Happy Father's Day...a day late :)

Yesterday I was so busy celebrating my husband, so today I wanted to reflect on what an AMAZING dad he is! We have learned this whole parenting thing together, and I have learned so much from him. He has taught me how to be patient. He is so good at being patient and letting Grace learn and try new things on her own (even though we could probably get it done in a fraction of the time.lol) He has unconditional love for his little girl, and he always does what is in the best interest for our family. He works hard to provide for us, and he always comes in the door smiling when he gets home...even if he's had a crappy day at work. He has exceeded any dream or hope that I could have for a dad to our Gracie. He is goofy, kind, gentle, patient, and sooo loving. I can't believe this is the THIRD year we have celebrated him being a dad (four if you count the year I was pregnant :) I am thankful for him, and Gracie is so blessed to have him as her dad. Here's some pics from the day he became a daddy

We had a great time celebrating Randy yesterday. We started the morning with church and seeing all of our friends. Then we grabbed a quick lunch and went out to Randy's sister's house. She made a delicious meal for the guys, and everyone definitely left full and happy. Grace had so much fun playing in the pool and dress-up with her cousins. Randy had a great day just being with family...Happy Father's Day!

Relaxation for 2...yes please!!

So me and Randy decided we needed to have a little overnight trip...so we went to Palm Springs yesterday! We only went for the night, but it seriously felt like the whole weekend! We had lots of reasons to celebrate: Wedding Anniversary, Father's Day, early birthday for Randy, Good Dr. news, each other! We had a great time doing....NOTHING!!!!! Gracie had an awesome time having a sleepover with Nana (my mom). It was like a little vacation for her too! It was so heavenly relaxing....here's a couple pics.

I sure do love this man and our time together! (and Palm Springs!)

Mmm Mmm Good

They say you should blog on what you're passionate about, so........

Starbucks iced coffee. Yup, totally passionate about it. I may need some intervention because I am addicted. It is pure deliciousness.

Something Doctors Can't Explain!

2 years ago (almost to the day) I was diagnosed with multiple cavernous angiomas in my brain. Gracie was 6 months old when I started having numbness on one side of my body and frequent migraines. So, after an MRI they saw that I had these angiomas in my brain. You can read more about angiomas of the brain HERE It is a rare disease, and even more rare to be inside the brain, so we spent a lot of time going to different doctors and specialists to try and learn more. We were told that we would not be able to have any more biological kids because there would be a high risk of stroke or seizures, and the baby would be at high risk of severe mental retardation or having strokes in utero. Needless to say, we were feeling beyond BLESSED for our healthy miracle Gracie.

Last month it was time for my next MRI. They told me in June 2008 that I should get bi-yearly MRI's because angiomas do grow as you get older and it is good to stay on top of them in case any get too big to the point that they are dangerous. One week later we got a call from the Genetic Counselor who we've been working with, and he told me the MRI looked great. Not only that, but there were NO angiomas! What! I couldn't believe what he was saying. This was about 2 weeks ago, and he told me to bring in my old MRI scan so they could compare the 2 and make sure it was the same person and one of the MRI's didn't get switched.

Today I got the call we had been waiting for. The Head of Radiology and Genetic Counselor compared the 2 MRI scans from 2009 and the one last month, and determined that it was my brain in both scans. The one from 2 years ago clearly shows angiomas in the brain, and the one they just did shows nothing! Not a single angioma! (I had 4!) He made it clear that these things DO NOT disappear. He said I am a medical mystery and he had no way to explain it. I told him I knew what it was, it was God. He just chuckled ;) Today we are feeling blessed. I can't help but question why God chose to heal me, when there are so many people suffering and much sicker. But I can't question Him, He has a plan. I can't believe how much I worried, and look! He held me in His arms and took care of everything.

So the next step is I go back in 8 months (next February) and they will do an MRI and MRA. If everything comes back clear again, I can go on with my life and never look back! I love how God can just stump us sometimes. The human side of me wants a "medical" answer of how this happened. But I know it is a miracle only God could have done :) Today we are feeling blessed and overjoyed about what this means for us and our family. If things come back clear in February, we will be able to have biological children, and we won't have to worry about Gracie because another clear scan would mean I don't carry the gene! Sorry this is so long, but I just wanted to share our miracle on this beautiful Tuesday!

I'm Back :)

Sorry I have been M.I.A. this last week! It has been quite a busy week. Our Gracie got really sick last week, but we had her follow-up today and everything is great! It amazes how fast kids get sick, and how fast they get better! So thankful for health insurance, medicine, and that she's all better!

We also had a couple graduations! My little brother graduated form high school...I was so proud of him! There were over 20 of us there cheering him on, and I don't think he stopped smiling once. Our present to him: Money to go towards his first tattoo...and of course I am going with him to get it!

