December Already???!!!???

Is it really DECEMBER???  Oh my golly gosh... where does the time go?  I guess I can chalk my being so behind to jet-setting all over the country.... make that WORLD this past month!  I have many, many photos of Mallory I am behind on, so I will be doing my favorite technique of fixing the times and dates of the entries so that they post in chronological order.... so if you are one of the crazy people that actually HAS the time to sit down and read all about our lives on a regular basis, be advised I have not actually posted anything since October 23rd, and you will see quite a few blogs popping up with November dates this next week or so....  including Halloween photos!  WOW!  Is Christmas really in 3.5 weeks???

So, to sum up what we have been up to since October 23rd..., Charles came home for his mid-tour leave in late October.  We spent 2 weeks with his family in North Carolina and had a blast!  We went to the North Carolina State Fair, celebrated Halloween, found out our next assignment (we are headed to Lakenheath AB, England in the summer), and Charles pinned on Major!  It was a BIG couple of weeks for us, and again, those HUNDREDS of pictures will be posted within the week.

After the action packed trip, Charles returned to Korea, and Mallory and I settled in back at Grandma and Grandpa's in San Antonio.  Then, I packed up and flew to Korea on November 15th to help Charles while he underwent ACL reconstruction surgery.  He had his surgery on the 22nd, and all went well.  I am SO glad I was there, as the first 2-3 days were NOT pretty or fun for him.... I really think it is moments like these you realize what being a "partner for life" is really all about, and I am beyond honored every day that Charles chose me for his own.

Charles and I celebrated Thanksgiving together and were there at Camp Red Cloud when all the artillery fire happened out of North Korea.  I had been giving Charles such a hard time about not bringing Mallory and I there for the year.... the base was very nice and I enjoyed the public transportation system and all the sites we had seen so far.  But after that day, I realized that honoring my husband's wishes for  our safety is NEVER something to question.  The families that are there ARE safe, don't get me wrong... but Camp Red Cloud is just so far north... and pretty close to the border.  If Charles needs to know Mallory and I are stateside so he can focus on his mission out there, I am more than happy to keep my big mouth shut and be happy to have a roof over my head and all the support here.

I returned back to Texas on November 30th, and it was SUCH a joy to see Mallory and my parents again!  Now, I'm back in the grind of Mallory's school schedule, swimming lessons, library time, working out AND getting ready for Christmas!  The jury is still out on if you all will be receiving Christmas cards or New Year's cards this year!  I guess you'll know when I know!  ;)

So, that is the Kistler Twist in a nutshell for now!  Stay tuned for "November" posts to be added the next few days.  There are pictures of our little "Alice" from Halloween that are precious, and you'll see some posts from Korea as well!  Looking forward to seeing all of your smiling faces on Christmas cards, soon!

Mallory's Terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad Day

Just a week before leaving to see Charles in Korea, Mallory had her 3rd VCUG- she has had one annually since being diagnosed with urinary reflux in early 2008.  Here is a brief scientific breakdown of what a VCUG is and why she has them (I cut and pasted this from a google website):

A children's (pediatric) voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) is an x-ray examination of a child's bladder and lower urinary tract that uses a special form of x-ray called fluoroscopy and a contrast material.

Fluoroscopy makes it possible to see internal organs in motion. When the bladder is filled with and then emptied of a water-soluble contrast material, the radiologist is able to view and assess the anatomy and function of the bladder and lower urinary tract.

Urine is produced in the kidneys and flows through the ureter, the tube that carries urine from each kidney to the bladder. A valve mechanism prevents urine from backing up into the kidneys as the bladder gets full. Urine leaves the bladder through the urethra and is eliminated from the body during urination.


In some children, an abnormality in the valve or the ureters allows urine to flow backwards, a condition called urinary reflux. In mild cases urine backs up into the lower ureter. In severe cases it can back up into a swollen kidney. Usually, children with this condition are born with it.

