House of the Rising Sons

Nov. 7, 2009 - Joy!

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Nov. 7, 2009 - No more halo!!!

Finally, our big day arrived! C's halo removal surgery was on Nov. 5th. We had been waiting for what seemed like forever for this day. Needless to say we were all very excited and filled with anticipation and hope for C's life and health once his halo was removed. Words cannot describe all of the emotions surrounding this big day. It was definitely the close of one long chapter and the beginning of a new one for all of us in so many ways.

The surgery itself was very minor and only took 15 minutes. They didn't even need to heavily sedate him, which was nice. That also meant that we could go home the same day!

Here is C just before the surgery. He loves the animal statues
downstairs at the hospital.

Finding things to occupy our time while waiting to go to the O.R.

Dr. Daddy taking C to the O.R. with the anesthesiologists.

When we came home, Grandma, O and T decorated the
house and we had a big party for C.

NO MORE HALO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't he look great?!

He's so excited!

I just can't get over those new cheeks!

Party! Jeff DJ'ed with fun music and danced with the boys.

C and Grandma

O and Grandma

It was a great party and the kids had so much fun. O,
especially was really excited to see his little brother home
and doing so well. Thank you Mom for making this night
so special for all of us. You really went all out! We love you!!

I ran across these two pictures and thought I'd include them too. These were taken this past summer prior to his midface advancement. We still miss this precious face, but are completely in love with his new look as well. All part of God's transformation for our little boy. Of course his face is the first place one notices all of the dramatic changes, but C's wide open airway is the best part in all of this. He is now breathing so much better and we are already seeing the great benefits to his life and health.

Thank you God, for this wonderful miracle in our lives. The road has been long, but worth every step. We look forward to the next season of our lives!!!

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Nov. 6, 2009 - October 2009

Catching up a bit....once home from the unexpected halo revision surgery, things remained fairly quiet for the month of October. We were thankful to say the least. Although, staying home alot and somewhat isolated to avoid illness did take a toll on our family. We tried to stay busy and find fun things to do by ouselves. Jeff worked ALOT of late hours to meet deadlines on a project that lasted a few weeks, which was not easy...but again, so thankful for his job and the great company he works for.

Here are some of the highlights...

O rock climbing up at Rattlesnake lake.

Enjoying the views!

Taking time to look at slugs along our walk.

A rare day at the park by ourselves. We just couldn't stay inside on such a beautiful day. The fresh air did us all alot of good. (O catching T down a twisty slide)

3 boys in the bed and the little one said, roll over.....

My mom reading to the boys.

My Pa reading to T.

Silly hats and so darn cute!

C healing up nicely post second surgery.

T painting with DOTS. Pretty sure he licked the dot makers too.

A much needed break (escape) to my mom and pa's house on the other
side of the mountains. The boys had a blast sitting on and even turning
on the various machines out in Pa's garage. They were in Heaven! And
I was THRILLED to see them having so much fun.

O and C LOVED raising and dropping the bucket on the tractor.

T on one of the snowmobiles.

Hmmmm....think he's enjoying the "ride". We might just have to try it for real in the snow this year???

It was such a fun day. My parents spoiled us all day and even let me take a nap on the couch. Ahhhhh......
I can't thank you enough for giving us that day.

Another outing to a park on a very cold Fall day. The trees were gorgeous and the leaves seemed to be a million different colors. We were the only ones at this park, which again, was a good thing for us since we were trying to stay healthy. Here, C is sticking leaves to his halo. Too funny.

I love this one. They were all running down this hill straight at me.

Exploring...

Our little smiley boy.

Hiking with Daddy at Twin Falls.

T playing in the dirt in the backyard.

Our big boy O.

I love it when I can capture shots like this... the innocence of pure joy and
fun are written all over his face.

My heroes!!!

These were taken on October 31st. This year we celebrated the fun
parts of Halloween, calling it Harvest Fest, and stayed home. We were
only 5 days away from C's halo removal surgery and didn't want to take
any risks of getting sick and then having the surgery canceled. The boys
dressed up in several different costumes all day long, which was fun.

Firefighter T.

Decorating cookies.

Then we played a couple of games and it was on to the pizzas.

We bought cheese pizzas and let the boys put their own toppings on however they wanted. They LOVED this.

After we ate our pizzas, then we had a candy hunt. I hid candy all over the house for them to find. They would do this everyday if they could. This was alot of fun too. Grandma had brought over a few fun things for them as well that made this a special day for everyone.

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Nov. 6, 2009 - Broken Halo

It's been a while since we updated our blog. Much has happened in our lives. I'll back up a bit. At the end of September, one month after C's surgery, the splint on his halo broke. He just woke up one morning and the bar on one side of his splint was snapped off and the other side was loose. We were horrified to say the least. There was no pain, thankfully, but we headed into the hospital immediately. By the time we arrived and I pulled C out of his car seat, I realized that the other bar had also snapped off. YIKES!!!

Thankful to be at Children's, we got right in to see Dr. Hopper. He took one look at C and said, "well....that's never happened before." He immediately scheduled him for surgery later that day to fix his halo. We thought that was probably going to be the case.

It didn't make sense for us to drive all the way back home again, so we stayed at the hospital and found things to do for the next several hours....all the while, NOT being able to eat or drink anything to prepare for surgery.

Finally, 2:30pm came and Jeff arrived just as we entered the pre-op area. This is NEVER a fun place for us. The anticipation for C and the trauma of it all makes him extremely anxious and upset. We weren't going to be able to accompany him into the operating room and be with him while he was put under anesthesia this time, so they gave him some "goofy juice" to ease the transition of someone else taking him from pre-op to the O.R. It helped a bit.

The whole surgery only took about an hour. We were so thankful that Dr. Hopper and his team allowed us to come back into the recovery area this time since he was awake, terrified and in pain. Dr. Hopper is always very sensitive to C's hearing impairment and really wanted us to be with him to comfort him and put in his hearing aids so that he wasn't so scared. We were so grateful. Normally, parents aren't allowed back in the recovery area because it's one giant open room with many other patients post-op.

Dr. Hopper informed us that C's bones had healed and ossified so quickly in between each time we turned the screws, that the splint on his halo just couldn't take the pressure. So, this was a mixed blessing. So, even though this surgery was unexpected, it was meant to happen. There was a bit of progress lost when the splint broke, so the bones needed to be re-loosened and brought forward with a traction device. They also needed to add a second set of external wires that were pinned into his cheek bones to help pull that area forward a bit more. C was left VERY sore after all of this. It almost felt like we were starting over from square one. But, if this had not happened, we believe that his midface advancement would not have been nearly as successful as it has been.

The pictures of us and C are just before surgery. You can see the two free-hanging bars that broke off. The one of Jeff and him was taken about 10 minutes after getting the "goofy juice". And the rest are taken a few days after returning home from the hospital again.

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Sep. 18, 2009 - Our boys just before surgery

This might seem a bit strange to to be posting pictures of our boys, mainly C, that were taken prior to his surgery. But, the more I think about it, the more I need to. He's still the same little boy and we're the same old family, but with another reason to be thankful for our blessings. I had intended on posting these in August, but time slipped away from me rather quickly as we approached September 1st.

These are just some of our many memories from our time together...REALLY together...as we stayed home to keep healthy.