Also, my bff graduated with her Masters! Since Gracie was sick, we stayed home and watched her graduation streaming online. It was so exciting to cheer her on at home, and still feel like we were there watching her! Watching her graduate has definitely motivated me and Randy to keep on truckin to get our schooling done!

We had my brother and cousin's joint graduation party Saturday. Then my bff and her mom's joint graduation party Sunday! It's obviously been such a busy couple weeks. So tonight and tomorrow we are not doing ANYTHING but staying home and watching movies :)

Also, I have a new hobby. I have always loved to bake, but I am really getting into cupcakes! So if you have any delicious recipes let me know :) They're offering a Wilton cake decorating class at the Michael's by my house...I think I should look into that! Here's a pic of the cupcakes I decorated for my bff and her momma's grad party! (Hmmm...maybe I should start a little cupcake business on the side...you can never have too many dreams and goals!)...now for a name??haha

Our little Monkey

Our little monkey. This to me totally captures the personality of my Gracie. (It reminds me of the movie Annie).She is such a girlie girl, it is a fight to get her to wear anything other than a dress out of the house. But on the other hand, she is so tough! She will take a hard crash and not even cry...she will just ask for some ice and a popsie (popsicle) to feel better. Everyone tells me that little boys have more energy than girls, but I think Gracie could definitely give any boy a run for his money. This picture was taken when she was playing with her Auntie Jenna in her "castle" outside. I just love the joy in her face. Seeing how  happy she is makes me feel like me and Randy are doing something right. We love sharing her with our family and friends, and I know that all of the love she gets from them makes her so confident and happy. I pray she will continue to have this energetic and joyful personalty!

Three Years!!!

Three years ago today I said "I DO" and became Mrs. Werner. Life during that time was very crazy, and we planned the wedding in 2 months while I was 4 months pregnant. It was not how we pictured things would be...but I wouldn't change a thing. I would choose Randy a million times, we were meant to be together. God knew what he was doing when he put us into each other lives.

We met at Chaffey Community College in September 2007...I thought he was cute so I sat next to him. Then I noticed he was wearing hiking boots to class...seriously! Who does that!haha. So me being a little too outspoken said very sarcastically "So, you going hiking after class." And he looked at me totally serious and said "Yes, I am." Yes, these were the 1st things we said to each other.haha. Pretty spot on with how we are now.

Well, he gave up my seat to another girl. Then we ran into each other at a "Big n Rich Concert" and he saw me kissing my boyfriend at the time. We had bad timing! Then in February 2008 he called and asked me if he could take me to dinner. That night (Feb. 16, 2008) we went out to Cheesecake Factory and split the chicken fettuccine and a piece of cherry cheesecake.

We were crazy about each other. By April we found out that we were pregnant with our Gracie, and we were married June 6, 2008. Gracie was born December 2008. As you can see, 2008 was definitely a BIG year in he Werner home. Yes things moved fast, but we were made for each other.

Now, we are just enjoying each other. I love him more now than the day I married him. I absolutely adore this man for more reasons than I could even put into words. I feel blessed that I can confidently say that I know what it feels like to be truly loved. I am thankful for Randy and the last 3 years I have had being his wife. I am enjoying this moment, and looking forward to our future together.

Homemade Play-Doh

Did you know there are ALL different kinds of Play-doh you can make?? Edible play-doh, Kool-aid play-doh, even Fairy Play-doh!! I love finding new (inexpensive) things to do at home, so I though I would share a couple of these ideas to make Play-doh even more fun! Yes it is a little messy...but what ISN'T when you have toddlers!

Edible Play dough
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C honey
1 C powdered milk

Just throw it all together and mush it up with your hands until its fairly smooth. The oils from the peanut butter will keep it from sticking to the table and the kids' hands.


Kool-aid Dough
Flour 3cups
Salt 1 1/2 cups
Water 3 cups
Vegetable Oil 2TB.
Cream of tartar 1TB.
unsweetened "Kool-Aid" 1pkg.

Mix ALL of the ingredients in a large saucepan.Cook over medium low heat, until the dough comes away
from the edges of the pan and it becomes difficult to move the spoon. Remove from heat. Cool until it can be handled.Place on counter or wax paper knead 3-4 times.Store in an air tight container.

Fairy Play-Doh (glitter)
1 C. flour
1 T vegetable oil
1 C water
1/2 C salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
Food coloring gel (to make colors more vibrant)
Glitter

Mix all ingredients with the exception of the glitter in a sauce pan well heat stirring the mix constantly until it forms a ball and remove at once. Add the glitter and knead until smooth and uniform.Store in a tight sealing container.This mix stores at room temperature.