stayed home too. The snow was fun to play in but only for short periods of time. The wind was blowing so hard that it made it almost unbearable to stay out long! We cooked chili in the crock pot all day. Super yummy for dinner.

Today we woke up to no hot water! Jon went to the shop and brought home some super duty diesel heaters to warm up the attic so it would thaw out the frozen pipes. Worked perfect and the hot water is back on. I am just waiting for our electricity to start going out! It is happening all over the metroplex so I am sure it will make its way out to ten buck two where we are sooner or later! Stay warm everyone!:)

Happy New Year

2011-01-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Annual Binford Family Christmas Pic

Bin trying out his new soccer goal. Check out

those skills!!:)

Oaxie and Rapunzel

BIG FOOT

Me and my baby girl

Don't even ask!!!

Out at the farm with Nana & Granddaddy

Doc was thinking Oaxie's bow looked very

appetizing

Granddaddy teaching Oaxie how to use a whip.

Look out!!!

Oaxie and Old Red. Nana's favorite Mama

Cow.

Granddaddy with his Bin and Oaxie

On New Years day we celebrated Christmas with the Binford Clan! It was well worth the wait. Bin and Oaxie were so excited to see that Santa had left just a few more presents at Nana and Granddaddy's house for them! Bin finally got Big Foot which he had been waiting for and Oaxie was surprised she had a rather large Rapunzel under the tree! However, we decided that we should have given her to the guys for Christmas. For some reason they all enjoyed brushing her long hair! :)

The new year started off with Bin's visit to the Neurologist. We have been concerned because he has been falling a little more than usual. We were hoping his new braces would correct that but so far they have not. The doctor says he does not believe it is tethered cord which we were the most worried about. He says it could be related to a shunt malfunction so Bin will be having a MRI to rule that out too, hopefully! Bin has his Spina Bifida clinic at Scottish Rite tomorrow so we can get some questions answered there also. We have not really wanted to bring up the 'wheel chair' conversation but we are getting to the point that it is an upcoming reality. Bin gets very tired after walking long distances and has been asking to be carried when we are in the store or walking around the pasture. He complains that his legs are tired. He will not need it all the time but for long distances he will. Keep us in your prayers as this is yet another learning and coping process that Spina Bifida brings into our lives.

Wells Christmas

2010-12-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

They are all mesmerized by Star Wars on TaTa
and Mikes new big screen TV!! Sadie, the sweet
puppy w/ all the kiddos was just hit by a car the day
before. Fractured pelvis and broken tail but she
loves to be around the kids so the pain did not keep
her from them!:)

Leanne, aka TaTa (Jon's mom), and I pose for
the camera since there are not very many pictures
of us. We are the ones usually taking them!

Jon and our sweet nephew, Elliott.

Bin and his Batman Cave

Oaxie and her ZhuZhu pets...don't even get me

started on these things!!

Santa came to see us!

This is our Christmas finally finished around 2 AM!

Jon working on all of Oaxie's ZhuZhu stuff

And the mess begins!!

Bin has been asking for the Nerf blasters for

ever. I am still not for sure if this was a good idea!

This was one of the only things Oaxie asked for...

the dog on a leash.

Bin was totally excited over Criss Cross Crash.

This was what he asked for from Santa!

Jon in his Scooby attire

Wow, it has been a fast and crazy few weeks getting ready for Christmas and we still have one more next weekend! Christmas Eve we went to Jon's parents. Santa even stopped by for a few seconds, which was pretty nice of him considering he had lots of presents to deliver still! The kids were totally excited about Santa and of course our video camera was accidentally switched to pause for the entire thing. I'm not naming names of who could have done that though!!! My camera battery died right after he started passing out gifts so I was only able to get a few pics of the excitement!

Afterwards, we had to get home and get kids to bed so we could finish putting all of their gifts together for Christmas morning! We finally got to bed after 2. At 3 Bin came into our room screaming that Santa had left Criss Cross Crash. He was totally beside himself and out of control. Finally, we got him settled down and he went back to sleep. Then about an hour later, he woke up and got sick all over the bed!! He did not feel good the rest of the day. He didn't even open most of his presents until I finally made him before I had to go into work. Yep, I had to leave all the excitement and go to work for the afternoon shift. Thanks to my sweet friend, Mary, she worked the morning so I could be with Jon and kids for a little while.

When I got home from work that night the house was in complete shambles. We were all so exhausted that we left it that way until the next morning. None of us got up until after 10 the day after Christmas. It was sooooo nice.

Christmas Fun

2010-12-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

Very proud of our new tree!

Christmas Crafts

Patiently waiting on the puppet show

Snazzy Hula Hooper

Before leaving for the party. This pic is

so sweet to me!

My cutie patooties!

This weekend was fun filled. We picked out our first ever live Christmas tree and also went to the annual Spina Bifida Christmas Party. I am not sure the real Christmas tree was a good idea. I did not realize they shed so badly. I am sweeping up needles every day. I am hoping there is a tree left by the time Christmas gets here! A friend at work said I need to add soda to it along with water. Does that sound right to you? I guess I am going to give it a try and see if it makes a difference. We put it up and did not decorate it for a few days to give it time for the limbs to fall. At least that's the reason I gave the kids anyway! Secretly, I was hoping that the tree would decorate itself! Why is that not a fun thing for me? By Monday the kids could not take it anymore so we decorated it when Jon came home that night. I will put those pictures up later.

The Spina Bifida Association Christmas Party was at the Flight Museum in Dallas. What a neat place to have it! The kids were amazed by all the planes and exhibits there. We will have to take Granddaddy back there someday. Bin and Oaxie enjoyed seeing all their friends that they had such a good time with at camp. I think this is also the first time they have ever had there picture taken with Santa. While standing in line Bin told the kids, " That's just a man wearing a Santa suit and not the real deal!" One of the boys asked if Santa was giving gifts and Bin said,"No he is just taking your list today." Where did this child come from? I told him to please just go along with the fun and not to ruin any of the other children's Santa experience. Jon and I are still laughing about that. We have not ever made a big deal about Santa. I don't know why really. So, I am not sure if Bin and Oaxie really think he is real.

Nana gave us The Elf on the Shelf so we read that to them a while back. They named there Elf Percy. Unfortunately, they have not been to concerned about where Jon and I take the time to move him every few days!!! If you haven't read the book it is really fun. An Elf comes with the book that your family names. He is supposed to be Santa's little helper to watch and see if the kids are being naughty or nice. When the kids go to sleep he flies off to the North Pole to give Santa an update. They were so over that after a day or two! Still a cute read though. :)

New Braces

2010-12-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

Showing the new braces off!

Patiently waiting!

My little Goose!

Bin's lovely little footsies

Here are Bin's new camouflage braces. He was in need of some new ones very badly! His little toes were growing over the edge of the old ones. He has been falling a lot lately and we are hoping it is because he just needed a new set. I took pictures of his little legs too. They are so small and skinny. He kept trying to wiggle his toes while we were waiting. Unfortunately he cant but he put in a good effort. Oaxie finally grabbed his toes and wiggled them for him.:) While we were there we even enjoyed taking a tour of the brace making facility at Scottish Rite Hospital! It was sooooo amazing. We saw how they are made and even got to check out a new prosthetic leg that was just completed. Bin said, "Look Mommy, they make Super Hero Legs here!" How true that is!

Wells Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

Bin, Hank, and Oliver with Ruby following

Aunt Penny brought Christmas crafts for all the
kids. They loved it and it was nice to have just

a bit of silence, even if did not last long!:)

Aunt Ginny and baby Elliott

Bin and Roxie playing in the fishing worms

Aunt Penny and Roxie

Roxie, Oaxie, Oliver, Hank, Bin, Elliott, Joe

I finally downloaded our Thanksgiving pictures. We spent Thanksgiving in Mineral Wells with Jon's family this year. We had a great time visiting with all of the cousins. They are all getting so big. We were finally able to meet our newest little cousin, Elliott. I held him most of the day. He is wonderful. I can't wait until Christmas so I can do that some more!!!

Spina Bifida Family Camp 2010

2010-11-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

The Wells Gang

Bin and his buddy Atticus taking a stroll

Waiting to Fish. This is the first year the
weather has been perfect. It is usually cold/windy/
rainy! Not this time. Perfect for fishing!

Oaxie watching her bobber. Very
serious fishing going on. Her Daddy
was very proud!

Bin making his fish face.

So impossible to get a cute picture of the two
of them!!

Cooking class. This is astronaut food. Fun and
easy for kids to make. So yummy. We will be
making this at home too!

Spaghetti hot dogs. Fun to make.

Bin and Miss Grace! They have spent time w/

each other at the Walk-N-Roll.

Bin and Oaxie enjoyed spending

time w/her and big brother Jonathan.

Another year of Spina Bifida Family Camp has come and gone now. What a great weekend we had. When thinking about all the years past, I have to say this is the first year that all the kids actually enjoyed getting to know each other. They all played so well with one other and for the most part were totally fine playing on their own! Bin and Oaxie were asking some of the others to come to our house to play after camp was over. We are definitely going to try and make that happen!

