Much like the prior months, March and April were packed with lots of fun, including Spring Break, Easter and Kyndall's very first school field trip. Here's a look back at all that we did....
The kindergarten classes spent several weeks studying the state of Texas and to end their unit they had a "Texas day" in which the girls and boys were to dress up in western attire for a special parade around the school.
I showed up for the parade, which was a lot of fun!
They also celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday in March
Our neighborhood even hosted a Dr. Seuss themed party for the kids after school
When you're the only male in the house, sometimes you get talked into doing crazy things, like covering your face in a charcoal mask!
Our sweet neighbor Mrs. April dropped off this little surprise for Kyndall one morning before school....
Our dogs have to be the most patient creatures on this earth. They allowed Kyndall to dress them up like "angels", complete with paper halos and wings.
I may be 34 but I still can't resist a beautiful sparkly prom dress! This one called to me as Kyndall and I were walking through the mall one day. I decided to have some fun and try it on, just for kicks.
Also, I clearly do not take very many selfies which is why I am no good at them.
Much like the dress called to me, this Pikachu backpack called to Kydall and she decided to spend some of her own money on it, despite my desperate attempt to talk her out of it.
I continued volunteering every Friday in Kyndall's classroom and I was quite proud of how this project turned out. However, once I got home and looked at the picture I noticed one glaring mistake and it bothered my little OCD mind so badly that I e-mailed the teacher and begged her to fix it, which she did! Can you find it?
Matthew and Kyndall used to go to breakfast together every Saturday when we lived in Tennessee. It was their "thing" but unfortunately since we moved life has been so crazy that they have fallen down on their tradition. On this day they picked up where they left off.
Friday nights are for pizza, movies and sleeping on the playroom floor. I have no idea why she loves this so much but I'm happy to indulge her in this simple childhood pleasure for as long as she wishes.
One afternoon Kyndall got into the car after school and was visibly distraught. When I asked her what was wrong she told me that she and her best friend Ashlyn had a disagreement on the playground earlier in the day. She was frustrated and sad so when we got home I suggested she walk across the street to Ashlyn's house and talk it over with her. I texted Ashlyn's Mom to let her know Kyndall was coming over and she sent me this picture. Apparently these girls "needed their privacy" while they worked out their issues so they stepped out on the front porch to talk. Oh the drama is already beginning! Ha! I'm happy to report that they talked it out, hugged it out and by the next day they had forgotten all about it. If only we adults could resolve our conflicts so easily, this world would be a much better place!
Spring Break arrived which meant me and my girl were headed home to FLORIDA for the week! Matthew dropped us off before sunrise at the airport on a Friday morning in Dallas and my Mom and Mother-in-Law picked us up in Jacksonville a few hours later.
It wasn't even light outside yet which meant these two non-morning girls were struggling big time!
I think I can count on two hands the number of times I've actually seen the sun rise in my lifetime and I've definitely never seen it from this viewpoint! Gorgeous!
We made it to my parents' house in Tallahassee where Kyndall couldn't wait to show off all her new Pikachu stuff to her cousin Wyatt...
The very next morning we were beach bound!
It was unusually cool on this day, which made our beach side picnic a little chilly
Beautiful St. George Island, where I spent many summers as a kid!
She bought a dolphin anklet and a ring at the beach gift shop
We went to dinner where we met a man and his pet parrot. Apparently he's pretty well known around the island for taking his bird everywhere he goes.
Sunset on the Gulf is my absolute favorite time and place. There's nowhere else I'd rather be!
No trip to St. George Island is complete without a visit to my favorite ice cream shop! I've been going there since I was Kyndall's age.
We headed back home later that night because the very next morning after church there was a BIG surprise in store! Kelly and Michael revealed the gender of their baby at a family lunch and I was able to get it all on video. Never mind my Dad who clearly was in shock because he made absolutely no sense at all in the things he said....
A little too cold to swim but never too cold to help clean the pool ( or to "accidentally" fall in!)
Cruisin' cousins
Spring break means homemade pizzas at Grammy and G-Daddy's house
I used to sit on the edge of my Dad's recliner just like this...
We met up with my childhood best friend, Betsy and her Pokemon obsessed boys for a Poke hunt at Cascades park in Tallahassee
Later that night I met up with Betsy again, as well as Rebecca and all of our girls for dinner and frozen yogurt.
It feels like we were just in middle school....then high school....then college roommates. Now we are all grown and married with our own beautiful daughters (and handsome sons)! Time needs to slow down!
Kyndall and Wyatt adore each other....most of the time!
