Back to Blogging!

How does this always happen? My great intentions of keeping up with our blog bring me to 3 1/2 months down the road having no idea where to start. There are SO many things I want to share and write about, but I'm afraid that's why I haven't sat down to do it in the first place...there isn't enough time to cover it all. So, I think instead of trying to recap our entire summer at kamp, Mylee's trip to see Dora Live in St. Louis, the 4th of July, week at kamp with Grammy and Papa, post kamp trip to St.Louis (including the Magic house and Cardinal game), our trip to Disney World with Mylee (you can see all the pictures on facebook), the start of the Institute year, Isaac's many words and big personality, Mylee's new found love of drawing/coloring/art, and much more, I will start with the most recent milestone in our lives and go from there. What is that milestone, you may be wondering? It started on September 1st with Mylee's first day of preschool.

We have a preschooler! I know it's not as big a monument compared to what lies ahead, but for us and our 3 1/2 year old, it was and is a big deal! Mylee says it well as she looks at pictures of herself from the past couple of years, "Mom, how did I get so big?" I wish I could answer that question because I have no idea how time goes by so quickly. Mylee was nervous the first day and I think I might have been even more nervous. I really felt like it was my first day of school again. She was ready, though, and the past month has been great for her. She is learning about other people, making friends, and enjoying her time in preschool. Every Tuesday and Thursday as we drop her off Isaac says, "Isaac. Preschool." He's ready to start too, but I know his time will be here in a rush as well. Right now I'm trying to take advantage of a couple mornings a week with him and hopefully he'll still want to go a couple of years down the road. Here are some pictures from the first day.

Make new friends, but keep the old

This past week my best friend from high school, Jessica, and her mom got to come visit kamp. It was so fun to show them around and for them to see where we spend a lot of our lives (at least 1/4 of each year). I have known Jessica since 8th grade and I won't say I'm great at keeping up with high school friends, but she is one who I know will always be a part of my life. Up until now the only time I see old friends is when we are in St. Louis for a visit. So, it was really exciting for me to be able to show her a little of what our "world" looks like. Most people who have never seen Kanakuk for themselves are a little surprised at how big it is, how many activities there are and how many kids come through the gates each week. It was a quick visit, but so enjoyable! I never know for sure when I'll get to see Jess, so I was very thankful she and her mom took the extra time to drop by. Thanks, Jess!

A Backyard Zoo

I went for a run last week one morning before the kids woke up. As I ran through K7 and our neighboring kamp, K-west, and even up the hill into K2, I could hear the lovely cock-a-doodle-dooing of our rooster. I was wondering how many other people were being awakened by the same sound. You many be wondering why we would have a rooster...good question. The rooster is just the beginning, though, of our newest addition to K7: the petting zoo! Yep, we have goats, bunnies, ducklings, chickens, a lamb, pigs, and a turkey. It is right behind our cabin and has provided lots of entertainment so far. Mylee and Isaac have love it, along with all the staff and kampers. Mylee had been hoping for a pink pig with a curly tail and her wish came true. She named him Curly. Isaac was always excited about animals until he got close, but he has gotten a lot braver and walks around in the pen and pets them now. The most amusing thing has probably been the goat that jumps over the fence. We'll walk back to go look at the animals and the goat will just be walking around down by the office eating leaves off trees. If you tell him to "go home" and kind of follow him over to the pen, he jumps back in...until he gets bored. Mylee likes to get him back in when he comes out. The petting zoo has definitely been a big hit, and if we can have pets during the summer and not at our house, that is great with me!

Oh-and after a few mornings of the rooster waking up kampers really early, he went to live somewhere else :)

Here are some pictures of the zoo!

Cowboy boots....and tie dye!

During Staff Training Week at K7 we have a theme for each day and everyone is encouraged to dress according to the theme. Two of my favorite days this year were the country western day and 80s day (who doesn't love a good side ponytail?) At the end of the western day we had a western hoe down complete with a cookout, line dancing and lots of boots. Mylee got very much into the theme days this year so when she got to bust our her pink cowgirl boots, she was thrilled. I don't know if the rest of her outfit qualified as "country" but she picked it out and who's to argue with a 3 year old about country attire? She seems to have become quite the performer and didn't shy away at all from going up on stage and dancing with the best of them.

A couple of days later was 80s day and most people went all out for this one. The day was topped off with a roller skating party and Mylee had her first experience on skates. She looked great in her tie dye shirt! The evening was going to be a little late for Isaac so he and I and our dear friends Jenni, Zoey and Ruby stayed behind and went and got ice cream instead. Not much beats 2 little ones with ice cream cones!

Mylee and Lauren getting ready to go...watch out skate world!

