Christmas Pictures

Well Thad survived his first Christmas and got way to many noise makers!! He can start his own band with a drum, saxophone, banjo, tamborine, and more! We started out in Russell, Hays, Cedar bluff lake and finally Tribune. We spent a few days in Russell then went to my parents cabin at Cedar Bluff for a few days. On Christmas Eve we drove to Tribune and stayed until Saturday. It was good to see both families for Christmas.

Thad's drum he got at the gift exchange.
Tearing into those presents! He had more fun with the paper than the actual toys.

Grandpa Steve and Grandma Luci with all the grandkids. (Emma's in there too, do you see the orb to the left of my dad's head? Everytime I see an orb I say it's Emma in the picture)

Santa and Mrs. Claus came to the Budke Christmas and delivered the presents. Thad sat on there lap for about 5 seconds and then had enough!

On to Tribune now where Thad got to see his cousins. Maddix and Joshua are both 6 months old.
The three amigo's! Maddix, Joshua and Thad.

The three little boys got matching pj's from Grandma Kathy and Papa Wayne. We had to hurry and snap this shot since Thad likes to beat on the boy's heads!

The three amigos with there daddy's!

Opening a few more presents from Grandma Kathy and Papa Wayne

Zekke and Titus made cookies for Santa and had fun decorating them with frosting! They also got a Wii from Santa so the big people had fun playing with it too! We had bowling tournaments and played all the games. It was a workout!

We had a nice time visiting and making the rounds. Thad is completely off his schedule and was back to sleeping with us while we were gone. Last night was a rough night for him back in his own bed. He woke up about 4 times! I have off until January 5th so I get to spend lots of time at home with him. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

This Christmas......

Let's give a little Jesus, a thoughtful word or deed, an act of generosity for someone who's in need. Let's give a little Jesus, to everyone we meet- the salesclerk or the server, the person on the street.

Let's give a little Jesus, that's what really counts-not what's spent or bought, for whom, in what amounts. Let's give a little Jesus to everyone, large or small....for Jesus, the Messiah, is the greatest gift of all!

I thought I would share this beautiful poem with you. My mom received it from one of her friends in a Christmas card. I'm sending you a little Jesus this year so you can send Him to!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Santa Picture

Here is the picture of Thad and Santa. He wasn't very happy to be sitting on Santa's lap! After screaming and crying for what seemed like hours was really only about a minute on Santa's lap. The photographer finally snapped the picture and this is what we got. It will be good for the scrapbook!

Wow this year has really flown by us. We have so much to be thankful for this past year. We feel so blessed to have Thad in our lives. He brings so much joy to us. God has worked miracles through him and continues to remind us everyday how precious life is.

We are headed home to Kansas to see both my family and Adam's family for Christmas. Hopefully the weather will hold out a few more days! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas spending it with family and friends. If you are traveling anywhere drive safe and see you in the new year!

God Bless

Our Children.............Superstars!

Thad and Emma are superstars!!! Saving Little Hearts an organization devoted to helping children with congenital heart defects and their families puts together a calendar every year for a fundraiser. Emma's picture is in April and Thad's picture is in November. Emma is the last picture on the page and Thad is the second from the left on the bottom. It was exciting to see their pictures in the calendar. You can view the calendar at http://savinglittlehearts.com/shopping.html You can click on the picture on the right hand side and then view the months. If you would like to help Saving Little Hearts you can purchase a calendar for $20.00.

Yah Thad and Emma!!!!

Can't wait for Christmas!

I thought we would be safe this year with the Christmas tree since Thad isn't crawling yet. Well I was wrong. I came into the living room last night to find a little boy who was anxious to open a few gifts.

Then he found the Christmas bulb and decided to take it off the tree and play with it. I snapped a few pictures before taking it away from him since it is glass! Knowing him if he would have played with it a little longer he would have broke it all over himself.

Examining it very closely!



He actually opened one gift and shredded the tissue paper! I think he will have more fun with the wrapping paper than the actual toys!!!

Funny Face

This is Thad's new face he likes to make!
He is such a silly boy!!