Since the start of Pre K this year Bin and Oaxie(Oaxie mostly) have started to ask a lot of questions about Spina Bifida and some of the things that Bin has to do that are different than the other kids. Camp this year had them asking even more and on several occasions we over heard Bin making the comment to Oaxie, "and she/he has Spina Bifida just like me!" Bin saying that made going to camp even that more special to us. For Bin to play with other kids just like him is so very important for him. This school year has been the beginning of some emotional subjects, more for me than Bin right now, and I so appreciate some of the other moms listening to me and to know that we are all feeling the same things at this point is so reassuring!

Once we got home and unpacked, we were so tired. I don't remember being so literally exhausted during and after camp in all the years before. We decided not to cook and went out to eat pizza for early dinner at 3:30. We got home took showers and Bin and Oaxie were in bed by 6:30! Once they were in bed we could hear them talking in their room. Oaxie has a hard time pronouncing Bifida and so Bin was trying to sound it out for her,"bif-a-da". She finally got it right and he said, "YOU DID IT". Oh how I love my babies!!!

The New Oaxie

2010-11-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

Oaxie posing for tonsil pictures...kinda scary!

They were the size of marbles!

So sick after:( She even came home from the
hospital w/ black eyes. Not sure how that
happened?!?

Day 5- she ate a bite of Chicken Express and
could not keep it down, she got sick right
after this picture:( I look at this picture and
she is so pitiful. She weighed 34lbs before
surgery and by the end of 2 weeks she was down to
29 lbs! Scared me to death!!!

Day 6- she ate this entire cookie and nothing
else but it made Mommy very happy!!!

My friend Michelle's son had his adenoids and tonsils removed yesterday and it reminded me of what all we went through when Oaxie had hers taken out in September. Man was that a hard recovery. I never realized it would be so hard on all of us but her especially. She did not eat for almost 7 days. It totally stressed me out. I did not think she could survive on a few sips of juice a day, but she did. I had her pose for pics of her tonsils the day before they came out so I thought I would share her gorgeous but now gone tonsils and adenoids! The doctor said she would be a changed child afterwards. I was not for sure exactly what that meant, but looking back now, he was totally right. Oaxie has been sick so much in the past 3 years. She had developed sleep apnea and snored as loud as her Granddaddy(and that is BAD)! Sorry Dad:) Anyways, she must have been totally sleep deprived as well because now she is this funny little girl who has literally come out of her shell ever since her surgery. She talks to every one, she smiles and is a silly willy. She has not missed one day of school this year so far...knock on wood. I can't remember the last time she had a major melt down or for that matter even cried! It has been a major transformation and I am sad we did not have it done sooner. Dr Palmer said they were some of the worst tonsils/adenoids he has seen. Our poor baby.

Boo at the Gardens

2010-11-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Daddy & Bin enjoying coloring at the festival

Getting spooky tattoos

Oh Daddy...

Grandpa Mike showing off all his candy!

Mommy, Bat Girl and Spiderman

The Wells Fam

We went to Clark Gardens for Halloween this year. Other than the heat it was a lot of fun. Spiderman and Bat Girl enjoyed themselves but Daddy, the Swamp Thang, as people called him, had just as good of a time! His costume frightened most of the kids...me too! That is actually his self-made hunting suit he wears out in the woods, while hiding from all the critters!:) It weighs soooo much and he was very hot! Grandpa Mike and TaTa were there passing out candy, so of course we had to make several stops by their table.

First Aggie Game

2010-10-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

All ready to go in our Maroon and White!

Loving that our cousins Blake and Sydni are
going with us!

Nana, Oaxie and Bin waiting for game time

Gig'em Aggies

Oaxie is out like a light and I think

Daddy is about to be!

I have been meaning to post this for a while since this was a big day for the Wells/Binford families! Bin and Oaxie went to their first ever Aggie game. We have been wondering when it was going to be the right time to let them start joining us for games. Four or more hours is a long time for little ones to sit for an entire game and not completely go crazy or annoy the people sitting beside them. Well, October 9th was the big day/game! A&M played Arkansas in the Dallas Cowboy stadium and we all went. The kids did GREAT! Bin sat in his seat the entire game and had his first game day nachos that he gobbled down. Oaxie's favorite part was watching the Aggie Band at half time. However, after that she slept the rest of the game. I don't blame her I guess since the Aggies lost, but we had a great time and I have a feeling they will be enjoying many more to come!:) Afterwards, we went to eat at Uno's in downtown Ft Worth and that was a lot of fun too. We love walking around downtown and pizza from Uno's is one of our most favorite places to eat.

Day of Prayer

2010-10-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today, at 12:00 PM, was Spina Bifida Kids Worldwide day of prayer. That's a mouth full to say and write. So, where was I at this moment in time? In the shower! Our water bill may be a little more this month because of it!:) I am not sure how this all came about but I am thinking some moms of children with Spina Bifida who love Jesus got together and decided to declaire today as "SBKWDoP". However it happened, I like it. So... I have decided my first post back in a while I was going to let you in on private time with my Lord! So this is what He and I discussed in the shower.

I prayed to God:

For Mom's and Dad's who have just been told the baby they are carrying has spina bifida that He wraps his loving arms around them and gives them comfort and a peace to know that this baby is so very special and he/she will bring them a joy to their life that they can not even begin to imagine.

I prayed to God:

For the Doctors who are giving news to parents for the first time today that their baby will be

born with Spina Bifida to express this life changing news with knowledge, GRACE and compassion.

I prayed to God:

To Families who are raising children with Spina Bifida that he bestow love, patience, kindness, forgiveness, hope and understanding to all.

I prayed to God:

For our BinBoo that every one of his days are filled with laughter. As I am writing this I can hear Bin cracking himself up while playing with his sister. His laugh is contagious and his smile is a heart stopper for sure! All that Bin has gone through in the past and all that he will face in the future, I pray for him to find strength and have as little pain as possible. I pray for God to give Bin a passion in his heart to help educating others when they have questions regarding challenges he has to face daily and to know what makes him different are actually his strengths! Mostly I pray for a life full of happiness. That he will always be happy like he is every morning when he gets up until he finally passes out at night...with that beautiful smile on his face. Oh how I love my precious baby boy!

I prayed to God:

To give Jon and I kindness, forgiveness and understanding to others who see Bin as "different" and unaware of the physical issues Bin has NO control over. For patience when at the end of the day we are literally exhausted but still have to sit with Bin for 30 minutes to do potty time. Trying to be energetic and come up with different activities to keep him on the potty is mentally taxing at times, for him as well!:) For the age appropriate answers to give Oaxie as she has began to ask questions regarding Bin's uniqueness. (Why does he have to use a cath to potty, why can't he potty like all the other kids at school, why does he walk funny, why can't he stand like a big boy in the shower instead of sitting on the shower floor...) Lastly, I pray for Jon and I to remain strong in our love for each other. That even though the majority of our thoughts are filled with children, work, hunting :), and all that our lives have to bring that at the end of the day we have each other to lean on and love when our lives can seem so overwhelming!

Finally I had to give the Lord many thanks:

For allowing us to be parents to Bin and Oaxie

That Bin and Oaxie know who He is. When you ask them where God lives they say "in my heart." At Bin's last check-up he asked the doctor if she could hear God in there when she was listening to his heart!!

For the wonderful Doctors and nurses who have taken care of Bin

For our family who have dropped every thing in almost a moments notice and driven hours to be here for doctors appointments, surgeries, and just difficult times

Mostly for Bin's loving heart and his "overuse" of the words, I LOVE YOU!

Walk-N-Roll 2010

2010-07-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Go Bin Go!

Ethan, Bin & Gracie

Today was finally the day of the Walk-N-Roll for Spina Bifida! Every morning Bin would go to the calendar and count down the days until he would get to wear his new running shoes for the Walk-A-Thon! We are very excited to say that with all of our family and friends support we raised over $2000.00!!!! WOWZA!! We are so incredibly appreciative of how generous you all have been and you will never know how much that means to Jon and I. Thank you so much.

Walk-N-Roll for Spina Bifida

2010-07-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Sorry I have been off for a while. I keep hearing from you that I need to get back on but life has been getting in the way here lately. So...here we go. Bin and the rest of the Wells Crew will be participating in his first ever Walk-A-Thon this month and all the donations are going to make a difference for those living with Spina Bifida. This is the first time ever this event is being held in the North Texas area and we are so excited to participate in this as a family. I'd like to invite you to join us in raising funds for the Spina Bifida Association of North Texas. Click the link below to see Bin's fundraiser page, where you can view his progress toward his fundraising goal for the upcoming Saturday, July 24th Walk-N-Roll at Burger's Lake in Fort Worth. Like almost every thing else we do...we are a little late at getting this up and going. Hopefully we can get a few donations before the event actually happens! Please consider sponsoring Bin's efforts today with a donation.
Together we can make a difference for those living with this neural tube defect!

My Page Link:
https://spinabifidant.myetap.org/WalkNRoll/individual.do?participationRef=3676.0.22452259

Thanks so much!

Oaxie the Pirate

2009-10-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics of Oaxie in her pirate costume. She is still going between Pirate and Princess as of now. I guess for her school party she can be one and when we go trick or treating she can be the other!

What to be for Halloween?!?!

