Birthday, Anniversary, and Other Delights!

London's birthday was a fun day. I took her to Tangled to take her mind off of her hair situation. It was so fun just to have a little one on one time with my girl. I think she needed the distraction to be quite honest. She picked her cake which was deliciously chocolatey and actually had ice cream in the batter! You heard me! It was awesome! I then picked up some pizzas and we went to Mimi's to have a party. For some reason, all she wanted was a Pillow Pet. Luckily my mom got her a lamb and she was thrilled. She's named it, "Juju." No clue why. I also got her Fantasia and she's been calling it "Alotasia." Sounds like Alopecia doesn't it. Funny girl. The steroid foam is working well for stimulating hair growth. As of now we're just going to continue that. I did have to call the Dr. and ask how her labs turned out. I was so bugged that they didn't even call me and she had the suggestion of low iron! So we had to go back to have more blood work to see if she was anemic. I was really hoping that was it because that would have been the cause of her hair loss. But, no, she was okay. They said her iron levels just must have been low that day. Madden is really starting to talk. Whenever Madden is sad or angry, he dramatically falls to his knees. It's hilarious. He loves to watch his sister and tries desperately to copy her. He even brought me an elastic after I had done her hair and wanted it in his hair! Ty and I also celebrated our fifth anniversary this last week! Crazy how five years flew by. But, the biggest occasion was that Olivia went through the temple yesterday! Lib is going on a mission to Chile and we are so proud of her! It was an awesome day to be with the family. I love you all! Now I have to go to church and be the sub in nursery. Yay.

Happy Birthday London!

I can't believe my little girl is four now! She's been asking when her birthday is for months. This morning she woke up Tyler by whispering, "Daaad...Daaad....You didn't even wish me 'Happy Birthday'". I'm pretty sure she didn't sleep last night. We have a fun-filled day and I will post about the festivities later. I just wanted to give a shout out to my little helper. I love you Lou! Here's a little video of the day she was born...wow, this takes me back.

A Diagnosis and A Handsome Boy.

I'll begin this post with the conclusion of London's hair issue and pictures of Madden in his new suit. We took her to a specialist last week and he confirmed that she has Alopecia Areata. Her blood was tested for Lupus (Apparently Lupus patients lose their hair in her same pattern) and her antibodies will show whether or not she will lose ALL of the hair on her head. The doctor didn't think it would be Lupus or that it would be Alopecia Totalis (Which is the entire head and face hair loss). So, for now we are grateful that it is what it is and not worse. London was so great. She didn't even cry when they took her blood. Afterwards I asked her what I could get for her and she wanted a bagel from Albertson's and a special drink from the gas station. (That's a fountain drink) She's handled it all really well but, is basically clueless as to what's been going on. She has a steroid foam we put on the bald spots and that should stimulate some hair loss. On a happier note, our family went to the BYU basketball game last Saturday. It was so fun! Madden actually fell asleep in my arms. He's such an angel. London was up and down the bleachers with Mia, only coming to me for M & M's. It was fun to be with the family and I had a great time. It was impossible to get a great picture however. I will close this post with a fun video of the kiddos. I was in the study and I heard them laughing hysterically. I grabbed the camera and caught Madden in his teasing moment! He's such a goof!

Do you love my princesses?

Me too. Madden has an obsession with shoes now....and apparently barrettes.

What a pretty boy. Ty's going to kill me.....

London Update.

London went to the pediatrician yesterday. She has had her blood drawn and they're checking for thyroid problems. He said it was unlikely that she had thyroid issues because her remaining hair would be brittle and it's not. We have an appointment with a dermatologist in a couple of weeks to see what he says. The pediatrician said it very well could be a form of Alopecia that he's not familiar with. London was such a good sport having her blood drawn. On the way home I asked her if she'd like an ice cream cone or a kids meal for being so good. She said, "No, I just would like a tortilla with cheese when we get home." What a funny gal. Wish us luck for the next appt. and I'll keep you posted!

Bowling Night!

Friday night, Ty and I decided we really need to take the kids out and have some fun. London has had a hard week and we wanted to have the least stressful time we could think of for her. London has been losing her hair in some spots for a while now and we've been VERY worried about her. She has every sign of Alopecia but, until we get in to her pediatrician, we won't know for sure. It's been a lot of sleepless nights for me worrying over her vanity. I don't think she's quite caught on to how much hair she has lost but, until then, we're going to try and distract her from her hair. So, bowling was a great solution! We walked into Boondocks and the kids' eyes just lit up. London ran around saying, "I want to play that...and THAT!" Madden immediately ran down the lane and we had to go chase after him. He fell promptly on his padded bum. A worker ran over and said, "I'm SO sorry!!! Does he need ice?" Uh....no..he's a one year old. All he does is fall on his butt. London was beside herself with how much fun she had. Every time somebody would bowl, Madden screamed so loud and long. Ty and I couldn't quit laughing at him. He did run away the whole time and would press other people buttons on their monitors. Some days Madden is just more than I can handle! After bowling, we let the kids go on a tiny carousel. London thought it was fun at first, but then I'm pretty sure she got bored. Madden was unsure of the thing the whole ride. He had a death grip on me and kept looking at me like, "Get me down, Mom!" It was a good night and we'll have good memories from it. Please say a prayer for my little London and her hair. She loves her hair and I can only imagine her despair if it all falls out.

Wanna See My New Table?

Isn't she cute? Thanks Mom. Update for the family: Madden has found his belly button. He's in to everything and drives me nuts. He loves anything with buttons and still obsesses over the vacuum and brooms. Instead of calling my parents' "Mimi and Papa" he says, "Mimi and Peepee". London is a 30 year old going on 4. She constantly wants sparklies on her eyes and loves any make up. She's pretty obedient and does her chores so she can watch a movie. Love those kids!