Boettcher Fam Update

BRETT:  It's been six months since Brett's lung surgery. You would never even know he had cancer or major surgery. People still come up to me and ask how he's doing. I have to remember what they're even talking about at times. Our cancer experience feels like another life to me. It's still surreal. We continue to be in awe of what God can do and how powerful prayer is. We came out of it stronger and closer. Anyway, back to the present. Brett has been busy at work, which is always a good thing. When he's not working, Brett is rough-housing with Orien and watching football. Orien and Brett love to do their "boy" stuff together and act goofy. I know Brett is looking forward to getting some hunting in this fall and winter. He has several opportunities to go within the next few months. He can break in his new gun! Brett is such a true Texas boy. Truck, guns, hunting, camo, football, fishing and yes, a beard! I love it. Well maybe we could all do without the beard?

PATRICIA:  I'm boring but I'll post a few updates on myself... My sleeping is a bit better. That is only because I have been taking sleeping pills to get caught up and to allow my immune to get better again. So I'm praying I can get back to sleeping on my own again soon. With all of my doctor appointments last week, we basically came to the conclusion that my allergies are causing the infections, lack of sleep, and pain in my face. I knew that but it was confirmed. Allegra and Nasonex seem to be working, although I still feel sort of bad after being outside. I'm trying to decide if I should get shots. The thing I'm so allergic to is ragweed pollen, which is what is very high right now. But it will calm down soon, so I may just tough it out. I really feel a lot better. The other issue is my deviated septum. It's getting to the point where I can only breathe out of my left nostril. Ah! It's part of why I can't sleep without waking up a lot. Bottom line though is the surgery is too expensive. We currently have a very high deductible and just can't afford to dish out thousands of dollars right now. Our medical bills this year have already been totally overwhelming, so we can't add this on top of that. Maybe next year? The main sleep issue is anxiety. I cannot figure out how to calm down at bed time and keep a calm mind throughout the night. I've tried lots and lots of things...baths, medicines, hormone replacements, anti-d's, praying, reading...they all work some time, but not all the time. Anyway, we are working on it. Just pray for me! Other than that, I'm doing well and keeping busy. I'm always doing the mom thing - cleaning, laundry, blah blah. But I also have women's bible study and MOMS (Mom church group) weekly. Lately, I've been meeting a lot of new moms. I'm hoping to have some park play dates soon with this awesome weather. 

ORIEN:  And now, for the feature act... our little O! I always blog about O so there's not much to update you all on. He still loves school. He is REALLY enjoying being outside more. Every day this week we've visited a park or gone for a walk. He loves to point out all the animals (birds, squirrels, dogs, cats) when we walk. His favorite park activity is still to swing, but he's getting more confident with climbing on the play sets. If you've been around Orien lately you know he is a kissing machine. Old, young, familiar, stranger, boy, girl... he doesn't discriminate! Orien absolutely LOVES to give kisses. Sometimes it makes for an awkward situation. Like when he threw a tantrum because he couldn't kiss the bagger guy at HEB. Maybe we need to work on who to give kisses to and who to just wave "hi" to. Anyway, O is our little entertainer. He brightens our lives every single day. I thank God daily for blessing us with a healthy, growing, confident (and super handsome!) little boy. I never forget there are thousands of parents out there with sick children. There are also thousands who are struggling to conceive. I keep them in my thoughts always. I never take for granted what we were blessed with. 

At the neighborhood park this morning...high-waders and all.

"Hope" - Addison Road

"When the world has broken me down...

...your love sets me FREE"

Just Remembering...

...life before kids

It Got Below 90 Degrees

So we hit the park! I think it's funny that just a few posts ago I was showing y'all photos of O in his swimsuit at another park. Texas has a reputation for back and forth weather. 

I can't write much because I have to maximize my productivity during O's naptime. The floors haven't been done in 2 weeks, yikes! The pics were from my iPhone so ignore the fuzziness. Enjoy!

He was stalking the squirrels.

Orien is wearing clothes from last winter. They fit perfectly!

