A little shout out....

I just wanted to tell people about a new link on my blog.

Brandon's sister and brother in law have started a new business. It is a weight loss clinic called, "Vital Solutions". They use the same "technique" there that helped them to collectively lose over 100 pounds! It is crazy how fast they lost weight without having surgery! It's definitely worth checking out just to see how amazing they look!

Look for the link to: "Vital Solutions" or go HERE!

A Merry ChRiStMaS Greeting!

*disclaimer: (I really hate to be doing this. I don't want you to think I am a "cop-out" so...let me explain! I made a list of who we would send a Christmas card to, another list of who we'd send a picture to and yet another list of who we'd be giving a goodie plate to....all on the same piece of paper. Well...I got half way through with the "Christmas card" list and then got distracted by other equally worthy tasks...and then I lost the paper...not only do I not remember who was on what list, I don't remember who the "lucky few" were who got a card...and now I am out of time....SO...call me a "cop-out" if you must but this online Christmas greeting comes from the bottom of our hearts!)

I starting typing a "family news letter"...but deleted it because anyone who has the time or cares enough to read it probably keeps up on what is going on in our family through our blog...so I will spare you!

We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family members. Each of you has a different influence over our lives and we have a different relationship with each of you. Because of that we have been given the great gift of learning from your example through sharing in your joys and sorrows and in sharing ours with you.

We hope that this Christmas season you will feel a renewal of hope and peace as you pause to recall our Savior Jesus Christ and the significance of his humble birth. We know He lives. We know that through Him the heavens and earth were created. We know that He is "the way, the truth and the light". Through the scriptures, we have studied about Him and gained a sure knowledge that He is who He proclaimed to be, the Son of God and the Savior of all mankind. We pray that each of us will come to know Him better and be able to have His spirit with us not only during this magical Christmas season...but always.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
The Brandon Flake family

Am I gonna get it ALL done!?

Let me tell you! We're getting down to the wire folks! I am feeling the pressure! I have been baking my buns off today so that we can have some yummy cookies to take to our family and friends...I still need to make the frosting for them then package them up...I also need to go through the gifts I have bought and make sure I have everyone covered, I need to make a trip to Show Low to get a few last minute items, not to mention the fact that I haven't wrapped any gifts yet or cleaned my house.......I want to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning because that's what we always had for breakfast growing up on Christmas morning and my two older brothers are coming up with their wife and fiance so I want to do that for them...I still need to make dinner for tonight and I haven't had a shower today...or brushed my teeth! (I did chew some minty gum...does that count even a little?) I am feeling like I am not going to be able to get everything done! I know that when I feel this way I tend to go into panic mode and turn into a crazed woman. I am hoping that doesn't happen! Maybe I need to just let a few things "go".....I don't know.

Just needed to vent for a second! Thanks for listening!

Oh....and one funny thing!

Kaitlyn just told Addie, "I think you're going to be on Santa's naughty list!" And Addie said, "No I not! I'll "poof" myself off!".... Addie likes to pretend that she has, "powers" To utilize them all the has to do it point her finger and say "poof"!

A little update...

I just got an email from Angela today. She told me that they have raised enough money to cover all of Kaiya's funeral expenses! And, as of right now, it looks like their insurance company is going to be covering all the other monstrous bills! What a BLESSING that would be!

I just want to tell everyone who has donated to their family, "Thank you". I have NO idea who has donated but I know that many of you have and I am just so grateful for you generous people! I know that having the means to pay for Kaiya's funeral has helped to bring some peace to Angie and her family.

To learn more about the heart condition that Kaiya was born with, go HERE.

kindda funny

I know I have been doing tons of posts about Addie lately...but she's just in a funny stage right now.

Yesterday, we were making ornaments (if you want the dough recipe for that, let me know) anyhow... my Visiting Teacher who is an older lady came over to give me some yummy goodies and a little message about "the light of Christ". It was SO thoughtful of her to come over. I am sad to say that she might not have thought so after she left! Here's a little conversation that took place.

Addie: (w/her hair all a mess with dough in it) "Your hair is beautiful"

Sister?: "Why thank you!"

Addie: "Are you a boy or a girl?"

(talk about building someone up just to knock them down!)

Sister?: "I am a Grandma"

OH the things our kids say! I tried to smooth things over by asking Addie if SHE was a boy or a girl...I don't know if it worked. With any luck, Sister? has a good sense of humor right?

"heart baby"

Brendan and Katie Cluff are good friends of ours. They have a new little nephew named Conner who just underwent open heart surgery yesterday. To see how he and his family are doing, go HERE.

ADDIE is 3!