2009-10-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

These pictures are for you Mom.:) To my FB friends, you have already seen these, but for everyone else, here are some Halloween pictures of the kiddos. My friend Shannon let us borrow some of her little girl, Mia's, costumes for Oaxie to try. She only tried one on, the Princess, and that was it. She did not want anything else. However, Bin was in the trying on mood. He posed for pics in every one of Mia's outfits, and of course I was able to get some perfect shots of him acting like a corn ball! Here you go...

Oh and a few days later Oaxie decided she did not want to be a Princess any more and now wants to be a pirate like Bin. We had to go get her a new costume after all. I was hoping not to have to buy one. However, costumes are all on sale at Target now and you get a free trick or treat bucket with every costume purchase! Will put new pictures of her up later once I download them.

A Night Out!!

2009-09-22T15:04:00.001-07:00

This weekend we had a night out by ourselves. Well...not really by ourselves, just without the kids. I think I can count on 1 hand the amount of times Jon and I have done anything alone since the kids were born. It was so exciting that we had to take a picture! I know...crazy and very sad. It felt like prom night. Just no sparkling dress or tux! A friend of Jon's got married and my parents came down just for the night to watch Bin and Oaxie so we could go! Thanks Mom and Dad. I love you very much and thank you for all that you do for us and the little pooters!:)

Lake LBJ

2009-08-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Our own little beach!

Cowgirl Oaxie in her Granddaddy's boots!

Fun Times!

Granddaddy & Oaxie

Bin singing songs!

After a long day of fun in the lake...out like a light!

Last week we went on vacation to Lake LBJ. We stayed in a really great Lake House and had our own little private sandy beach all to ourselves. The Lake was shallow, almost all the way out to the middle, so it was perfect for us to play in. This was our first real vacation with Mommy and Daddy. Nana and Granddaddy came a long also. We were in the water all week and did not even get sunburned. Nana and Granddaddy did though! Poor Nana's back was so red she looked like a lobster. Thankfully, it did not hurt as bad as it looked. Mommy kept us lathered up with sunscreen because she did not want our pretty skin to get all freckled like hers, she said!:) We swam, fished, and tubed a lot. Mommy was not sure she wanted us to ride in the tube behind the boat but Granddaddy said he would pull us real slow and Daddy had to ride with us. The week went by too fast and we were not ready to leave. Hopefully we can try and go again next summer. It was a perfect time to relax and do absolutely nothing...just my kind of vacation!!:)

Burgers Lake

2009-07-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Daddy & Bin taking a lunch break

Blake and Oaxie

Yummy Cookie

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Sydni giving Uncle Brien a bunny funny

Sydni, Bin, Mommy, and Blake

Bin just chillaxin!

Mommy, Syd and Aunt Christie

Uncle Brien

On Saturday the Spina Bifida Association had a get-together at Burgers Lake in Ft Worth. Brien and Christy and the kids came down also. We swam all day except for a brief moment to eat. I mean literally we were in the water for 5 hours! It was a lot of fun.

July 4, 2009

2009-07-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

I think this is one of the few 4th of July's that I have not had to work in a long time. We went to Jon's shop to watch them like usual but could not see from there. The city moved them this year so we had to load up quickly and drive into town so we would not miss them. Thankfully, we only missed the first few minutes.

Swimming in Frisco

2009-07-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Bin and Presley

Riley and Oaxie

Sweet Landon

The Binford Crew

Oaxie and Peyton

We went to Frisco this past Friday to spend the day with all of the Binford cousins. Yes, we were swimming again. We love the water. Mommy told Daddy she really wants a pool too, BUT... Daddy says we are not responsible enough to have one. We have only lived in this house for a year and have already managed to break the hot tub. How on earth could we care for a pool. Oh well, maybe some day. Bin and Oaxie loved playing with all their cousins and Mommy was so happy to visit with Kay, Kristy and Karol. After seeing them she realized how she has missed them! We will not let time go by for so long without seeing each other again!! When we left Oaxie had a major melt down and said, "I don't won't to leave my cousins!" It was sad but the melt down was even sadder!!!

Relaxing with MaMaw

2009-07-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

MaMaw, our Great Grandmother, came to see us last weekend with Nana and Granddaddy. Mommy thinks this picture is really cute of the three of us. We are looking pretty sleepy!

Wells Reunion

2009-07-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Cousin Jackson's birthday

Uncle Chris & Ollie

Yes, I did fix Oaxie's dress after a few quick
pictures!:)

Great Aunt Dot and Roxie

A few weeks ago we had a little mini reunion with Jon's family. It was very nice to see everyone and even meet new cousins that we have not met before. The kids spent most of the time in the pool and hot tub. Here a few pictures from the day. I am so sad I did not get a picture of all the twins in the family. I did that last time we all got together a few years back but completely forgot to do that this time. Here it is from back then. At least you can see how the kids have changed.

Summer time fun

2009-06-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

Daddy bought us a pool a few weeks ago and we have been in it almost every day! This is what we do all morning and after nap time we go back in for another round! Mommy enjoys it too because she can lay out in the sun. She says that is one of her most favorite things to do but says we are never allowed to do that b/c our skin is too pretty and she does not want ours to look like hers some day! We make her put on lots of sunscreen though!:)

Oaxie

2009-06-09T08:15:00.001-07:00

Oaxie is getting so big. I was looking at these pictures from a while back and she does not look like a baby anymore. She is a little girl now. This is going by way to fast!!!!

End of School

2009-06-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Had a swim party the last day of school, so we
were very excited!

End of School Program

Oaxie not real excited about the whole thing!:)

Here are some pictures fom the last 2 days of school in May. I am late getting these up. Just been busy.

Mothers Day

2009-05-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

After 8 years of working night shift, I finally switched to days. Yesterday was my first day back since Bin's surgery three months ago. Jon and I decided that I would give it a try since the kiddos are a little older and I am just plum worn out working nights. I usually stay up all day with Bin and Oaxie and then go into work the night shift from 7PM to 7AM, then get home and stay up with them all day and finally get to sleep when Jon gets home from work. My body has been telling me that it is getting tired of doing that. I only work 2 days a week and it will be mostly on the weekends so Jon will have them then. I will be sad that I won't be home on weekends but it will be for the summer mostly, until they go back to school in the Fall.

I was sad that I missed Mothers day but Bin and Oaxie waited up for me when I got home. I had a pretty picture they colored for me and Photo Shop software so I can do really neat things with our pictures. I can't wait to figure out how to use it. Jon took a picture of them out at the deer lease yesterday while I was at work and had it waiting for me on the computer. It was really cute so I put it up for you to see! Of course the Coffee maker was my Mothers day gift to myself! I have been wanting one of these forever. It makes really great coffee and it looks pretty cool too!:)

For Linda- pics of Bin's scooter

2009-05-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

I was having problems posting pictures of Bin's scooter on my e-mail so this post is for Linda.:)

No More Casts!!!

2009-04-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Our last sink bath the night before casts were
taken off!

Can't take my eyes off these strait feet!

I can make my toes touch now!!

I was not happy they made me use

the walker. I wanted to walk by
myself.

The casts are officially off! What a relief. Bin had some really stinky feet but I had to kiss them anyway. The surgery was a success. Bin's feet are in the correct position for the most part. His left foot which we had the most problem with still does point outward a little bit but not any where compared to before. His new braces have fish all over them and he has been showing them off to every person he sees! Bin has not been able to sit in the bath tub since the surgery and he was so happy to play in the tub last night. He and Oaxie took a bath for an hour. It has been a long 3 months and we are so happy that Bin is up walking (practically running) again!

Birthday Party

2009-04-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Birthday 2 - 4/4/08 (my most fav pic of Oaxie)

Went to Botanical Gardens for Birthday and
had pictures taken

Birthday 1 - 4/4/07

Birth - 4/4/06

Well, I am sooooo mad at myself. I accidentally erased all the pictures from the birthday party. Thankfully, Nana and Aunt Christie took a bunch so I will have to get copies of theirs! Still I am sad b/c I had some really sweet ones of Bin and Oaxie together!:(

The party turned out great. The weather was perfect. It was a little windy but not at all like the days before where the wind gusts were over 50 miles/hr! Instead of gifts we had all the guests bring items/gift certificates for the Ronald McDonald House in Ft Worth! We were so thankful to every one that came because we raised over $200.00 and received lots of supplies for the House as well! We were able to stay at the RMcD House when Bin & Oaxie were born. It was just around the corner from the hospital and b/c of the House we did not have to drive an hour home every day while they were in the NICU. We will always appreciate the care we received from the staff there while we waited to get to bring the babies home!

So, instead of b-day pics here are pictures from all their birthdays except from their party this past weekend. You can just look at the posts below to see them now!:)

School Birthday Party

2009-04-02T16:23:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated our birthday with friends at school. We will be 3 on Saturday! Mommy and Daddy have been planning our first big birthday party for Saturday. Mommy has been really stressed out about it. Who would have ever thought planning a 3 year old party would be such an ordeal:)

A little Behind

2009-03-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

The boy & his dog:)

Granddaddy took us to see the train out behind
his office!

Granddaddy and Bin playing some tunes!

Silly Goose

I haven't been keeping up lately. Here are a few pictures from...life right now!:)

Finally Feeling Better!!