My big boys having quiet time on the computer while T naps. They both
really like Starfall.com and the online books through our library.

We created a scavenger hunt in our backyard which turned out to be very fun and educational too. O's list is on the left. C's is on the right. The rules were that O could not peek at C's picture list until he tried really hard to sound out the words on his list first. He did really well with a little help. It was fun to see them help eachother find their items. About a week later we did this again, only I made it much more difficult and included things you could find inside and outside.

Running to find their items.

Looking for the last item...BUGS!

Jeff, working from his home office. This would be wherever he might have a little peace and quiet and be able to keep T away from his laptop. Notice....he's thinking out loud and with his hands here. Love it. When it's nice out, he usually works outside. We find him all over the place....poor guy. He has no "actual" home office and some days he's literally moving from room to room just trying to find some quiet. So today, finally, we cleared some space for him to work at a table away from where we spend SO much of our time lately...which is the kitchen table. Ironically, he is set up out in the play room at a table that has a perfect space for him. But the kids seem to be much louder in the kitchen than in the play room....so hopefully this will work for now.

Our T and his favorite, 'can't go to bed with out him' monkey.

Our sweet and loving boy, O.

And our beautiful C.

Ice cream sandwiches are so good.

Our adorable and goofy T.

Halo haircut.

This is the shortest cut I've ever given him. We also hadn't seen his scar line in
a long time. C noticed it too and had a few questions.

The boys learned how to syphon...a good thing to know how to do.

One of C's favorite things to do...collect and categorize things neatly.

Progressing right along with reading. Lauren, our speech therapist, suggested that Carson seems ready to begin learning how to read....at least start trying to teach him how sounds are put together. Teaching a deaf or hard of hearing child how to read is always more challenging, but we are seeing signs that C is at least ready to start working on this in the very basic sense. With the help of the manual alphabet (ASL alphabet) he is beginning to understand sounds and showing more and more interest. Him knowing most of his ASL letters really helps with this process. Lauren gave me this idea to make animal word puzzles for the boys so they could do this together. I made easy ones for C and more difficult ones for O. I love anything educational we can all work on together while still addressing different age levels and learning styles. These are a few of the puzzles I made. So easy!

Speaking of reading....we did a TON of reading over the summer while we participated in our library summer reading project. Up to this point, I've always spelled everything for O when he asks. Now, I'm trying to get him to sound words out a bit more on his own, even when they're misspelled. I'm finally grasping the whole phonetic spelling process and why this works well in learning how to write and hopefully learning to love to write.

O lost his first 2 teeth this summer. Very exciting!

The big brothers. They were pretty inseperable most of the time leading
up to C's surgery. Their bond is growing stronger and stronger every
day.

O loved the feeling of C's new haircut.

Not many pictures of T. He has proven to be a bit elusive lately and always manages to turn away at the wrong time when mommy is taking pictures.

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Sep. 14, 2009 - Nothing short of a miracle....

There is no way for me to adequately record in one blog update all of the miracles and blessings we've been able to be a part of over the past month or so. Our 3 and a half year old son, C, was scheduled for surgery on September 1st. Miraculously, he stayed healthy and our day arrived.

There are so many detailed moments that will forever be imprinted on my heart related to this time. The morning of surgery, we arrived about 20 minutes early. Instead of heading in and sitting in the hospital waiting area...we pulled C out of his car seat and held him in our arms in the front seat while we sat in the darkened parking garage. We listened to a little music, prayed together for him and enjoyed those remaining peaceful moments alone with our sweet little boy. Jeff even pulled him into his lap and let him "drive" the car. The garage was fairly empty as it was very early in the morning. He put the car in reverse, letting C take the wheel while it slowly rolled backward several feet...then forward back into our parking space. The thrill on C's face was priceless.

Skipping ahead...the doctors allowed me to suit up and take our trembling C into the Operating Room. It comforted me to know that my face and the sound of my voice were his last memories before anesthesia put him to sleep. As he was fighting to stay awake, his final cries were for Daddy...his protector. The sight of the OR and all of it's massive equipment surrounding that tiny bed, only big enough for a small child...with our child lying on it sound asleep will never leave me. I sobbed as I made my way back to Jeff waiting for me with the strength, love and open arms that only Jesus could prepare him for.

We spent the next two hours alone comforting one another.

C's surgery was scheduled to take about 8 and a half hours from prep to finish. So we had a very long day of waiting ahead of us. My mom had stayed at our house the night before and planned to be with O and T the whole day and for as long as we needed her. This gave us an incredible comfort to know that our other boys were more than well taken care of. My mom is the best. She loves all of us so much. And I love her more than I will ever be able to express in words.

After a couple of hours, we received a page from the OR that C was doing very well and surgery was about to begin. The entire day was moving in slow motion once we left him with his doctors. Over the next several hours we were surrounded and comforted by our friends and family while we waited. My best friend, Jenny , came to be with us as did my dad, grandma, and our very good friends, Michael and Mike. The amount of prayers surrounding us by those we know and those we don't have been immeasurable. So many prayers were lifted up for C and still are....we are forever thankful and blessed. Having the support and care of our friends and family at the hospital meant so much to us as well. Together we prayed, told stories, laughed and cried, and praised God for each update from the OR that C was doing well. We are so thankful for that sweet time.

Surgery lasted only 6 hours from start to finish....another miracle. And the biggest miracle up to this point was that C did incredibly well, only needed one unit of blood, and our surgeon, Dr. Hopper, called this a very successful surgery. In his words, "it couldn't have gone any better". We could tell how please he was with the outcome.

Seeing C for the first time in the PICU was difficult. He was so pale, blood stained in places, eyes stitched closed because of impending swelling, IVs and wires everywhere, and his poor little face was covered with white tape holding the breathing tube and NG (feeding) tube in place. His little arms were also placed in restraints to keep him from pulling any of these vital tubes out. For the next couple days C was medicated with Morphine to keep him asleep while intubated.

The next few days were long as we waited for Friday when we would face the next big hurdle....extubation. C has a very difficult airway, meaning that it's very narrow. We were very nervous about removing the breathing tube because it can be very dangerous with all of the swelling in that area. So, on that morning, I put in C's hearing aids for the first time since the morning of surgery and we were asked to wait outside of the room while a large team of doctors hovered over C as we left the room. Five minutes later, Dr. Hopper brought us back into the room where C was crying for "Mommy" in a very hoarse voice. What a glorious sound that was...another miracle.

Jeff and I traded places most days to make sure that one of us was always with C and the other was with O and T at home. But there were also times when we both needed to be with C together. My mom was such an incredible help in this process. As always, she made herself available whenever needed and as always, took such good care of the boys at home. She made this so much easier for all of us. We are incredibly thankful for her.

Once C was extubated and really quite agitated, he felt the need to speed his hospital stay up a bit. I received a call early one morning from Jeff when it was my turn to be at home with the boys. Apparently, C pulled out his own NG feeding tube and the only remaining IV in his arm. We were not surprised at all by this...very fitting with his personality. He was done and ready to go home. This little stunt made it possible for him to be transferred out of the PICU and down to the general surgical floor pretty quickly.

It was so great to see him finally starting to feel a little better and eating. This process was very slow, but once he was eating and drinking fluids, we received our discharge papers.