Today is Adelin's 3d birthday! Can you believe it!? I was looking in her journal and on her 1st birthday I mentioned that I hadn't written about the night she was born yet and promised to do it soon...well...I looked through the rest of her journal and realized that I never wrote about it...maybe I did in an email or something...in fact, in her journal I found conflicting information about her birth weight! On her announcement it says she was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and in her journal I wrote that she weighed 8 lbs. 14 ounces...which I know for a fact is false! I don't know where I got that from!

I just looked through my past emails and wasn't able to find anything containing the story of the night Addie was born. I guess it's never too late!

So, Adelin was born two and a half weeks before her due date on December 15th, 2005 at 11:36 p.m. in Show Low, Arizona at Navapache Regional Medical Center. Dr. Tindall delivered her. She weighed 7lbs. 6 oz. and was 22 inches long. We were all surprised that she was such a skinny baby because Kaitlyn had been a chunk!

Adelin Dee (her middle name is after my Great Aunt Deanna) was my shortest delivery. She was born just two and a half hours from the time I started thinking that maybe the pains I was feeling weren't gas! We had just moved here to Snowflake 2 weeks earlier and were very busy cleaning and fixing up our house (that still hasn't changed!)...we decided to make a trip to Show Low to get a few things, including a Christmas Tree. We were at Home Depot looking at light fixtures when I started feeling labor pains...but still I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not. We paid for our things and got in our car (actually...now that I think about it...we had borrowed Brandon's dad's truck to bring home our Christmas tree and it was a good thing because his cell phone was in it...and we didn't have one!) I told Brandon that I was having pretty regular pains but we decided to eat dinner and finish our shopping. We must have let Kaitlyn pick where to eat because we ended up at the McDonald's inside Wal-Mart. We ordered our food and I tried to eat my chicken nuggets but found myself timing contractions instead. People where looking at me like, "Hey lady! The hospital is across the street!" I didn't want to go lay around the hospital for hours in labor... so we walked around Wal-Mart (still timing contractions...they were like 3-4 minutes apart)...By the time we got to the garden area I wasn't concerned about what species of tree we got, how tall it was or if it had bare spots. We grabbed a tree, Brandon went and got the truck, called his mom to ask her to meet us at our house and we were off! I think we called my parent's along the way as well. Mary Louise met us at our house and I hurried and packed a suit case for Kaitlyn...(still timing contractions...they were like 1 minute apart now)...then we got my bag, hoped in the car and sped back to Show Low. Brandon and I were taking bets on how dilated I'd be and how much longer I'd be in labor. We got to the hospital. I walked into the Emergency Room and they were hurriedly getting me a wheel chair and acting like somehow coming through in the hospital door had taken away my ability to walk. But, I sat in the wheel chair and they wheeled me past all the sick people who wished me "good luck"...and into Labor and Delivery. I remember telling them that my first baby was born after being in labor for 5 hours and that I was dilated to a 4 at my doctor appointment the day before. They of course acted like I didn't know what I was talking about...which was okay...they found out pretty quick that I move along fast...luckily Dr. Tindall got there in time! Adelin was born and we were SO happy...especially me...there's nothing better than the relief from pain you feel after giving birth followed by the joy and awe of holding your little baby. We thought Addie was hungry because she kept licking the nurses hands...but we later found out that she just has an extra long tongue...(courtesy of her Aunt Kayla I am told!) Another thing I remember about Adelin's birth is that while Dr. Tindall was delivering what he called "The ugly twin" (aka placenta) He and Brandon talked about cows and how they eat the placenta after they "calf". Lovely huh? They talked about cows after Weston was born too. Anyhow...Adelin was such a cute little baby. Her nose was a little mashed up, but that helped me to know that she was my baby! I stayed in the hospital an extra day because I had group B strep and didn't have time to get the antibiotics for it prior to delivery. I loved that they brought her to me in a Christmas stocking and a little hat after they did all the tests on her and washed her up after she was born! She's been a bundle of joy and a handful every since. We wouldn't trade her in for a less hyper active child...would we Brandon? If nothing else, besides the headaches, she gives us lots of stories to tell! For instance! The other night we were at Lowe's looking at bathroom sinks and vanities. Kaitlyn, Adelin and Weston were all having a great time playing "pretend" with the display tubs, toilets and sinks. Brandon and I were discussing pedestal sinks when we heard, "I need to go to the bathroom!" and turned around to see Addie with her pants down, climbing on to a display toilet! We were lucky enough to stop her before any "damage" was done. Brandon and I both later agreed that if she had "damaged" the toilet...we would have just closed the lid and walked away.

Well!!! Addie-girl! I hope you have a fun 3rd birthday with many more to come!

Newborn...

One year old.

Turning two...

Love ya! {hugs & kisses}