2009-02-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Since Bin's surgery almost 3 weeks ago, Oaxie got strep throat and was so sick with it! Bin developed Bronchitis right after we left the hospital and we have been having to do breathing tx q 4 hours and he is still not completely better. Then of course, I got sick. Believe it or not I had the flu and tonsillitis. Oh yea, and a sinus infection! It has been truly miserable in the Wells household lately. However, I do think we are on the road to recovery and I am definitely ready for this cold and flu season to be done with!!! I am so grateful my parents were here to help. They were here for 2 weeks and they truly saved my life!:) Thankfully neither of them got sick either...what a miracle! Bin has been adapting to his casts great and we only have three more weeks until we get the long ones off and new ones from below the knee down on. Boy is he heavy with those long casts! They were unable to fit him with a wheelchair so Jon's Dad made Bin a scooter and it has been a life saver. We are going to put some padding on it this weekend so it will be a little more comfortable. He gets around in it good. He is a fast learner. As soon as he got on it he took off!

Bin's surgery update

2009-02-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Morning of surgery

Morning after surgery

About to go home!

Oaxie helping Bin with his toys

Bin with his Nana

Sick little Oaxie:(

Happy Bin!

Bin had surgery this past Monday. He had what is called a rotational osteotomy on both of his lower legs. This is going to help make is feet turn in a forward position. He did exceptionally well. We were expecting to stay for a week but were able to leave the day after surgery. Bin had no pain form the surgery. We were expecting it to be bad and the Doctors were a little worried about it too since he does seem to have some sensation in his lower legs. Well, he had no problems with pain. The hard part was keeping a 2 year old legs elevated for 72 hours. He is not a TV watcher and so you can imagine how hard it was to keep him still. Our major problem was constipation. He has not been on laxatives of any kind for over a year. BUT once we got home he was miserable. I am sooooo mad at myself for not addressing that after the surgery. I knew it could be a problem. He was fine after I loaded him up with suppositories, senna and miralax.:) The hard part is just beginning now. He is not allowed to put any weight on his feet whatsoever for the next 12 weeks! He has casts on from the upper thigh all the way down to his feet for six weeks. He will then have the casts removed, pins taken out from around his ankles and then switched to casts below the knee for another six weeks. Thank goodness for our cement floors. He is able to slide on his tummy and bottom to get where he needs to go. He is adjusting quiet well.

Oaxie was sick when we got back from Dallas. Fever, cough and yucky nose so I have been fearful that Bin will get it. She is just now starting to feel better. She was very glad when we got home. She walked over to him and said,"Bin's legs are sick and rubbed them. We missed her soooo bad and were happy to be home. Here are pictures from the whole experience.:)

Binford Christmas

2009-01-03T09:33:00.001-08:00

The annual Binford Family Christmas Photo

Bin, Blake, Oaxie and Syd

Bin and Blake

Oaxie was Santa's helper this year. She was a
big girl and helped pass out gifts.

Bin very excited that he got a basketball goal!
Thanks Uncle Brien & Aunt Christie!!!

Oaxie got a doctor kit but Bin was trying it out!
Little did Aunt Christie know but she would be

needing a doctor by the next night when she got

Bin's stomach bug!:)

Bin enjoying his new bean bag

Bin out after so much excitment from the day!

We were not for sure if we were going to be able to make it for Christmas with my parents since we had such a horrible time getting past the stomach bug. It only took most of us a day or two to get over it but for Bin it took almost two weeks. We finally decided on Christmas afternoon that Bin was feeling better. We went ahead and left. BIG MISTAKE! He was sick that night and the entire time we were there...and yes my family then got it. Nana and Granddaddy, Aunt Christie and Sydni!:( Good thing for Bin is that even though he had it he never felt bad. He just kept throwing up and had really bad poop!

Wells Christmas

2009-01-03T09:11:00.001-08:00

Waiting for our cousins to come over

Silly Bin

Bin, Ollie, Oaxie, Joe , Hank

Oaxie cooking Grandpa Mike a hamburger in
her new diner!

Bin hard at work at his new tool bench!

The weekend before Christmas we celebrated with Jon's family. Here are a few pictures. After this day, out of the 14 of us that were all together, 11 of us were sick by the next day with a terrible stomach bug. :(

Learning to Walk Again

2008-12-11T09:38:00.000-08:00

Waiting for the braces!

First steps in new braces!

This is going to take a while, but I'll get the
hang of it!

New Braces vs. Old Braces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, we went to get Bin's new braces. I knew they were going to be much bigger but for some reason I was still shocked when I saw them. These go up around his hips, around his thighs and then around his feet. As you can see in the pictures there is a HUGE difference between these and his old ones! The new ones are supposed to help keep his feet in a forward position. (they are usually turned outwards, his left more than his right) Well, the problem is he has learned to walk this way and has used that left foot more for balance than for walking. I don't know why I was just expecting him to put them on and just take off! It was like watching him trying to learn to walk all over again. It made me sad. However, he did not seem to let it bother him. He just wanted to go go go! He will have to use his walker again until he gets used to these. Part of me wishes I had not worried about that right foot and just let him go on walking like he does! You know for a little guy who was not supposed to be able to walk, he has done a pretty darn good job of getting around to me! Sometimes, I think it just bothered others more than it did Jon and I. I know in the long run this will be better for Bin to learn to walk with better foot positioning but right now part of me is bummed that he will have to start over from scratch!:( I'm just a sad Mommy venting right now, I will be better tomorrow!

Christmas Decorating

2008-12-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

I took advantage of Granddaddy and Nana visiting and had them help us decorate the tree. Jon took advantage of that too, and went hunting all day!!!:)

Jingle Bell Run

2008-12-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

Blake & Oaxie

Granddaddy making the fire (our 1st fire for the year)

Abe enjoying Brien & Christies bed

Working on the Ginger Bread House

Before the race

Karen and Me (the one who gets me into these

things!:)

The entire Binford/Wells gang

The Runners- (except Abe of course)

Granddaddy, Sydni and Blake relaxing in the

hot tub

This weekend all the Binford crew came in town to visit and participate in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk in down town Ft Worth. I can't believe the entire family did it but we did. Here are a few pictures from all the fun. Bin and Oaxie love their cousins Blake and Sydni. They had fun playing with them all weekend. After their nap on Sunday they woke up asking for them. We sure miss them. Abe (our dog) really misses Uncle Brien and Aunt Christie too! He got to sleep with them by the fire. He tried to stow away in their car when they left. Silly boy!

Thanksgiving Pictures

2008-12-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

I am a little late getting these up, but here you go! We spent Thursday at Jon's cousin, Martha's house. It was like a Wells reunion. The food was great and we all ate too much. On the other hand, Oaxie preferred her Thanksgiving meal to be a bag of Cheetos and some pumpkin loaf. Where on earth did this child come from? Saturday, we had Thanksgiving with Jon's parents, brother and sister and their families. Aunt Jenny, me and all the kiddos hung out at our house most of the day while TaTa and Aunt Penny made dinner. It was a lot of fun to have all the kids together.

Goodbye to our Sweet Anna

2008-11-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

Bin loving his dear friend (I love this picture)

Last week we lost our Sweet Anna. We were all so sad to see her go but we knew that it was coming. We never were for sure of her actual age. I have a feeling she was around 15 or so. We adopted her from the Golden Retriever Rescue seven years ago this coming December. They told us she was around 7 but when we met her for the first time we knew she was much older than that. She was already white in the face but we loved her from the moment we saw her. This is her story ( I will try and make it short)...

When Jon and I first met I knew he always wanted Golden Retrievers. So, a year after we were married we got one, Annie Bell. Then a few months later we got another one, Amos. Annie and Amos were great buddies. When Annie was 3 she began having seizures. We found out the cause was an inoperable brain tumor. She passed away about 6 weeks later. Almost a year after she died we started looking into adopting a Golden instead of getting a puppy. We happened to come across a Golden Retriever Rescue in College Station which was perfect since we are there pretty regularly!:). They had one in need of a home and her name was Annie too. Later we changed it to Anna. She was our Christmas gift that year to each other. Since then we have picked up a few other strays a long the way and this past summer we lost Amos as most of you already know. He passed away in his sleep one night. We are still so sad he did not make it to come and live out here in the country, he would have been the most happiest dog in the world. I know this is getting rather lengthy but I just wanted you all to know what a sweet dog she was. She had such a gentle soul. I often wonder what kind of life she had before she came to live with us. I can't imagine any one not loving her. She was so sweet with the babies and Bin really loved her. He says now that she has gone to live with GG in Heaven. GG is what he calls Jesus:)! The other day on our way home from the store he said Mommy I need to hold Anna. It made me so sad. Maybe someday we will get another one. So now we just have Abraham (a silly little dog that Jon found when he was out dove hunting about 4 years ago) and of course all the cats.!!

Family Camp 2008

2008-11-17T09:23:00.000-08:00

Oaxie caught her first fish

Face painting at the Carnival

Believe it or not this was some sort of game, but

I still never figured it out. Oaxie just liked

playing in the flour!