We made a trip over to Thomasville to spend a few days with Nonie and Poppie during Spring Break as well.
Nonie always has a fun activity for Kyndall to do and this time it was these bunny cars made of twinkies and peeps.
Spring Break makes a tired girl.....
Nonie took us to one of her favorite lunch spots which also happens to be a bakery so you know this girl had to have a cookie.
Soon our Spring Break was over and it was time to head back to Texas.
Nonie and Grammy drove us to Jacksonville where we had lunch before getting on the plane. My Dad called to tell Kyndall goodbye and I loved her giddy expressions so much that I took these pictures of her talking to him.
Goodbye, Florida!
A little junk food for the flight home...
To round out our Spring Break, Kyndall and I went to Disney on Ice with our friend and neighbor Mrs. April
We love Mrs. April! (Who happens to be a transplant coordinator at Baylor as well as an awesome neighbor and friend!)
Poppie sent Kyndall a St. Patrick's Day card full of money!
One day things got really quiet....then this thing came walking in. Yes, that's a plastic grocery bag. Nobody can say she isn't creative!
We enjoyed dinner on the water in Rock Wall, followed by a walk around the harbor...
We had two very special visitors who flew to Dallas in March--My Mom and my Grandma. This was a pretty exciting trip for my Grandma as it was her FIRST time ever flying on an airplane! Kyndall couldn't wait for them to arrive and I found her perched in front of the window watching for them.
Kyndall was excited to show off her new reading skills to her Great-Grandma
And to Grammy....
I love this video! I interviewed Grandma following her very first flight and here's what she had to say....
On Friday Grammy and Grandma joined me for our Friday tradition of lunch at school. Kyndall was beaming having all of us there with her!
Spring school pictures happened to be that week and this marked the very first day all year she didn't have to wear that ugly old uniform.
Grandma showed Kyndall how to dribble....
Four generations of mamas and daughters having dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Mama's Daughters' Diner.
It's a pretty well known fact that my Grandma is not a huge fan of lap dogs. So it always makes me laugh that my dogs seek out the one person who would rather not share their personal space with them and then they get as close to her as possible!
Dinner at Gloria's down on the harbor in Rock Wall
We treated Grandma to her first fro-yo at Sweet Frogs after dinner. She was a fan!
We worked on riding with no training wheels but didn't get very far
Grandma told me she hadn't been to a movie in 9 years.....So, we fixed that! Beauty and the Beast was great!
I was honored to have lunch with Christy Tebow Allen, a full time missionary, wife and mother....and sister of Tim Tebow! What an incredible testimony she has. Christy is in the blue dress and her sweet mother-in-law on the left of her is my precious neighbor who has adopted our family since moving to Texas.
On their last night here, we talked Grammy and Grandma into playing Bean Boozled with us. It was pretty entertaining as you'll see!
Pleasant spring weather meant lots of opportunities for fishing down at the pond behind our house...
And lots of time cruising the neighborhood
March 31st marked 10 years since Matthew proposed to me. After just THREE months of dating, he popped the question at the very same restaurant where we had our first blind date. Life looks a lot different 10 years later but we celebrated at a similar restaurant with our little sidekick, who also doubles as a great photographer.
That same night Matthew and Kyndall had their first backyard camp out. Mama helped them get set up before heading back in the house to sleep in my soft cozy bed!
We had some brick flower beds put in our front yard which ended up turning out really nice. But, the process had me a little anxious when I walked out and saw this....
Kyndall watched the entire process and a million and one questions for the poor workers!
She took a short break to have a picnic with Ashlyn
We were very pleased with the end result and I'm especially glad to finally have all that leftover brick out of our garage!
Kyndall had her very first field trip to the Northeast Texas Childrens' Museum and I was able to tag along as a chaperone. When asked about the upcoming trip, she was most excited about her first ride on a school bus. She couldn't wait to see what it was like, but this nervous Mama was dreading that 45 minute ride! I wasn't allowed to ride with her and she wasn't allowed to ride in my car which I think is ridiculous. But, you can bet I was the first car behind that bus all the way to the museum!
The museum was very educational and the kids had a blast!
My favorite picture from the field trip. Clearly, my child is not interested in this science lesson!
I'm so thankful that I'm able to be a part of Kyndall's school activities such as field trips. All I've ever wanted to do my entire life is to be a stay-home Mom who is involved in my child's everyday life and I am so happy to be doing just that! It's a gift and I do not take it for granted.
Field trip is over, she's off the bus and Mama can relax!
More beautiful weather meant even more Jeep time. She's always loved her wheels!
