some interesting info.

Billy recently saw an allergist and found out that he's pretty allergic to dust mites....quite common, but he does have a significant reaction. They provided him with some interesting info. on how to deal with these allergens in your home, and i thought i'd share some of it with you!

First of all it's not the mite itself that causes the reaction....ok this is a bit gross....it's the fecal matter from them, and the decomposing bodies of dead mites....and you guessed it...your bed is the worst carrier, second runner up - carpets.

So - there are companys out there like "Allergy Control" - that offer complete top of the line, encasing kits. They come with "Cases" for your boxspring, mattress, comforter, and pillows. It is quite important that you go with a good company...which does mean a bit of money - but your health is worth it. Company's such as this, also sell natural mite killers that you can sprinkle on, and then vacuum up - to help destroy the population. In reasearching, shampooing your carpet is probably the worst thing you can do, as the mites preferr dark, damp conditions. YUCK HU???
Vacuums make a big difference too.... a must for allergy sufferers...as the traditional, or ones without a hepa filter, do not have anything to catch the microscopic "poo" and mites that are small enough to come right through your vacuum bag or filter... so basically vacuuming without one with at least a hepa filter, is like spraying down your home with mite sh*t.... sorry just seemed the perfect way to express it! lol

here's what to look for in your vacuum...

• hepa filter


• replacement bag model is best - and look for one with the clean air seal so dust is locked in, and doesn't spray out when changing the bag


• canister is better than upright (they're suction is stronger and can get under beds!!)

again, a bit of a cost - some very, very costly...$1,000+ actually!!!! I did a bunch of research, and found the three top names seem to be... Sebo, Meile, and Electrolux.

We have ordered the bed encasing kit from the allergy control co. , and this model Electrolux which is usually seen for $499 - and I found it for $338! Worth looking around!

***Electrolux EL7020B Oxygen 3 Ultra Canister Vacuum***

So as we wait for our new items...both Billy and I are kind of grossed out lol!!! and also very hopeful that these new additions, will knock down his reactions, and utlimately give his immune system a break, or at least full functioning to fight the nasty little germs the kids bring home!

Will let you know what we think of the products, and jot me an email if you want any further info!

Lastly will leave you with a family photo from my friend Kelly's session I did last week... i love it...her final copy is cropped just a bit, to get rid of the top right corner...

some pic's from M & P's wedding!

this is the look Phil had on his face the whole day....so adorable, so genuinely happy....true love at it's best....and here he is... our handsome boy....he impressed mom and dad again with his patience ....he looked so cute!We were all so happy that our Grandma was able to attend the church... it wouldn't have been the same without her there... we love you Mam-mam!our little baby doll ---- doesn't she look like Christine here? she really gets a kick out of wearing "princess" dresses!!! all warmed up for her flower girl role in Andrea and Johns wedding! aka Aunt Drea' and Bubba!!!
look at them.... beautiful hu??? this may be my favorite picture....the lines in it....wow....simply stunning Michele and Phil!!!


Knee update: recovering well.... it's itchy!!!!!!!! which i guess is a good sign - things are healing. I've removed the support stocking and dressing - 2 incisions - a few stiches each - that will be taken out on Wed. when I return to the orthopedist. A bit stiff and still some discomfort, but improving day by day!
xxoo genine

knee update...

wanted to let you all know that things went great yesterday. Billy and I arrived at the Hospital around 2:30 --- the normal routing paperwork, and was shortly hooked up with an iv...which was painful :) but great, as I hadn't been allowed to eat or drink ANYTHING from the previous night! The staff at Ellis was wonderful and attentive...i had a bit of nerves creep up after getting the details of being put "under" -- but they passed quickly, and Billy made me laugh as we waited, by doing some old school breakdancing for me! too funny....

anyways - just before 4 they wheeled me down to the OR - the anest. dr. was a sweetheart - and reminded me that she was there for one reason...to take care of me. She joked about giving me a cocktail :) to take the edge off prior to starting...as she said "in my opinion, every patient deserves to have a little cocktail prior to surgery..." - so whatever she gave me def. lightened things up. The next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery and it was 5:15. The ortho. dr. had spoken with Billy indicating that the tear was not repairable (we had discussed the option to repair or remove the damaged section - i opted for removal as you recover much, much faster - weeks as opposed to months!) - he also said there was a piece flapping, which was probably the source of most of my pain. 5 - 10% of the medial meniscus was removed, a very small percetage...which makes it good for longevity for me - better for arthritic issues in the future.

