Ok, since I can't remember which family members I told about this or not, here's the story:

Thursday 1/1 -- We eat breakfast tacos at about 11 am, and afterward the kids split a candy cane that Katelyn got from one of her friends.  In about 20 minutes Audrey started to cry unexplainedly, and wanted to be held.  She was clawing at her jaw and ears, so after holding her a while I figured she needed ibuprofen for teething or something.  I set her down on the kitchen counter and was about to give her some when I really looked at her face.  She was swollen, broken out in hives all over, and red.  Immediately I gave her Benadryl instead and the swelling lessened slightly.  I racked my brain to think of what she could have eaten to cause the reaction and the only weird thing was the candy cane.  I talked to Kari about this on the phone and we decided to keep her on Benadryl round the clock for a few days until the reaction went away.  She continued to break out over the course of the day on her legs and tummy.  She was extra sleepy that night because of the Benadryl.  After she went to bed I got out the trash bag and dug through it for the remaining 1 inch of candy cane that the girls didn't finish.  Yes I ate some of it, it was still wrapped.  It was some unidentifiable fruit flavor and packaged in Winnie the Pooh designs, info that would be helpful later (although I threw it away again, doh!)

Saturday 1/3 -- We went to a birthday party.  Audrey was still itching and had residual hives but felt good.  She ate a cupcake with a few sprinkles on it and broke out again within a few minutes.  Fortunately she already had Benadryl in her system or this could have been worse.  Bleeding diaper rash occurred later in the day, which was rough, so she ended up staying home from church the next day.

Monday 1/4 -- The kids ate Lucky Charms for breakfast, a very occasional treat.  I gave Audrey Benadryl again (she was still broken out and itchy) along with a children's vitamin.  We went to playgroup and within an hour she got really tired and crabby and I noticed more hives on her neck.  Later, at home, I noticed that she had now broken out all over her arms and the backs of her hands (these were previously unaffected areas).  At this point I was determined to get her in to the doctor the next day, and I started reading my Food Allergy and Intolerance books for more info.  I started to suspect a reaction to food coloring of some type.

Tuesday 1/5 -- Took Kate to school and a very miserable Audrey to the doctor.  He agreed with me about the likely cause of allergy, and he changed her antihistamine to Zyrtec to be more around-the-clock and pan-spectrum with less medication.  We will stay on that for 10 days then return for a blood test (RAST test) that can tell us more specifically what she is allergic to, hopefully.  He prescribed Epi-Pen (an epinephrine injection) to be used in case of a severe reaction (anaphylactic shock, which is when your airway swells shut and you can't breathe).  Usually in children it is not the first reaction that is the most severe, but a subsequent one.  So we are to avoid food colorings until further notice.  Yes she has probably eaten lots of food with these ingredients in the past, but the thing about allergies is that they can develop suddenly!

Now I took it on myself at this point to do some internet research (I had waited until the doctor offered his opinion, rather than let my mind run wild with frightening thoughts caused by awful pictures on the internet).  Thank goodness that stupid candy cane was printed with little Winnie the Pooh pictures, because it gave me some identifying mark to work with.  I got online and searched around and found what we think is the offending item.  The company that makes the product actually is VERY allergy friendly in terms of labeling and processing style, so I can say for certain that the candy cane did not contain the major allergens peanut, milk, gluten, wheat, soy, almond, or shellfish even in trace amounts.  It does however contain the big four artificial colorants in use in the US: yellow #5 (tartrazine) and yellow #6, blue #1, and red #40.  These are known allergy triggers in many children.  Audrey eats yellow 5 & 6 in large quantities in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese without adverse reaction.  Blue 1 and red 40 are also present in Lucky Charms, children's vitamins, and cake frosting and sprinkles, the other suspicious items that caused her to break out again over the weekend.  Tuesday night she took a bath and began to itch again afterwards.  I read the shampoo label and guess what I found: Blue #1.  So I think that she is definitely allergic to blue 1 and probably red 40 as well.