I never have to wonder who is going to lick the bowl after I make a batch of brownies
Our sweet neighbors came down for dinner one night and Kyndall talked them into dressing up like Pikachus. See their ears? We love the Allens and we're so thankful that God placed us just a few doors down from them.
Our amazing neighborhood hosted an Easter egg hunt at the clubhouse and Kyndall was excited to participate
There was a cake walk
This is the adorable cake she chose after winning the cake walk
There was even a petting zoo.....
Pinterest project for the win! We successfully made Pikachus out of peeps....
In mid-April, "Grace" and I began a bittersweet new chapter. We'll still be primarily taken care of by our beloved doctors at Vanderbilt, but on that day Matthew and I met with a new hepatologist at Baylor just to ensure I have somewhere to go if Grace decides to go rogue on me again. Y'all know she likes to keep me on my toes. Matthew and I were very impressed with my new doctor and thankfully he agreed to play second fiddle to Vanderbilt until a need arises.
As we approached Easter, someone in our neighborhood told me about a local family who was trying to raise funds for an international adoption. For a set price, our house would be "egged" while Kyndall was at school and she'd come home to find her yard full of eggs with tiny treats inside. I thought this was such a creative idea and I love knowing that they money went to a worthy cause.
Easter weekend arrived and that meant a LONG car ride to Florida for a very short visit! We headed out early on Good Friday morning which meant poor Matthew had to deal with two grumpy and sleepy girls.
A 13 hour car ride will make you a little crazy
We arrived! As usual, Nonie had a special activity waiting for Kyndall...
You're never too old for an Easter treat and I'm glad my Mother-in-Law agrees!
We gave Kyndall her Easter goodies on Saturday morning because, well...let's face it....Easter morning is always a nightmare with two non-morning girls in the group.
Matthew and I gave her a scooter for Easter and as you can see she was pretty excited about it....
She watched (and loved) both of Dolly Parton's movies when they came on TV so I found them on Amazon for her.
Treats from Nonie and Poppie
Helping Nonie make sweets for Easter Sunday
It's funny to look back at these videos now and see how timid she was. These days you can't slow her down on this thing and I bet she's ridden dozens of miles on it by now.
A little pool time, despite the water still being chilly
Making crafts with Poppie
Easter Sunday!
Going to church with Matthew's family meant seeing lots of his childhood friends and their kiddos. Blake and Matthew have been friends their whole lives and it's neat to see our kids as sweet friends now too. Abbie and Josiah are actually our God children and we are so proud of them. I can't help but notice how much Abbie and Kyndall favor one another!
The Lynch kiddos with Kyndall
The Hughes
Sweet Mrs. Jodi lives next door to my in-laws and Kyndall just adores her!
The best picture of our family and wouldn't you know, Kyndall was looking like a total brat!
I've only missed two Easter Sundays at my Grandparents' house in Two Egg in my entire 34 years and both times I was in the hospital and had no choice. I don't miss Easter!
It's the highlight of my year and I think I love it even more than Christmas. Nostalgia is one of my strongest emotions and Easter brings out those feelings in full force. I love how things have come full circle watching the joy on the face of my own child and my cousins' children as they excitedly dye and hunt for eggs just like we used to do when we were kids.
Love my family!
My Mom with her Grands
Let the games begin....
Garrison found the golden (silver) egg!
Aunt Kelly gives the best gifts...Even at Easter!
Wyatt's current love is Spider Man so we loaded him up on Spider Man stuff
Grammy and G-Daddy like giving cash and Kyndall loves receiving it
It's just not Easter until the kids end up in the pool
Grammy and G-Daddy with Kyndall and Wyatt. Next Easter they'll have Easton in the picture too!
Four Generations
Easter weekend was short but sweet. We drove all the way back to Dallas the day after Easter and when we arrived home we found the most beautiful rainbow covering our neighborhood.....
Just two days after we returned it was time for me and "Grace" to have our 6 month check up at Vanderbilt. I would only be gone to Nashville for two days but my controlling, Type A, OCD personality needed to leave specific instructions for my dear husband who would be on full time Daddy duty.
I had to fly out mid-afternoon so I needed to drop Kyndall off at Matthew's office on my way out of town. I made sure to pick her up a little "snack" of pure sugar on the way! Ha! Good luck, Daddy....it's all you for the next two days!
Dallas is beautiful from above
But Nashville is still the prettiest because that's where my heart is!