Cheering on the Texans.

Okay, we lost. But we still are way better than the Cowboys. Every team has an off day :)

Prayers & Random Thoughts...

I'll make this short and sweet because I know I could go on and on...

I need your prayers. Just a quick, simple one. Please pray that I get sleep and get answers. I think I have the allergy issue worked out but I am still working on my sleeping problem. My lack of sleep has gone from a big issue to a major-all-I-can-think-about issue. I don't clean. I don't run errands. I don't cook. I cancel nearly everything I have planned every day. I am negatively (and my family) affected greatly all because I am not sleeping at night and have become miserable! (That sentence didn't make sense lol) 

I'm not asking for suggestions (trust me, I've tried it all), but I am asking for a brief prayer. I'll post an update after my appointment tomorrow morning with my ENT doctor. We are discussing a sinuplasty and my sleeping disorder. I'm hoping he will send me to a sleep center where I can finally get down to the real issue and FIX it. I can't go another day like this.

Okay, now on to the random thoughts. I don't want to end on something so depressing! :)

How cute is it that Leah lays in Orien's playroom a lot when he's off at school? Secretly I think she enjoys when he's at preschool because she gets a break from the non-stop action that Orien brings to our household. But seeing how she does this when he's gone...I think part of her misses him :)

Someone has become obsessed with taking photos. I've had to hide our nice Nikon so he doesn't carry it around taking pictures. Instead I give him the small Canon (the screen is already cracked) so he can perfect his skills. Thanks to O, I now have more fuzzy, blurry, angled photos than I could ever want.

Picture of the Day

He's so wise.

18 Months!

Look at little O a year ago. Back when he was too young to know to take his hats off! Ha! It's insane what a difference a year makes. He's a mini person now! This will be my last "monthly" post. It's been fun but I think it's time to stop now that he's a year and a half.

Let see...this month Orien has had some major changes! He started preschool and loveeee loves it. Every  day when I pick him up the teachers tell me he is the most social and most active kid. One of his teachers told me yesterday that he's super smart and observant. She couldn't believe how well he listens. I'll just pretend she doesn't tell any of the other moms that :) Orien has become a social little dude. He kisses everyone... On the mouth if they'll let him (which I usually don't let him). I've seen his confidence skyrocket, which is so awesome to see as his mom. He's really verbal, although I have no idea what he's saying 90% of the time. Like I posted recently, O understand everything. I mean everything! I don't know if that's normal for this age, but that's what people usually comment on when meeting him for the first time. They are so surprised at how much he listens and understands. 

Speaking of listening, O has really improved in the listening/behaving department. It was never a major issue but he had his moments. He still does have his moments, but when we say "do you want a timeout?" or "Orien stop please", he stops and behaves. He hits less and tantrums less. This could all be temporary but hey, I'm gonna brag and enjoy it while I can! And wow has his energy level gone UP. If I were to run around screaming (happily) and banging things and climbing furniture and chasing the dog and spinning in circles literally ALL day...I would be totally worn out. But Orien some how manages to keep truckin' all day (with a 2-3 hr nap squeezed in) with SO MUCH ENERGY. It's nice because he definitely entertains himself for longer periods of time now. And ya know how nice that is for Mom :)

We have his 18 month check-up soon and I'm very interested to see what he weighs. It seems he was stuck at the 20-21 lbs mark forever. He had dropped off the scales in the weight department. No worries though, it's genetic as you could probably guess. He eats but he picks all day off and on. 

Check out Orien now at 18 months... I think this photo is cute because of his lack of diaper and goofy expression. Love it!

Rated PG-13

Someone got a new toy today...

(Here's the PG-13 part)

I love my new grill Daddy!