This weekend we decorated for Christmas. Adam put the Christmas lights up outside and I decorated the tree. Thad likes all the lights! Thad got his picture taken with Santa yesterday which he was not too impressed with him! He cried and cried while sitting on Santa's lap. I think we finally got a picture with him not screaming too hard!!! I'll post them once I get them back.

Beautiful Sunday Morning

Adam woke up early Sunday morning and captured these amazing pictures of the clouds.

Fireman in Training

While we were in Russell we made a stop by the fire department. The Christmas parade was on Saturday night and my dad and the other firefighters were decorating the firetruck. Thad liked the big truck and had fun playing with the steering wheel. He even got a little fire chief hat.

Big boy driving the big fire truck!

We sat in our van for the parade since it was freezing outside! Thad liked the lights on all the floats but got a little bored!

Thad's First Thanksgiving

We had a great time with all of our family. We drove to Russell late Tuesday night, then to Wichita on Wednesday afternoon. We went to my Aunt Ag's house where she cooked a wonderful meal with lots of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and all the rest. I think there was about 19 people she cooked for. She had a house full of family and managed to find a place for all of us to sleep. Thanks Ag for putting up with us all and cooking such a great meal. We made a stop in Salina on the way home to see Adam's Dad and Grandparents then off to Russell for a few more days.

Thad loved his first Thanksgiving meal. He had lots of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. He was growling at us because we weren't feeding him fast enough! We had lots to be thankful for this year. We are thankful for Thad's health and for how well he is doing. We are thankful for all of our family and friends who have been there for us over the past few years. We are thankful for everything God has showed us through Emma and Thad. They have changed our lives forever and we are so greatful to have them in our lives. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are thankful for all the blessings in your lives.

Hanging out with the cousins-he likes to turn his head sideways! I think he has been hanging out with Chauchi too much!!

Ten Months Old

We took Thad to a Antiquities fundraiser. There were SO many cute pictures and I was a little bummed they didn't let me pick out my pose. The deal was a 10 X 13 photo for $10 with the option of buying a package deal. I assumed we would be able to pick the pose we wanted for the 10 X13. I went to pick up the picture this week and they had already printed the 10X13 which I couldn't choose. I think this one is very cute but you should have seen the others! Of course you could buy the others in a package deal for only $300! I was being good and had Dave Ramsey(and Adam) in my ear saying NO!
Anyways, Thad is 10 months old today! He is such a big boy and everyday does something cuter. His rolling has taken off and he is a pro now. He throws BIG temper tantrums if he doesn't get what he wants. He has a very loud scream for such a small boy!!!! He loves talking on the phone and when we take it away from him he really gets mad!! He usually hangs up on the person on the other end at least two times. His top two teeth have made their way through so now he has a total of 4 teeth!!! It won't be long before he is chewing everything.
We are off to Kansas next week for Thanksgiving. Thad is excited for his first turkey day. Hopefully there is lots of mashed potatoes since that is his favorite food!!!!

Rolling over is easy as 1 2 3

Starting position.....

Falls back and the rolling begins.......


Yeah! I'm a big boy now.

Thad is rolling all over the place!!! I was a little worried with him rolling on the hard wood floors but he doesn't seem to mind to much. The other day I was sweeping the floor, I walked down the hall into a bedroom and came back and Thad was not where I left him. He had rolled over by the dining table. Guess its finally time to baby proof the house!

Boring Is Good........

.......this is Dr. Brames famous words when we have a good check up! Dr. Brames says boring is good, nothing has improved and nothing has gotten worse. Mainly talking about his mitral valve. It hasn't shown any signs of improvement but it also hasn't gotten any worse. He noticed a little membrane at the bottom of his aortic valve known as subaortic membrane. It can eventually obstruct the flow but as of right now there is no blockage and he will continue to keep a close eye on it. It's nothing that concerned him too much today and we don't go back until March 12th! He still had a little narrowing where his coarc was which is to be suspected. He weighed 21 lbs 9.5 oz. He has slowed down in his growth but is definitely still a tank. He was very happy with the way Thad was progressing and of course he impressed all the ladies in the office.