My sweet parents met me in Nashville as they were sort of passing through on their way from Florida to North Carolina for a wedding. I was thankful to have them there with me as my personal chauffeurs since being put to sleep for a minor procedure meant I needed a driver. It took an entire team of people and about five painful sticks for them to get my IV started but the anesthesiologist himself saved the day and finally saved the day.
They practically crucified me, placing this one right in the underside of my wrist.
Post op sleep is the BEEEEST sleep!
If you have to spend your day in a hospital, at least you have a gorgeous view!
After my surgical procedure I saw my liver doctor who gave Grace a fairly good report. At that time some of my labs were elevated but nothing to get too worried over. We talked about lots of things that day including the possibility of more babies. Some decisions were made and I'll share more about that in another post. After I saw him I moved on to my GI doctor where I also received a good report. From there I made my last stop of the day with my Endocrinologist where I received an infusion of Reclast for my bones. Due to the high amounts of steroids I've had to be on over the years, my poor bones have suffered greatly and I have early stages of osteoporosis. These yearly infusions help to ensure there is no further bone loss. I was able to talk my surgical team into leaving my IV in place from the morning procedure which meant one less traumatizing event for the day!
Since I had been on the go all day with appointments there was no time for lunch. By this time it was probably 4:30 and I hadn't eaten in two days due to the food restrictions leading up to my procedure that morning. So, my Mama treated me to a coke and a cookie which I thoroughly
enjoyed during my infusion.
I can't go to Vanderbilt and miss an opportunity to stop by and see the AMAZING nurses and doctors on the transplant floor. I've said it before but in a weird way going back up to the 7th floor and walking those halls feels like going home for me. Each time I walk in that place my mind is flooded with memories---some good and some terrible---and I'm immediately transported back to September of 2014. It was within those walls that my miracle took place and it was within those walls that (with lots of prayers) I found the strength to fight through some very dark and difficult days. I know to most it just feels like any other hospital but to me it feels like stepping back in time and remembering how very grateful I am to be healthy, happy and living a wonderful life on the other side of transplant.
Once my day of appointments was over my next order of business was FOOD! We ended up at Chuy's, my favorite Mexican restaurant in Nashville. I may or may not have devoured this entire basket of chips myself.
I flew back to Dallas the next morning and I couldn't wait to grab my girl from school. I was only gone for a day and a half but I surely missed her.
Our sweet neighbors April and Steve love to spoil Kyndall and treat her like their own. One afternoon they came down to our house with a giant basket full of belated Easter goodies and within i was this sea monkey kit. I remember having one when I was a kid so this was exciting for both of us!
Our neighborhood hosted a giant community yard sale and this little entrepreneur decided to set up a lemonade stand in hopes of attracting some thirsty customers
It turned out to be a very cold and rainy day but I was proud of this non-morning girl for rolling out of bed early and persevering through the unseasonably cold day.
April in Texas is not supposed to be this cold!
Eventually, her BFF Ashlyn from across the street joined her
Together with their charming personalities and sweet smiles these two little business ladies made $53! They decided to take some of their profits and head down to a neighbor's house and buy one of his homemade funnel cakes, which they shared.
Hard work pays off!
Kyndall's Spring class photo
My sweet and thoughtful friend Julie sent me this little surprise in the mail one day
Random videos from my phone....
When your kid discovers Snapchat.....
Our family was honored to be invited to Baylor's 30th annual transplant reunion picnic and celebration. As we entered the hospital that day, each of us was given a colored bracelet which represented the organ we received, with green being liver and orange representing a family member of a recipient. It was simply overwhelming to see all of the other colored bracelets walking around, knowing that each one of us was only there because of the selfless act of another human being. I was told there were over 1,100 recipients there. That's 1,100 lives SAVED because 1,100 people said YES to organ donation. Each of them has a story to tell and a heart overflowing with thankfulness. Even tough my transplant was at Vanderbilt and that's where my heart will always be, it was wonderful to be a part of something so special. On that day more than ever I was one very humbled and grateful soul.
They provided lunch as well has had tons of activities for the kids to enjoy...
We bid farewell to another tooth at the end of April...That makes 7 down!
This little old man is 8 years old, only weighs 5 pounds and doesn't have a single tooth in his head but his tenacity is a force to be reckoned with! Huckabee Hughes is a beast!
Pikachu sighting on Cadbury Lane
This kid hasn't taken a nap since she was 3 years old but apparently those long kindergarten days were catching up with her. Good thing summer was just three weeks away!
We said goodbye to April only to run head first into the CRAZY month of May, which brought about the long awaited Kindergarten graduation! I'll have pictures from the big day in my next post.
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