There are so many more moments that come to me at different times as I think back on the last few weeks. For now, I'll end here and include some photos of our little guy. We have always documented every surgery by taking pictures beginning right after surgery, but I'll only include the ones of him beginning when he started to feel better.

Me and C. He looks so tiny to me in this photo. He felt very small as I
held him in my arms.

Jeff and C. It was incredible to see him sitting up all by himself.

C playing around with a communication device.

Getting ready to go home and finally smiling a bit.

GOING HOME!!!!!

These first few days at home were very difficult for Jeff and I....for C too,
I'm sure. But what made it so hard was that C literally did not communicate
at all with us for days. He only stared at us and seemed so lost and
confused. It broke our hearts. So, not only was his appearance already
beginning to change, but our C was lost somewhere. Logically speaking,
we know that this is all probably normal. This particular surgery was
traumatic and painful, but we longed for our lively, mischievous extremely
communicative little boy to come back. Eventually, he did....

Playing with big brother, O.

Daddy helping the boys with a project. Our kids LOVE boxes and will use them to make elaborate creations. We get really tired of cardboard hanging around the house, but at least it's being re-used for another purpose and then eventually recycled.

Grandma rolling the ball with C. This was within the first week or so of being home. By the end of that week, he was really coming out of his shell again. It was such a relief to have him back.

From day 1, C's incision line and stitches looked really great. It's all
healing very nicely.

This is about 10 days ago. Only minor swelling left around his eyes.

Using one of our MANY syringes from the hospital to shoot water at
his brothers.

O and C looking at bugs, I think.

Squirting a spider web.

Starting to get some cheeks.

Reading together again.

Our first family outing together. We went for a long walk and then to Scott's Dairy Freeze for burgers and Shakes. T was exhausted and fell asleep on C on the way back.

This was about 5 days ago.

I love that smile. This was taken a few days ago. We've been turning the screws on C's halo for about 2 weeks now. We have about 1 more week to go.

We went in to see our favorite doctor today...Dr. Hopper. Not only is he a brilliant surgeon, but he is one of the nicest people around. EVERY person who comes into contact with him instantly likes him. Our visit to see him today was unexpected. We are scheduled to see him every Monday, but today we went in because C fell down last night and hit his halo pretty good. The front bars were bent down and loose. After tightening it all up (like we were told to do) we just didn't feel comfortable not having Dr. Hopper check him out. He made time for us in between surgeries today. After looking him over and making a few minor adjustments, he announced that Jeff did a great job in aligning everything back up. No damage done and no worries about the way his midface will be pulled forward (angle-wise) because of the fall. Whew!!!! It was sweet to see the way Dr. Hopper was talking with C today. As he was touching his cheek bones to measure the distance they had gone, he said, "Oh C, you have cheeks buddy." You could tell he almost wanted to pinch them out of excitement.

We would like to just put C in a bubble for the next 8 weeks so this doesn't happen again...but Dr. Hopper warned us that this would likely happen again either from falling or from the way he sleeps. Yes, he sleeps on his stomach and is completely OK to do so.

Our days are slowly getting better. Jeff is still working from home to minimize germ exposure. I spend most of the time following the kids around trying to make sure C doesn't get hurt. My other time consumer is preparing and feeding meals and snacks to a very hungry little boy who needs to eat only soft foods. He doesn't like to be different and cannot stand it when I blend his food, so basically he eats what we eat...only in smaller, more mashed up pieces. At first he only ate small amounts of food about 6 or 7 times a day. Now, he's eating larger portions 6 or 7 times a day. We think he's just trying to catch up. He must be feeling pretty good. He's already gained back the 5 pounds he lost while in the hospital.

I'm sad that C still wakes up every single morning crying. It takes him a while to adjust to his days and to his reality at this time. But, one of the biggest miracles of all is that C has slept 4 nights in a row....peacefully, quietly and all the way through the night without waking up. THAT IS TRULY A MIRACLE. When we went in for X-rays this week, we could see the drastic difference in his airway. It was wide open...such a wonderful site. It is taking us some time to get used to the very quiet breathing we are witnessing. It's almost like having a newborn in our home again. I've checked on him several times just to make sure he is actually breathing. It must feel so good to him to breathe and sleep well all night long. It should only get better as we still have a week to go of turning the screws to pull his midface forward.

As for his appearance. We think he's still beautiful. It's so strange to see your child's appearance change so quickly. That too will change even more over the next week or so as a result of improving his airway. We do miss the way C used to look, but we know that this is all part of God's perfect plan for him....He's working on him inside and out.

We cannot thank everyone enough for all of your prayers, support and encouragement during this time. We truly believe that everything leading up to C's surgery, the surgery itself and the healing recovery and transformation of C's quality of life is nothing short of a miracle from God.

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Aug. 28, 2009 - 4th of July Celebration

Yes, I know...it's almost September. I'm still catching up with my blogging. One of the highlights of our Summer fun was spending the 4th of July with our family in the early afternoon and then our friends in the evening.

If you remember our post from last year. This is a long standing tradition with Jeff's family. We have 4th of July games every year at Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie's house. It can be rather competitive...all in good fun though. O is finally getting old enough to really be a participant in many of the games. The kids are always welcome to play...we've just never kept score for them. Next year, we will. O is REALLY good at balloon darts. YIKES! Each balloon is numbered. And each 2 person team chooses 6 numbers from a jar. Whatever numbers you choose are the corresponding numbered balloons you do not want to pop. You also hope that no one else pops your numbers. Whoever has the last numbered balloon on the board wins. Very fun!

Golf is always a fun one too. Uncle Mike sets up 3 different games, each one with a different obstacle course and progressively harder. This is one of my favorites. Why have I never gone golfing?

One of the boys' favorite things to do while at Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie's house....watch the water fountain turn on and off. They think that all you have to do is clap your hands to "magically" turn it on. What they don't realize is that every time someone sees them near the fountain and clapping, they run over to the switch just inside the house and flip it on. Then when they clap again, they flip it off. The boys think this is so cool and would stand there for hours if we let them.

Great Grandma Wanda.

The boys just love her. We do too!!!

And then we spent the late afternoon and evening with our friends. Here are C and F watching the other kids. So cute.

Jenny's mom and dad spent the day with us too. I'm so glad. Here is her mom pulling the kids around in cars. All of the kids love Nana.

C riding someone's scooter...is that what these are called?

Our big boy in the pool....getting more and more comfortable in the water.

Sparklers!!!!

My sweet friends...Jennifer and Jenny. This is Jennifer's house we're at.

Jenny and her husband Trent. I really like this picture of you two.

Pete, Jennifer's husband, was the Sparkler Master. Thank you for the great fireworks display. The kids loved it.

G and R with their Sparklers. Don't you just love their dresses? Such sweet girls.

Sweet M.

Adorable G.

G dancing with her Sparkler.

Daddy wiping T's face after having ice cream for dessert. YUM!

C LOVING his Sparkler too.

M, with her Papa...whom we all love as well.

The whole day was so much fun. I'm so glad we spent it this way!

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Aug. 23, 2009 - My heart swells with JOY!