Arts & Craft time

Time to go home

This weekend we went to Family Camp. This was our second year, click here to see pics from last year. We sure have changed! It was a lot of fun and burrrrrrr was it cold! We went to a camp fire and made our very first smores. We went on a scavenger hunt, did arts and crafts and went fishing and even caught fish! Saturday night we went to the carnival, ate cotton candy for the first time, had our faces painted and danced a lot! Here are some of our pictures from the weekend.

Cute Halloween Pictures

2008-10-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just some cute pictures of us playing in our costumes. Mommy and Daddy put on oldies music and we danced. They taught us how to do the twist!

School Halloween Party

2008-10-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Oaxie would not cooperate for the group picture!

Pizza Party!

Nap Time

Today we had our Halloween party at school. Bin was a Fireman and I was a 50's Girl. We got lots of goodies, painted pumpkins and ate pizza! Mommy had to come pick us up early because Bin got sick. We don't know if he ate something or got a bug but by the evening he was feeling much better.

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

We decorated our pumpkin tonight. Talking about waiting until the last minute! We seem to be very good at that. Unfortunately, no one will see him except us. Now that we have moved out to the country we won't have any trick or treaters. That is a bummer. I still managed to buy candy though...guess we will have to eat it all!

Fire Truck Day

2008-10-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Bin is up in front, leading the pack!

Bin just spotted me!!!!

The Fireman is shaking Bin's hand

Bin is totally freaking out in this picture!!!

Today the Fire Truck came to see all the kiddos at school. I was not sure how Bin and Oaxie would do once they saw me. I tried to stay hidden in the back for as long as I could. I was worried they would throw a fit and indeed they did. They were okay at the beginning while the Firemen were talking to them but once it was over, they were not happy about me leaving. I was able to get a few pictures of them before the melt downs occurred. Oh yea, and by the way, you won't have any problem spotting them out amongst all the kids, BECAUSE I did not dress them up in their school shirts today. I officially won "Worst Mom of the Day" award.:(

Another Wedding!!

2008-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

All dressed up for the wedding

Mr. Handsome

Oaxie, Mommy and Blake

All the Binford grandkids

Kristy and Tracy

Bin and Sydni dancing the night away. Sydni
was Bin's dance partner all night!!!

Our sweet cousin Libby. Bin and Libby were big
buddies all night

Bin eating all of Uncle Brien's wedding cake

The morning after the wedding

BOO!

This weekend we went to Bryan for our cousin Maurie's wedding. Mommy went with Nana and Granddaddy to the A&M and Tech game, while Daddy took us to Blake and Sydni's soccer games. Mommy said she should of went with us instead because the Aggies did not win. She had fun though. She has not been able to make any games this year which has made her sad. She really likes going to the games with Nana and Granddaddy. She says when we get a little older we will get to go too. She says we are still to young and we would not sit still long enough for the entire game. After that we went to the wedding and I (Bin) danced the night away. I love to dance. Oaxie danced with Mommy a few times but she was very sleepy because she would not take a nap with Daddy and I before the party! I told her to stop playing and go to sleep so we would be all refreshed before the wedding but she does not listen to me! SO...needless to say she was a little gripey and refused to dance with me. Sunday we played outside while Granddaddy washed Mommy's car. He gets soooo irritated with her because her car is so dirty. Every time we go to Bryan he has to wash it!

The Big One

2008-10-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Jon and his Audad. I'm not sure if I spelled that right. He shot this with his bow. He was very excited. This is supposed to be a very big one! He said that they don't get much bigger than this. He was an old one. He had lots of scars all over him. He had been in lots of battles. When Jon took him to the taxidermist he said he had rattlesnake bites on him. I believe it. The place Jon hunts on has lots of rattlesnakes, it makes me very nervous that he is out there by himself all the time!!

Good Times in Florida

2008-10-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Friday

Our Famous "Oreo Cookie Shot"

The Bride and Groom- Rehersal Dinner Night

Karen and Lee

Wedding Day

Holley and her baby Lexie

Holley workin' up a sweat dancing!

SUNDAY: Relaxation

Dinner @ Orientes- Gloria Esteban's restaraunt

Last week me and my friends from work went to Vero, Florida for our friend Holley's wedding. She used to work with us at the hospital but she met the man of her dreams, Jeff, on a cruise last year and left us all to be with him!!! We are so excited for her and Jeff and are happy she moved to a great place so we can go and visit her all the time. The beach there is great! I have not been on a girls trip since we went to Cancun a month before I became pregnant, so I was in great need of one. I have missed those trips but have decided it is time to start back up the tradition again. Here are some pictures of the trip. We ate, did wedding stuff and layed out on the beach a lot. It was great!!!

Picture Day at Preschool

2008-10-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

We have school pictures today so Mommy made us practice this morning smiling for the camera. Mommy was so so surprised that we actually held hands and smiled when she asked us to. She was trying to take the picture so fast because she did not want to miss the moment. She said it was absolutely adorable.

Hair Cut Time

2008-10-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

We are going to have school pictures tomorrow so Mommy decided we needed hair cuts . Mommy took me (Oaxie) and Daddy took Bin. Mrs. Kelly cuts Mommy's hair so she is going to cut mine too. I had lots of fun, Bin missed out!:)

Finally back to blogging!

2008-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Back of the house

Our little Red Barn

Well, I finally made it back on line. It has taken forever for us to get the internet out here in the country! I never realized how different things are once you move out of the city in regards to cable, trash, electric, internet!!! A lot has been happening since the beginning of September. We moved, Bin and Oaxie started preschool, I have quit working every weekend and am able to work during the week to be with Jon and the kids more, Bin and Oaxie have moved into toddler beds, AND they both are finally taking interest in using the potty!! Yes, even Bin who we are still not sure about will sit and tee tee and poo poo on the potty, very exciting!! Now, don't get me wrong they do not do it on a regular basis but atleast they are starting to make an effort! They work on it at school too which helps. Mrs. Kathy, their teacher, is very good with Bin and makes him sit on the potty like all the other kiddos during potty time.
Both Bin and Oaxie (and me too) have all been sick twice since school has started! Yuck! I figured this would happen, but not this fast!! Just a few colds...nothing serious.
KEEP SCROLLING DOWN, I PUT A BUNCH MORE PICTURES BELOW THIS POST!!!

First day in the house

2008-10-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

Floors are perfect for riding, at least until the
furniture showed up!

Sweet baby boy

Watching as Daddy drops off another load of stuff!

No table yet, so we had to eat at the bar!

First day of school

2008-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Waking up early for our first day of school!

Bin not sure what to think about all the kids

Oaxie had no problems,
she went straight for the
toys!

Our first refrigerator art work! However, Oaxie
pulled the eyes off hers before we could get it up
for display!

The first day of preschool was very exciting for the kids and very strange for me. Bin was a little hesitant at first because there were a few kids crying hysterically and that upset him. Oaxie did not even turn around to see us leave. She is so independent. The director of the school came and met with me to let me know that she was up to speed on everything regarding Bin and had replaced all the toys and first aid supplies to latex free. She is great and so is their teacher. After Jon and I left he asked me what I was going to do by myself for the day and I really was not sure! I had not had very many days during the week all by myself since Bin and Oaxie were born. I went and got myself some coffee and went back to the house to start unpacking more stuff. I know real exciting.

More Pictures

2008-10-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

On our daily walk down to get the mail with
Granddaddy and Daddy

Anna and Abe love it here. They have 25 acres to roam and they are literally in "dog heaven". I only wish Amos was still with us. He would have been so happy here! Sweet Anna our golden retriever is so old. She is half deaf and blind and accidently got lost a few weeks ago. The neighbor boys went out on their motorcycles to look for her and found her in a pasture a few miles away just sitting there all by herself. Poor baby. She has not left the back yard since!

Country Folk Now!!!

2008-09-07T12:14:00.001-07:00

Well it is true...we are officially country folk! We have moved to a great new home with lots of land! We are so excited. Bin and Oaxie love it. I will put up new pictures once I can get stuff around here organized. Bin and Oaxie started preschool last week and seem to be having a good time. They are the only ones in the class that never cry when we leave or pick them up. They have been bringing home lots of neat art work and we are happy that they like it. Once I get things in order around the new house I will get you all updated on what has been going on!

Oaxie Swimming?

2008-08-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Look who decided to finally start swimming all on her own! We went swimming at Kevin and Kacy's house last night and as soon as we put Oaxie's floaties on she was ready to get in. This is not her usual. She normally sits on the steps for a while and then gets out and plays around the pool the rest of the time. She was practically jumping out of my arms to get in the water. As soon as we got in she wanted me to let go and the pictures show the rest. She was very brave yesterday. However, once she figured out the swimming thing she got out and ran around in the sprinkles (what she and Bin call the sprinkler) and wanted to be chased by Kevin the rest of the time. Daddy and Kevin shot their bows at Bambi (deer target). I was worried Bin and Oaxie would have a problem with it but they did not. They were very interested in it though. Oaxie tormented poor little Lincoln, Kacy's little dog. He was so ready to see us leave.

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

2008-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Look at that tongue!!!