I am really overwhelmingly grateful.  First of all, she did NOT have a shock reaction, and now we are prepared if she ever does.  Secondly, she is still young enough that we have control over probably 90% that goes into her mouth.  Thirdly, and I can't emphasize this enough, it's not something she needs to eat anyways!  There are thousands of families that are daily trying to figure out how to give their kids a normal healthy life because they are deathly allergic to things like milk and wheat.  We are so blessed!

So anyways, that's what is going on.  It won't be a big deal if we just pay attention to it and read labels (which I am used to doing anyways, being allergic to soy and almonds and Tylenol, which is apparently in everything).  I know personally how PAINFUL an allergic reaction can be and I want to spare her from that.  So if I seem a little more neurotic than usual reading the labels in your pantry, grandparents, or bring my own cupcakes to your kids' birthday parties, friends, then please bear with me.  It's a small price to pay for my Audie-bug!

I'm all set up at the kitchen table, ready to upload some pictures.  Audrey is doing art next to me, and she keeps doing such cute things I have to pause a moment to blog them for memory's sake.  She is 20 months.

-"Mommy.  Mah-kers. Daw." (markers, draw)

-"Mommy.  A. D. R. E. Y.  Mah-kers."  (She wants me to write her name.) "K. A. T. N."  (Katelyn.)  "L. O. T. E."  (I finally figure out this means love.  How on earth can my child spell these words?  Oh yeah, she heard me recite these letter patterns a hundred times to Katelyn, when she was making Christmas cards.  WOW.)

-"Mommy.  Ah-oh.  Woh go doo?" (She has dropped the markers.  "uh-oh, what are we doing to do?" Drama already.)

-"Mommy.  Ah duh.  Peas?"  (All done, please?)

-"I goh Mommy shoes!"

She has taken a HUGE leap forward in her speech in the past week.  I remember this stage with Kate and even though I knew it was coming I was shocked at how suddenly one day Audrey woke up and was able to articulate her thoughts.  That morning her Nana asked her, "Do you want some chocolate milk?" and Audrey replied, "No, I want juice!"  Just like that.  The morning before, when asked the same question, she signed and said "juice."

Now she's singing Happy Birthday.  I love it when she sings.  Oh this is cute.  "Hah Burfday you, hah burfday you, hah burfday dee PAAAA-CEEEEE, hah burfday you!!  Yay!"

No pictures yet, but today Paul and I bought each other/ourselves our Christmas presents.  One of them was planned, the other was not.  Can you guess which is which?  (Bet you can.)

1.  The Xterra got 4 new tires, timing belt, seatbelt latch, new spark plugs and wires, gaskets, and other gizmos galore.  Seriously, it runs like a brand new car.  We're ready to take on I-35 and some Oklahoma snow (c'mon, snow!!)

2.  We got a new couch and recliner for the gameroom!  Paul is headed to La-Z-Boy in a few minutes to sign the papers and schedule the delivery.  We are really looking forward to actually being comfortable while watching tv.  The green couches, God bless 'em, lasted 10 years, but they weren't much to begin with.  We got them at the Room Store, they were the nicest we could afford at the time.  In the last couple of years they have declined to the point that when you sit down there is a thud as your bottom hits the wooden frame.  We switched out the loveseat to be directly in front of the tv (although this looks funny) because it had more padding left in it.  The loveseat is going to find a new home in Paul's office as soon as he gets it cleared out (he's pretty motivated now, with the new couch coming).  The old couch is going to find a new home via Goodwill or Salvation Army.

So anyways, a not-glamorous-but-very-expensive Christmas, and we are thrilled and thankful.

BTW I have to add that the children were spectacularly well-behaved at the furniture store, which must be absolute torturous boredom for a child.  Especially Audrey, who has another ear infection.

I took these pictures about a week ago.  I decided to take pictures of the typical michievous things Audrey does over the course of the day.  So here are a few.  I am sure some went undocumented.

1.  Breakfast.  I went to the bathroom and returned to find this.  Guess that box of cereal was in reach after all.

2.  Lunch.  That's ketchup.

3.  Art time.  Pirate-style pencil chewing.

4.  I went to the bathroom again and returned to find this.  That's crayon on the windowsill, not nearly as much as usual.  All I can say is that Magic Eraser is truly magic and we buy a lot of them.