Prior to going to the OR - the anest. dr. asked me if I was sensitive to motion sickness...well anyone that knows me well, knows I am super sensitive, and often even get sick when sitting in the front when someone else is driving! She said she was glad she asked b/c people who are tend to have a harder time w/ feeling nauseus after. She gave me a patch behind my ear, and an anti naus. med right away. It worked, as I didn't feel any upset after at all.

So, I can to pretty quick, only about 30 min.s in the recovery room - was tranferred back to the day surgery unit, and was released in about 1/2 hr. I am able to bear almost my full weight, which is great... doesn't feel good to bend it - ie. down the stairs is tough - so I resorted to a butt approach down! lol

I'll see the dr. in a week, and will probably do some PT to make sure all heals and strengthens back up. So - very happy that it went so smoothly, and was thrilled to have a great surgeon - who specializes in the knee and sports med.

thanks for thinking of me - and I'll let you know how everything goes!
xxoo genine

1st apple picking of the year...

thought you'd enjoy these!!! we had so much fun...and yummy apples!!

orthoscopic surgery

just an fyi --- for anyone wondering... or I guess even if you weren't! LOL

I am having ortho. surgery on Wed. Sept. 24th @ 4pm. I tore my meniscus a few weeks ago, had my consult, and removal of the torn secion is the best option. Shouldn't be too bad - a few days on crutches and hopefully a few weeks to fully recover.

:) wish me luck...
xxoo genine

wedding week....

just a quick post about our trip to Rochester, and Phil & Michele's beautiful wedding!

The kids and I headed up there on Monday - I picked him up from pre-school and off we went. We stayed with my mom in her beautiful new home :) The kids were excited to see Nona's new house... :)

Tuesday Quinn went for a tux fitting, and later that evening I headed to my dress fitting. My mom kept the kids - and on my way back in town I met up with my Dad and we had a father-daughter date at probably my favorite restaurant... 2 Vine. My Dad and I haven't done that in who knows how long! It was a great evening spent with delish. food and great conversation...thanks again DAD!

Wed. I took the kids on my own to the Senca Park Zoo --- a perfect little zoo for kids their age. I actually bought us a family membership - as we'll be heading up there quite a bit the next few months - and it'll more than pay for itself.

HMMM.... Thursday morning I was treated to seeing Dr. Nicolai...a kineseologist ---- all I can say is incredible. I'd been having a funny crampy/tight pain in my left hand for months...he found a muscle that was "tangled" basically further up my arm...and so far, no more pain! Also, he worked the back of my neck --- which he said was quite a mess :0 --- he actually asked me if I had ever been in a car accident or taken a bad fall .... as I left the office I felt giddy!!! honestly! I kept describing the feeling of a bobble head! everything was so nice and loose, no twinges, no tension, no knots!!!!!!!!! aaggghhh - to see him regularly would be heaven!!! Strongly recommend it!!

Friday - Billy's parents came in to help watch the kids...a huge - huge THANK YOU!!!
Rehersal dinner that night at Hawethorns --- good food, and great company. Quinn did great during the church practice... :)

Sat. - Andrea and I had our hair done, and met up with Michele at her parent's house... Suzanne was finishing Michele's hair....which came out beautifully! Suzanne is a stylist in LA!!! So you can imagine how thrilled we all were to have her with us for touch-ups!! We headed to the church @1'sih...and the ceremony began shortly after... it was such a nice wedding... I loved watching Michele and Phil - their emotions poured from their hearts and eyes... it was incredible. The standard pictures after - and then off to the reception at the Rochester Plaza downtown... great food, dancing and lemonchello shots instead of a champange toast!! very original - and better tasting! Lots of dancing, and laughs throughout the night! The only regret i have is not taking pictures... i wanted to ...but just couldn't mentally handle being in the wedding and lugging my camera which is quite heavy around and having to keep track of it...blah - blah - blah..... sooooooooooo - once I get my hands on some! I will post for you to see. I will be helping Michele and Phil pull some together in a book as I did for Lana and Thad...so I'll have access to them!!!!!!!