We went to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose this weekend. I think we chose the hottest day of the year to go, 107! Thankfully, we were in the car most of the time. We saw lots of animals that we have only seen in books and that was very exciting. You purchase a bag of food before the drive starts so you can throw feed out a long the road for all the animals. You are not supposed to feed any of them by hand, except for the giraffes. However, you know Daddy, not a very good rule follower. So, with his help we fed them and they were all very gentle. The drive lasted about 3 hours. Half way through, we stopped to eat and take a nature walk and see more animals. We were going to go the Dinosaur Park as well, but by the end of the afternoon we were all too tired for that. We will go back for that another time, hopefully when it cools off a bit.

Visiting with Nana & Granddaddy

2008-07-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Watching Brother Bear, one of our favs!

Last week Nana and Granddaddy came to play with us while Mommy was in a meeting at work.

Yea! More swimming!

2008-07-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

Bin swimming to Karen

Look at Bin! Swimming all by himself!

Bin and Mary

Brooke and Oaxie...snack time

Bin pretending to go, night-night

We went swimming at Mary's house today. Karen and her granddaughter, Brooke came and we all had so much fun. Mary's pool is brand new and very nice. It has lots of waterfalls which we liked a lot. Oaxie swam for a little while at the beginning and then decided to hang out around the outside of the pool playing with balls, and grazing at the food table!:) She may not look like Mommy but she knows how to eat like her!!!! Bin stayed in the pool the entire day, of course. He was swimming with his new arm floaties. It did not take him long to figure out how to stay upright in the water with them on and then he did not want to be held or helped any more. He was such a big boy swimming all by himself! Oaxie finally got back in the pool after a while and hung out on the steps and played with the rings. She threw them while the rest of us dove to get them.
This time we switched back to our regular sunscreen and put shirts on half way through the day. None of us our sunburned, YEAAAA. (if you remember a few posts back how sunburned we all got last time we went to the pool) We hope to go back to Marys real soon!

What's this Mommy?

2008-07-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

I was getting Bin ready for his bath last night and he was rubbing his head where his shunt is. I have not really noticed him doing that before. He said, "Whats this Mommy?" over and over again. I told him it was his shunt and tickled him all the way down to his belly to show him where it went to. Of course he did not get it, but was still cute. He is also counting to 10! When I was cleaning the dishes he and Oaxie were sitting on the floor and he started counting the rails on the baby gait. Oaxie chimed in a few numbers as well. I have never heard him do that before. I count to them all the time but am not sure they pay attention to me...I guess they do. He even counted for Granddaddy over the phone. Pretty impressive.

Bin's Doctor Appointment Updates

2008-07-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been busy the past few weeks with Doctor appointments, so I figured I better keep everyone up to date with all the details. A while back I told you Bin had been choking on liquids so we had to take him to the GI and Neuro Doctor to try and figure out what is going on. They both wanted Bin to have a swallow test and a MRI.
The swallow test is where he has to drink fluids of all different consistencies with barium in it while all along being x-rayed to show if the fluid is going down his esophagus ( which is the correct pathway for ingested food/fluid) instead of his trachea which in turn goes to his lungs, causing him to aspirate (choke). They also wanted him to have a MRI to make sure his shunt is not malfunctioning and to check his Chiari Malformation. Almost 90 % of all children born with Spina Bifida have this malformation but very few have serious signs and symptoms from it. One of the signs is choking but since Bin's choking is very infrequent and not severe I was not to worried that it could be from his Chiari, but of course that is always in the back of my mind.
The MRI turned out basically normal. Bin's shunt is working fine and Dr. Honeycutt (neuro) said that his Chiari is so minimal that he could almost say that it is non-existent. WOW! That is grrrrreat news. He said he was very worried when it came time to read the results because he was fearing the worst. He was very surprised that neither the shunt nor the Chiari was the problem. He was very impressed that Bin is walking so well by himself. Bin walked across the room and gave him a hug and a high five! :)
However, the swallow test did not come back as we had hoped. He in fact is having swallowing issues. First of all, when he takes a drink of anything he takes in an extremely large amount at once. There is no way to decrease that amount unless you sit by his side and squeeze a straw for every little sip he takes to monitor the amount. Now, if anyone can do that with a 2 year old I would be very impressed. Secondly, when he swallows some of the fluid is going down his trachea. It is not going all the way to his lungs, thankfully!!! The doctor is worried that over time the nerves/muscles there will finally decrease in sensitivity and he will eventually start to completely aspirate, which would be very bad. So, now we have to thicken all of his fluids. Everything he drinks has to be the consistency of honey and let me tell you it has been very difficult to get this sweet boy to drink anything now! We have been trying all kinds of new drinks, smoothies and yogurt drinks. He is slowly getting better but he no longer drinks plain water because of this so we are now having to add juices to his water. I don't know why he refuses water now, I guess the thickener we have to add to it causes him to refuse it. We will go back in 6 months for another swallow test to see if the muscles have become stronger, swallowing the thicker liquids, and hopefully we will get to change back to a thinner consistency.
Bin also started Physical Therapy at Cook's and we are so impressed with it. His therapists name is Becca and she works great with him. She says he is extremely strong and can't believe he is walking all by himself. He was no where close to that just 2 months ago which is when we went for his initial evaluation with her. From now on Bin will go every 2 weeks. She is also going to look into some devices to help him turn his left foot in when he walks. We are very excited about that!
Other than that we have been having a fun filled summer and Bin and Oaxie are getting bigger and bigger every day. They are talking non-stop and sometimes using full sentences. They are just so smart!:) They totally crack us up every day. We love it!!!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went out to Daddy's shop to watch the Mineral Wells fire works show. The shop is not to far from where they fire them off, so it was a perfect spot. All of our grandparents were there including our Great Grandmother, MaMaw. She came all the way from Lubbock to visit us! We had so much fun playing with her. Mommy and Daddy's friends Kevin and Kacy came along with their families too. There was a big crowd. Everyone was there except Mommy, bummer. She had to work and she was soooooo sad she missed all the fun, especially going to get ice cream afterwards. She said she would not miss it next year!

Swim Party

2008-06-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

Mia, the birthday girl

Delicious cupcakes

I don't want to go!!!

Today we went to a birthday party for our friend Mia. She turned 3 years old! She had a swim party at the Y in Dallas. They have a really neat set up at the pool, especially for little ones like us. We ran through the water sprinklers the entire time. We both got to take turns hitting a pinata for the first time. When it finally broke open we grabbed up bunches of treats! It was lots of fun!

Fathers Day Weekend (little late)

2008-06-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

Daddy trying on his new watch

Kisses from Daddy's girl

Bin reading Daddy's card to him

Oaxie, Chris and baby Roxie

Mommy left her camera at Mike and TaTa's after celebrating fathers day so that is why we are a little late with these pictures. Daddy got up very early on Fathers day to go out to the deer lease and check his deer feeders and his game cameras. When he got home we gave him his new watch. He needed a new watch for work, his other one finally bit the dust. After that we went out to see Mike and TaTa and Chris, Penny, Hank, Joe and Roxie were there too! We had lots of fun visiting.

More Swimming

2008-06-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sweet Miss Oaxie

Mr. Photogenic

A man and his dog

Don't spray me!!!!

Woo Hoo!

Mommy was cancelled tonight at work so we went to celebrate....outside for a swim! We would do this every day if we could!

Bin On the Go!

2008-06-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks Bin has been trying to take a few steps without his walker... well now look at him go. Today was the first time he walked from one couch across the room to the other without falling! I can count on one hand the amount of times he has used his walker since Sunday. All he wants to do is hold our hands and the walls to get around. Now he has gained enough confidence and is letting go for long periods of time. We are soooooo excited. Very rarely is he falling to his knees to crawl either. He seems to always find something to walk to or hold on to to get where he wants to go. When you try to give him his walker so he can have a break, he says, "NO WALKER, MOMMY!" He is a very determined little man! I hope the video shows up, it seems very dark.

Here is another video that hopefully you can see a little better. I know it looks bad when Bin falls, but I promise he did not hurt himself. He jumped right back up and kept walking!:) Oaxie was trying to help me video, so that is why it is a little jumpy.

Sleepy Baby

2008-06-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight when we were all in the kitchen making dinner we noticed after a bit that Oaxie was no longer with us. I went into the living room and this is where I found her. I can't ever remember a time when she just fell a sleep anywhere other than her bed or car seat. She was so sweet I could not resist taking her picture.

Sun Burn, oouch!

2008-06-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are with our first sunburns. Mommy is not very happy about this. Daddy said that if he would have come home with sunburn babies he would have been in sooooo much trouble... he is probably right. Mommy says next time we are in full body suits!!!!!!!

More Pictures From the Week

2008-06-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Look at me walking without my walker

Bin loves tractors

Out like a light after swimming all day

Nana and Granddaddys

2008-06-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

Blake and Oaxie

Bin and Sydni

Color time at Nana's

Cheyenne and Bin

Jordan, Sydni, and Cheyenne

This week we have been at Nana and Granddaddy's. We had lots of fun shopping, playing and of course.... more swimming. We went to our cousins house and swam all day. Literally we were in the water for over 5 hours. Mommy put sun screen on us constantly and we still got sunburned. She feels very bad. But we would do it all over again if we could. Next time we go home mommy says that I (Oaxie) have to wear a full body suit so I don't get burned again!

