The Falcone Family

VACATION--Finally!

2009-08-08T09:07:00.003-04:00

Well, we have a count down to hours...

We're going on vacation to Sullivans Island. We've had this trip planned for pretty much close to a year.

In preparation for this trip, we took the kids to the beach just about every other weekend this summer.

This trip to the beach was going to be mine and Chris' time together. Tony & Ceil were able to "have a sleep over" with the kids for this week. We are so grateful they were willing to take on a 5 year old and a 2 year old. They can be a handful at times. Thanks again Tony & Ceil.

This week has drug by sooooo slowly. I had actually began a countdown somewhere around 10 or 9 months. Its nice to say...in a few hours...

Well, Chris is rushing me to hurry up and help him load up the van.

I'll update the blog when we return, because I don't think I can get the Internet with my laptop at the beach.

Later...

PS...love you Christopher & Mary Catherine...mommy and daddy will bring you back a souvenir from the beach.

Chris turns 40!

2009-08-01T21:12:00.002-04:00

WOW...hard to believe...he is going to be 40 years old. In my eyes...he's never looked better. We had a birthday party for him this afternoon, although his birthday is tomorrow.

His parents, brother and sister in-law came. It was a very nice gathering. We enjoy their company so much. Too bad we live so far apart.

For Chris' birthday, I created a slide show. When I showed it to Chris for the first time, I made sure we were alone. Good thing...he became very emotional...as did I. I can't watch it without crying. Ugh...what's up with that.

I can take gross things my kids do...bleeding, snot, picking things up from the floor and eating them...I prided myself in thinking I was tough as nails. I'm a MOM! I can take anything. Well...I guess I'm not so tough after all.

I've known Chris for a little over 18 years. We've been through so much in that time. We've experienced some things in the past 18 years that no one else would ever know or possibly understand.

To give you a quick look back...soon after Chris and I were married, he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Now, today, this condition is somewhat well known and there are many, many treatments. But, Chris was special. Number 1, he was my husband. I love him very much and like most women, you only want the best care for your loved one...no matter what the cost. I dealt with Chris' up and down moods due to his UC. I helped him out in ways that only he can fully understand. I helped him cope with this condition that kept him from going and doing the things he wanted to do. After getting a second opinion, he finally decided that surgery would be the only option he had to beat UC. He was young. He wanted to live a full life. He wanted to have kids. He wasn't even 30 yet. He has a long life a head of him.

The surgery was an obvious success. What some may not know is, Chris had pre-cancerous cells detected in his colon after surgery. The biopsy results were told to us by his surgeon. But, understand how the surgeon told us...first it was VERY EARLY in the morning when he did his rounds. He came in, checked his incision, was flipping through his chart, rambling on about how well the surgery was, the suction bulb thingy, precancerous cells, staples being removed, change in dietary habits, do you have any questions???...uh, yeah..just one...did you say CANCER???

Chris and I both picked up on that one word out of his entire dissertation...casually, the doctor looked at him and said, yes, had you not had the surgery, you very well could be dead in 5 years.

Now, I don't know about you...but when you put a time frame on life, you kind of stop, take a deep breathe, stand a little straighter (as if all of a sudden, your posture really matters) and you take stock in your life...have we done everything that we wanted to do? Have we gone everywhere we wanted to go? What's missing? What have we forgotten?

We were newly married...were we ready for kids? We had just bought our house. We had a dog. But, what does that mean we've accomplished so far? We looked at each other and without one spoken word, I believe we knew we would need to live our lives to the fullest.

Something happens to a woman when her husband looks at her...with tears in his eyes...and says..."no parent should ever have to bury their child...". Well, needless to say, I was thrusted into a place in my life that I never knew existed. I always thought that I took stock in myself. I always thought I was selfish. And, you know what...in a way, I am. I'm selfish in that I want to have my life with my husband. I love this man. I want to spend the rest of my life with him...not the rest of his life. I want to spend the rest of my life with my kids...not the other way around.

Can I tell you...I have always measured Chris up to my father and brother. My father and brother were the two most special men in my life. I found them to be strong, hard working providers for their families. I wanted those same characteristics in the man I married. And you know what, I found him.

I sat here today and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His smile just lights up a room. His children adore him. I pity the poor soul that dates and will someday marry our daughter. She looks at her daddy the same way I still look at mine. I can only hope and dream she finds her someone special like I did.

Well...its hard to type this blog with tears welling up in my eyes...ok...so, with Chris meeting a new milestone in his life, I move on to say...live life to the fullest. Don't sweat the small stuff. Let your kids run around screaming like the boogy man is chasing them down the hall. Take a deep breathe. Take stock in yourself and the people around you.