5.  Audrey's new phobia is Chuck E. Cheese, and she spots him on these birthday balloons.  (I can't believe these balloons have lasted so long, and I don't mean helium loss.  See #6.)

6.  Audrey attempts to stab Chuck E. to death.  Should I be concerned?  Anyone know a good child psychologist?

7.  Work it out with a little boogie.  Mommy threw the balloons away.

8.  Chore time:  Polishing the glass with my slippers.

9.  Helping with the laundry:  checking the spaciousness of our hampers.

10.  Errand time:  she is "right-ready" as we say in my family.  This is why I keep the door locked.

11.  The second we get in the car, EVERY TIME WE GET IN THE CAR, Audrey takes off her socks and shoes.  No exceptions.  She doesn't even care if it is 40 degrees out like it was on this day.  Usually she uses a sock as a puppet for at least part of the trip.

12.  A little Blues Clues time.  Mommy was able to successfully go to the bathroom and return to a peaceful scene.

13.  Must be dinner time, she is climbing into the chair.  Usually the climbing starts around 5:00 and we don't usually eat until 6:00.  So there is always some battling with Mommy.

She sure keeps me busy!

Speaking of busy, I haven't blogged much because I have been extremely busy making stuff, much of which I can't post about, because it is secret in nature.  So just bear with me.  I'll add in some holiday pictures of the kids' Christmas programs and their holiday parties all at the same time.  Their last day of school for the year is Tuesday, and I have a slew of gifts and foody things to make before then.  Crystal and I got smart and decided to do our holiday baking together this year since we make all of the same recipes anyways, so we are doing that tomorrow.

When we were leaving school today, Katelyn took the initiative to hold the door open for several people to pass through.

Mommy:  Katelyn, that was very helpful!  Thank you so much.

Katelyn: Well, Mommy, I'm a super helper.  (assumes a superhero stance, complete with fist pump)  That's what THIS Hooper girl is all about!

I think that someday in the future anthropologists will study my purse and be completely baffled by it.  I know I am. 

the 10 weirdest things I found in my purse today:

1. tube of red icing
2. my nice pie/cake server (hey!  I was looking for this!)
3. one car seat seatbelt cover thingy (where's the other one?)
4. Organic Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat
5. absolutely pulverized mini Snickers bar
6. Water Babies sunblock stick
7. Ipod headphones, no Ipod
8. Old Navy shopping bag
9. seven Tinkerbell birthday invitations, blank
10. Clorox wipes (coated in a layer of filth, mind you)

I'm always seeing TV commercials for this, but somehow I still don't think it would help me.

Happy Birthday, Katelyn! What a wonderful little person you are!  Here are 48 things I love about you, one for each month of your precious life with us.

1. your happy heart
2. whimsical costumes
   
3. the lullabies you sing to Audrey
4. your gossamer hair
5. "mommy, the more I get bigger, the more I'll be your daughter"
6. the crazy nicknames you give everyone ("Boo-ey", "Baby Sukey", "Mommy-moh")
7. your sensitive spirit
8. the way you always put your shoes on the wrong feet
9. how you always want to say the blessing
10. your freckles
11. your love of art projects of any kind
12. how obedient you are in general
13. The way you change your demeanor when you are trying to act grown up
14. you still love it when I carry you to bed
15. the way you look at your daddy
    
16. how much you trust us
17. the look of contentment you get when you feel safe and relaxed
18. your tree-climbing
19. dancing in the kitchen
20. how you think of Greenbear as a real person
21. you ask Jesus to help you with things like finding the 7-11 and being nice to others
22. the way you love Audrey and your kid friends
23. your good manners
24. how you plan out taking turns with others, usually you are first
25. your love of stickers but dislike of fake tattoos
26. that dolphin-squeak when you laugh
    
27. "mommy, is your finger stuck?" (you want me to tickle your armpits)
28. your incredibly specific bedtime requirements (two fans, 4 friends in the bed, water with crushed ice, stereo remote)
29. how you "read the newspaper" with me (toys-r-us ad)
30. how patient you are with adults who want to fawn over you, even though I know you don't like it
31. your cute little toes
32. how you practice your swimming in the bathtub
33. your vocabulary surprises me
34. the way you talk yourself through everything you do
35. how you sleep like the dead
36. when you get in bed with me in the morning
37. "tortillas, queso, beans, and rice"
38. you love to help me cook
39. pirate adventures in the backyard
40. card games with you
41. your love of birthdays, not just your own
42. "mommy, I have a flower for you!"
43. you love to be a princess ("Mommy, I'm a princess because I'm a child of God and He's the King!")
    