Swim Swim Swim

2008-05-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

This entire week all we have done is swim. We love to swim, we never want to get out. Bin slides down the slide over and over again and even goes under the water. He is getting very comfortable in the water. Oaxie thinks the water is too cold so she usually just walks around supervising!

Silly Llamas

2008-05-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

This evening we went out to visit Will and Jennifer. We brought some of Bin's baby clothes over. Jennifer is pregnant with twin boys!!!! We can't wait for them to get here so we can play with them. Boy, their lives are about to drastically change! We had lots of fun tantalizing their cats, especially the big fat white one. He weighs over 20lbs!!! We got to go on a walk and see lots of moooo cows and llamas. Mrs. Jen helped us feed them. They are really silly looking, especially the one whose teeth were soooo big he never closed his mouth. Mr. Will let us play with his guitar and piano. Mommy was worried we were going to break all of his big boy toys! She can be really annoying some time, geeeez.

Summer Is Here!

2008-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

It was very hot this weekend, perfect for swimming. Mommy and Daddy got our pool out from last year but it had some "blowing up issues." It must have had holes in it so not all of the pool would stay inflated. We are going to get a new one soon. We were so ready to jump in that we could not wait to get our bathing suits on.

Out at the Brazos

2008-05-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight after Daddy got off work we went for a drive out on the River. We went to look for deer and we saw a few and a skunk too! Next time we go we are going to play in the water. We mostly threw rocks in the water and rode all around. I (Bin) like to drive so Daddy lets me steer sometimes. We looked off the top of a big cliff. It made Mommy very nervous. She did not let us stay up there long. She was on the look out for mountain lions. She is so silly!

Silly hat

2008-05-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is what Daddy does to us when Mommy is at work!!!!!

New Braces

2008-05-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Oaxie lovin' on sweet Anna

Chester helping Bin figure out the water hose

Miss Oaxie sweeping the side walk

We went to get Bin's new braces yesterday. We picked out camouflage braces but when you see them it is more like safari camo instead. I guess you would say safari camo, I don't really know.... but there is red in it. Anyways, I kind of like it and so does Bin. He is doing very good with them. Hopefully you can see them okay in the picture. We went to try and find some new shoes but could not find any cool ones in his size. We have limited resources around the Mineral Wells area, you know!:) By the way, thanks Miss Wendy for going with us yesterday. Mommy said that you probably won't do that again for a long while!!!!! She said that we worked you way to hard!

Bye Bye O'l Pine Tree

2008-05-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Donny working the crane

Look how high Daddy is....scary

Today Daddy brought his crane from the shop and cut down the old Pine tree in the front yard. It was really pretty pitiful. The middle part of the tree was dead and the top was still alive.... go figure. Mommy was worried it was going to fall on the house if we have to many more of those bad storms that came our way a few weeks ago. Our Great Grandmother, Otie, actually planted the little oak tree under the pine tree. It may be permanently small because it has grown under the pine tree for so long, but hopefully it will come around. Otie is actually what all the grand kids called her because no one could pronounce her real name, Oaxie. Which is where our little Oaxie got her name. This house was originally Jon's grandparents home and after they passed away and we moved to Mineral Wells we bought the house. It has been a continuous work in progress. We have lived here for 10 years and have never completely finished it. I just took a little walk down memory lane for those who read this that are not familiar with our story!:)

Saturday in the City

2008-04-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Dallas to the annual Spina Bifida Assoc. Bowl-a-thon. We did not bowl, we just went to say hi to all our friends and pick up the AmTryke bike we are borrowing from Caroline. Bin does not know how to ride a regular tricycle yet because he does not have feeling in his feet.... therefore does not understand how to push the pedals. This bike moves with hand pedals. We are hoping he will get the hang of this and will be able to ride a regular tricycle before too long. Then we can pass it on to the next friend in our SB group. Afterwards, we went to ride the train at the Ft Worth Zoo. Daddy did not get to go with us when we went a while back, so he wanted to go with us now. It was just as fun as last time. This time we got to get popcorn, it was yummy!

Dirty Jobs with Bin Wells

2008-04-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today I worked out in the backyard with Daddy. I think we could have made it in an episode of that discovery channel show, Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe! I helped Daddy dig really deep holes so we could work on the sprinkler system.

More pictures from the weekend

2008-04-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Bin rolling around on the blow up mattress

Blake and Oaxie

I thought these pictures were cute so I added them from when the family was down last weekend. Brien had a blow up mattress that literally stood up 3 feet off the floor. Bin had a grand time playing on it until he went flying off! About gave me a heart attack!

Spring Birthday's

2008-04-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Nana and Granddaddy gave us our first Aggie
jerseys

Bin and his Nana

We all have birthdays in the Spring, so we have one big party. After the day in Ft Worth, we came home and had our birthday celebration. I am not sure how we ended up on the front porch opening presents, but we did. It worked out perfect though because Bin and Oaxie got bubbles and they were very messy. I was looking back through the pictures and do we look like rednecks or what? Having half naked dirty babies running around the front yard! Jon has the back yard under construction so we could not go back there. We are hoping to have it finished in a few weeks so we can start playing back there all the time.

Zoo Fun

2008-04-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Sydni, Granddaddy, Bin and Blake

Mommy and Oaxie (remember Mommy just
ran a race and is not looking her best!:)

Brien and Blake

Blake and Sydni

Little Miss Priss

After the run the rest of the family came and we spent the day at the zoo. Bin and Oaxie enjoyed the zoo. They were pointing out the different animals and making animal sounds. Oaxie had a few tantrums but whats new!:) She has gotten very good at them since turning 2!! Bin's favorite were the elephants and I am not sure what Oaxie's was. She just liked walking all around without having to stay in the stroller. She is extremely independent!

Ft Worth Zoo Run

2008-04-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Brien, Christie, and Blake

Tracy, Brien and Chrisite

This morning we were up at 5 am to be in Ft Worth to run the annual zoo race. My brother, Brien and his wife, Christie have been training for the past couple of months. Of course, I had good intentions to train, but never did. Fortunately, I made it through without dying. Brien, Christie and Blake (nephew) did awesome. They ran the entire way. Not me! Some friends from work ran with us also. We had a good time. I am hoping this will motivate me to get in gear and get excited about running again. I have not wanted to do that since before I was pregnant!

Scarey Storm!

2008-04-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

Our bedroom window

Thankfully the dogs don't use this anymore!

Jons poor truck

Tonight we had a really bad hailstorm. Jon just got home from work when it started to hail a little. He ran out and put my car under the car port out back and before he could get out tennis ball sized hail started falling. My parents are here and my Dad was under the car port with Jon. They had to get on top of the cars because the hail was coming in side ways and hitting them. Mom and I were inside with the babies. I was worried the roof was going to fall in! Windows broke in the house, Jon's poor truck was beaten down and are roof will be getting replaced after this!! Soooo scarey!

Scottish Rite Day

2008-04-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

Snacking while waiting for appointment

I am not for sure about this, Mommy

Checking out pictures for the new braces

Wow, this is my foot!!!!

Today we had our ortho appointment. We saw Doctor Richards who performed Bin's heel cord surgery. He said Bin's feet are just beautiful. He thought everything about him looked great. We are going to go back in about nine months for him to decide what or if anything we need to do about Bin's left foot that we have been so concerned about all this time. He seems to think it is more of the bone structure rather than his lack of muscle development. There may be surgery that we can do to fix the bone if that is what in fact it is. Bin also got fitted for new braces, yea! His braces are getting sooo small, his poor toes are curling over the edge. He did so good while they were making the molds of his feet. He is going to get camouflage braces this time, Daddy will be so proud! Nana and Graddaddy went with us today. We had a lot of fun playing with all the neat toys and running up and down the halls. We wore our Grandparents out!!!

Trains! Trains! Trains!

2008-04-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Bin and I found pictures of trains on the Internet the other day. Ever since, he will go and sit in the computer chair waiting for Jon and I to put the train pictures back on. Jon found a way to set up a slide show and it has over 160 pictures of trains. Bin will sit and watch the entire thing. He loves it!

The Day After....

2008-04-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, yesterday was a good time! We are all very tired. Mommy slept in most of the morning and Daddy and Aunt Ginny played with us! We swang and played in the sand box all morning. We were sad to leave but we were ready to sleep for a while. We slept almost the whole way home from Austin. As soon as we drove in the drive way, we yelled out "yea, we home!!!" Austin was a fun time and we will be going back soon to play with Ollie!

Crawfish Boil

2008-04-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ollie and Oaxie waiting for breakfast

What big kids snacking at the table

Edward and Jon cooking craw fish

Yikes!

Edward busting a move

Late night snacking

Mommy had tooo much wine!!!

Uncle Edward and Aunt Ginny

Turn out the lights, the party's over!

Today was the annual craw fish boil. It was a very fun but very long day. Bin and Oaxie have definitely hit the terrible two's I think. But we are very glad we went down to the party. I ate craw fish for the first time. I don't think I have ever tried it all the times before. It was pretty good. Oaxie and Bin had fun playing with Ollie's toys. Oaxie's favorite was the toy kitchen and out door grill and Bin's was the swing. He was in it pretty much all the time. There was a kickball tournament, which the babies and I had to miss due to some serious melt-downs. Oh well, maybe next year. Edward wore his scary mullet hat/wig. It is amazing how real it looked on him. We hope he never wears it again!!!! Edward and Ginny asked everyone that came to the party to donate money to Scottish Rite. We appreciate that very much. I think there was close to $250. WOW.