For the last several weeks, we've been trying to be as careful as possible to not get sick so that C is healthy for his upcoming surgery. This part of the pre-op prep of surgery is not something we ever look forward to...but it's necessary. We feel very invested as a family and ready for this next season to begin. It will be a difficult one, but we are filled with excitement in thinking about C's future once he is completely healed and on the other side of this next hurdle. This will be our fourth time heading down this road...but somehow this time it feels different. We feel more prepared and yet it still does not get easier with each surgery. I always thought it would, because C is now older. When he was a baby and only 4 months old and we handed him over to the doctors to perform his first cranial surgery....we were a mess. It was the hardest thing we ever had to do. And then we did it again around his first birthday and then again for a more minor surgery at the age of 2. Now that he's 3.5, it actually feels harder...only because C is so much more aware. He knows something is going to happen. He knows he's getting a halo and will spend some time in the hospital, but he does not understand the magnitude of this surgery.

I got a little off track...I started by saying that we've been trying to stay healthy. C's doctors have stressed many times that it is very important that he be healthy and strong for surgery. So, for the last 3 weeks we've been home A LOT!!! Jeff is even working from home to minimize bringing home germs. His company has been so wonderful in allowing him to do that. We've been blessed with friends and family who want to help us any way they can and who pray for us faithfully. Some people may think we're going a bit over the top by "quarantining" ourselves, but we just feel that this is the right thing to do. We know that ultimately God is in control and if C is supposed to have this surgery on the 1st, then he will. Our decision to be home and not get out in public has been affirmed by God. This time has been so blessed. It has not come without frustrations and cabin fever at times and we desperately miss our friends. That has been the hardest part...not getting to spend time with our closest friends. However, much fruit has come out of this time.

It took about a week or so to settle in for the long hall...but once we did, we began to have fun and enjoy a new rhythm. Having Jeff home, of course, has been great. The boys are finally used to Daddy working from home. They are pretty good about letting him "work". And because we don't have to worry about coming and going all the time....nothing ever gets interrupted. And because the boys only have each other to play with...they've become better playmates. And by that, I mean, we've witnessed a new sort of respect and kindness for one another that did not seem to exist before. I'm not saying that they didn't care for each other before. They did. We just see them enjoying each other more, cooperating more, sharing and communicating more, and actually spending time playing TOGETHER. I have done so much less damage control in the last couple weeks then ever before. This blesses my heart more than I can say.

Here's what we've been up to...

Lots and lots of imaginative fun....super heroes of course!!!

Jeff had a few days off after a three day backpacking trip. We went
blueberry picking.

Mt. Si in the background.

T with his blueberry bucket.

Yum!!

Jeff and the boys made 10 jars of freezer jam! It turned out really good.

The only park day we've had was about 2 weeks ago.

Some school time. I've discovered that C loves watercolor painting and O loves dot to dots. (Notice the costumes!)

C painting a picture of his best friend, F...praying. So sweet.

We went hiking about a week ago. I could not get over how much these two wanted to help each other as they explored up and over things along the way. It was awesome!

T even did a fair amount of hiking as well. We took the double jogger, but he loved to be out following his brothers down the trail.

Lots of great places to hang from trees and climb around. Reminded me
of when my brother and I used to play in the woods together near our
house. Great memories!

We found this hollow log and thought, this would be a great place for a
Geocache. O also noticed a big hole in the to of it and wanted to know if
I could see his fingers dangling down when I looked through the log. To
prove that I could...I took a picture.

We've also been blessed with amazing weather. So, the
boys are outside in the backyard everyday....usually doing
something water related.

C hates it when his brothers get him wet, but loves to pour water on
his own head. So funny!

We've had LOTS of time for reading. We have a good friend who is picking up books for us at the library...thank you Kirsten. Since we have so much time on our hands right now though....it's a great opportunity to read some of our favorite books on our own shelves that we tend to forget about.

GLUE! I feel bad...I cannot remember what the 3 stars represent...but it was important to O...so here it is.

C asked me to put glue all over his paper and he placed the noodles everywhere. He was so proud.

And T enjoyed putting noodles onto pipe cleaners. I was surprised he
could do this.

One day we spent a significant amount of time checking this bug out. It was huge and just happened to land next to an old bee hive. We still need to figure out what kind of bug it is.

C showing off his new sunglasses that his friends, J & A gave to him.

These are the sorts of things that happen when Daddy works from home. He isn't always available to play, of course, but when he can take a break....you never know what fun can erupt. On this particular day, everyone had had enough of the bees, so Jeff made a quick yellow jacket trap out of a water bottle, some bacon and water with dish soap in it. Then he went back to work. The boys had watched him intently as he assembled his trap. They decided to give it a try as well...only they wanted to use other methods to see which worked best. And a competition began....it was a 3 way tie. Apparently, the bees weren't interested in Daddy's bacon, O's peanut butter, or C's Tater Tots. But still, it was fun and put a grin on Jeff's face while he worked.

And this is one of the reasons for the title of this post..."My heart swells
with JOY!" I happened to walk into the kitchen and this is what I saw.
My two big boys hugging....sigh.

I am so thankful!

Me and T. On a very shallow note...I cannot wait for my hair to grow back out. Shorter hair takes too much time to style. Longer hair (for me) is just easier to wash and go. So shallow...I know and such a minor issue, except for the time it's taking for me to "do" it everyday. Anyway...

This time is enabling me to slow down, to not take so many things for granted, to be in God's Word and is allowing me to just be so much more involved in the details of our kids' lives. Life is not all about schedules and to do lists, but oftentimes it's easy to make that the focus. So, although we do go a little stir crazy here and there and long to see our friends, this too has it's purpose.

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Aug. 11, 2009 - Family Reunion Picnic 2009

We just had our 2nd annual Family Reunion Picnic for my dad's side of the family. Like last year, it was alot of fun and so nice to catch up with everyone again. We really enjoy hosting this event at our house and look forward to keeping it an annual tradition going forward.

Here are our memories of the day...

My brother, Matt and our dad, Mike.
Shelby, we really missed you!!!

Thirsty???

My Grandma Phyllis on the right with her daughter (my aunt) Beth on the left. Lovely picture of both of you.

My Uncle Pete on the left, with Beth's husband (also my uncle) We missed our cousins, L and N. Beth and Paul, please tell them we say hello.

Pete with his wife (my aunt) Rozanne. We were so happy you could make
it this year. We've missed you!!! Hopefully next year P (my cousin) can make it.

Rozanne and her beautiful smile!!!

My Uncle Chris with his wife (my aunt) Lisa. Great shot of you two.

Something I saw alot of....LAUGHTER!

My Aunt Debbie. Her husband, Ray was unable to make it. We missed you Ray!

Debbie's sweet daughter, my cousin, R.

One of Debbie's handsome sons, also my cousin, A. Her oldest son, T, had to work and wasn't able to make it. We missed you too T.

My Aunt Marty.

This was such a sweet moment. Marty very patiently helped C fill an empty water bottle with rocks..one rock at a time. This was done in absolute silence from what I could tell. I loved watching them do this in the midst of all the conversation and laughter around them. Thanks for entering into C's "zone" Marty.

R then had her turn helping to fill bottles and cups with rocks. Such contentment!

Grandma with two of her daughters, Marty and Debbie, and granddaughter, R. In case you lost track...my Grandma has 6 children...Mike (my dad), Pete, Beth, Chris, Debbie and Marty.

Hmmmm....what are my dad and O thinking about?

