Happy 6th Birthday, Kylie Joy!!

Dear Kylie Joy -

How can it be that my "baby girl" is already SIX??? We couldn't have named you better by giving you the middle name "Joy." Oh, how that defines just exactly WHAT you bring to our lives!

I remember the surprise of finding out that we were pregnant again (with YOU), when Mackenzie was just 8 months old. We were thrilled, of course, but I was also apprehensive to have two kiddos so close together. Daddy and I prayed for you and loved guessing if you were going to be a boy or a girl. You were SO active in my tummy that we loved watching you move around all of the time. You sure were hard on my ribs and loved to stick your feet in them!!

You were due on September 24th, and the doctor was all ready to induce me on the morning of the 25th. However, I woke up with contractions EARLY that morning, and you decided to come on your own! What a wonderful, blessing-filled surprise when the doctor said, "It's a GIRL" and we saw you in all your beauty for the first time at 11:19, on September 25, 2002!

And, now here you are, six years later. And, at just the age of six, you have been through much more than most kids your age. With all of the pokes, tests, and medication ups and downs you have endured for your seizures, you have been the biggest, bravest trooper...and we are SO very proud of you! We are so thankful for how well you are doing and that the Lord has been watching over you through all of this. It has been a struggle...and hard on you too, we know. But, we trust that God has used this in your life (even at the young age of six) to grow character and perseverance in your heart!

There are so many things we love about you Kylie and so many reasons why we are so excited to celebrate your life today. Here are just a few...

I love the way that your laugh is super contagious. One sound of your belly-laugh can always bring a smile to my face and a laugh to my heart.

I love your free-spirit. The smallest things can bring you so much joy and excitement. You have such a zeal for life, and it is catchy, my dear (even when you are naked, standing in the toilet at age two)!!!

I love the way that you love to be held, cuddled, and hugged. You are such a love-bug, and I love your tenderness and the ways that you always want to give me kisses and hugs and tell me that you love me. I know that you always won't want to get up in my lap and snuggle...so, I most definitely am enjoying it now! And, with this, I love to see how much you love to kiss and hug Caleb as well. I know that even though you think that he is super "kissable and huggable" as you like to say, I am sorry that he doesn't always love it! But, it still warms my heart to see how much you love your little brother.

And, I love to see how much you love and want to emulate your older sister too. I know that it is hard being the "younger sister" sometimes, especially when you see Mackenzie doing things that you maybe would like to do. But, you have such loyalty and allegiance to each other...I know that you would do anything for your sister and that warms my heart as your Mom!

I love your compassionate, tender heart. I love hearing you pray for the "people who don't have homes" or "the people that don't have a mommy and a daddy" or "the people who don't have any food and are hungry." Your love for others and concern for others is so evident in the ways that you think of others and pray for others. Your Daddy and I pray that the Lord would continue to grow that passion for others and their welfare in your heart.

I love the way that you are so outgoing and friendly to those around you. You are a really good friend...and I know that God is going to use you to encourage, love, and serve those He puts in your life!

I love being with you, talking with you, spending time with you, cuddling with you, and being your Mommy! Know that your Daddy and I are always here for you...we promise to love you unconditionally and always want to be a "safe place" for you to turn no matter what is going on in your life! We want to know your passions, your dreams, your struggles, your joys, and your heartaches. We love you so much, Kylie Joy!

With lots of love always,

Mommy (and Daddy too)

Watching you grow up before our very eyes...

Happy SIXTH Birthday, Kylie Joy!!!!

Oh What a Night...

As if having Mono wasn't bad enough. The fever, the tiredness, the lack of appetite, the just not feeling well. No, that just wasn't enough for our Kylie Joy today.

Here is our little Sleeping Beauty getting some much needed rest today...

Kylie decided to add a little more black and blue to her life by falling out of our jogging stroller after I took her on a little run tonight. I don't know HOW it happened, as I had my back to her and had my hands full of her blankets and books that she had brought along. But, all of a sudden I heard a blood-curling scream only to pick up Kylie and see a big black and blue mark on her forehead. Remind anyone else of THIS?