Thad likes to help guide the technicians hand.....he's had enough echo's he could probably do them himself! He watched baby einstein while getting his echo.


We also had a couple visitors stay with us for a few days. Adam's sister Jena and her son Josh came to town. They were here in time for Thad's appointment so they tagged along with us.

Jena and Josh(the other tank! Josh is a BIG boy for only being 4 1/2 months old)

Josh kept Thad company while waiting for Dr. Brames

I Will Make Your Heart Whole Again

Daddy, please don't look so sad, Mama please don't cry cause I am in the arms of Jesus and He sings me lullabies. Please try not to question God, don't think he is unkind, don't think He sent me to you, and then He changed his mind. You see, I am a special child, and I'm needed up above. I'm the special gift you gave Him, the product of your love. I'll always be there with you and watch the sky at night, find the brightest star that's gleaming, that's my halo's brilliant light. You'll see me in the morning frost, that mists your window pane. That's me in the summer showers, I'll be dancing in the rain. When you feel a little breeze, from a gentle wind that blows that's me, I'll be there planting a kiss on your nose. When you see a child playing, and your heart feels a little tug, that's me, I'll be there giving your heart a hug. So Daddy, please don't look so sad, Mama don't you cry cause I'm in the arms of Jesus and He sings me lullabies.

~Claudette T. Allen

It's hard to believe two years ago today Emma went to be with Jesus. She is in a much better place with a "whole" heart. She changed our lives so much and we couldn't imagine where we would be today if we never had met her. We are so thankful God chose us to be her parents and care for her while she was on this earth. She was sent to us for a reason and a purpose. She taught us so much and brought us closer to God. She fulfilled her purpose in only three months and one week. Emma was sent here with a special heart and changed our lives forever. She will always be our first born child and now she is a Saint in Heaven who we can talk and pray to. Thad will always know about his big sister and how special she is in our lives. We know we will be with her again but until then she is looking down on us and watching over all of us.
A friend posted this on Emma's care page, I think it says it all.
"I Will Make Your Heart Whole Again"

It's a beautiful day up in Heaven. Jesus is rounding up his tiniest angels to go live on earth and be born. One of the sweetest angels says to Jesus "I don't want to leave, I like it here, and I will miss you." He reassures the scared little angel that everything will be okay and that she is just going for a visit. She is still not swayed on this idea so Jesus kneels down and says, "how about if you leave half of your heart here with me and take the other half with you, will that be okay?" The angel smiles and says, "I guess that will work." But the little angel is still a little scared. She asks, "Will I be okay with only half of my heart?" Jesus replies, "Of course you will, I have other angels there that will help out, and you will be fine." Then Jesus gives the angel more details about his plan. He says "When you are born, your mommy and daddy will be scared, so you have to be strong and when you feel weak just remember that I have the other half of your heart. Enjoy your time with your family, play and laugh everyday. And when its time to come back to Heaven, I will make your heart whole again. Always remember that you are not broken just torn between two loves."

If you are a mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma or grandpa give all those special children in your life a hug and a kiss and always remember to tell them how much they mean to you. You never know where life will take you or what God has planned for you so make every moment count and remember, the will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.

Sick Baby

I ended up taking Thad to the Dr. this morning after 24 hours of vomitting. He started throwing up yesterday morning after I nursed him and then his lunch and so on and so on. Last night wasn't too bad but he was up a few times throughout the night and after I fed him this morning at 6 am he threw up again. He doesn't have a fever and is still interested in playing and eating, he just can't keep anything down. I called the Dr. and they said to bring him in for a check up. She said he does have a stomach bug which is going around like crazy right now. He doesn't like the pedialyte in any flavor so I am going to try and trick him and mix it with his juice. One good thing with Thad is when he's sick, he is still happy as can be.

Fall Fun

It was such a nice day yesterday we took a walk and played in the leaves! Thad had a good time picking up all the leaves. He tried eating them a few times but we managed to get in a few pictures before he actually ate them!