The only thing the above description leaves out is HOW they fill the bladder with urine.  They have to use a catheter, which in my ADULT life has to be the single most painful thing I have ever experienced, so you will not be suprised to know the anxiety  felt with Mallory having to go through the same thing over and over again.  The past 2 years we have been seen in Boise for this procedure, and had minimal issues with pain or discomfort for Mallory.  This year we were not so lucky.  Not that this hospital in San Antonio is lacking, it just had some BIG footsteps to follow in with the care we received at St. Luke's in Boise.

So, without going into the long details, I will just tell you it was a traumatic day for Mallory, fo me and for Grandma and Grandpa.  And on top of all the uncomfortable poking and prodding, we had to find out bad news.

Mallory's condition remains the same.  She has not improved or gotten any worse, and the daily antibiotics are managing the problem just fine.  But there is now less than a 10% chance of this situation taking care of itself, and there is a significant possibility surgery will be neccessary to fix her urinary reflux.  Mallory has been on antibiotics daily since being diagnosed over 2 years ago. 

The only way we will know for sure is to take Mallory off of the antibiotics and see if she gets a UTI.  If she does, surgery is the best option.  There is a chance she will never have any further issues, and really, the medical jury is still out on whether or not Urinary Reflux is even a problem worth fixing.

After much discussion, and continuous prayer, Charles and I have decided to take Mallory off of the antibiotics once we return from Korea in January.  We will then wait and see what happens.  We pray her little body fights and has no need for surgery, and we appreciate your prayers as well.

After 4 long hours of medical exams, Mallory deserved a TREAT!  so we headed to Freddy's Frozen Custard.  The lady at the counter felt bad after hearing about our long day.  When she brought Mallory's sundae to the table, it had no less that 8 cherries and a boat-load of whipped cream!  It was the most well-deserved sundae EVER!

Congratulations to MAJOR Kistler!

A few months ago, Charles found out he would be pinning Major sometime in October .... perfect timing for his mid-tour leave!  Our friends, the Blairs were stationed just a few miles away at Seymore-Johnson, and Mike was able to perform the "ceremony" for us.  It was SUPER casual and short... but we were thrilled that his family could be there for the special moment.

It has long-been a tradition that I sew on Charles' first rank on his flight suit....

It's usually crooked, and the thread color is usually wrong, but it means a lot to him that I do it.  (he usually goes to the base tailor and gets them re-done so they are regulation- I don't mind!)  ;)

Surprisingly, for my fourth time (2Lt, 1Lt, Capt and now Maj), I did a pretty good job!  His mom had the perfect thread color, and her machine worked great!  Maybe he WON'T have to get this one re-done after all!  ;)

Before the ceremony, Grandpa Charlie chased Mallory around the table to get some energy out.  They both had a great time!

We were all excited for Charles' achievement- Peggy (Charles' mom), Uncle Johnny, Charlie (Charles' dad) and Nancy (Charles' Stepmom) made the day perfect!

Many thanks to the Blairs- our friends from Mountain Home, Idaho!  Thank goodness for the nomadic Air Force family we all love!

Saying the oath....

...and congratulations.

Now it was time for the fun part!  Mallory could hardly wait!

I had sewed the Major rank on his shoulders, and used masking tape to put the Captain rank over it.  Mallory and I tore off the Captain rank to make the promotion official!

Hooray!  Introducing MAJOR DAD!!!!  (Mallory's shirt says "Mad about Dad!")

One more sweet family photo before heading out to lunch...

A week or so later, we returned home to Texas.  Charles was leaving the next morning for Korea, so my parents watched Mallory to let us have a "date night".  But first, my dad had to drink a toast to the new Major!

We are all SO PROUD of you, sweetie!  Can't wait for this remote to be over so we can give you MAJOR attention!  XOXOXOXO

Miscellaneous moments in NC

It was so great to be back together as a family again!  We took a lot of pictures, and I had to edit them down for the blog.  But here are a few of my favorite random moments from our time together....

I can't get enough of couple shots of me and Charles!  Mallory is an important part of our lives, yes... but THIS is where the heart of our family lies- in our love, respect and devotion to each other.  I try to never miss an opportunity to cuddle with my man and capture a memory! (try to ignore the weirdo in the background...lol!)

Mallory still is into her little figurines... her latest favorite- not a princess, but Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid!