OK...I will try to post the slide show. I don't know that I will be able to...but I'm all about dreaming the big dream. I will most likely enlist the help of the best neighbor in the whole world...MINE (NR). She is the best...

PICTURES - PICTURES - PICTURES

2009-07-27T22:12:00.012-04:00

Well, I finally downloaded some pictures. Boy, I'm I slack! Before I post the pictures, I've got to tell you...we are stressed! Chris' 40th birthday is fast approaching. I have pulled together a birthday gathering for him for this Saturday. We will have fun because we are going to be with our family and friends. That's always a joy and we wish we could do it more often. Christopher is getting ready to start school. Boy, where does the time go? Mary Catherine is pretty much potty trained...she has her accidents, but nothing too bad...or embarrassing (knock on wood).

The pictures that I post will be out of order. I rushing to do this as a storm is fast approaching. So, forgive the typos and the jumping around of events.

This is a picture of Christopher and his favorite teacher, Ms Nikki. This was taken just after Christopher's Christmas play - December 2008. You will see another picture of Ms. Nikki later in my posts...she changed her hair color from black to blonde.

This is Christopher and Mary Catherine the morning of his graduation from Gateway Academy. They were passing the time watching TV.

Here's Ms. Nikki with blonde hair. Sorry the picture is blurry. I ran to the front to snap this shot in a hurry. I didn't realize how blurry it was until I downloaded the picture. And wouldn't you know it...it's the only picture I took that day with him and Ms. Nikki.

The proud graduate...nice cheesy grin.

Let's not forget Mary Catherine turned 2 a week after Christopher's graduation. I bought her dress at Tot Trade for little to nothing. It was so cute.

This is a picture of Mary Catherine on her first day of Day Care. Again, eyes glued to the TV.

Well...I think that's enough pictures for now. I promise to upload some more real soon. It's getting late.

Enjoy!

Hello

2009-07-16T21:01:00.003-04:00

Well, we went to Stone Mountain Georgia. It was impressive...but very hot. The kids had fun. All you could eat Mayfield Ice Cream. I think my kids are addicted to ice cream...I'll look into that later.

Well, Chris won a $75.00 Kroger Gift card. It really came in handy. Every employee was guaranteed a prize. Prizes ranged from trips to Disney, IPODs, WII gaming systems, Best Buy gift cards, Kroger gift cards and 2 Dodge Avengers.

There were a lot of employees and their family and friends. The food was delicious too. My only complaint was it was entirely too hot to have this event outdoors. But, overall, a good time was had by all. The drive to Stone Mountain was very long. Mary Catherine discovered rest area bathrooms...yeah! Everytime we stopped, she would tell me she had to go pee pee. Potty training is going on full force now.

Just today, her daycare teacher informed me that it was time to start bring her panties to school. She has started "pooping" in the potty like a big girl. This is a huge milestone for us. She is getting the hang of it fairly quickly.

Although I like the daycare both kids attend, I am getting a little concerned. Mary Catherine has been bitten twice. After speaking with the director, she assured me that both times were by two separate children. This is mentioned only to reassure me that there is not a "biter" in the class. Mary Catherine always says "biting is bad". She knows better...why can't these other little kiddies in her class get the point? Uh, how frustrating.

I think what irritates me a little is the incident report that is written up when this happens..."a friend of Mary Catherine's bit her while standing in line to go outside"...a friend...what kind of friend bites. Call it what it is..."one of the bad little children in the classroom bit your child". For that matter, I don't know about anyone else, but when my child bites, I bite back. That teaches them not to do it again. Of course, when I bite, I don't leave marks, but it is enough to make my point...it hurts. If you don't like to be hurt, neither does the person you are biting.

Enough of that...

Chris and I are going on vacation in 23 days...yes, I'm counting down. This is our first "adult only" vacation since we've become parents. Back in March, we went to Charleston for 4 days. I missed the kids tremendously, but I also enjoyed myself. It was nice to spend quality time with Chris. With him working a 2nd job, we rarely get to spend quality time together. Most of our time is spent, in passing, talking about what the kids did that day, what happened at work, what's for dinner, and what bills need to be paid.

In August, Christopher will begin kindergarten. I'm sure I will be a nervous wreck. Chris is so excited...he looks at it from a financial standpoint...one less daycare tuition to have to pay. I look at it as my baby is growing up. Wow...where did 5 years go?