Poor thing!!! And, right before her "big day" tomorrow (more on that tomorrow). :-(

Here is Kylie after her bath tonight. As you can tell she wasn't too thrilled to be taking pictures. She was tired.

Well, until I put the camera away, that is. Then she asked if I could take a picture of her making a silly face...and that I would for sure put this one on the blog!!! :-)

You still got your humor, Kylie...bumps, bruises, Mono, and all! That is what we love about you, sweetie!!

And, to add to the night, Mackenzie came home from church activities tonight with her SECOND lost tooth! Wouldn't you know that I missed the experience yet again (I was home with Kylie).

Mackenzie's fear about losing her teeth has been that she might just accidentally swallow one when it falls out. Well, tonight she got to experience her "greatest fear" as she actually DID swallow this one!! And, instead of being mortified by it, I guess that she got the giggles and thought that it was funny!! I was teasing her that I guess the "tooth fairy" can't come then, right? No tooth, no money, right??? :-)

Here is my toothless girl...

Well...I am exhausted after today. I better gear up for the big day we have around here tomorrow! More about that...TOMORROW!!! :-)

The Shortest "Trip" to Disney World EVER!!!

As I sit here at my computer at HOME, I almost can't even believe that we were all packed up and ready to head to Disney World just on Monday.

We WERE "off" like I said in my previous post...we got all packed up on Monday morning and actually took off for Minneapolis, only to turn around at an exit about 35 miles away and head right back home.

Pat had brought Kylie in that morning to get her blood tested again. Her platelet levels had been low the day before when I had taken her into urgent care, so before we left they wanted to get her re-checked to make sure that her levels hadn't dropped anymore. The results came back and showed that her platelet levels had dropped a bit, but nothing significant.

And, even though we didn't feel GREAT about leaving based on how Kylie was feeling, we knew that she still had one day to rest, recuperate, and get better...so, we decided to head to Minneapolis and at least see what the rest of the day brought. You know how kids and viruses can be...they can be feeling not-so-great one minute, and then 12-24 hours later can be feeling great! It was SO hard to know exactly what was going on with Kylie and next to impossible to predict the future of how she would be feeling in the next day or two! It was an emotional decision because really, our Kylie Joy was not feeling well...but here was a trip that had been planned for MONTHS...and for all we knew, Kylie would be back to bouncing off the walls come Tuesday or Wednesday.

So, we left! About a half hour into the trip, I got a call on my cell phone from our clinic in town. It was the NP who had seen Kylie that morning. She second vile of blood results were in. Our pediatrician had asked the NP to order a test for Mono. Well, lo and behold, this spur of the moment decision on her part, gave us GREAT insight into what was going on with Kylie.

Yes, she has Mono. And, from what the NP said and from what others have said (I have never had it), we knew that Kylie wouldn't be feeling great this next week (or longer). And, who wants to be at Disney World when you aren't feeling well and are super tired?

What an answer to the prayers of so many that we were able to have such clarity in our decision-making!! It was such a blessing that the Mono test was ordered...even AFTER the fact. So, after getting off the phone with the NP, we called my parents and made the decision to postpone the trip. There were many tears from the Severson girls (me included!) as everyone was VERY disappointed (and I was just more emotionally exhausted) and had really been looking forward to this all...but, all and all everyone is doing OK!

The trip will happen at some point (we are looking into some time this winter/spring)...but, it was just still a let-down. Not to mention A LOT of working packing and getting organized only to come home and have to UNPACK the same day!!

Hopefully Kylie will continue to be able to get some rest to get her little body better here...and hopefully no one else will come down with Mono!! Yuck!

Kylie is doing OK. She is still super tired, feverish, doesn't have much of an appetite, needs to sleep, rest, and lay around much, and just looks pale and tired. It was so good to get to the bottom of this all and just KNOW what is going on. Huge relief! I know that I would be SOOOOO concerned about her and how she looks and feels if we didn't know what we were dealing with here. And what a huge blessing that we found out BEFORE we actually got on the plane. I can't even imagine being in Disney World with how she is feeling right now...

Thanks to all of you who prayed for us and called and emailed during this time! We appreciate it all so much! God is good...He most definitely was going before us and preparing the way for us! His loving care is amazing!!!