Happy Birthday to Mommy

2008-04-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Mommy was hoping that everyone would forget it was her birthday today since we have been so busy getting ready to go to Austin for the weekend. Well.... Uncle Edward, Aunt Ginny and cousin Ollie had a birthday dinner and cake waiting for us as soon as we arrived. We ate yummy chicken spaghetti. Ollie sang his version of Happy Birthday to Mommy and he did soooo good. He had been practicing it all day.

Good afternoon!

2008-04-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Almost bed time

This morning we had to get up early to go see Dr Honeycutt, Bin's neurosurgeon. He thought Bin looked great, but of course is a little concerned about his recent choking issues and throwing up. He only chokes a little after drinking water or juice, thin liquids. It is not all the time but we have started noticing it more and more. He was on antibiotics for a respiratory infection last week so we are hoping that is why he vomited. He does not act like he feels bad when he does that which is a little bothersome. We are going to keep a log of how often these things are occurring for the next month and then we will go back to see him and see if we need to do some further testing. Lets all just pray that we are not on the verge of shunt problems again!! It was a long morning and for the first time we let Bin walk with his walker the entire morning. We left the stroller in the car. Oaxie and Bin had a blast playing with a little boy in the waiting room. They chased each other all around and I am sure drove all the people in there crazy, but it was really cute. When Bin's walker would get stuck going around a corner the little boy would go and help him, very sweet. Needless to say when we got home they took a 3 hour nap, so did Mommy! The pictures are after they woke up and were eatting their favorite snack, raisens.

Sand Box

2008-04-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

Mike and TaTa brought us a sand box over for our birthday. Daddy got it all ready and we played in it this afternoon. Mommy had to go to work and we did not even notice her leaving because we were having sooo much fun. However, she left her big lip prints on my (Oaxie) forehead when she left. Mommy knows that is really not my color!

We are 2!

2008-04-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

Brief meltdown because I could not go off the
path into the flowers!

Throwing rocks! This was our favorite. We saw
fish and a Mama and baby turtle.

We found a little puppy, Cosmo, to play with.
He was the perfect size.

Hmmmm, how can I get on that ride without
anyone noticing?

Thomas the Train coming down the tracks!

Watching the toy trains go round and round

Yea, we are 2! We had an exciting day with Mommy and Daddy. We went to the Botanical Gardens in Ft Worth and had lots of fun running all around that beautiful place. There are all kinds of pretty flowers, water falls and winding paths to run around. The weather was perfect. After that we went out to eat and then drove over to Grapevine to see Thomas the Tank Engine and boy was that exciting! There were not any tickets available to ride the train but we went anyways because there were lots of neat things to see. We watched a huge toy train display that had several trains going around at the same time. We were still to little to ride the rides there but we had fun watching the big kids going round and round on the train cars. At the end we got to see Thomas come down the train tracks and that was the best. He even tooted his big horn, it was very loud! At the end of the day we went to the Marble Slab and ate delicious ice cream. We are having our birthday party in 2 weeks. Most of Mommy's family has birthdays in the spring so we have one big party for everyone. We can't wait!!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Scottish Rite for our first Easter egg hunt. Mommy has been reading us books all about Easter so we would be prepared for today. However, we were not real sure about the Easter Bunny. We thought he was a bit overwhelming but after the day went on we decided he was a lot of fun. We played in the bubbles with him. We got to see a lot of familiar faces and Mommy was able to chit chat with her friends from the Moms Spina Bifida Group. Daddy thought he lost me (Oaxie) at one time and he about had a heart attack. Mommy went to change Bins diaper and when she came back Daddy was frantic saying he could not find me. He had resorted to asking some of the people for help to find me. They asked him what I was wearing and he said pink! BUT, I was wearing blue. Silly Daddy. Daddy said , but Oaxie always wears pink!!! Anyways, as soon as Mommy walked up I came out from one of the tunnels on the jungle gym. Wheeew, Daddy was relieved. We were supposed to have a picnic but we never sat still long enough to eat. There was way to much fun to have! Mommy was a real trooper. She worked last night and has to work again tonight. When we got home we gave her lots of hugs and then put her down for a nap for a few hours before she had to get back up and go be a nurse.:)

Relaxing with Daddy

2008-03-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

Daddy came with us to Physical Therapy today. I always like when he comes to watch me work! After it was over Me and Daddy sat on the bench for a little rest. Amy says she thinks we might consider getting Bin to try some forearm crutches. Bin will have to have a little better balancing skills before using those completely but he has been able to do pretty much everything he puts his mind to so we will look into it.

Wells Family Fun

2008-03-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Oaxie Glee

Aunt Ginny getting Uncle Edward w/ snowball

Uncle Chris and the kiddos

Sweet Oliver

Bin playing in the snow

Today we went out to Ta Ta and Mike's house to see all of the Wells Crew. Jon's brother and sisters family all came in town for the weekend. We played hard and did remarkably well without a nap. There was still a little snow left form earlier in the week so everyone had one last snow/ice ball fight before it was all gone. We colored and watched Curious George with our cousins Hank, Joe and Ollie while all the big people had a yummy dinner. I (Bin) ended up cutting the movie short so I could eat with Mommy and Daddy. I love to eat and will not let a home cooked meal made by Ta Ta pass me by!! Ta Ta made some delicious cheese grits and I ate all of Mommy's, Daddy's and then some more. I was sooooo full I thought I was going to explode. Ta Ta sent some home with me so I could have some more tomorrow!

(A Mommy's thoughts)
After we were home and the babies were in bed, Jon and I both had been thinking the same thing all day- for the first time we really noticed what it will be like for Bin when there will be activities he won't be able to participate in due to his physical limitations. As I watched from the side, I saw all the kids and grown ups running around like crazy people hurling snow balls at each other and then sitting off to the side with a little patch of snow all to himself was my little Bin. My heart was so sad, I had to hold back tears. You know I am not sure if he even noticed he was not involved but Jon and I did. However, today he did seem a little insecure with himself. He held on to Daddy most of the time when we were outside and did not want to walk with his walker, he would push it away and say, "hold Daddy". Bin normally does not act like that. At one point Jon was kneeling down with his arm around Bin, he had a big smile on his face and was just watching all the fun so intently. It was like he wanted to play so bad but he knew he couldn't. I almost started to cry but I am very good at hiding how sad I really am at times. Of course, everyone in the family would involve him in the action every once in a while and hand him a snow ball but it was just not the same. Even Oaxie was throwing snow balls, she had a blast!

I rarely discuss this kind of stuff with anyone but there is not a day that goes by that I don't get a bit emotional when I think of all the hardships Bin will have to endure through out his life. It is especially hard to think of these things when he is soooo little. No parent ever wants to sit by and watch as their child is not included or can't participate, even if he/she wants to, because of any type of issue, whether it be lack of friends, being different or having a disability.

Before I got pregnant the thought of having a baby with a disability never crossed my mind. When I finally became pregnant I did not feel like the motherly type at all. But, I do know this much, from the minute we found out that Bin had Spina Bifida at 18 weeks, my motherly instincts kicked in and all I wanted to do from that moment was to protect him. We only told a few family members and close friends before Bin and Oaxie were born. The main reason was because I did not want anyone feeling sorry for Bin. I felt like I needed to be strong and confident not only for me but for Bin too. However today, I am not feeling that strong. I dread the day I have to send him to mothers day out and all of the other children are running circles around him, I dread the day he comes home from preschool saying some kid took his walker away and he had to crawl on the floor until the teacher stepped in to handle the situation, I dread the day he comes home from kindergarten sad because he was the last one picked for a game of kickball, I dread the day I get a call from the school nurse saying that Bin had a bowel/bladder accident and is to embarrassed to come out of the rest room, I dread the day that Bin can't try out for the football team, I dread the day when Bin has a crush on some girl but she won't give him the time of day, but most of all I dread the fact of letting him go where I can't be there to protect him. I know that these are all issues that every parent faces but for some reason these thoughts are really stressing me out today. I know Bin is a strong little guy and he will be able to handle many things life has to throw at him (probably better than me), however right now I just wish he would not have to deal with any of these things. I will be totally fine with my thoughts tomoroow but this is just how I am feeling tonight. Just thoughts from a Mommy who loves her children to pieces!

Pepsi the Snowman

2008-03-07T11:04:00.001-08:00

Bin and Oaxie were very excited to see a snowman out the front window this morning. We skipped breakfast to go and play. We named him Pepsi since his eyes and buttons were smashed Pepsi cans.

The making of a Snowman

2008-03-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

snowball #1

snowball #2

snowball #3

Mr. Snowman

Jon went out and played in the snow after the babies went to sleep. Here he is making Bin and Oaxie a Snowman. He worked very hard! Our next door neighbor, Randy came out and said his wife Shannon was going to make him make a snowman now since Jon built one. They wanted to go down the street and make a snowman in every ones yard, we did not think that sounded like fun!