Be Inspired

By Your Side  (Tenth Avenue North)

Why are you striving these days

Why are you trying to earn grace

Why are you crying

Let me lift up your face

Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love

Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough

To where will you go child

Tell me where will you run

To where will you run

And I'll be by your side

Wherever you fall

In the dead of night

Whenever you call

And please don't fight 

These hands that are holding you

My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side

They swallowed the grave on that night

When I drank the world's sin

So I could carry you in

And give you life

I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you

I want you to know

That I, I love you

I'll never let you go

My hope is that someone will Be Inspired by these beautiful lyrics. I love that they wrote it as if Jesus was talking. I wish blogger would let me have this song play while you read it. If you click here to watch it. They teamed up with Billy Graham Rapid Response Team for the video. It's powerful!

Train of Thought - Photo Version

Football took over the Boettcher household this weekend. Baylor had a rough loss, but our Texans made up for it with an AWESOME win.

Lately Orien looks older and different to me. Who do you think he looks like these days?

His new thing is he has to do everything himself, including eating, wiping (or picking) his nose, throwing trash away, feeding Leah and changing the channel.  

Boys will be boys!

Orien has become very aware of things that go on in his diaper. He lets you know by pointing that he is going to the bathroom. He also has been waking up with dry and clean diapers. Some may say those are signs he is ready for some potty training. 

I say, Mom isn't near ready for some potty training.

He is always ready for the flash. I think Orien has 12 teeth now. He cut his molars without a fuss!

Water is my best friend lately. With the transition into fall comes dry eyes, scratchy throat and stuffy nose. Water helps, a little. 

I have two appointments this week. One is with Dr. Leal, my allergy specialist. The second is with Dr. Martin, my ENT dude. I will talk with him about a possible sinuplasty and sleeping disorders. More on all that later in another post.

Although it doesn't feel like it outside...

it's starting to smell...

and look like fall at our house!

Check out O's first two masterpieces of artwork.

I know I know. He's the next van Gogh.

I'm thinking...

...that I want Orien to be this for Halloween.

Minus the boots and probably the hat since he won't wear either one. It's the vest and fishing pole I like. Anyway, what a simple and semi unique costume! Daddy will approve too. I bet we don't even make it out to actually "trick or treat." I can just see it not lasting long. Plus, it's not like I want him to have much candy. He'll be able to show off his cute mini fisherman self at a pumpkin patch or maybe a local Halloween festival. 

Remember last year? 

It's hard to top this costume, in my opinion.

Surprise!

Brett bent down to work on some wheels today...

And came face to face with THIS!

Surprise!

Yesterday's Funny Moment

Look what I found Orien collecting in my bathroom yesterday...

He's so proud.

Too Good Not To Share

I've already said how totally amazing my bible study was yesterday. I needed it big time. Our leader sent us some notes from yesterday and I thought it was too good not to share. Every single woman in the group could relate. We are all going through trials, some big, some small. Every day presents new challenges. Keep in mind some of these things listed below when pushing through life's rough spots.

Stay in the pain. 

Sounds rough? Because it usually is! But once you let go and give it to God, you feel freer. There is a specific reason God gives us each challenge. So you don't want to fight it or flee. Simply stay in the pain, keep a positive attitude and praise Him. Don't miss His process He created for just for you. 

God is on a mission. 

Remember, He's not here to fix it all for us. He's on a mission to "make all our parts whole."

  There's more to the story.

Don't focus on the trial because there's so much more! There is JOY in knowing God is working on the bigger picture. 

Super Man

Signing more mom more...

Train of Thought

I started my women's bible study today and it was AWESOME. The leader, Tanya Whitaker, is full of energy. She will be a great leader for our study of the book of James throughout the next few months. I've missed connecting, communicating and learning from other women. The past two months I've been in go-go-go mode with traveling. Not that I'm complaining, we had some great trips, but I'm so glad to be home now. I'm ready for the fall routine. I'm also ready to figure out my allergy issue. Whaaaat is the deal? Every season it seems to get worse. I'm on it though. Next week is my appointment with a specialist. I'm currently trying to mix different allergy meds on my own to see which combo works. No success yet. Yesterday's combo made me super drowsy all day and then kept me up all night. Literally. I never fell asleep. Tonight's sleep will be awesome though. I've been day-dreaming about my bed all morning...