We are OFF...

In a couple of hours, we will leaving on a super, fun, exciting adventure!!!

For our 10th anniversary, my parents are taking our family to Disney World for a week!!! :-)
As you can imagine, the kids have been SUPER excited ever since they found out about this months ago. It seemed like such a LONG time to wait...and it is crazy how fast time goes and that our long-awaited trip is finally here!!!

Our weekend was filled with lots organizing, packing, and cleaning...AND taking care of one sick little Kylie Joy. She definitely is fighting off one bad virus (she has been very feverish, lethargic, had no appetite, borderline dehydrated, pale, and very sleepy.) So, please, if you wouldn't mind praying for her as we get ready to leave, I would greatly appreciate it! We are hoping and praying that today is the turn around day! We are driving to Minneapolis, and then flying out tomorrow morning at 8:00.

We are very much looking forward to having time together as a family after the VERY busy last few months here. And, how fun it will be to have Grandma and Grandpa with us as well and have that special quality time and memories with them too!

We won't be back until Sunday...but after that, I look forward to sharing all about our adventure with you all!!!

Take care and have a great week!

Ten Years Ago Today...

It is crazy to think that TEN years have already gone by. One decade. Ten Years. 120 months. 3,650 days. 87,600 hours. 5,256,000 minutes. 315,360,000 seconds.

Yes, TEN years have passed since Pat and I officially said "I do" and joined our lives together in marriage!

In some ways, it doesn't seem like THAT long ago that the we stood on the altar declaring our love for each other and our commitment to each other for the rest of our lives.

September 18, 1998. Ahhh...what wonderful memories I have of this day.

But, let me let you in on a little secret here. That really wasn't supposed to be our wedding date. Originally, after our engagement, we set our wedding date for November 27, 1998. I still had a quarter of school left at NWC. I was going to graduate early in November, and we were going to be married right after that.

Pat had graduated that May (1998) and had his first official youth pastor job lined up at a church in Watertown, SD. In June 1998, he moved down there into the little duplex that we would be renting once we got married. Then came the first "good-bye."

Yeah...let's just say that it didn't go over too well!!!

We missed each other SOOOOOO much. SOOOOOO much that I couldn't IMAGINE having to wait until November to see him on a regular basis! This every other weekend stuff was NOT for me (or him either!).

Within a week of his starting this new job, I was on the phone (with the help of my WONDERFUL Mom), calling around to the reception places, photographers, floral stores, etc. in my hometown with ONE purpose in mind. Moving up the wedding date. (I know...aren't we pathetic?) :-)

By this time, I had already talked with my college professors, and with great grace and understanding, the head of the Psychology Department granted me permission to take a class that he had never had anyone take correspondence before, just so that we could make this happen!! (Thanks, Dr. Johnson!). And, low and behold, even with just three and a half months notice, we were able to get the reception place we wanted and have the same flower shop and photographer do our wedding! Friday, September 18, 1998 became the new "big day"!!!

Here we are ten years ago...

Ten years later...

Through the new adjustments of being newlyweds and learning ALL there is to know about each other (some things you just can't learn until you actually live together!), through moves and transitions, through four pregnancies and three kids here on this earth, through the ups and downs of parenting, through the good times of communication and the not-so-good ones, through the tears, laughter, joys, and trials, I could have not asked for a better hubby to be blessed with!

Thanks, Pat, for loving me unconditionally, for being a great support, source of encouragement and prayer warrior, for being a wonderful father and a great example of our Heavenly Father to our kids, and for continuing to be my "knight in shining armor" - you have made these past 315,360,000 seconds of my life completely wonderful and blessed! I look forward to hundreds of millions and billions of MORE seconds with you! I am so grateful to God for you and I love you lots - and always will!

A Loss of Innocence...

It is bound to happen. At some point, I know that my kids are going to learn about the realities of the evils of this world, and part of their "innocence" will be gone. Well, today, for my Mackenzie, that happened.

