Ribs!

Today was my first rib cooking experience. They were good but it was an all day grill-a-thon. It really makes me appreciate the cooks at Dreamland. Chris didn't enjoy the messiness of the meal, but me and Belle tore into them.

Welcome to the Jungle

So, we've determined that it is time we take back our backyard. Nine years ago, when the our house was built the developer put in some junipers behind the retaining wall. At the time they were about 18 inches tall. Now they are 8-10 feet tall. That's a 5 foot tall rake that you see in the picture. Over the past few nights we have gotten 3 of them down. I've had to resort to power tools on some of the 3 inch diameter branches. Only 21 more to go!

Re-thinking the Yoga Socks

Have we ever mentioned that Joshua is rough on things? Apparently the average user of yoga socks is not quite as rough as a two and a half year old boy. The socks were great for keeping him from slipping on our hardwoods, but by the end of the first day, he had worn most of the tread off. We were good for two days...since he only used one sock at a time. However, by this morning we had to find something else, since I couldn't spend my entire day upstairs where the floors are carpeted.



Above is our first attempt today...non-slip shelf liner attached with sports tape. We really thought this would work, and it did....for about 10 minutes. Then pieces started wearing off. I was not thrilled with the idea of replacing this multiple times in an hour for 2 weeks. So, at 8:01 (literally) I was on the phone with the ortho clinic to find out what we could do. They seemed surprised that we had not been given a cast shoe. I didn't even know those existed, but they make perfect sense. So before 9:00 we were on our way to pick up a toddler cast shoe (still wearing his pajamas...we were in a hurry because he had therapists coming to the house at 10:00).

Here he is with the cast shoe. It is perfect! He doesn't even try to take it off, which is amazing because he always wants to take his shoes & socks off. So, if your child ever has to have a cast on their foot, be sure to get a cast shoe before you go home!

What Cast?

The Ride Home

6 Hours Later

When we got home we moved the trampoline downstairs until Joshua had gotten used to his cast. Well it didn't take long -- after about 10 minutes he was walking around on his own. When we came down for dinner we couldn't keep him off the trampoline. A quick trip to the store sovled the cast/hardwoods interface problem. I found a pair of yoga socks. They are basically an adult version of the toddler tread socks. Once we got one over his cast he was good to go. He is now able to kick a ball around and chase the dog at full speed.

Surgery Update

Joshua did great for his surgery today. Everything went well. The doctor decided to put him in a cast for 2 weeks to keep him from messing with his stitches. Unfortunately, hardwood floors & a synthetic cast do not mix well. We are working a solution to that! Joshua is really in a good mood, so we are thankful for that. Thanks for all of your prayers!

Ankle Surgery

Well, we are trying this again. Joshua is scheduled for surgery first thing Friday morning to remove a cyst from his ankle. We tried this 3-4 weeks ago & he started running a fever 18 hours or so before the surgery time. If you think about him over the next few days, can you pray for him. First, pray that he won't get sick between now & then...we are staying in as much as possible this week. Second, pray for the surgery & no complications. The doctor thinks this is just a fluid-filled cyst but can't be sure until he removes it. Last, with his seizure disorder, the anesthesia will put him at an increased risk for seizures; so, please pray for no seizures! Thanks again!

Two & a half

Where did my baby go? It is hard to believe he is two & a half! I think all of his "baby" looks are completely gone! He has almost lost the last fat roll on his thighs! That is really hard to believe, but he has recently gotten taller & slimmed up a bit. He has come such a long way since this time last year. At that point, we were beginning to suspect some problems (seizures, delays) & had just begun the evaluation process with two different early intervention programs. Since then, he has been through too many evaluations & tests to count and even more therapy sessions. He was diagnosed with a seizure disorder & began medication for that. He went through an incredibly rough spell of severe tantrums. Thankfully that is past...for now anyway. Things feel like they are starting to fall in to place for him. In all honesty, we don't really know much more than we did a year ago, as far as why all of this is happening. We have had to accept the fact that we may never know the cause of Joshua's problems, but we aren't giving up on getting him the best help that is available. He has been seizure-free for almost 4 months, which is a huge blessing! We think that has been a big part of his progress in the past few months. We are so excited to see what the coming months & years hold for him. Thank you to all of you who have so faithfully prayed for our precious baby for the past year and a half or so!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

I think Joshua is trying to determine how many times of reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? it takes to make a person lose their mind. I have read it to him at least 50 times today...that is not an exaggeration! He LOVES this book. We discovered right after buying it for him, that he loved it & wanted to read it over & over again. So, we put it up high on the book shelf so that he couldn't see it. Well, a few days ago, he figured out where it was, and he keeps "asking" (read: signing) for it. It is hard to say no to that. Besides, he will have a new favorite book in a couple of weeks.


He's signing "bear".

Jumping Again!!

The replacement trampoline came in yesterday. John got it together right before bedtime last night. Joshua is so glad to have his favorite toy back! The store we purchased from really got it to us quickly. I know the picture is a little blurry, but he wouldn't stand still while he was on it! This is the best one I could get.

I Void Warranties -- Trampoline Edition

Q: Did our trampoline have a removable handle?
A: Yes

Q: Is this how you remove the handle?
A: No

After a mere 3 months of use, our toddler snapped the steel tubing on his trampoline at the joint. We contacted the seller that we purchased it from on ebay; they say that a replacement is on the way... we'll keep you posted.