My brother and me. He's the best!

Jeff and Matt...brothers in law and friends!

CAKE!!!!!

C, getting ready to soak someone....possibly Uncle Chris.

Gotcha!!!!

And now they're after Daddy.

Jeff's brother James was still here visiting and got to meet my family.
(T loved these coolers...especially the ice inside of them.)

Everyone really enjoyed meeting you James...especially my brother. He was glad to have finally met you.

FOOD!!!!

O listening intently to Grandma.

Beanbags anyone??? Jeff built these beanbag toss boards for the kids.
They're really nice. He did a great job!

OK...O, I'll lay down. You throw it over me. Okay? Too funny.

Or, you could just surf on your beanbag board and
I'll play with the beanbags.

And at the end of a really great day, all were tired and ready for a nap.

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Aug. 10, 2009 - Grandma JoAnn and Uncle James come for a visit!!!

A couple weeks ago, Jeff's mom, JoAnn, came in to town for a visit. We were all so excited. She hadn't yet met T and we have missed her so much. Very quickly, the boys and her got reacquainted and had such a good time together. She entered into all of their made up stories and indulged them in all of their whimsies. It was so fun for them and they just adore her. I know the feeling is mutual. It was nice to have her stay with us to maximize the time spent together. We all loved having her here.

It happened to be incredibly hot the whole time she was here....between 95 and 103 degrees every day. UGH! So, staying cool was not easy. She is used to the heat living in Texas, but also used to AC.....something we Washingtonians don't have alot of. There just isn't typically a need for AC except for maybe a few weeks per year. We sure wish we'd had it last week. We do have a small window unit, but it's in our bedroom and does not cool off the rest of the house when it's up in the 90's. We spent alot of evenings out on the back deck talking and cooling off after the kids were in bed....a perfect way to end each day.

Grandma bought the boys these cool spy glasses. They love 'em.

This is a crane that Daddy "helped" the boys make one morning. O found it in one of our Science books and couldn't wait to make one. They love using the magnet at the end of the string to pick up metal objects. Here, they're showing off for Grandma.

Grandma and T are dancing!

Everyone was so hot. We spent alot of time playing in the sprinklers and little pool while Grandma was here. Here she is with C.

Jeff's brother, James, flew into town midweek. We were so happy to see him. It had been 5 years since the last time he was here and we have not been able to make it to Texas and visit in a long time. Alot has happened in all of our lives. We loved seeing James with his nephews. And of course, they all love their Uncle James. We had so much fun with him...our only regrets were that the time went by too quickly and his wife Sonya wasn't able to make it this time.

We are hoping that we'll see you all really soon. We arlready miss you!!!

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Aug. 10, 2009 - Fire Department

We were blessed to be invited by some good friends to go to our local Fire Department for a guided tour. It was their son, J's, 3rd birthday and this is how he wanted to celebrate his birthday. What a great idea J!!!! My mother in law and brother in law were also visiting at the time and were invited as well. We had such a great time and were very impressed with and thankful for the firefighters serving our community.

Coincidentally, this came at a really good time. We've just begun doing a unit study on all kinds of Safety. What a great way to begin. Our boys were very shy at first when asked if they wanted to get into the firetrucks, but quickly realized how "cool" it was to actually get to sit inside.

Birthday Boy, J!

O was so excited to get to try on real firefight gear.

Uncle James (Jeff's brother) holding T.

So serious!!!

All the kids...sweet S with big brother J and our 3 boys along with the awesome firefighters who spent time showing us around teaching us about fire safety and what they do. The kids even came home with cool goody bags full of fire safety stuff. A great addition to our Safety theme this week.

I was surprised to learn that this particular fire department only gets about 5 requests per year for a tour. If you ever have the opportunity to visit a fire department...go! It was such a treat. The guys we spoke to said they love doing this sort of thing for the kids to help them learn fire safety and to also help make them more comfortable around firefighters and all of the gear they wear and the trucks they drive. Not only did we get to see all the trucks, try on gear, and learn how things work, but they showed us their living quarters as well. Impressive. The whole building is 17000 square feet. The kids got to see where they sleep, eat and watch TV. Speaking of TV...it cracked me and James up that they had 4 AMAZING lazy boy chairs all lined up in a row positioned in front of a nice big screen TV. They were the really big leather ones with all the extras. They do really deserve it....it just reminded me of Joey and Chandler's chairs on the show 'Friends"! Too funny!

Thank you Stephanie for inviting us to J's birthday celebration at the fire department. It was so fun!

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Aug. 9, 2009 - Jen and Corey's Wedding!

On August 1st our cousin Jennifer got married to a wonderful man. Corey and Jen's wedding was just beautiful. Normally our kiddos go pretty much everywhere we do. But, on this occasion, we decided to keep them at home since it was an evening wedding. It was also nice to be away for a while....like a date! My mom stayed with the kids and not only took great of them as always, but cleaned our house and helped get things ready for the big family reunion picnic the following day. She's such a blessing...I don't know what I'd do without her.

JoAnn and James were here for the wedding as well.

I love this picture these two handsome brothers together.

Jennifer...moments before the ceremony. Isn't she beautiful?!

Jen and Corey say their vows.

Such joy in this moment. These are Jen's parents, Mike and Connie and their other daughter, Malory. Connie and Mal both gave lovely toasts to Jen and Corey that I will always remember. James is on the left.

JoAnn looks lovely!

James has one of those infectious laughs that I just love.

This is Jeff's Grandpa Berle and Grandma Wanda. They are such
beautiful people, inside and out.

JoAnn with her parents enjoying the evening.

Jen and Corey dancing their first dance as husband and wife.

Jen and her daddy...so sweet.

It was such a lovely wedding and we are so happy for you, Jen and Corey! Many many blessings to both of you!

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Aug. 8, 2009 - Mal's birthday!

On the day that James arrived, we had planned to go over to Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie's house for a visit and to also celebrate Malory's birthday (Jeff's cousin). As always, we have tons of fun over there. The boys LOVE to run around outside and play with Uncle Mike.

My sweet boys!

A game of "Frozen Tag"....like Freeze Tag, but not. Mike taught O and C how to play and they were off. I could not believe how much they ran and ran and ran!!! Connie joined in too. They loved it! In this picture you can sort of see a water fall fountain in the background. The kids love to stand there and watch. They've been told that if they clap their hands, the water will turn on. Clap them again, and the water turns off. AMAZING!!! They don't know that the switch to the fountain is in the house, just inside the door. It's adorable to see them clapping away and getting such a kick out of "controlling" the water.

Mike and Connie cooled down the water in their hot tub because it was SO HOT out. All three boys loved getting in and playing. O and C are still a bit timid in the water. We'll do swimming lessons next year after C heals from surgery. T, has no fear at this point. I struggled to hold on to him because he was fighting so hard to get away from me. I think we'll give him lessons soon too. Jen sat and played in the water with the boys too. They loved it.

Happy Birthday Mal!

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Jul. 22, 2009 - Surgery

This particular summer means many things to us....but mostly it is proving to be a time for planning, preparation and time spent enjoying these warm sunny days making the most of each day with our boys. After C's most recent sleep study, much discussion with his doctors and surgeons and alot of prayer....a decision was made to have an early midface advancement surgery. Although it will happen much sooner than we had anticipated, we are confident that the timing is right. Most of you who know C, know that he was born with Pfeiffer Syndrome. If you are interested in knowing more about this, click here.

