Colorado Trip

Here are a few of the highlights from our trip to Colorado this August. I still have more to upload and will do so later. Enjoy these for now. We had a fabulous time! The weather was perfect--it was even cooler than usual there!!

Fouth of July and Visit with G'Ma and G'Pa

We all had a wonderful 4th of July with the grandparents and Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Chip, and all of the cousins. The kids created and participated in an Independence Day parade right in front of my sister's house while the adults sang and cheered them on. It was too precious! The kids blew giant bubbles, made pinwheels, ate homemade ice cream and hotdogs, swam in the pool, and fed the farm animals. It was an absolutely wonderful day! Our visit with the grandparents was full of fun as well. We visited the Bluebell Creamery and got a sample of their fresh ice cream. It was yummy! Later, we got to pet miniature horses at a local monastary. The land was beautiful with rolling hills! The only complaint was the scorching heat! UGH! The kids played in the sprinklers, ate popcicles, rode the Gator, and had fun walking on the trails G'Ma had prepared for them. Levi, who was scared of the Gator at our spring visit, was completely taken with it this trip. He drove that thing all over the place while Ruthie rode with him collecting rocks and sticks. They are a cute pair! Ruthie wanted G'Ma to blow dry her hair every night before bed while Levi curled up in bed with G'Pa to hear a bedtime story. Theo played computer games with G'Ma each night before bed, which they both thoroughly enjoyed. It was so much fun to watch them bond with their grandparents. We had a great vacation with lots of family fun!

BlueBell Creamery, Tearoom with the Grandparents

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for ICE CREAM!!!

Today, after taking the kids for an afternoon swim, we made homemade ice cream! Levi LOVED this activity. He enjoyed making the ice cream and turning the crank, but what he enjoyed most of all was EATING it!! You can see from the pictures that he literally LICKED the bowl clean. Boy was he happy. He even asked for a second bowl. That kid loves his ice cream! We will be doing this again many times this summer since the kids really get a kick out of making their own ice cream!

Summer fun!! Swimming and homemade ice cream. What can be better than that?

Theo and Ruthie have been taking swim lessons this past week and will continue for one more week. They are doing great! Both can jump in and swim under water. They also learned how to tread water and swim on their backs. This is the first year they have taken lessons, and I can't believe how well they are doing and how fast they are learning.

Well, after receiving "encouragement" from brother and sister, Levi decided that he wanted to try swimming in the big pool too. Rich and I took him swimming this weekend, and he did so well! We couldn't believe it was the same scared little boy. He jumped into our arms in the pool and even put his entire head under water. (He doesn't really like to get the water in his eyes, but he did it anyway). He had so much fun--all of his fears have seemed to melt away. We are so proud of him! Next summer, he will take lessons too. For now, he is just enjoying splashing around with his big brother and sister. I am so glad he "warmed up" to the pool. It makes things more fun for all of us. Plus, it is good therapy for his little arm.

We are looking forward to celebrating the Fourth of July next weekend with our extended family. More summer fun!!

Karate Kid Theo Earned His YELLOW Belt!!

Theo finished Karate Camp today. It was 5 days for 5 hours each day. He worked so hard and didn't even complain. What a trooper! Theo and his friend Benjamin had lots of fun, too! The kids "tested" today and earned their belts. Theo was very excited. He is now going to work hard to earn his orange belt. This process normally takes several months--not just a week. So, you can see that they worked at an accelerated pace! :) Congrats Theo!

Next week, we begin swim lessons! That should be a fun way to cool off during these hot summer afternoons!

We're having fun and keeping busy this summer. Ruthie had a 36 hour virus this week with a 101.3 degree temperature and vomiting. UGH! Thank goodness the sickness subsided quickly. So far the boys haven't succomb to the illness! ha!

Levi went to his first story time at the library this week. He had so much fun singing and listening to stories and puppet shows. He can't wait to go back to story time. He also enjoys checking out lots of books to read at home. We're going to make this a regular event since Levi loves it so much. It is so good for his English skills as well. Levi just loves to sing and dance. After attending story hour, he goes around singing, "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". Too cute!

Scottish Rite Hospital Update

For all of my faithful blog readers....Here is the update for Levi's first visit to Scottish Rite Hospital today:

The doctor said there are 3 areas to focus on with Levi's brachial plexus injury on his right arm. Here are the things we discussed with the doctor today:

1. His wrist movement--which could be "fixed" later with minor surgery. She said that is not a decision we need to make now. She would like to wait until he develops more. No rush....

2. Levi needs to have his arm "straightened"--it bends at the elbow at the radial head. That bone is sticking out somewhat. So...Levi has to wear a "brace/splint" at night when he sleeps for about 6-9 months to correct this. Six to nine months is also when we need to go back for a follow-up visit at Scottish Rite.