44. how you reassure me when I look worried
45. your teachable heart
46. your desire to obey
47. you spread joy wherever you go
48. you are you and there is no one else like you!!!

My sweet baby girl is now my sweet big girl.  I enjoy you more every day and I look forward to more wonderful moments with you.  Happy Birthday to the one who made me a mommy!

So in mid-October we all went down to Panama City Beach to celebrate "Hooper and Jake's" wedding.  Hooper is Paul's dad (Hooper is one of those last names that makes a great nickname, you know) and Jake is his old-flame-turned-new-bride (Jake is a nickname as well, but it has become permanent, to my understanding).  Some of Paul's aunts and uncles plus his sister Kari were able to make it too so it was kind of a mini-family reunion.  We don't always make it to Lawton, OK during the holidays at the same time that everyone else does, so it was nice to see everyone.  What a gorgeous place!  It was a whirlwind, though.  We flew out Friday morning, got to Pensacola around 3, rented a car and drove to PCB, had dinner, then crashed.  Saturday we took the kids to Gulf World, lunch, Audrey and Mommy nap/Kate and Daddy on the beach, rehearsal dinner, crashed.  Sunday more time on the beach, then the wedding and reception, then we drove to DeFuniak Springs to see Kelly and Joe and got in around midnight (we had two flat tires that severely delayed us but it all worked out in the end.) Then we hung out with them until mid-afternoon Monday, drove back to Pensacola, flew home, got in around 11.  We were TRASHED and I think it took us about two weeks to recover.  Here are a few highlight pics:

Kate got to touch a dolphin at Gulf World.

Playing on the beach!  Kate and Daddy were very serious about this sandcastle/fort.  Audrey mostly ran around pointing at stuff.

Audrey and Aunt Kari.  The kids adore Aunt Kari, and of course she adores them too.  Kari and I had a whole conversation over lunch about Katelyn's greatest quotes, some of which are now permanently in the family slang.  ("Oh, sweet pickles!"  "Yippee!"  "Dear God, thank you for my bottom which looks so cute on me.")

What a good-looking bunch of Hoopers!  Kari, Dad, and Paul.  Dad was so happy, it was great.

The Hooper kids and the Morris kids finally got to play together.  Here they are dancing and singing along with Veggie Tales.  They were so cute together!  We were so glad to get to see them even for a short time.  Kelly is my bestest friend and we are still joined at the brain thousands of miles away.  Joe was Paul's roommate for a while (now there are some funny stories I could share).  We have known them and loved them just about forever and still miss them every day.

Well, I must apologize for this bummer:  I know we got pictures of Jake and the kids together, but I guess they must have been with Kari's camera because somehow I didn't end up with any.  (Kari, if that is so, could you upload them to flickr so I can blog them?)  Like I said, it was a whirlwind.  Much of the time I was doing good just to make sure we were fed, dressed, and where we were supposed to be.  As usual I had to work in a few trips to Walgreens to treat various conditions (Paul had wicked heartburn, Audrey had a bleeding diaper rash).  The kids did fantastic, though.  They never cease to amaze me.  The lack of routine, constant attention, meeting tons of new people that want to hug them, different food, late hours, being schlepped about -- any one of these things can bring on a tantrum, and yet they both endured it all with minimal fuss or distress.  They were wonderful on the plane, they slept or watched a movie or drew pictures, and they were quiet and obedient.  (So why is it that at home, if I don't have any bananas to serve with breakfast, they go absolutely psycho?  Hmm....a question for the ages...)  Anyways, I was proud to be their mommy, as I always am.

"Hug"

"Here go"

"Elmo"

"Pee-boo"

"Ta-da!"

"Cheese"