Pasadena Rose Bowl - Here we are!!

Hope the guys are having great fun!!  Only wish we could have been there with them!  But what a wonderful opportunity and something I hope they NEVER forget!

We have texted everyday while they've been gone so we feel a part even from back here!  AND I begged for pics of which I have received 2 - yes, BOYS!!

This one is one I'm quite proud of - NOT -  it proves they were at Disney, but yes, it's the back of Caleb's head.  :)

 

This one I stole from another band parent - but I do like it!

 

Marching in Disney!

 

My GOOD son, that faces the camera, in Universal!!! :)

 

I stole this one too - but how fun to get to see them on TV!!

 

Watching from home!!!  YEAH Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band!!

 

Yep - they were famous, alright!!

 

What a fun, fun day!  Now, just to hear how their feet fared!!

Survived Another Band Camp

Yes - we all know when our summer is coming to an end - it's when band camp rolls around.  So July 30 was the start of the big week - the all day band camp - for high school band!  The sunburns strike - the heat wave overtakes - yep, it was true again this year too.  From 9 am to 9 pm (with short breaks for lunch and supper) the kids practice their songs and their field marching.  They are troopers!!  SO, the boys have bravely endured, once again, and at the end - THE PRIZE!!

 Notice those colorful cheeks and arms!!

We think our cake lady is AMAZING!!!  Thank you, Sara!



Aaron Turns 14!

Fourteen years ago - we were blessed with our third little man.

AND oh what a blessing he is!

 From the beginnings of Aaron talking, we knew we were in for it - this boy is funny!!  He has the most amazing fast quips and constantly keeps us laughing.

 He is such a curious guy - loves to learn (ok, he won't admit that though) and he enjoys working on things until they are mastered!

 He's a GO-GETTER!  

 Did I mention he is funny!?!?!?

 Aaron has a sweet and caring spirit - he is great at putting others' needs ahead of his - that is a rare gift and he has it!

 I am not sure if I have mentioned it - but this kid just cracks us up!!

 He is a gift - a special gift from God!  We praise God for you, Aaron.

 Umm, yeah - he's always up for a joke or a laugh - have I mentioned that yet??

 This is one of my favorite pictures of Aaron - it truly captures him - 

Contemplative

Curious

and just a bit...

Mischievous!!

 Aaron is an AMAZING brother to his two little sisters - he is the one that is sure to have time for a quick game with the girls and they know it!!  He holds a special spot in each of their eyes!!

 As our little man turns into a bigger man - we pray that God continues to use him.  We pray for a young man that chooses God's best for him.

We love you bud and are SO blessed to have you in our family.

Happy Birthday!

Oh MY!!!

This brings back a ton of memories - it was just yesterday, wasn't it!?!?!?

Happy 13!!

We love to give Aaron a hard time - his day was a day of great drama 13 years ago!!

Not only did he decide to flip breech at 39 weeks, the doctors thought it would be fun to try to turn him back around AND THEN have Dad hold his head down in the birth canal to try to induce while he was still headed in the right direction. BUT, Aaron had other plans - as soon as Dad let go of his little head, he flipped right back around again and WOULD NOT make an appearance. Yep, he was my C-section - and we remind him often how he did not want to come into our world!! BUT we are so glad the doctors convinced him - he is a SPECIAL gift - our blessing that was not planned but we are SO glad God had other plans!!

We love you big guy - and are SO glad you decided to come out and live with us!!! (Yep, Mom is especially grateful for that - not sure she'd want to carry you thirteen years!!)

How Can He Be 12??

There are some things that are just hard to fathom - and I have to say that believing that my little man is 12 is one of them!  We love you Aaron  -you are a blessing!!

We have had fun with this birthday - it's possibly the first Jada has seen so she is enamored with the cake, candles, and streamers! It is fun to watch!

Band for Aaron

Aaron 5th Gr. Band Concert - May 2009 from Becky Bilby on Vimeo.

I know, other kids' concerts aren't all that exciting - but I just put one song on here. We are proud of Aaron - he chose trombone this year as his instrument for band and he has just done a great job! He practices without being reminded and he is doing SO well!! We are proud big guy!

My Baby Boy is 11!

Oh my - this boy has been something from day 1.  I will never forget that infamous day 11 years ago when the doctor said, "We are going to have to induce you - you are running a temperature and it isn't good for your baby or you."  SO off we went - here was the BIGGEST problem - a little man had decided to turn himself breech at 39 weeks!!!  (We should have known then!!!)  So, my doctor encouraged me to try a version (where they manually try to turn the baby - you DON'T want the details - it wasn't pretty!!) - and in my moment of weakness - I allowed them to do it a SECOND time as he didn't stay head down after the first try.  Then, my doctor thought it was a great idea to have Joe hold little Aaron's head down in the birth canal (yes, that meant he pushed down on my belly for an hour!!) until the pitocin kicked in and Aaron would engage.  Did he???? Nope, that stinker, the minute Joe let go of him, flipped right back in the breech position again.  From then on, it was only a cesarean for us.  Little Aaron made his appearance but we were never sure he REALLY wanted out.  No matter the method, we are SO glad we have him - he may have been a lot of work to convince to make his appearance, but he's been worth every minute.  He's our comedian, our sensitive little brother, and our constant source of smiles!  We love you big guy - Happy 11th!