It seems just yesterday that he was born. When he was born, he had club foot. We thought he would never walk. Now, he won't sit down when you tell him to. Same as talking. He had caveman syndrome for ever. He would point and grunt and people would jump to get him what he wanted. We seriously thought he would never talk. Now, he won't shut up. Funny...I wouldn't change a thing. He is a good kid. He is very intelligent. He over analyzes things from time to time, but I don't stop him. It makes him more inquisitive.

Mary Catherine is following in his footsteps. She tries to keep up with "Bubba".

We took the kids to the Isle of Palms this past weekend. Both kids did very well. Chris and I took them to jump the waves. We had a blast. Wouldn't you know it...I coat the kids in SPF70. I coat myself in SPF70. Chris didn't wear any sunblock. He continuously said..."I'll tan". Well, my upper thighs and lower back got sunburned. It wasn't the worst sunburn I'd ever had, but just a bit uncomfortable. Chris, however, got borderline 2nd degree burns. He had water blisters all over his back and shoulders. He was in pain for several days. After many aspirins, cool showers and aloe gel rub downs, he has finally gotten over the worst part. His pain is subsiding. However, he is literally shedding like a snake.

We were planning on going back to the beach on the 25th. I'm thinking we may change venues. Since Chris and I are going on vacation to the beach, we thought it would be nice to take the kids a few times this summer. Looks like we may be spending the 25th someplace else. I'm not sure yet. Chris has a whole other week to heal and finish peeling. Did I say I didn't get burned so badly...to my amazement. I've been burnt a lot in the past. This was a true blessing for me.

Well...I think that's about it for now. I promise I will be posting some pictures soon. I just need to find my flash drive so I can download some pictures. I also need to scan some pictures to post too.

I'll post again real soon...I promise.

Long time no see (or read)

2009-06-23T08:15:00.005-04:00

WOW! It's been a long time since I've blogged. My apologies. The remainder of 2008 was so busy...not to mention stressful!

In August, both Chris and I celebrated our birthdays...he 39...me 38.

September was pretty much uneventful...except for the birthday of my best friend Lisa...HAPPY 38th Birthday...'bout time you caught up with me (again).

October was by far the worst month of my life. On October 20, 2008, my dad had a massive heart attack. He had to have a quadruple bypass and a mitral valve replacement. If you know me well, you know I'm a daddy's girl, so I took this really hard...obviously.

When daddy made it through his heart surgery...his battle for life really began. He suffered from organ shock. In a nutshell, this means his internal organs did not fair well with the length of time he was under anesthesia during surgery. His liver and kidneys stopped functioning. He stayed on his ventilator much longer than an average heart surgery patient. He remained in the Cardiac Surgical Recovery (CSR) unit for a couple of weeks. When he finally was able to be removed from the ventilator, he was immediately placed on dialysis. His prognosis didn't seem too good at the time. The doctor's could not make any promises as to whether or not his organs would return to normal function or not.

When he was finally able to, they moved him to IICU (double ICU). He was able to walk...with assistance. However, the kidneys were not waking up. His liver functions were beginning to return to normal. Finally, he got moved to the 6th floor which is the Cardiac Recovery floor. Most patients have surgery. Stay in CSR for up to 24 hours. Then they are moved to the 6th floor. I guess daddy just wanted to tour the hospital. He stayed in the hospital for several weeks. He was finally released and home before Thanksgiving...but was still required to have dialysis 3 times a week.

Through all of this, he never lost his spirit for life. He knew what he needed to do to survive. He knew he had to take his medications. He knew he had to go to dialysis. He knew he needed to take inventory of his life and get his priorities straight. Daddy got a late Christmas present. On December 26, 2008...he had his last dialysis treatment.

In the midst of all of this...Christopher turned 5 years old! He is growing like a weed!

In March 2009, Daddy started pursuing getting disability. If anyone has ever tried or has known someone who has tried to get disability...I sympathize with ya! This was the most drawn out...cumbersome...nerve racking thing I have ever had to help my dad do. I went with him to his interview. Needless to say...he got "Ms. Congeniality". This woman had the personality of a turnip! My dad is light hearted and makes jokes to help cope. She had "zero" humor in her life.

The good news...daddy was approved on his first try for disability. Most are turned down 3 or 4 times before being approved. He (we) are thankful that he didn't have to go through all of that. So...starting in July...daddy will be officially DISABLED! Who would have thought being classified as disabled would make someone so happy. Daddy has worked hard his entire life. It's now time for him to live his life and not focus on how to make ends meet. He is in the prime of his life. He needs to enjoy life more.

