Mother's Day-May 9th, 2010!

I had a pretty awesome Mother's Day this year!  I had my 2 beautiful babies, my amazing husband, my fabulous mother, my wonderful mother-in-law, my awesome father-in-law, and my crazy brother-in-law all together in one house for the celebration of us mother's!  We went to church that morning and had a great service, and then went to my in-law's house.  We ate Chicken Express, which was SO good.  We also took pictures.  Here are a few of the best ones:

 Right to left: Brandon Hoover (bro-in-law), Mitzi Hoover (mom-in-law), TJ Hoover (Hubby).

 Kaydence and Riddick in their wagon.

Kaydence and Riddick actually both looking pleasant!

Riddick took Kaydence's ducky beads!! 

Kaydence and Riddick again looking very pleasant...big shocker!

Riddick showing off...

Kaydence taking her beads back from Riddick.

I don't know what it is, but I LOVE this picture!!!  Riddick almost looks angelic!  LOL!

Riddick and Kaydence with their NaNa-Mitzi Hoover.

Kaydence and Riddick with their Grammy-Linda Woodall.

Me with my babies!!!

The whole Hoover Family!!!

The Hoover's!

I love my family!

     There are even more pictures on my Facebook account.  Then all us mommies opened cards and gifts and played with the babies.  It was a very fun and relaxing day.  Oh and I forgot to mention...TJ took care of the babies ALL day, man that WAS relaxing!  I feel like I hardly ever get a break, so that was a major treat.  So there ya have it everyone, I had a pretty blissful Mother's Day!  And I SO hope all of you did too!

Bridgett Hoover

LifeSteps of Garland-PT

     Today was Kaydence's first day having physical therapy at LifeSteps of Garland.  However, it is still with the same PT that she has had since she was 1.  She did pretty well all things considered.  She still screamed and cried a decent amount, but she had some fun as well, so major bonus there.  Becky, her PT, put her on one of the swings and worked with her on that for a while, and even though she was unsure about it and fussed some, she seemed to enjoy it pretty well.  However, she did not like the fact that Becky let her brother roam all around the room.  Riddick was super curious about everything there, but mad that I wouldn't let him get close to Kaydence and what she was doing.  Here are some pictures from my cell phone, so quality is not that great:

On the swing with her PT, Becky!

Swinging on the swing!

Testing out the ropes!

On the bolster swing!  She didn't care for this one as much.  Do you see a certain little someone crawling about?  hehe.

On the bolster swing still, and right after this she actually let Becky hold onto her hands for a lil while, that is amazing for her! 

Riddick checking out the equipment while watching sister swing.

Riddick had to give Ms. Becky some hugs, and Kaydence cried over the beach ball.  However, she was laughing right after this, so she was just getting tired of therapy.

Riddick chillin' and waiting for sister to be done.

It was a pretty good session all things considered.  I am really excited to see what Becky can get her doing at this new place!

Bridgett

Fun With Family In The Army

     Yesterday was a very big day for us.  My brother and his family came into town for a visit.  This is the last time we will probably see them before he gets deployed to Afghanistan.  Right now they are stationed in Kentucky at Fort Campbell and he will be with the 101st Airborne Division (Infantry).  He is a Combat Medic in the Army and this will be his 2nd deployment.  His first was of course to Iraq, and he was there around 18 months.  With this deployment, he will be there at least a year but could definitely be longer.  Prayers will definitely be appreciated for my brother and his family during this trying time.
     However, we were able to have a fun morning yesterday.  We had breakfast and then went to the park and played with the kids.  Here are a few pix:

My kids and my nieces all swinging together!  Plus, my brother in the red jersey, my sis-in-law in the pink shirt, and my mother in the blue shirt.

A very tired little boy...  He could barely stay awake!

He had that look on his face the whole time, lol!  We couldn't stop laughing at him.

Playing with her brother's bottle...but of course didn't want to drink it.

So exhausted...

About to doze...

Having SO much fun with brother's bottle!