3. Levi's shoulder is dislocated because of the the brachial plexus injury--it is a secondary result from the original injury. It cannot be fixed though like an adult's could be fixed. If you were to dislocated your shoulder, the doctor would just pop it back into place. Levi's had grown wrong because it was left untreated for so long. So, there is nothing to "pop" his shoulder bone back into. So, there is a surgery the doctor could do entailing cutting a part of his bone to make his arm turn more outward--but it won't fix the actual shoulder.....but she said that this could take away some of the strength and ability he has now. So, it is something we are opting not to do. We think he is just perfect the way he is. I don't want him to go through all that trauma and pain and wind up with a worse situation or at least different problems. No point in trading one problem for another.

4. There is nothing the doctor can do for lengthening Levi's limbs. She said limb stretching was not recommended for him and was even too risky. He may just have one arm an inch or two shorter than the other. Levi doesn't seem to mind. I was sharing with my parents a cute story about Levi.....A couple of months ago, the kids were playing with Mr. Potato Head. Levi chose a long arm and a short arm for his potato. Ruthie tried to explain to him that that was wrong and he needed his arms to be the same length. Levi insisted that it was right, and he liked it that way and refused to change it. This just goes to show you that he seems himself in a positive way. He doesn't know anything is "wrong" with his arm....and we plan to keep it that way. He is just the way he is supposed to be. :)

5. The good news is that he required no physical therapy of any kind. The doctor told me to keep him in Karate and let him just be a kid--ride bike, swing, swim, etc. All of those activities would strengthen his arm. Yeah!!

6. The doctor wants us to go see a facial-cranial specialist for Levi's head. They want to make sure the skull hasn't closed too much to inhibit continual brain growth. We have to make an appointment to go to Children's Medical Hospital in the next few weeks. We'll see how this turns out. Please pray for there to be no problems associated with his sweet little head. :) We're leaving this in God's hands.

That's all we know at this point. I think it was definitely a good news day overall. We are doing as much as we can do for Levi's arm and will just have to make sure his head is okay. The experience was wonderful at Scottish Rite. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. We didn't have to wait long and were well taken care of! It's a fun place for kids---lots of neat things to see and do.

My Karate Kids!

Just wanted to share these pictures of my adorable Karate Kids--Theo and Levi. They have made so much improvement in their coordination and confidence just in the month they have been attending karate class. This is particularly good for Levi since it forces him to use his right arm as much as possible while strengthening it as well. The teachers have been really good about working with him and helping him get as much as possible out of the class. We have his first doctor's appointment at Scottish Rite Hospital tomorrow--so we will ask the doctors if karate is indeed "good therapy" for his little arm. Both Theo and Levi really seem to enjoy karate. I like the structure and discipline that the class requires as well. Theo should be getting his next color belt--yellow after next week, so I will try to post some pictures of him doing a kick or something in his new belt! :)

Theo's Kindergarten Graduation

Today we celebrated Theo's completion of Kindergarten! Our little homeschool group and our families came together in fellowship to celebrate the achievements of our little 6-year old boys. We had a short ceremony, ate lots of yummy Mexican food and graduation cupcakes and then went swimming. What a special and fun day we had! One of the dads, "Mr. Bill" was the Master of Ceremonies. He did a fantastic job and made the ceremony very memorable and truly special! We are blessed beyond measure with these friends that God has sent into our lives!

Here is the poem that Mr. Bill read as part of his "Commencement Speech". :) It truly sums up our feelings today as we continue upon this journey of raising, educating, and unconditionally loving our precious children--gifts from God!

When You Dream Tonight
Remember when I was just a thought, a dream so far away.
You hoped and prayed that a miracle would bring me to you one day.

After my birth, time you'd spend waiting, no longer mattered at all.
In your arms, my gaze fixed on you, full of love from my eyes so small.

When you dream tonight, dream of me, a newborn babe so sweet.
I was a gift from God, knit just for you, who made your dreams complete.

Time marches on and I've grown since then. Look at me here today.
Completing another, step in my life; I'm changing day by day.

Reading and writing, science and math are things that I learned this year.
You taught me so much, I'm different now; but change isn't something to fear.

When you dream tonight, dream of me, your little child growing up fast.
I'm a gift from God, knit just for you. Remember today won't last.

In the blink of an eye, I'll be a teenager; everything will seem to have changed.
Dreams of my own, will take hold of my heart, and my life will seem misarranged.

But I'll hold fast to your love, and your steady support, as I grapple with my own heart.
And I'll emerge from it all, ready for life, because you obediently played your part.

When you dream tonight, dream of me, your teenager who's leaving home.
Your prayers and support have prepared me well, to face this life on my own.

Soon after today, God may bring, one who will hold my heart dear.
One to whom, I will bind myself, and with whom I'll pass the years.

And should we be blessed with babies of our own, we'll honor you every day.
For your God-given love will flow through us, to our children in every way.

So when you dream tonight, dream of me, and know that my love is true.
And rest assured, when I dream tonight, that I'll be dreaming of you.