Halloween

Pumpkin Patch!

Dekon, Daddy and Driver in the bus

Dekon and Emmitt did the maze by themselves!

Telling us it's time to get out of the barn

My Halloween cupcakes

Pumpkins

Moms

Taye's

Cooper's

Dekon's

                                                                          Costumes                                                                         

Taye was a Paleontogist for school

 (Career Day)

Mimi and Drew Carey

Got 3rd at the Firehouse

Where's Waldo?

Got 3rd at the Roundhouse Carnival

Jester Driver

Buzz Lightyear Dekon

Theo the Black Bear Hunter

Tayeshun the football player

The Lindsey family as KISS

Got 3rd at the Roundhouse

(Nora, Zoe, Eric and Emmitt)

My Knight in Cotton Underware!

It was your average Friday night in the Gardner house.  It was 7:30 and Taye and Cooper were extremely tired from the school week and didn't eat much supper, they just wanted to go to bed.  Dekon, Driver and I were sitting at the table eating out english muffin pizzas while Josh was in the kitchen taking more off the pan.  Taye and Cooper were getting ready for bed.  I started coughing....
      Back story I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and was told I had azthmatic bronchitis and having problems breathing, I went back to the doctor on Wednesday because it hadn't got any better.  I was put on new medicines and a nebulizer.  Now back to my story....
So I start coughing, and as I was coughing I thought to myself, I can't breathe!  The next thing I remember is hearing talking but can't make it out and someone is hitting beating me on the back.  I feel myself rocking in a circle and then I hear Josh saying "JO, JO ARE YOU OK?  JO?"  I reply "I'm gonna pass out!" and then open my eyes and see I am still at the table.  I got confused and he asked again, "Are you ok?"  I then start to cry because I realize, I blacked out! 
Josh said again "Are you ok?"  I nodded.  He said he thought I had just had a seizure, I didn't know what happened, the last thing I remember was coughing.  He then told me he heard me coughing but didn't hear me inhale.  He turned around to look at me and I was hunched over the table so he dropped everyting and came running into the dinning room.  I had my hands in a claw, my face was bright red and he heard the last bit of air weeze out of my lungs, so he started hitting me in the back.  (the only thing he could think to do since he wasn't sure what exactly was going on) I don't remember spitting anything out, but I do remember hearing his voice.
He called my parents and said they needed to watch the boys so he could get me to the ER to get me checked out.  And since we didn't know what exactly happened and I had just started taking new medication, we rushed to Iowa Falls.  I cried the whole way there (and throughout the weekend and right now)  all I could think was what if this had happened while Josh was at work?  I am VERY greatful he was home.  I get in my ER room and they check me out, listen to the story.  They have me do another nebulizer treatment, prescribe me some additional medicine and I sit there.  And sit there and sit there.  I start coughing AGAIN and they come in and say they don't understand why I'm not getting better and are concerned about me.  They check my breathing several more time, blood pressure, pulse and oxygen levels.  I then get an adrenaline shot in the arm, 2 shots in the butt and told to sit there for awhile.  The adrenaline was to help open my airway, it shouldn't keep me awake but I am the type of person that gets all hyper like a little kid on medicine that is supposed have slim effect on adults, so I start getting RLS!  Josh is laughing at me about it.  The nurse comes in and checks everything again.  I get ANOTHER adrenaline shot and info on azthmatic bronchitis and finally sent home!  I finally get home after 11 and talk to my Mom about what all went on in the ER, after she went home I still couldn't sleep.  ( I am the type of person that falls asleep when it's dark out!)  Josh stays up with me and we are looking through the guide on the TV to figure out what to watch the first show we come across is I Shouldn't Be Alive.   Really?  Cut me some slack!  2 AM rolls around and I am ready to go lay down, but first I use my nebulizer.  I still have coughing fits in the night and everytime, I grab Josh's arm and I feel him grab my hand until I stop coughing.
The next day Josh runs into town to get my new medications and then Cooper has a soccer game.  After the game I am walking back to the van with Driver and Josh can see I am having difficulty breathing so he got out of the van to strap Driver in for me while I use my inhaler.  We get home and I eat something and take my medicine.
It is now Sunday and I feel half way normal.  I am no longer affraid to cough or be alone.  I still cry thinking about what happened and what might have been but I am VERY GREATFUL FOR MY HUSBAND!   Our 6 year wedding anniversary is Wednesday and couldn't be more in love with my husband than I am today!  (He told me if I didn't want to be married to him anymore, there are better ways to get out of the marriage then dying!)

He's 6?!?

On September 15, Cooper Addison turned 6 years old!

In the beginning he had some problems

Spent 11 days in the NICU

Mom had some problems too

Lots of visits with Daddy

He's growing up fast

1 year pictures

Blowing out his candles on the 6 cake!

The Flash

Awesome cake done by Nini!