Isaac and Zoey working on their cones

Ice cream is the best!

Congratulations, Brian!

My sister's husband, Brian, graduated from Southwest Baptist University a couple of weeks ago. I made the day trip to Bolivar and felt a little old as I counted the number of years ago it was that I graduated from SBU. It was fun to go back and find a favorite teacher, see a friend unexpectedly, and be with family for the day. Congraulations, Brian on a great achievement!

A Hair Raising Experience!

Before kamp started, we took one last trip to St. Louis. It has become a traidition to go visit all the grandparents before we disappear for the summer...and celebrate a couple of birthdays, Mothers Day, get to a Cardinal game and anything else we can cram into one weekend. This year Chad stayed at his parent's for a day to help with the building of a new patio (which turned out great!) and the kids and I went to Mimi and Papa's (my parents) for the day. We ended up taking the kids to the Magic House in Kirkwood and it was awesome!

I lived about 15 minutes from this place all growing up and never went. It was probably the coolest kids place I have been to (besides Disney World, of course). There were 3 HUGE floors of all kinds of rooms to explore....bubbles, sight, sound, pulleys, magnets, smell, wheels, machines, and anything relating to science you could imagine for a kid. The most popular item at the Magic House is a ball that you put your hand on and you get an electric charge (painless) and it makes your hair stand straight up. It was definitely Mylee's highlight. There was a whole section for younger kiddos and had a 2 story house with kid-sized furnishings, a store with real containers and cash registers, a fishing pond, post office, fire station, etc. We had to drag Mylee and Isaac out to go get some dinner. It's always a good thing when they leave asking to come back real soon!

Roadtrip to Nashville

What could be more fun than 20+ hours in the car with two toddlers? It actually wasn't that bad. This past weekend we headed for Nashville, TN to see some great friends and run in the Rock n' Roll Country Music Marathon. We broke up the trip by stopping in St. Louis on the way there and back which helped a ton!! It was great to see Doug and Courtney, some of our long time friends and their two girls. Our kids had a lot of fun playing together and Chad and I both finished the 1/2 marathon (although Chad's finish was at a lot better pace than mine!). As far as the race, we weren't quite prepared for the heat and hills of Nashville, but the atmosphere was unbelievable with over 30,000 runners there. We had a brief delay leaving the race as our van was blocked in the parking lot with no way out. So, after an hour and a half and getting caught looking in an unlocked car for a spare key we were able to get out and headed back to our kiddos. It was definitely a memorable weekend of friends, fun, and family. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

The bounce house was fun!!

Isaac enjoying a popscicle

Amelia and Mylee with their popscicles

Chad and I pre race (and pre sunrise)

Catch up

Well, once again I have let too much time go by without updating our blog and now there are about 15 things I could write about. So....since I probably won't sit here long enough to tell you about the 15 things that have happened and you wouldn't have time to read that much, I'm going to try and abbreviate as many of the events that have occurred in our family in the last couple of months.

The Blessing Bank

There are so many times as parents that Chad and I wonder if we are doing anything right and if our kids are taking to heart any of the values we desire to teach them. We had a sweet moment with Mylee a few weeks ago during a "family night". Her favorite thing is for us to create a scavenger hunt for her so we were in the midst of one and she got a clue that led her to find a blessing bank. The blessing bank was created by one of our dear friend's sister-in-law and the purpose is to teach your kids how to give a portion of money they may recieve towards tithing or giving to others. We explained to Mylee that our friend who had given us this bank is going to Africa to help people and tell them about Jesus this summer. She immediately went to her wallet (which held $5 she had been saving for a toy she wanted) and said she wanted to give all of it to our friend to take to Africa. I told her she could just give her "church" money from her allowance, but she insisted on giving all of her spending money as well. Chad and I sat there with tears in our eyes as we were once again taught by our daughter. How often have I given everything I have to help someone in need? I probably haven't modeled that very often, so I was also reminded that her generosity had nothing to do with anything I had or hadn't done as a parent...it was just a pure loving little heart with the ability to understood at 3 years old that people are more important than things. Little does she know how her blessing bank has blessed us.

Sibling Fun

We are a year and a half into having two kids and it has been fun to watch the transitions and growth in their relationship with each other. Isaac has always adored Mylee. He wants to be wherever she is doing whatever she is doing. I know that can be annoying at times for Mylee, but she tolerates it pretty well. The greatest moments to watch, though, are when they engage each other and really want to be playing together or snuggling on the couch. Mylee's latest goal is to pick him up. She tries with all she's got, but still hasn't managed to really get him off the ground. She doesn't have a whole lot of a weight advantage on him....it wouldn't suprise me if he is the one picking her up before too long. We think the video does a much better job describing it!