Orien's still doing well in preschool. He did cry for the first time yesterday when I dropped him off. I think because he was tired. Tired Orien = Clingy Orien. But, like always, he was ALL smiles when I picked him up. AND he napped for the second time! Woo, go O! I've been thinking and praying a lot lately about something in particular. I feel like I'm missing something in my life. I need something for just me. I love love doing the blog, but I'm craving more. So lately I've been researching into different opportunities. I'm not pushing or rushing anything though. I know God will lead me down the path that's right for me. Patience is the key!

This weekend Eric has another home game and I cannot wait. I absolutely LOVE cheering on my little brother. We make it a big family event with my step dad, mom, sister, me, Orien, Brett, my Nan, my Parrain and sometimes my grandma and other extended family members. He definitely has the most fans in the crowd every game. You know he loves it, too :) Saturday Brett is finally getting the chance to go hunting. I have no idea which animal he is hunting for but I know he's going to enjoy every minute. He's been itchin' for a hunting trip for months. It's so good for him to have that time alone with the guys. In my opinion, it's one of the keys to a success marriage...doing your own thing every now and then.

And finallllly we get to attend a RPC Sunday service! I think it's been two months since we've been able to go? I signed up to sub for the little ones, so I'll be there for both services. And Sunday night is DATE NIGHT! Woo!!! We need it. We always need it though lol. Brett's planning it and I'm sure we'll be at a restaurant with lots of very large TVs. After all, it's FOOTBALL season! (Go Texans!) Ok, my train of thought just ended...I'm spent.

Patricia

Day 13

Day 13 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.

Live with NO regrets right? I was reminded in my WBS this morning to always focus on the bigger picture and let God work in your life. Be patient. Every single event in your life is for a specific reason. Trust in Him and praise Him even through turbulent times.

So to answer the question, I wouldn't change a thing of my past.

Days 9 - 12

Day 09 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days.

George Strait is my go-to guy when I need a pick-me-up. His songs remind me of my childhood. How could his smooth voice not improve my day? The past year or so I have been into Christian music. On the days I need desperately need inspiration and hope, I let the lyrics and music of Christian bands lift my spirits. Works like a charm!

Day 10 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.

COFFEE. Hands down.

Day 11 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.

I definitely could live without bad drivers. They can turn my happy mood into a very very bad mood in a split second.

Day 12 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.

Several years ago I read Michael Crichton's State of Fear and it sparked my interest in the "global warming" phenomenon. The book discusses how every decade society seems to be obsessed with living in a state of fear about one thing or another. It used to be AIDS and then Y2K. Currently it's global warming. Although it's a fictional thriller novel, Crichton (like in all of his books, including the Jurassic Park series) adds in a large amount of factual research. After reading State of Fear I researched the topic on my own and formulated my own views. I do this on all controversial issues. Although I call myself a conservative, I never just side with the majority of conservatives. I take my time in forming my own opinions. So what is my opinion on global warming? FALSE.

Sorry Al.

Disney World with a side of Football

We're back from Mouse Land!!!!!!

The heat was sweltering. The days were long. And it was a total blast.

Orien did pretty well throughout the trip, despite a crazy schedule and nonstop action. He snuck a nap in once a day and even slept in the stroller a few times. That's a big deal for O! I just wish he slept better in his pack n' play. Mom would've actually felt rested this trip.

We traveled with Eric's JV and Varsity team, along with coaches, other FBBA staff and lots of families of players. It was AWESOME to travel in a big group. We got to know people really well. It was great that everyone was so laid-back and relaxed during the vacation.

We had nearly every meal planned for us, which worked out perfect. First night...Japanese Hibachi restaurant!

Orien quickly won over everyone in our group.

Some fish. A pond. And a mini waterfall. That's all O needs to be entertained during dinner.

You can see the excitement in his eyes.

I think he thought he owned these fish. He had to point and show everyone who passed his new friends.