Creamery Theater

Taye attended camp all this week.  It was at the Roundhouse from 10-2 so Taye got to ride his bike to and from camp, which made him pretty excited! It wore him out pretty good too, the first night he went to bed before 7 and the rest of the week he took a nap when he got home, we usually have to fight him to go to bed or nap!   He actually had a speaking role, he was Pirate #2.  The musical was last night and it was pretty cute.  Taye had quite a few "fans" in the audience!  I hope Taye decides to do it again next year!
                                              
                                                                         The Pirates

The crew

Lily

A friend of mine had a 10 month old cat that made her dog nervous and was looking for a home for it.  Josh and I had been talking about getting a cat for inside and then she posted that she needed a good home for her cat.  So we took the cat!  Lily came spayed, declawed (all 4) and litter trained!!  She is the nicest cat but still trying to adjust to 3 calm ROWDY boys!



                                                                             Meet Lily!

4 month check up

Driver is now 14 lbs 6 oz (50%) and 24 inches long(25%)!

He tried cereal for the first time today too!

He's 9!

Driver

Driver is 4 months old today!  And a few days ago he learned a new trick!

3 months old!

Driver is such a ham when it comes to getting his pictures taken.
-loves when he is talked to "cooed" at
-tries to hold his own bottle
-enjoys standing and jumping
-still only wants to sleep in his glider chair
-loves staring at the ceiling fan
-over all happy baby!

It's hard to believe 3 months have past, we love you Driver Chase!

Flat Stanley

Taye's class was sending Flat Stanley out of town.  Taye first wanted to send Stanley to Afghanistan to his Uncle Eric, unfortunately Eric got hurt in an IED and was unable to show Stanley around.  (Get better Eric) So then Taye decided to sent Stanley to Kazakhstan to his Uncle Jason, Aunt Lisa and cousins Hudson and Kaden!  They sent back pictures from Stanley's visit (Stanley decided to stay and learn Russian).

Here are a few pictures of his trip!

Stanley meeting Kaden...he didn't know what to think of a flat American.

Checking his facebook page with Hudson!

The view from the Kopp's apartment, he loved the mountains!

Funny Foto Friday

                                              Oh Dekon.....

Dekon

We are in the middle of packing so we can move, so there are boxes everywhere in our house.  Which leaves little room for Dekon to play in the livingroom.  So this morning he decided to play in the kitchen, he's not normally allowed in there since he colored all over the refridgerator not long ago.  So I walked in to check on him and he's sitting at the table with a pen in hand!  I moved a little to see what he was doing.  He was drawing on some book order forms Cooper brought home.  I turn around to get the camera because he just looked so darn cute!  I take the first picture and he looks up at me and said "I not coloring on the table...I coloring on paper!"  I said "I know Buddy, good job!"  I then sit down with him and he tells me all the books he wants.  He is such a sweet kid most of the time!

2 Months!!

Driver is 2 months!!

He is still in newborn clothes

He LOVES lights and ceiling fans

Sleeps the best in his glider chair

LOVES his Daddy!!

No April Fools Joke

8 AM Friday morning we get a phone call from the school saying we needed to come pick up Cooper because he was given an OUT OF SCHOOL SUSPENSION!!  Cooper is 5 and in Kindergarten.  My first thoughts were what could my innocent son have done to get kicked out of school?  Yes, he is a typical boy/5 year old and gets into trouble for talking and hitting.  When he gets home I find out he was hitting kids with his backpack (like normal) but also told a kid he was going to kill them!  WHAT???  I was shocked we don't say things like that here, well maybe things like "Go do it, it's NOT going to kill you!"  But since the school has a no tolerance policy he had to be sent home.  I totally understand.  But since he got sent home from school he got to sit at the kitchen table, all day!  No toys, no colors and paper, just sit there and when it was time for nap he got to do it on the kitchen floor, yes he got his pillow and blanket, but he wasn't going to be comfortable!  I asked him if he was ever going to get into trouble like that again and he said no!  He also had to miss his first soccer practice.  We took this very seriously!  I know hope he won't ever say anything like that again!

Doesn't he look sweet?  Ok, you can see that naughty in him alot!

30 years married

                                      Happy Anniversary to my parents!

                                                 
                                                  The family back in the summer of 2008

                                            
                                                          Mom and Dad with their kids

Lots of changes

Driver is 1 month old today. It's hard to believe it's been a month already! He sleeps great the nights Josh doesn't go to work, the other nights he's up every 2 hours and then at least 1 of the other 3 get up in the middle of the night too. He still isn't wanting to sleep in his bassinet.

I recently turned in my 2 weeks notice at work. I am going to stay home with Dekon and Driver for at least a year. I am truely going to miss my co-workers, my boss, the kids and their awesome parents! I really did love my job but Joshua gave me the option to stay home and I want to do it while they are still young! Dekon will still go to daycare 1 day a week so he gets that interaction with kids his age. And this way he doesn't have to go to his brother's or my appointments. I am hoping to get into Taye and Cooper's classroom on special days.

We will also be moving this spring. Nowhere far, a few blocks away. We are switching houses with my parents, AGAIN! It's gonna be a pain but it will help us in the long run.

Hospital Pictures