SMILE!!!!!

Cheesy smile!!!!!

So it was a great morning, of course until they had to leave.  They gave us presents, the kids and my hubby got army t-shirts, and Kaydence got a teddy bear with dog tags as well, and I got a wreath that says army sis on it.  I will take pix and put them up before long.  They are SO cute!  I may not be all that close with my brother or talk to him a lot, but I love him dearly, and have so much respect for what he does for our country.  He is a wonderful man whom I am so proud to call my brother.  I love you Sgt. Damon Woodall.

Bridgett

Lots & Lots of Therapy!

     Life around the Hoover household has been very hectic lately.  We have now got Kaydence's PT rescheduled through LifeSteps of Garland with the PT she has always been with, which adds 2 more sessions of therapy per week to her schedule.  So, now there are 9 total sessions of therapy per week with there being 6 different types of therapies.  Plus, they are looking to add on at least one more, and we have to look into switching her Deaf Ed to private speech therapy...  Oh my, it's a lot!  Here is her current schedule for therapy...

     We, also, have to schedule another procedure for her.  This is for her hearing, however, she has to be sedated, because the child has to remain perfectly still for around 45 minutes.  Ok, well I just got that scheduled and it looks like it will be on May 28th.  So, it will be good to get that done and over with.  And on May 17th we will go to her GI doctor and he will change her G-tube to a button, which we are super excited about!  It will not be a very fun process, but after it is over it will be so much better!

Bridgett

*Sigh*

Today has been quite a long day...
     Kaydence had Vision Therapy this morning, which she did fair for.  It was at the house, so she always likes that aspect.  Then she has proceeded to be an incredibly difficult eater today.  She is always difficult, but today she was extremely so.  I just hate it when I cant get her to eat.  I also hate the fact that she doesn't like to eat!  Oh well, I'm working on it...  Even if it means just being satisfied that she has a peg tube (which will soon be a button), and that she will always be able to get the calories that she needs through that.  And of course we will NEVER stop trying to feed her food.  We want her to eat too badly to just stop giving her food.  However, we are finding that we just can't force her to eat either, hence the tube.  It's just so frustrating...  But again, oh well, we can only try so hard...
     My son has not been too easy to deal with today either.  He was getting into everything!  Which is basically a daily occurrence, however I was just not in the mood, seeing as how I was trying to get the apartment cleaned and ready for a friend to come over tonight.  He decided that he wanted to "help" me sweep the kitchen floor, and "help" me put the clean dishes away.  There was plenty more he "helped" with before I put him down for a "mandatory" nap.
     All-in-all, it was a long, tiring, frustrating day.  However, we ended the day with my husband (TJ) and I playing with the kids, and laughing and cracking up at how goofy they are, and that can so make a day like today all worth it... 

A Rare Opportunity

Hello again!  I think I will just jump right on in with this one.  Today I was offered quite a rare opportunity.  An old high school acquaintance Facebook messaged me earlier today telling me that he had noticed that I do photography, and how he really likes my work.  He said that he has been living in California working on his career as a Hip Hop artist, and that he will be coming back to Texas in May for a visit.  So, he asks me if I would do a photo-shoot of him for his album cover.  He said that he likes my work and wants to help me out since we went to the same school and everything.  I have seen some of his interviews and things and he is very pro Texas.  Plus, I listened to his music and while it isn't the type of music I would listen to, he does sound very good.  So all-in-all this has been a major confidence boost in my ability to do photography.  Let's just pray that it all goes well, and nothing hinges on me taking the pictures.  AND that I do an AMAZING job!  Thank you!