Mackenzie is a very soft-hearted, tender, compassionate girl. She feels very deeply and is troubled easily by evil and darkness (she can't even watch movies that have conflict/evil in them). Today, at school, her heart was greatly troubled when she learned about the events of September 11, seven years ago. And, tonight, the tears flowed as she wondered from a seven-year old girl's perspective WHY any of this had to happen.

My heart ached as I watched my daughter tell us what she learned today. I am not upset that she found out, nor was I intentionally trying to keep the events from this day past from her or our other children. It was just never something I thought necessary for them to know NOW, at this point in their lives. Of course we have talked about the evil in this world; but never before has the reality of something this tragic been put in her mind and heart. And, seeing her reactions and the FEAR that gripped her heart was so heart-breaking. Through sobbing tears she asked...

"Why would people crash a plane into a building and kill lots of other people knowing that they would die too?"

"Why did all of those people who were just trying to help have to die?"

"Why do people not like America, aren't we a nice country?"

"Why would people do something so mean?"

"What if this happens again? Will they come here?"

"Can I please sleep with you guys tonight?"

Even from an adult's perspective, the tragedy of 9-11 is impossible to comprehend. But, we took the time as a family to talk about this all, to let the questions come out and answer them as best as we could (we don't have all of the answers, that is for sure), and to pray about it and put our focus back on the Lord and His work through this terrible tragedy.

As I laid in Mackenzie's bed and stroked her hair while she fell asleep tonight, my heart just ached for my daughter, and the tears fell from my eyes as well. A part of her innocence was lost today. She is growing up and will be forced to deal with the realities of this world. Although it most definitely IS a part of life, it can be just hard to see...especially when it is your little girl.

Dream SUPER Big...

WOW...I can't believe that it has been a week already since my last post! With one kiddo in school and doing school at home with the other two, life has been keeping us fairly busy!!!

So, though I won't be writing much right now (I am really tired!), I thought that I would share with you the "dreams" that my kids have about what they are wanting to be when they grow up. It changes from time to time, so it is fun to document what they want to be at different stages of their lives!

We had a conversation in the car last week about it all when Mackenzie started talking about what she wanted to be when she grew up. After attending traditional school for the last few weeks, Mackenzie has a new love for teaching. So, she shared with Kylie and Caleb that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Kylie then said that she wants to be an artist (quite the change from her past-occupation choice of a doctor).

Caleb, then, in all seriousness said, "When I grow up, I want to be SUPER MAN"!!

Hey, way to dream SUPER big, buddy!!! :-)

From the MOUTH of Mackenzie...

Mackenzie has some things that she would like to share today. So, without further ado, here is a run-down of the days events (some BIG, some small), word for word from her mouth and typed by her secretary, ME! :-)

It all began when I was at school and we were getting together our whole class for sharing time. I shared that I had a VERY loose tooth. When a girl named Abby was talking, I was wiggling my tooth. And, then after I stopped, my tooth fell out! It fell into my mouth! So, I picked it up and showed my teacher, Mrs. C.

She asked Alyssa E. to go to the office with me to get a necklace with a big tooth on the end that you can put your tooth in.

Then, we came back and finished our school stuff. I was glad that I lost it before lunch because it was bothering me and for lunch I was having a sub sandwich. My Mommy and Daddy really tried hard to get it out yesterday. But, I didn't let them get it out. They didn't want me to lose it at school.

At lunch, some kids weren't behaving very well, so the principal needed to come into our room to talk to us after lunch. After the principal left, we finished our work.

When Mommy came to pick me up, I was excited and I smiled at her, and she said, "Mackenzie did you lose your tooth?" And I said, "Yes." Then she said, "Mackenzie, I told you not to lose your tooth at school!" My teacher, Mrs. C., and Mommy started talking to each other. Alyssa didn't feel very well today. Alyssa is one of my best friends. I was glad that she got to come to school today.

I can't wait to lose another tooth!! :-)

***Yes, quite honestly, I wasn't too thrilled that she lost her VERY FIRST TOOTH at school - I really wanted to be there when it happened!!! We really tried to bribe her last night to let us pull it out...but, she wanted nothing whatsoever to do with other people sticking their hands in her mouth to YANK!!! I wonder why?? :-) Send her to school and look what happens on ninth day!! Wouldn't you know it??