Home

It is Monday night and we are home! Glad to be here - it is true you know - there is NO PLACE like home!!! Aaron is still running a pretty good temp off and on, but we are confident that all the fluids and antibiotics they pumped into him will help soon!!! We are just glad he is home and on the mend. Thank you SO much for all of the prayers - we felt it!!! I am thankful for Jevohovah - Rophe - the God who Heals! Keep praying - he is definately not "our Aaron" but he is getting there!

Getting the Better of Us...

You know - we've been sick over here for awhile - so when Aaron announced last night that he was starting to feel yuck - I just assumed it was another attack of Influenza A over here. Boy was I wrong - he woke up this morning when I went down to check on him, fever raging, and promptly threw up (sorry - but all the moms will understand!!!) thus began our roller coaster ride. This is when he fell to the floor in pain - could not walk or bend over and so we called the Emergency Room. Of course we heard the dreaded - "Bring him right in". So we did - and the tests began - I can't even tell you what all they ran on him - all I know is that that poor little guy is tired of being poked and prodded. As they ran the second blood draw tonight and were having trouble finding a vein because he is so dehydrated - he had tears running down his face and said to the nurse, "It's ok, I'm just tired of all of this."

They have narrowed it down now - not appendicitis as they first thought - but bladder infection - yes, for a boy that is very rare - and quite serious for how bad his is, I guess. His blood level was high this morning for the infection but even higher tonight when they took the test again. So - he has to spend the night. His temp is also up higher now than it has been all day. We are just covering our little guy in prayer. Tomorrow he has more tests - including an ultrasound to see what is going on in the bladder and, most importantly, if any damage has been done to the kidneys. We pray for wisdom for the doctors.

I will leave you with Chloe's prayer for tonight: "Thank you God for my Polly Pockets and for Aaron. Please help his body to get strong - you can make him strong, God. Amen."

A Birthday at the Bilby's

Our youngest son, Aaron, turns 10 today - I can't honestly believe it. All of our boys are in the double digits now - that makes this mom feel OLD!!!
He is a true blessing to us - our resident comedian and wonderfully tender little guy!
My favorite "Aaron" story is how each week he has points to spend in his piano lessons and the last 5 or 6 lessons he has come out with a present for Chloe - he didn't spend his points on himself, but chose, instead, to spend them on his little sister. I love that about you, Aaron - you are so giving! (And Chloe loves it even more!!) We can't wait to see what God has planned for you! We love you!!

Hockey Finale

It's bittersweet, but it's over!! Hockey is now officially finished for this season. Aaron's last tournament was this past weekend. He got to play goalie - which he loves and then in the next game he played offense and scored a goal - what a weekend!!

My little goalie with a save!!!!

Happy Birthday Aaron!

(double click on image to enlarge it)

Nine years ago today I went into the doctor at 39 weeks pregnant and found out I had a fever and other slight problems so they decided to induce me. It was at 39 weeks that they also found out that my 3rd child had decided to flip into a breech position. SO - naive that I was - I agreed to let two doctors push on my stomach until they turned Aaron into the correct position. They had barely gotten him into position and he flipped right over again. It was then that they came up with another brilliant idea - they admitted me into the hospital, started the Pitocin, and turned Aaron again - once they got him turned, they made Joe push down on my belly to hold Aaron in place until the Pitocin kicked in and Aaron started his way down into the birth canal. Hours later, Joe let go - up came Aaron - just the way he wanted to be in the first place and the doctor decided on a C-Section (exactly what I mentioned after they first found out he was breech!!). So, a C-Section it was!! And what a blessing that was - we found out that in the turning, his cord had wrapped around his neck and it could have been quite a serious delivery. So, our beautiful son, Aaron was born and that was only the beginning of his feisty little personality!! :) He was my favorite delivery - I loved my C-Section - we had an extra day in the hospital to bond and home we went - to Grandma and a 1 yr. old and a 2 yr. old. which were knee-deep in the stomach flu!!! Aaron and I promptly went up to the bedroom and didn't reappear for three days until the bug had fully passed. Bless Grandma's and Dad's hearts for dealing with the flu!! But I must say - it was such a special time with Aaron - I had to lay around a lot with just having the surgery and it was just him and I - what a special time together with the third child that would from here on out be "the little man" in our family. I love my kids - each one is so special - and today is Aaron's Day - my little man turns 9 - how does that happen??? I love you bud!!

Favorite Photo Friday

Our Penalty Box Offender in the box:

There it is for the record - #12.

It's Aaron!!!

The First Ever Bilby to get in the Penalty Box was our youngest - Aaron. Poor kid - he even said he was shaking he was so scared we were going to be mad at him!! We had to laugh - it is part of the game ~ we just don't try to encourage them to make penalties if they don't have to as it does hurt the team. AND - according to the ref (whom we know) and the coaches - it really could have not been a penalty - he was called for tripping as he was going for the puck and it was between a players feet but the player was already going down - kind of a tricky one but we just had to document it - the First Ever Bilby Penalty!!! A friend took pics of him in the box but she hasn't sent those to me yet- I'll post them when I get them - Aaron in "hockey timeout!!!" And yes, Caleb and Micah are laughing at how many people voted for Caleb - he is Mr. Docile and Micah is EVEN MORE SO - so we all knew it would be Aaron!!!! (Our go-getter!!!)

Sleepy Heads

I had two boys up and Chloe and decided to take a shower. When I got out of the shower I went to find Chloe - she had come up to find Aaron (the last one sleeping) and this is what I found.

She had crawled in bed with her blankie by Aaron and was laying very quietly with him - yes, he was rousing, but she was trying hard to be quiet!!! So Sweet!!!