OK...so, May 2009...Mary Catherine turned 2. Where has the time gone??? Also in May, Christopher graduated from Gateway Academy. He looked so cool in his cap & gown. I will post pictures later once I scan them. Also, Mary Catherine started daycare full time. She is excelling so fast. She can count to 10 (really 15 but 12 and 13 get lost somewhere in translation). She mimics the alphabet. She tells me everyday I pick her up..."mommy, guess what...I played today!". She is so happy. Christopher is also going to daycare full time this summer. The daycare has great summer program. His class goes on 2 field trips a week. Not to mention...every Friday is Ice Cream day! What kid wouldn't love going to school on a Friday!

Chris and Mary Catherine were involved in a car accident that totaled Chris' car. Mary Catherine kept telling everyone daddy's car was broke. On June 2nd, we bought a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. It finally happened...I'm a soccer mom that drives a minivan. How does that happen. When I was a teenager, I swore I was going to drive a Porsche 924...black with black and red interior...20 plus years later...a mini van with stow and go seating...UUUGGGHHH...I can't even believe I am using the appropriate terminology to describe it. And...you better believe I did my research to make sure it had all the safety features so I would feel better carting my kids around in it. In all honesty...I love it. It is the most practical vehicle we've ever owned.

Chris was chosen as a Star Employee at his part time job. He was invited to Stone Mountain, Georgia for an employee appreciation picnic. Apparently, they are going to have a prize drawing. All employees are guaranteed a prize...anything from gift cards up to a trip to Disney World and a Car (I think). We're excited.

And...to top off things...Mary Catherine woke up this morning with what can only be described as PINK EYE! Gotta love daycare and all the little snotty noses that are running around. We're on our way to the doctor.

I promise...I'll keep you posted!

OK...so...I guess now you understand why I haven't blogged in so long.

July Events

2008-07-27T20:28:00.021-04:00

July turned out to be a very busy month for us. Cathy's dad has a fourth of July barbecue each year. This year was no different. That is to say...other than the lightening and thunderstorm that we experienced. We were waiting for dark so that we could watch the fireworks. Thanks to God, we had our own natural fireworks show. The lightening and thunder stole the show. The lights went out around 11:00 PM. We headed home shortly after. So...we had to shoot our fireworks off the next day. Christopher didn't know whether to stick around or run away from the loud booms. All in all, we enjoyed our Independence day(s) with our family. Mary Catherine dressed for the Fourth of July. Her shirt says "Forever Daddy's Girl".

Christopher watching TV. His shirt says "Mr. Independent".

Christopher's favorite movie is Transformers. His favorite character is Bumblebee. Although, he can name all of the Autobots and all of the Deceptacons (the bad guys). We recently bought him new PJs...Bumblebee of course. He also got some new T-shirts with the Transformers on them. He loves this movie. He watches the cartoon every weekday morning at 6:00 AM. He wakes up around 5:30 AM so he can get dressed and go in the livingroom and watch his favorite cartoon...while everyone else is running around getting ready for work.

This autobot's name is Ratchet.

Mary Catherine had her very first dentist appointment on July 8th. We expected her to cry since this was something new. She surprised us all. Although she still had to sit on mom's lap, her crying was at a bare minimum. As long as she was able to look into the mirror, she didn't have a problem with the dentist "counting" her teeth. She has 8 teeth and she is starting to cut her 2 year molars. She constantly chews on her finger or anything else she can fit into her mouth.

Mary Catherine with Dr. French.
Christopher and Dad. He had a great check-up. No cavaties!

When Christopher was about 18 months old, his favorite "hideout" was a cabinet in our entertainment center in our livingroom. He played in that cabinet up until about a year ago. He got too tall to stand up in it. So, he would just resort to sitting in it sometimes. He would hide some of his favorite toys in there...or just hide from mom and dad in there. When Mary Catherine began walking...her natural instinct was to explore this favorite hiding space. Now, she occupies this spot regularly. She walks into the cabinet and waves bye bye. She opens the doors and waves hi. She really enjoys this new hiding spot. She and Christopher like their new clubhouse too...that would be sitting under the dining room table. They take there toys under there and play.

Christopher (April 2005).

Mary Catherine (July 2008)

Christopher (age 4) & Mary Catherine (1 year 2 months) July 2008.

On July 26th, we took a mini vacation...We took the kids for a day trip to Sullivans Island. Both kids fell asleep on the way to the beach.

