Sunday, September 28, 2008

A day for JDRF






We were invited by our (oh-so-wonderful) friends to walk in this year's Juvenile Diabetes Research Walk for a Cure, in honor of their 4 year old daughter who was diagnosed about a year and a half ago. It turned out to be a beautiful day with around 5000 people! After the walk we had unlimited ride bracelets for the adjoining amusement park since we had participated. The kids had a great time and didn't even complaine about the walk - I was very proud of them. Paige had a great day too (and a little nap in the stroller). We left home this morning about 8:30 and didn't get home again until after 5. When we pulled into the driveway and turned the car off none of us moved for about five minutes! Apparently all of us are a bit worn out from the day. We had a lot of fun though and hopefully we can walk again next year!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Our little stinker bug...




Just a couple of cute pictures of Miss P from this morning. The same little cutie who decided that 5:30 was a good time to get up today. When I refused to join her and sent her back to bed she took it upon herself to wake each of her brothers up instead! None of us were too happy with her! She is finally getting to like the camera though. When I pulled it out this morning she came running over with a big grin yelling "cheese pickles!"

Berry picking.


These are a couple of clandestine photos I took the other day. I made Caden a yogurt smoothie with some fresh raspberries in it and naturally Trace decided he wanted one as soon as he saw it. Since I'd used all the berries I told Trace he would have to go get some more from the neighbor who gave them to us. Caden immediately volunteered to go instead. I just thought he was so cute over there in his socks with the neighbor. It was also unusually brave of him to go and ask by himself!
The pictures aren't the best because they were taken from across the street and through our (not so clean) front window!

Friday, September 19, 2008

He listens to our prayers!



Please continue praying for little Susannah! Her parents report that she is improving and they have faith they will be able to bring her home. Her situation is still very critical though and she desperately needs to get home to good medical care. If you'd like more information or to follow their story they are keeping a blog at http://www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com/ They are also asking for prayers for their two young boys at home and their caretakers.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Prayer Request!

There is a baby girl in China who needs our prayers desperatly. Her parents arrived to get her and instead were told she was in the hospital. They knew she had a heart problem but did not expect to find her the way they did. If she doesn't get home to the US or at least to a better hospital in China she will die. This is urgent and the family is asking for prayer. There is a lot of red tape so please pray that God will make a way where there seems to be none! Her name is Susanna.

Monday, September 15, 2008

SCORE!




I'd like to say the second picture was of Caden saving the day but unfortunately that ball rolled right past him into the box the second the camera clicked! Let's just say goalie isn't his best position. Both boys had fun at their first games of the season and we had beautiful weather. Caden scored a goal and both of their teams won - a great start. I can already see my future flashing before my eyes though - we had a game at 9am about 25 minutes away,made it home for an hour (just enough time for a quick lunch) then had to drive almost 40 minutes to the next game. After that we rushed home so Trace could take a shower then immediately left to get him to a birthday party. Then it was back to pick him up and go to a special event down at Fort Vancouver. We didn't get home for the night until about 7:30! Next week will be the best since both games are at the same time at the same field! Whoo-hoo...

Monday, September 08, 2008

7 on the 7th!


We had Caden's little family party yesterday. (I decided that when our kids start school they no longer get big family parties, just little ones with grandparents and anyone else who chooses to come. Otherwise it just felt like we were seeking gifts from people that we only see a couple times a year.) Ok, off my soapbox...

Trace spent Saturday night with Nana and Papa and the rest of us went to church so that Caden could just lay around on his birthday morning. It turned out to be a great choice he really enjoyed his 'alone' time.