In a nutshell, C's cranial bones were fused at birth. Over time this would prevent his brain from continuing to grow normally. So within the first year of his life, he had 2 cranial vault expansion surgeries where they basically broke the bones and expand the cranium allowing plenty of room for his brain. Those were both very successful. Most of you also know that another characteristic of his syndrome is the almost nonexhistent ear canals leading to an inner ear that functions well, but has no ear drum. This is consistent for both ears causing him to have a moderate hearing loss. His hearing aides help tremendously though.

This will be his 3rd major surgery. The first two were difficult too, but this one, we believe will be the most difficult yet. On September 1st C will have what they call a LeForte, which is basically a midface advancement. Part of the nature of his syndrome is that the bones in his midface area will not grow along with the rest of his face. Normally, they wait to do this particular surgery until a child is around the age of 7 because that is when your face essentially stops growing. But, because C's breathing is getting worse and worse, he needs it now. This surgery will open up his airway significantly as they break the bones in his face and move them forward. One of the toughest parts about this surgery (along with the 8 hour procedure itself) is that C will need to wear a Rigid Extraction Device (RED) around his head for 3 months to continue pulling his midface forward and set the bones while they heal. Jeff and I will turn the screws each day during this process. How do you prepare a 3 year old for this whole process....you just can't really.

We are filled with so many emotions and anxieties as we approach this surgery, and yet we are so hopeful that not only will God see him through this surgery, but that his quality of life will drastically improve. Most of C's problems arise at night during his sleep. He wakes at least 15 times per hour during deep sleep and his oxygen levels drop and then rise continuously throughout the night. These were the numbers as of the last sleep study 6 months ago. We're convinced it's worse now though. For all that C has been through and for as little quality sleep that he gets, he's really a pretty happy boy for the most part. But all that sleep deprivation does cause alot of behavioural issues and grumpiness as well. He's exhausted all the time. When he wakes up in the morning, he is still so tired. And although he is hungry all the time and eats constantly, he isn't gaining weight. He's actually losing it. This is because he burns so many calories at night "trying" to sleep.

Some nights he finds his way into our bed because he just can't stay asleep on his own. Listening and watching him try to sleep is heartbreaking. He gasps and chokes and snores all night long. So, this surgery will correct all of that and hopefully cause him to be an even happier little boy.

Another aspect of this surgery that will be an adjustment for us all is the way it will change C's appearance. Any parent falls in love with the way their child looks and never gives it a second thought. You would never want to change their appearance. But this surgery will do just that. Keep in mind, it will not be done for cosmetic reasons at this young age, but that is something that will be part of the outcome.

The other day, we went to the hospital for the first of C's pre-op appointments. I always have the mirror flipped down in front of me so that C can see me as we talk and sign back and forth on the road. On this particular morning it was quiet in the backseat as it was just he and I. I watched him peacefully starring out the window as we crossed over the floating bridge to the hospital. All I could think was....no....I love his face. I don't want it to change. Then the tears started flowing and all I could do was pray for God to comfort me in that moment. He did and continues to daily. It's our faith in our Heavenly Father that carries us through every moment of our lives.

We've been very blessed to be a part of an online community of families with children who have Pfeiffer Syndrome as well. This has been incredibly helpful to us and a huge resource for encouragement and support.

So, this summer means many things to us, but mostly it's about hope for the future and spending time together. You'll probably notice we're taking more pictures than usual...now you know why. We're already looking forward to the beginning of December when C's "halo" will come off and we can celebrate his new found quality of life and all that God has done and is doing in the details of our lives.

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Jul. 21, 2009 - Reading with Grandma

Whenever my mom is here, the boys just love to have her sit and read to them. It's precious to watch and it means so much to me that they get to have that time with her.

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Jul. 21, 2009 - It's all about the T!!!

So our little T is getting quite big and doing absolutely everything he can to keep up with O and C. He's also beginning to think he has all of the same rights and priveledges they have. So hard to let him know this is not the case and keep a straight face when he falls to pieces over not being able to sit at the computer with his brothers and work on learning ASL and phonics. Oh, the injustice. I can tell he really feels like his rights have been violated. It's hilarious. All he wants to do is be the wrecking ball at the computer and whack on the keys. Anyway, he is so sweet and just so fun to watch with his older brothers. He really does have a special bond with both of them together and individually. It's neat to see.

Serious T.

Rights violation!

Cheesy smile!

Signing "more"...really really fast. Can you see his hands
are a blur?

This one cracks me up. He has so many different facial expressions.

Moments before his first official "hair clippers" haircut. Look how long that hair is.

Just after his haircut and a bath.

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Jul. 21, 2009 - Bow and Arrow

O has been asking about bows and arrows lately and decided he wanted to make one. So he found some sticks and we went to work adding rubber bands while Jeff helped make the perfect arrow. Then it was practice time. He thrilled in being able to launch his arrow farther and farther and with more precision. I LOVE it when the kids MAKE their own toys, thereby literally creating their own fun.

Look at the determination.

I sat and watched him for quite a while and helped him when he needed me. It was so fun to
see his excitement and determination.

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Jul. 21, 2009 - Visit with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Gisela

Last month Jeff's dad and step mom came for a visit. It was a great week filled with lots of time spent together having fun. As always, they spoiled all of us with lots of wonderful gifts and many delicious meals. But the thing that we enjoyed the most was just getting to spend TIME with them. The boys all had so much fun with them and did not want them to leave.

Grandpa Jim reading a VERY LONG book to C.

At Rattlesnake Lake

Grandma Gisela showing O how to whistle with a blade of grass.

Their sweet Lucy.

Our walk up to the Cedar River Watershed. The boys picked berries all along the way. Grandma
even risked her life for the kids reaching for some prime berries over a little waterfall.

Grandma G watching O. She just got done showing him how to
juggle with 2 limes. Keep practicing.

Grandpa and O talking about different places around the world.

Our last evening together....we went out for Mexican food.

I love this picture.

We all love you and miss you D&G.

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Jul. 21, 2009 - Book Tower

C is especially into grouping things together right now...collecting things, putting them in containers of all kinds, sometimes hiding them, dragging them from room to room. He even helps himself to my zip lock bags (that are not cheap) on an almost daily basis to group Hotwheel cars or play food in. Hmmmmm.... maybe I should move my zip lock bags. Anyway, he is our notorious collector of things. When we go on walks, he loves to collect leaves and sticks and anything else he finds. Lately, he has been taking all of our books and making towers with them. The funny thing about it is that he will go and get one at a time from another room and do this. I know he can carry more, but he has a process. He just makes me smile. I love to watch the intensity on his sweet face when he gets into his "zone".

Here are the books from one of our book baskets.

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Jul. 19, 2009 - Me and my C

My sweet C and I had fun taking pictures of ourselves not too long ago. He had the giggles the whole time which made for very precious memories that I will always treasure.

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Jul. 19, 2009 - Lake Sammamish State Park

We've been spending some time at one of our state parks lately. It's strange, because as a little girl, I spent alot of time there...and not much has changed. It's perfect for us because it has a little bit of everything....lake, sandy beach, walking trails, fields, playgrounds, picnic tables and bathrooms everywhere. Here's one of our most recent visits:

The best view around!!! I could have stayed there resting in
the warmth of the day for many more hours just watching the peaceful
fun my boys were having in the sand.