I discovered Pepsi Max in NC... Coke Zero's sweeter and more pleasant cousin (in my opinion, anyway...)  It was my little splurge while I was there!

A fun family photo- the day before Halloween!

How we love Peggy and Uncle Johnny!

Mallory found Granny Peg's Boots in her bedroom, and tromped around the house in them one morning.  We all got a good laugh!

Hooray for Halloween!

Wow!  There are SO MANY pictures in this post!  Some of them are out of order.... I can't figure out how to switch them around.... sorry!

We had a super fabulous Halloween, thanks to Grandma (for the costume), Mama Peg (for the ideas) and Auntie Chrissy (for the location of our trick-or treating!)

It was unseasonably warm the week before Halloween, so Mommy had not planned for layering our little Alice..... It then got VERY cold the day before Halloween.....but luckily, we had this long sleeved black shirt we could put under her costume!  It worked out great!

The night before Halloween, we went to a little "Trunk or Treat" event at a friend's church.  It was alot of fun!

On Halloween, Baby Roy dressed up like a monkey- he was SO CUTE!

The neighborhood we went to in Chapel Hill was so quaint and the residents were SO INTO Halloween!
  I think just about every house was decorated!

Mallory was not timid AT ALL- this house had a skeleton that raised out of the sheet when you took a piece of candy out of the bowl!

This house had a gouhl that popped up out of a coffin on the left side of the porch when you took a pice of candy!  Mallory just kept saying, "Don't worry, Mom... this is all pretend!"

Baby Roy, the Monkey ran into a Baby Banana, and the parents had a good laugh!

Mallory enjoyed a great dinner after trick-or-treating.  (Sorry these pictures are out of order!)

The night before Halloween, we met our friends, the Jouanetts at Red Robin for dinner.  Mallory was thrilled to get a balloon!

The kids all had a great time together!

Mallory and Mommy enjoy the hayride at the Trunk or Treat the night before Halloween.

Grandpa Charlie and Nanny arrived just in time for Halloween. 

Our Trick or Treating entourage included 10 adults and 2 children!

This picture says it all.... and is my favorite of the event- Mallory had the BEST time!

Baby Roy had a pretty good time too- getting passed around by everyone!

Mallory was very poilte and said "Thank You" to everyone that gave her candy!

We trick-or-treated for about 1.5 hours and Mallory carried her treat bucket the entire way!  She would not let anyone else help her.  I was so sorprised how heavy it was by the end of the night!

Another picture to show how decked out the houses were!

Several of the homes dug graveyards into their flower beds!

And several of the houses had smoke machines.... they didn't phase Mallory a bit!  In this picture you can see a little by dressed as a Pharoh- he was so cute talking to Mallory!

Mallory was thrilled to meet a real "Cheshire Cat" along the way!

This house gets the prize for creativity... the kids stood at this bucket as candy flew down a chute made of PVC pipe!

See why they designed the chute....?  Their front door is at the top of that hill!

These are the staris they blocked off/decorated!

Another flower bed graveyard....

And another picture of pumpkins.... we literally saw HUNDREDS while we were trick-or-treating!

Slowing down a bit.... that bucket was HEAVY!

Papa Memphis and Nanny enjoyed the Halloween festivities, too!

Mallory was super curious about this fountain/ birdbath.... it had Blood-colored water the gurgled, dry ice, and a fake hand!

We had a super awesome night!  Mallory literally FELL into bed that night!  Hooray for Halloween.... I wonder what she will be next year?

Fun at the NC State Football Game!

There is nothing like a college football game and tailgating to bring friends and fun together!  Mallory's first experience sure was a great one!

The little cheerleader grabs a bowl of Skittles for a snack.

Our little family enjoys the day!

Mallory was introduced to the game "corn-hole"- where you try and throw bags of popcorn seed into holes on a game board.

She really got into it!

The game started at 8pm, so Mommy and Mama Peg took Mallory home where a babysitter was waiting.  We put her to bed, and returned in time for the kickoff!

Mama Peg has season tickets and had a few more donated by her friends so we could all sit together!

We always enjoy our time with Uncle Johnny- he is the life of the party!

And to top off the super-fun day- NC State WON!!!!!  Hooray!