A little reflexion on the past seven years... (feel free to skip)

Caden was born on a Friday morning, two weeks early. I'll never forget the scowel on his little face as the docter lifted him up for us to see for the first time. His babyhood was not an easy one for me. A pretty fussy baby who was stingy with the smiles unless he was in a really good mood. Toddlerhood wasn't an improvement. He had speech difficulties on top of sensory issues on top of a very opinioated personality! When I recently looked back at his original diagnosis I couldn't believe how far he has come! Speech therapy made him totally understandable within a few months of starting which in turn decreased the tantrums a bit. Therapy for his sensory issues helped him a little but helped me even more know how to respond and react to him. Time, I think, has been the biggest help. And maturity. I still have to cut the tags out of shirts, and toss a perfectly good pair of shoes - because "they hurt!" But I no longer have to carry him everywhere because of weakness in his muscles (low tone). Now he can run up and down a soccer field! There are other patterns and issues that we have either managed to work through to an understanding, or are still working on but he has made such huge progress!

While Caden and I seem to butt heads a lot there is also an extremely sensitive side to him. He is always asking me to play with him or sit with him on the couch. Bedtime is our special time together to talk about anything he wants and he loves that. He can be an awsome brother to both of his siblings (when he wants), often thinking of them when he is getting something special. As our little comedian he can get us all laughing over the oddest things. And he never tires of helping his papa out in the yard. It has been seven crazy years and so many things have changed in his short life! I hope the next seven bring more growth and joy together. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CADEN!

Thursday, September 04, 2008

A momentous day...




Most of you will not appreciate the significance of these pictures so let me explain. We discovered when we moved last February that all four of the corner brackets that hold our bed together had cracked. The bed is almost ten years old so I guess things happen. So we put the mattress on the floor, made it, and that's where it has remained! Until Monday. Exactly 7 months later and we finally got the new brackets and put the bed together! I can't tell you how happy I am to no longer be sleeping on the floor!
p.s. Paige is so thrilled to have her Daddy home that she has pretty much attached herself to him and follows him everywhere!

Back to school

The boys are back in school and so far so good. Caden is doing pretty well with the full day but has said he gets a little homesick a couple times during the day. I can't belive how accurate his therapist was when she said he'd hold everything in at school then come home and fall apart! That is exactly what he does and a few weeks ago was actually able to verbalize that to me for the first time. It should be an interesting year. Trace is happy to be back with friends and seems to really like his teacher. This is his first year with a male teacher and I hope it is a good experience for him.
Soccer started again last week also. We have missed it since there was no spring league this year. Trace got on a team with a lot of kids from school so he is thrilled. I had to laugh during his first practice though. Those coaches are serious! They ran those boys for almost a solid hour and a half. They aren't able to sit during water breaks either - makes them too relaxed I guess. I love it and Trace really needs it! Caden has a pretty good coach too and knows at least one other boy on his team. They both are in awe that there are no girls on the team - they played co-ed in Illinois for the past two years. The only downside to the whole thing is the schedule. They get off the bus at about 3:30 and Caden is supposed to be at practice at 3:50. He is done at 4:40 and Trace doesn't have to be back until 5:30 and picked up at 7:00. It makes Tuesday and Thursday pretty long days!

Summer's final farewell...




Labor Day weekend I took the kids down to the beach for our last camping trip of the year. We mainly went so that on Saturday we could go to see the cival war re-enactment. My parents met me part way there and took the boys on to their motorhome for the night. So Paige and I had a night alone in our trailer. I can say two things about that, it was very quiet and very clean! It was also very strange. The next morning we met at the fort to spend the day. The boys loved pretty much everything about it. Caden, our little war hero, thought he'd died and gone to heaven. He is convinced that Rick needs to get a uniform so we can all do that every year! I'm not so sure the rest of us want to dress in period clothing and live like pioneers for a weekend though! Papa bought each of the boys a rifle and union hat and after that they took off to join a band of boys they had seen running around the park. They spent the rest of the day running around with about 20-30 other little boys who all had a gun of some sort. Half of the time we had no idea where they were, but they had, as Caden put it, the best day EVER! We later found out that they were in the "Indian" camp, on the battery (from WWII), and down by the river(yes, that would be the mouth of the COLUMBIA river - holy cow, maybe it's better we didn't know where they were). Once we were back at the trailer I got it cleaned up and out and ready to store for the winter and on Sunday we bid it farewell and went home to see Rick.