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Jul. 19, 2009 - Time with Family

We had my mom, step dad, brother and sister in-law over recently just to hang out have dinner. It had been too long. It was such a great afternoon just catching up and spending time together.

Uncle Matt with T. They look very content.

My mom with T. This is happiness!!!

O and Uncle Matt having some sort of a throwing war.

Uncle Matt and Aunt Shelby are such great sports....they LOVE getting on the floor and playing
with the boys. So fun to watch! And of course, our boys LOVE it too.

I didn't get shots of everyone, but we had alot of fun.

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Jul. 19, 2009 - Uncle Matt

My brother came by recently on his new bike. The kids always get very excited when their uncle Matt comes over to visit, but when he shows up on his motorcycle....the excitement level goes up a few notches. I took a few pictures of him with his bike, but had my camera on the wrong setting.

Love this one!!!

His friend, Bryan, came too. Great to see him...it's been way too long.

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Jul. 19, 2009 - Fun day with the Mills

I'm still catching up on our blogging little by little. Not too long ago....although it feels like it was forever ago, we spent the day with our friends, the Mills. It was C2's birthday, and they invited us to go hiking with them and then go to their house for pizza and cake. We all had such a good time together. My boys are really beginning to love hiking on gentle trails through the woods and this was a perfect hike for them. I should have brought our double jogger...it would have been perfect on this hike. Linda was so sweet to bring me a backpack sling for T, but he is so heavy now that I couldn't carry him that way. So, her husband carried him on his back in the sling the whole way.....what a great guy! T even fell asleep. I wish that Jeff had been able to go, but this was midweek and he was working. The Mills recently had a baby girl and also moved into a new house, so Linda's husband was taking time off. I'd love to do that hike again though with all of us.

C1, O, C2 (birthday boy) and C3 posing.

Linda with sweet baby C5

Taking a break for needed snacks! C1, O, C (my C), C3, C4 and the kids' Grandma is at the end.
I really enjoyed getting to know her a bit....a very lovely woman.

And my favorite....the whole Mills Family.

Thanks for such a fun day! Hope to see you soon.

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Jul. 19, 2009 - Bible Study

This past Fall leading into the Spring I had an amazing opportunity to be a part of another women's bible study group at our church on Friday mornings. It was literally life changing for me...the best study I've ever done. Since it ended, I have since decided to do the study again, but take my time and go deeper. It's a Beth Moore study called "Living Beyond Yourself". I am thankful and privledged to be joined in this study by a few good friends. My dear friend, Leigh, who recently moved to CA. agreed to do this study with me long distance. We connect when when we can, but ultimately know that God is keeping us accountable to each other in continuing the study even when we aren't able to connect as often as we'd like.

I am also blessed to be able to meet with three other friends who also wanted to do this study again. We've been meeting on Fridays in each other's homes with ALL of our kiddos. It's actually worked out really well because our kids done a great job playing together. It helps that the weather has been so nice so that they can be outside for the most part.

Leigh came to visit family and friends a couple weeks ago and we were able to spend a wonderful day together catching up and getting into our study (face to face....which was so nice!). Sadly, I only captured a couple pictures.

Here is Leigh with our other friend, Jennifer. It was a fun day. There are more great pictures over
on Leigh's blog. Leigh and her boys were here in the morning and then we were joined by Jennifer and her girls and my friend Jenny and her kids later on. They all stayed and played and took care of my older two, while I took little T to a doctor's appointment that day. I was sad to leave and miss out on the fun in the afternoon, but was happy they could all spend some time together and of course, knew O and C were in excellent care.

I miss you Leigh! It was such a blessing to me to get to spend time with you while you were here.

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Jul. 19, 2009 - With All Due Respect

The kids and I pulled out our Family Night Tool Chest book to work on a lesson about respect....it was a really good one!! The main points of the lesson were:

We can show respect by serving.
The Bible tells us who we should respect.
We can show love through respecting family members.

During the first activity we took turns washing and drying each other's feet in warm water while telling each other one things we like about them. O and C both said they loved the other. That was sweet. This was a very humbling experience.

Then we read in our bible, John 13:1-17 together and talked about why Jesus washed his disciples feet and what it means to put other people's needs ahead of our own. This is one of those lessons we will do again down the road and ask some of the deeper questions listed in our book.

During the next activity we focused on who we could respect and listed some ways we could show respect in very practical ways.....like taking turns when talking, not interrupting when someone is on the phone, saying please and thank you, knocking on doors before entering, etc.

I just love these Family Night books. They're written by Jim Weidmann. There are several books in this series. Here is the link to the first book in the series at Amazon.

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Jul. 11, 2009 - Creation

We did a lesson last week on Creation. We've read the story many times, but on this day...we were also reviewing the letter C for our 3 year old, C. So everything we did that day was C oriented. We had to be quick with our activity though, as T, our 16 month old, was busy destroying our efforts. (as is the case with most of our projects...he's a wrecking ball right now....tricky business finding ways to keep him occupied while we're doing school work, but still all worth it.)

I put up numbers from 1-7 around the room and asked the boys to find things around them that reminded them of what God had created on each day. They did a great job.

On the 1st day, God created light and darkness (and Earth)

On the 2nd day, God created Heaven. The boys crumpled up paper for clouds.

On the 3rd day He created land, seas and vegetation. These are the books they found to
represent all of this.

On the 4th day, God created the Sun, the Moon and the Stars.

On day 5, God created the living creatures in the water
and birds.

On the 6th day, God created land animals and people.

And on the 7th day, God rested!

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Jul. 11, 2009 - Phonics and Reading

Exciting News!!!! O is reading!

O's buddy G started reading recently. Such an exciting day. It was a BOB book. I remembered that we had some BOB books, so I pulled them out to see if O might be ready to read one. The books we have are from the 3rd set, so they were too advanced. But, I then remembered the Hooked on Phonics set we have that my cousin, Paula gave to us a year or so ago. There are several boxes, each a different level. So, we opened the first box. To my pleasant surprise, there are workbook guides, flashcards and sets of books in each box. At the time, I did not realize what a wonderful gift this was because we were no where near the age of learning to read. But now, I am so grateful for this resource. Thanks Paula!!! O is now reading the first books in the beginner box. So cool to hear him sounding out the words and getting excited about being able to read whole books.

O sounding out the words on our board and reading them to his little brother.

Creating words with magnets.

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Jul. 11, 2009 - State Lessons

About a month ago we decided to study the states of our country. So each week we've been learning about a different state. So far we've done Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. Our goal is to do this throughout the year and then start over again learning more details the next time around. The library is our greatest resource for each state study. At first I was gathering only practical non fiction type books to look through. This got boring really fast for everyone. So, now we only choose a book or two that highlights the state and includes maps. And then I gather other books that are more fictional but true to life in each state. For example, a counting Alaskan animals book or "Alaskan Ferry Tales for Children". I've also found awesome videos on each state as well. And of course, reading, writing, math, social studies, history, art, and geography can all so easily be included.

Here are a few highlights:

Washington

We made our own WA state coins and then laminated them.

Apple stamping because WA. is known for it's apples.