Headed to Downtown Disney afterward (just us) since Orien took a long and late nap that day. If you've been here (especially after dark) you know it's SENSORY overrrrload. O had that same expression the whole time.

Cool restaurant.

We were in Girradelli's (sp?) waiting on this massive foot-long ice cream cone (see above) and O decided to make friends. He weaved in and out of every single table in the shop saying HI and waving. Every person in that ice scream shop was smiling and laughing with O - literally. Then this one table of 4 told us they wanted a photo of him trying to eat the ice cream. So after 5 or 6 attempts, they finally got the picture they wanted. The whole place waved bye and clapped when we left. We love our little entertainer.

Caught "Illuminations" later that night at Epcot. Soooooo cooooool.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom. (O hated every single bus ride, who knows why)

Had a private brunch at Rain Forest Cafe. Yum yum.

Maqui hung with us this day...

...which was totally awesome because we had a built-in sitter (kidding!). And because we love her.

Had to make a stop at Magic Kingdom. We did the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and a Snow White indoor ride. A lot of the rides in Fantasyland were closed for maintenance, boo! Since it's off season, the park uses this time to do fix whatever needs fixin' I guess.

Again, Orien's face was stuck like this all day. This was on the indoor Snow White ride, which turned out to be slightly frightening for little ones. Talking trees, scary witches, dark corners and creepy music...oops.

The lines to meet characters a long and slow SO this is our version of Orien & Donald. Hey, Donald even posed!

Getting ready for the next day. Sunscreen application was a must.

Day 3...

Animal Kingdom! Can you tell it was HOT??? We all had zero energy and it was only 9am.

Not sure what Popo was trying to do here.

Poor baby looks hot. But he enjoyed the African Safari. Saw a bunch of animals chillin mostly in the shade.

Met up with my cousin Jason for lunch. He works at Epcot and I haven't seen him in over 10 years! Woah! One of the highlights of my trip.

Orien loves his kitties.

But hates being near extra-large crickets.

Another one of our slyyyy shots with O & and character.

We walked to the BACK of the park, hopped a SLOW, hot train, and walked UPhill to an outdoor petting zoo...where the animals were blocked off! Arrrg. Still worth it to see O light up at the sight of all the smelly goats, etc.

And very worth it to get this pic. Maqui was yelling "Don't touch the goats butt!!!"

This goat slipped out somehow...

Saying bye bye to Animal Kingdom.

And hello Disney Boardwalk! Orien was still kickin' and going strong. We ate at the ESPN Grill...aka loud restaurant with 200 TVs playing every different sport and lots of yelling fans with college t-shirts on. It was College Game Day! (BU won!!!!!)

That night at Epcot everyone (players and their fams) met up to ride rides and eat. It was a nice cool night at the park. Orien picked out some new toys at one of the many massive toy stores. I've seriously never seen so many really big toy stores so close together.

And now, for the side of football.

Hands down best photo of the trip. Orien was either tantrum-ing or showing off for the ladies.

At ESPN Disney to watch Eric play some football!!!!!

What's a high school football game without a little indoor private suite tailgating with really good food before??

All of these shots were on my iPhone, so please excuse the fuzziness.

If you haven't heard already, they kicked BOOTY. Final was 48-0.

O loooooves him some football.

Chel trying to act like a cool water girl and not pose for my pic.

Go #37!!!

They not only won but Eric got Defensive MVP of the game! WOOOOO!!!!!

Seriously super proud. Best moment of the trip.

Day 4.

Visiting yet another really large toy store. This one kept going and going and going...

Day 4 was short because we had head to the airport. As you can see in this photo above we all survived and managed to have a LOT of fun. I wasn't sure what to expect on this trip since I didn't plan it, didn't even know the plan until after we arrived and of course we have a busy busy boy on our hands. But we really had a great time. Brett and I even managed to hop on some big kid rides ourselves! Yes, Brett joined in. The same Brett who HATES any form of coaster. Something about the magic of Disney I guess convinced him. Fun fun trip but I don't need to see another Mickey Mouse this or that for a long time...

Patricia