This was Christopher's 2nd time going to the beach. He is an old pro. Mary Catherine, however, was not to thrilled with the sand or the water. It took her a while to catch her balance on the uneven sand. Not to mention the sand was very, very hot. She refused to sit on the blanket with mom. She insisted on sitting down in the sand. Although mom and dad slathered both kids with suntan lotion, Mary Catherine still got burned. Christopher has his dad's skin tone. He just tanned a little more. Mary Catherine has mom's skin tone and is forever destined to burn...no matter how much suntan lotion she wears. Dad and Christopher built a castle fort. Mary Catherine played in the sand and decided to give herself a dry facial with the sand.

Beach sand is much different than the sand found in backyard sandboxes. Beach sand gets in every crease and crevace. We thought it would be a good idea to let her walk in the surf to rinse some of the sand off of her. Obviously, she didn't think our idea was the best. She cried and insisted on being held. When she caught the eye of another little girl (only a couple months older than her), she insisted on being put down. She played in the water. She thought it was fun to run down into the water and then fall down to her knees. She did this repeatedly...playing Russian Roulet with the surf. At times the water was deeper than the time before and her face would splash in the water. After quickly standing her back up, she would just wipe her eyes and then do it again.

Chris helped Christopher get onto a sandbar so he could get a closer look at a bird. He thought it was so cool to be so far out in the water. Christopher was tasked with finding seashells. He found a lot to put in mom's pocket. (Mom realized the seashells were still in her pocket the next morning when she was getting ready to put her shorts in the washer...oops.) After a few hours at the beach, we headed home. Much to the dismay of the kids...they wanted to stick around at the beach a bit longer. But, the clouds looming overhead made our minds up to head home. We were on the way home only about 15 minutes before it started raining. We left at the right time. Mary Catherine slept most of the way home. Christopher ate snacks and talked most of the way home. He kept saying he wanted to go to the beach. We kept telling him he was just at the beach. All in all, we had a great time on our mini vacation.

Christopher's Haircut

2008-06-21T08:50:00.004-04:00

He did such a good job. In the past, if I paid someone to cut his hair, he cried the entire time. So, I started cutting his hair. I use to cut it in the bathroom while he watched me in the mirror. Then I noticed that he would fidget too much because he could see me moving the scissors around his head. So, this time, I decided to cut his hair in the livingroom. I let him sit on a stool and watch TV while I cut his hair. I took less than 20 minutes to cut his hair. Afterwards, he told me "Mommy, you did a good job!" I guess I got the seal of approval.

Here is the before picture

Here is the "After" picture

Guess who's walking...

2008-06-21T08:26:00.003-04:00

Yep...Ms. Mary Catherine has begun walking. She started with about three or four steps between the recliner to the couch. Then...she just decided about 2 weeks after her 1st birthday to take off.
She tries to keep up with big brother Christopher. She only resorts to crawling if she gets in a big hurry.
Christopher just got his hair cut. He looks like a big boy with his new hair cut. With the weather being so hot and the twice a week water days at school, he needed a hair cut to help keep him cool during these hot months.
My good friend Cindy cut my hair last night...in my kitchen. She did such a great job. I have found a new hairstylist. I just haven't told her yet.
The next haircut that is due...Chris. Pictures will be forthcoming.

Here is Mary Catherine walking. And yes, her shirt says "Daddy's Little Tax Deduction".

Carolina Children's Home BBQ 2008

2008-06-02T20:25:00.005-04:00

Here are some photos from this year's Carolina Children's Home BBQ.

Hello

2008-06-02T19:52:00.013-04:00

OK, this is my first blog entry. It is going to be a bit shakey at first, but I am going to try to update this often. I guess the first post can be what happened in May. Our daughter, Mary Catherine, turned 1 year old. We had a wonderful party with family and friends. She got a lot of nice gifts and well wishes. Christopher enjoyed playing with his best friend--Isaac.

Our nephew, James Erik, graduated high school. Yet another milestone to help us feel older. And, to top things off, my 20 year high school reunion is fast approaching in October. Now its official...I am old.

I want to post some birthday photos from Mary Catherine's birthday and from James Erik's graduation. I will try to publish as many photos as possible so that our family and friends can enjoy watching the children grow up. They grow up so fast.

Well...here are some photos. ENJOY!

Before the cake...so sweet and pretty.

After the cake...still so sweet!

Christopher the day after Mary Catherine's Birthday. He was still hyped up on sugar.

Jennifer, Dean, Erik & Jack on May 29, 2008 -- Lower Richland High School Graduation

Erik and Daddy (Pop as Erik calls him)

Chris, Mary Catherine, Erik, Christopher and Cathy celebrating Erik's graduation. We are so proud of him.