Alaska

A picture O drew for his friend.

T bringing me a book to read about Alaska.

Animal Totem Poles

Our Family Totem Pole

The other side....we gave this to Daddy to put on his desk
at work. He loved it!!!

Hawaii

This is our new dry erase board that we now use. I was never getting around to changing our learning poster and it was using up too much computer ink and time putting it all together. The boys like this much better because it's different everyday.

I didn't take many pictures of our Hawaii lessons. My mom brought us some leis and a grass skirt that we've had fun with though. And like the other states, we read alot of books. O also watched a travel video about planning a trip with your kids to Hawaii. It was great and highlighted much of the islands and fun things to do. Afterward, he said, "Mom, we should REALLY go there." I agree. I've been there twice, but I was a teenager at the time. It will be fun to go again one day with the kids. O especially wants to go climb on the Banyan Trees at Banyan Tree Park in Maui.

A few of my favorite online resources for our State Lessons are:
Discover America
Kidspace: Stately Knowledge
States in the USA

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Jul. 10, 2009 - Volcano Fun

Making volcanoes seems to be a big hit around here. This time we decided to make one with our best friends. Everyone had alot of fun.

Jenny, G (Spidey), O, F C and M getting ready to pour in the vinegar. We use play-doh to cover a glass
container so that it would look a bit more realistic.

I love the looks on their precious little faces.

Later on the kids read books together on the couch.

...and being silly.

I think our kids have a million different facial expressions.

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Jul. 10, 2009 - Science book

I think that our favorite subject around here is Science. The kids love experiments and anything nature related. We bought a book about a year ago that I had forgotten about. I pulled it out one day when we were looking for a fun experiment to try.

This experiment was a lesson on air pressure. They had
fun doing it over and over again.

Lots of fun!!!

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Jul. 9, 2009 - Fun family outing

I know I've posted about this place before, but we had never been there before as a family. It was fun for the boys to show daddy all of the animals and barns at Kelsey Creek Farm.

C watching the goats and horses.

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Jul. 8, 2009 - Long time, no post

Life around here never slows down. Now that T is 15 months old, he wants to keep up with his big brothers and does a pretty good job of it. Thought I'd post a few pictures now and will catch up with the rest over the next few days.

T and O with their sweet, just got out of bed, morning faces.

Our sweet C.

Does it get any better than this???

I love it when they are like this.

O climbing trees.

C and O laughing about something after their bath.

T....all smiles.

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May. 18, 2009 - At the park with Grandma and Grandpa

We spent a wonderful day with my mom and Wayne...my Pa, a couple weekends ago. Mom made a yummy breakfast with her delicious crustless salmon quiche (crustless is THE only way to go) and then headed over to a park to go Geocaching (more about that later). The park was great with lots of interesting climbing structures and some 'old-school' play equipment. It was an awesome day!!!

Between my mom and me, we managed to get some pretty good pictures. Thanks Mom!

C, O and T being goofy.

Our family!

Grandpa W. helping C go down the fire pole. (again and again and again and....)

Grandma D. and C going down the slide. A little blury, but
I love the looks on their faces.

Me and my baby T.

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May. 16, 2009 - Haircuts

It was a typical day about a week and a half ago. I was putting T down for a nap and needed O and C to be quiet for a few minutes. I asked them to please play nicely while I laid him down. As I rocked T for a few minutes in his room, I silently thanked God for the peace and quiet. Many days the noise and commotion make it difficult to get T to sleep easily. This, however, was a good day!!!! As I tiptoed out of his room and down the hall, I began to wonder...."WHY is it it SO quiet?" And then I rounded the corner into the bathroom to investigate. I had thought the boys were reading in the living room. NO....to my horror the sink was filled with hair and both O and C were paralyzed with fear as they saw the look on my face. Never in my wildest imagination did I think THIS would ever happen. As I stood there in shock, looking at O with the scissors still in his hand, I asked "WHY did you do this?" His response is one that I will never forget. "But Mom, I wanted to look like Uncle Matt!" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or scream. My response...."Well guess what, you get your wish, cause now I have to buzz your hair!"

I keep our scissors on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet and I NEVER would have guessed that O would do something like this. But, after I calmed down and thought about it, I realized that even though O is usually very responsible, he's still just 5 and not perfect. No one is. And I cannot expect him to always make good decisions. I even need to remember not to put him or any of our children on a pedestal. We all make mistakes. I seem to be an expert at it some days.

Anyway, we both learned some lessons from this one. By the way, upon further investigation, I realized that C had his turn with the scissors too, but had not to the extent that O did. Needless to say, I finished the job they started.

(sigh....)

He does look pretty cute!

I would say that O succeeded in looking just like Uncle Matt (my brother). And the lovely
woman sitting next to him is his wife (my sister in law), Shelby.

Carson's haircut is a typical one. He didn't get it as short....whew!!!!

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May. 1, 2009 - Friends come for a visit

My good friend, Leigh, moved away to beautiful sunny Roseville CA. recently. Her and her family came back up for a visit this last week and we had an opportunity for a short visit. It was SO nice to spend some time just catching up. Our big boys were able to play for a bit, which was wonderful too. I actually left O with them for a bit so that they could play a little longer and I could run to the store with my little guys. On the way, they fell asleep, so instead I drove through Starbucks, grabbed a latte and parked in the grocery store parking lot. I just happened to have my Beth Moore bible study with me, so it was a great opportunity to have a whole hour of uninterupted ME time while I refreshed and rested in God's Word. Thanks Leigh!

R, O and A having fun.

I miss you dearly Leigh and am looking forward to our study together this summer.

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May. 1, 2009 - Under Construction

I got really tired of the old drab brown background we were using for our blog, so I'm in the process of changing it....trying to figure out the HTML settings to line up the sidebar and change the color. Looking forward to a cleaner look.

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Apr. 27, 2009 - Unplanned math lesson

"Mom, can we count our money?"
"Sure, let's get your money banks."
"Mom, there's so many coins. How do we figure out how many there are and keep track of it?"
"Hmmmmm....I'm sure there's a great math lesson here. Let's see what we can come up with."

This was such a great lesson on so many levels. C practiced his counting while putting his coins in piles, then in cups, and then into the bank. This was great for him too. I love it when unexpected lessons
happen.

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Apr. 27, 2009 - Working together

Working together is a big deal in our family. When there's teamwork, I get so excited. Lots of praises are given by both Jeff and I. It's always a work in progress, as it is in most families, but are so thankful for these moments.

Good job boys!

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Apr. 27, 2009 - Nests

As the weather has been turning and Spring is finally here, we've been noticing more of the beautiful birds in our backyard. My Grandma Margaret gave O a bird field guide last time we visited. We have already used it to figure out what kinds of birds we see out there. One day we decided to go out and gather items to make nests after talking about how birds make their nests. So the boys gathered grass and rocks mostly and brought them inside. This is what they constructed, complete with blue eggs.

After they made them, I thought...how perfect, our sound of the week is "st" and letter of the week is "e".....as in NEST. It's great when things come together like that.....and it wasn't at all planned.

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About Me

We are a family of 5 enjoying life's adventures while homeschooling our three boys along the way. Our oldest son, O, is 5. C, our middle son is 3 and our youngest, T, is 1. This is our journey.....