Sun. - we got packed up - I made one last trip to visit with my dear Granma Lucy..."MAM-MAM" --- and headed to my Dad's. Our cousin's Joe, Idah and their son Carson were in town from LA ---- and they had a little get together. It was really nice to see them and catch up a bit over the weekend. And of course the food.... well if you know my dad or my family for that matter....it's always incredible...but my Dad has quite a knack for his pizza and homemade sauce...and who could pass up chicken french cooked to perfection??? hhhmmmmm..... yum! I stole some, and took it home with us! lol

---- on a last side note... i tore my Meniscus a few weeks ago....yeah I know crazy.... and when i tell you i didn't do anything...i really didn't - i turned to look at Keira...felt a funny cracking - and then the swelling and pain began that night..... unreal....so off to an orthopedist tomorrow.... guessing they'll say i need surgery...will update you as I get some info!!!!!!!!

xxoo genine

Where did the summer go?

Seems as though I'm asking where the times goes quite a bit these days! A few times I started a post here, or had intentions to - only to be disrupted by one thing - or child :) - or another. So I thought I would try to re-cap some of our summer for you - and share some images along the way.

Early on, Aunt Drea and the soon to be Uncle John (aka Bubba to Quinn) came down for a visit - we went strawberry picking - well the adults went strawberry picking, Quinn and Keira ate! There's a great orchard only a few minutes from us - where they pick things from strawberries, rasberries, peaches and apples Summer and Fall. They also have a wonderful bakery right there, and a cute little shop with jarred items - - so it's hard to get out of there without some kind of tasty baked good to take home!

Obviously you've seen that over the 4th of July we headed to South Dakota and had a wonderful time catching up with Billy's family.

We took our first family camping trip in Aug. - the family of a friend of ours owns site in Vermont - it couldn't have been more perfect - a pond with fish, small beach area, electric and water at every site and CLEAN! The kids loved it - loved the tent, roasting marshmallows, and sleeping in their own sleeping bags!

Keira turned 2 in August - with a weekday birthday - we ended up celebrating it quite a few times! Hard to believe she's 2 already. Overall her terrible two's have been easier than Quinn's - but she can flare up when she wants to! Part of her birthday gift was a "big girl bed" - My Uncle Robert and Aunt Terri gave it to us as it was their daughter's and she no longer uses it. So I applied a quick paint to freshen it up, and put a few purple butterflies on it. We were motivated to try it, since Keira was having some sleep issues - not wanting to sleep without me basically --- so thinking it may get her excited - we went for it. She does love it - her crib is still in her room - but she has not needed to be moved to it at all.

Speaking of who's getting big....Quinn started pre-school this past Wed.! He was pretty excited, and stood proud with his backpack on. A bit disappointed that he didn't get to take the bus :) but very happy to see a special ride pull up to take him...Billy --- he came home from work and picked the 3 of us up, so we all walked Quinn in. No tears, a sweet smile, and wave accompanied by a "bye mom" ---- I was so relieved that he wasn't upset - that it surprised me that tears crept up on me in the car as we drove home....... as so many parents say --- my baby is growing up. Keira and I picked him up - and got a nice report from his teachers that he had a great day, and was a big helped cleaning up. He went again on Friday - and all continues to go well.

Ok a few cute stories ---

Quinn told Billy and he and Keira wanted to sleep in the same bed - Billy said no, and was asked why "you and mommy do" - so he explained to Quinn that mommy and daddy are husband and wife, and that he and Keira were brother and sister. Quinn responded - "well when we get bigger, Keira and I can be husband and wife and then we can sleep together too!"

Interesting questions from him .... Are we on a planet? Why do people have different skin? and an occasional strong request...."why don't you do what you want to do, and I'll do what I want to do!?!"

Keira asked me if Billy was sleeping one morning. I told her no, and said he was at work. Her eyes lit up as she practically sang out "Daddy's gonna get sandwich!!!" ---- I couldn't stop laughing --- Billy often stops home at lunch time and has picked up a sandwich at a local shop....observant little thing! It's now a standing joke!

malmost = almost
mine'ts = mine

Potty training has begun too --- a handful of success - more misses :) but we've started! aagghhh the day of no diapers will be heaven!!!!!!

Lastly - we will head to Rochester this coming week to attend Phil and Michele's wedding!!! Quinn is the ring bearer - and I also am a bridesmaid. Exciting times...

Will put some pictures up to go with these stories shortly!
xxoo genine

*SHOWING UNCLE PHIL SHE WAS 2