Bridgett Hoover

LifeSteps Of Garland Evaluation

     Well yesterday I took Kaydence to get evaluated at LifeSteps of Garland with her ongoing PT, so she can start up services there and continue with the same PT.  For the most part she was not too impressed with going elsewhere for therapy.  She prefers to stay in the comfort of her own home, and who can blame her?  However, Becky, her PT, did put her on this little trampoline that has a bar that she can hold onto, and she really seemed to like it!  She was kind of unsure about it, but I think she will really get to enjoy it.  You see, her most favorite thing to do is to "bouncy-bouncy."  Whether someone is holding her and bouncing her up and down, or she is in a johnny jump-up, or a jumper, bouncing and jumping are the best things in life to her.  So, I have always been curious about these little trampolines.  I am super excited for her to start therapy here.  I think it will be great because Becky will have so much more that she can offer her here.  I will post a video of her on the trampoline, let me know what you think.  Oh yes, and my son was there as well, you will see where he tried to join in on the fun as well...lol. 
** Well nevermind I thought I could add a video, but now I cant find where I can, if anyone knows how I would appreciate the advice, thanks!

Bridgett Hoover

My Kiddos

I am so blessed to have 2 amazing children!  My oldest, Kaydence Arabella, was born on July 11, 2007, she is 2 1/2 years old.  My youngest, James "Riddick," we call him Riddick, was born on July 2, 2009, he is 9 months old.  

     My daughter Kaydence has special needs, and has been such a blessing to us.  She has a seizure disorder, is developmentally delayed, has vision impairment (wears glasses), has hearing impairment (wears hearing aids), sensory issues, feeding problems (has a peg tube that is about to be turned into a button), and has a genetic disorder, although the specific genetic disorder is unknown to us as of yet.  She does not walk or talk, however, she can army crawl.  She gets a long tube feed at night, because she will not eat enough during the day.  She has bright blue eyes, curly light brown hair, and the most contagious smile you will ever see.  I truly admire my daughter!  She goes through so much, doctors and therapies, and still goes on smiling and playing.  Don't get me wrong...she gets mad and angry, and cranky as well, but no matter what she goes back to being my happy little girl.  
     She has therapy every day, Monday through Friday.  Two days we go to Our Children's House at Dallas for occupational therapy, speech therapy for feeding, and psychology for feeding.  Then, the other three days of the week therapists come to the house to see her through Garland ECI.  For that she gets deaf education, vision therapy, and developmental therapy.  Soon we will be starting physical therapy at LifeSteps of Garland, where her PT from Garland ECI has just recently taken a position. There are also a multitude of doctor's appointments that she is being hefted to on a regular basis.
     In the Fall, Kaydence will be starting the PPCD program, where she will go half days to school.  I am really hoping that this will help her a lot, especially with interacting with other children. 
     My son, Riddick, is quite the boy.  He is the complete opposite from Kaydence in so many ways, except their looks and certain quirks.  He is big and strong for his age.  He is over the 100th percentile for his weight and height.  He is also very happy with an infectious smile, bright blue eyes, and light brown hair that is starting to curl.  He can say "baba," "mama," "papa," "dada," and "yellow."  Which is the cutest thing ever, especially when you have waited 2 1/2 years for your child to call you "mama."  However, he can be quite the little handful.  He gets into everything, his favorite thing is to find and eat paper, which he then throws up.  Yeah, it's great huh?  
     My kiddos are both wonderful and exhausting at the same time, and while I might deny this at a later date, I'm sure I wouldn't have them any other way.  

Bridgett Hoover

Welcome!

Hello Everyone!
First of all, thank you for visiting...let me tell you, I will be surprised if I have more visitors than just my close family.  I am a wife to an amazing man, and a stay at home mom of 2 wonderful children, and desperately seeking an outlet for all of my thoughts, emotions, and yes, anger and frustration as well.  
I am a Christian woman, yet a child in the knowledge of my faith.  I was saved just a few years ago in August of 2006.  I don't always do as I should, for example; go to church, read my bible, pray, but I am working on these things.  
I love photography, but my work is nothing special.  Since I have never been to school for it, my photos are no where near the quality of professionals.  However, I am sure I will always continue with it.  
Well, that is just a lil about me, I will post with a lot more juicy information incredibly soon.  Thank you for your interest!


Bridgett Hoover