We hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving this year! We are very happy to have Grandma and Grandpa Perkins to be able to spend Thanksgiving with us this year- they are actually here for about two whole weeks!
     Evangeline is doing better, she was having some problems with vomiting and constipation. On Monday she saw a Pediatric Gastro Specialist. He gave the kids a special diet - because Joey also vomits a lot- basically the kids are not consuming dairy, red meat, high fat foods and chocolate- all of those things are hard to digest and can constipate. They have been doing great on the diet, eating lots of fruits and veggies and crackers and toast. Nobody has vomited and I believe this new diet is working.   On Wednesday Evangeline went to the hospital and had a colonoscopy and an EDG (where they looked down her throat into her tummy and took a lot of blood for testing. The Dr. said everything looks normal but he did take three biopsies to check for food allergies. We will go back Next Thursday to get the results. 
     Today we are roasting a big turkey and relaxing with our family that we are blessed to have with us. Chris is planning on going all-out with the Christmas lights this year so that should keep him busy.
    Also, I almost forgot to mention..... Vangie is POTTY TRAINED!!!!  Chris and I celebrating the end of five and a half years of changing diapers. Vangie had been watching "Elmo goes Potty" , a DVD she has-, for about a week and they obviously retained all the information because a few days ago she wanted to wear panties and has not looked back. The first day she peed herself once and that has been it. SO hurray for Evangeline!

    Vangie was sick all weekend- Just laying around on the floor and acting like she felt horrible. On Tuesday we were back in the Urgent Care, They ran a bunch of tests and sent us to the big emergency room downtown. (Thank God Chris had the day off so he was with us.) At the ER they ran more tests on poor Vangie (blood-work, catheter, x-rays) and determined she was very constipated. She was given an enema and a prescription Laxative. She has been a total different child since then- for the first time in a WEEK she is now acting normal and happy. I think she became so severly constipated because when she was so sick with her virus last week she did not want to eat or drink anything and that stopped up her system.  Joey also came home sick from school on Wednesday. Yesterday I had all THREE of them in to see their Dr. Joey with a itchy rash, Sophie with a red eyeball...He thinks they are all experiencing the same virus. If anyone would like to be inoculated or the winter please come to the Schmitt House!!!

Poor Evangeline woke up on Thursday morning with a bed full of poop and puke- yuck! Poor Evangeline, she was so scared and sick and upset. I gave her a warm bath and she felt a little better, but battled all day with vomiting everything that she ingested. I tried to get her into her Dr. but could not get an appointment. I let her rest and tried giving her pedia-lite, but she would always end up vomiting. Around 43pm she could not even keep down a teaspoon at a time so I called the medical clinic and they told he to take her to Urgent Care.  I am glad I called when I did because right after that she started dry heaving and all that was coming up was her stomach bile. On the way to Urgent care she used her puke pail 3 times. (Vangie is now an expert at the Puke Pail). Thankfully my Friend and neighbor Laura was able to watch JOey and Sophie for me so I did not have to take all the kids (thank God for friends like this!!)  Vangie and I got to the Urgent care and basically got seen right away. She had a slight fever of 101, and an elevated pulse. She received some fluids vis an IV- and took it like a champ. She also received some zofran for her nausea, but once she was re-hydrated a little bit from the IV she did not vomit again. We got back home around 6pm and once Chris got home from work we informed him on our exciting day.
   The next day I took Vangie in to see her Dr- This is the forth "Virus" that Evangeline has had in only the last couple months, always with the vomiting and diareah. He Dr. is refering her to a Pediatric Gastro Specialist to check and see what is going on in her little tummy. I should get an appointment for her in the next week or so, keep us in her prayers that we can find out what is causing her to get so sick!
    In much lighter news... Chris brought home some Toy ads from the Navy Exchange and Joey and Sophie are having a great time circling what they want for Christmas! They are taking this Job very seriously because Santa has to have a detailed and accurate list. And don't feel bad that Vangie is not old enough to circle toys for herself- Joey and Sophie are circling some for Vangie too!

The kids had a great Halloween. I have posted lots of NEW PICS on the NEW PICS PAGE so go take a look! Chris started back to work today and will begin working 7am-7pm tomorrow. I am taking the three kids in to get a professional photo of them done tomorrow since Joey does not have school because of it being election day.
   I have been busy in the kitchen. Yesterday I made Chris spicy buffalo wings and a chocolate cheesecake. Today I have made a roasted chicken that I have just taken out of the oven and letting it rest before I cut it up and we all dig in- it smells SOOO good in here right now!  I usually get more into cooking/baking when the seasons begin to change, and here in Charleston the leaves have really turned lots of beautiful reds and golds. I Love Fall!