Mylee's First Soccer Team

We are in the middle of the "biddy" soccer season and I think Mylee would tell you that she doesn't like soccer at this point. To quote her exactly, "I don't like soccer. It's too much work and it makes my legs hurt!" But, it is still fun and funny to watch. She is on a team with several of her little buddies and just to experience what a team is for the first time is good for her. Our family rule is that you don't have to start a sport or activity, but if you do, you have to finish it. So, we will finish out the 3 game season and see if she gets a new outlook on the sport by next spring :) Chad said from the start that the girls would be out there talking and holding hands and sure enough, the first practice they were playing ring around the rosies and giving each other hugs. I guess when you're 3, those are the things that make it fun.

Happy Easter!

We have stayed in Branson the past couple of years for Easter, but this year made the trip home to the St.Louis area to visit the grandparents. My parent's house is pretty calm with Mylee and Isaac being the only grandchildren. We had a little easter egg hunt and they each got a basket on Easter morning. Then, we went to Chad's parents house where there are 10 grandkids and a lot more going on! There was another Easter egg hunt, a huge dinner, and even a hunt for the adults :) We no that no matter how we celebrate the holiday (with 2 kids or 10) we are eternally blessed for the reason we celebrate. Jesus is alive and He defeated death and for some reason finds pleasure in extending His grace to us. We are thankful!

Isaac sporting his new Cardinal hat and shades

Mylee and Papa having a peep...Papa's favorite!

Mylee and Aunt Sarah dyeing Easter eggs

Our family...Happy Easter!

Ear Tubes

We did it...we made it through Isaac's first surgery. And I wouldn't mind if it were the last, but Chad keeps assuring me we will have many more injuries with Isaac before he's out of our care (If hospital visits are hereditary, then that is true). The whole process went really well and we were well taken care of at the hospital, but it's always a little scary when you enter the unknown, especially with your child.

We had to be at the outpatient center in Springfield at 6:30am so the day started pretty early. When I took a sleeping Isaac from his bed at 5:40, I was hoping he would fall back asleep on the way there. But, no. Once he is up, he's up and the car doesn't seem to help him sleep. He was happy, though (even when I repeatedly refused to give him his milk since he couldn't drink or eat before the surgery). We got checked in when we arrived and were taken to our room for all the pre-surgery drills. They took his temperature, measured him, weighed him, listened to his heart, asked us questions, etc. But, most of the time was just waiting for our turn. They started the surgeries at 8:00am and there was a whole hallway of babies and kids getting tubes. Isaac was third, as they do the surgeries from youngest to oldest.

By about 8:00, I was feeling pretty nervous. I was most worried about the anesthesia and the whole putting him under part. Every doctor and nurse that came in assured us the surgery was about 3 minutes long and he wouldn't be under for more than 10 minutes. The surgeon told us the procedure was less risky than driving to Springfield in our car. But, it was still a little nerve wracking.

They allow one support person to go back with children while they give them the "gas mask" so we decided I would go. I got to suit up and we waited for our turn.

Our turn came around 8:45. A nurse led us back to the room where they perform the surgery. It was bright and sterile and there were about 5 nurses in there. They had me sit Isaac on the bed and showed him the mask and let him play with it for a few minutes. He had no idea what was going on and was his happy self. Less than a minute later they turned the gas on and put it up to his face. His little eyes looked at mine and it was like he was asking me what was happening. But, it didn't take long for his eyes to start drooping and then close. They laid him back on the bed, told me I could give him a kiss, and then shooed me out. Leaving was the last thing I wanted to do, but obviously I didn't have a choice. I was led back to our room and once I got there the tears came. I knew I was nervous about the whole thing, but I don't think I realized how emotional it would be to watch. I was so thankful I got to go back with him...I'm sure it would have been so scary by himself. But, leaving him like that was really hard. I can't imagine what it must be like for parents that have kids in surgery for hours at a time.

But, about as soon as I had regained my composure, the doctor came back and said it was over and everything looked good. I think the whole process from the mask to the finish of surgery was less than 10 minutes. He said a nurse would come get us shortly after he woke up. And about 10 minutes later we got to go back to recovery where he was being rocked by one of the nurses. It was such a relief to see him with his eyes open and to know he was OK. We sat with him for a little while and he drank a whole cup of apple juice in about 2 minutes. As soon as he had something in him he was ready to go.

We went back to the room one more time and they checked his vitals and that was it. He was already walking the halls and playing with toys. Besides being a little sleepy from his early morning, I never would have known the difference in him. We were home by 10:30am and he actually made it until his afternoon nap before falling asleep. We were and are so proud of him! We continue to learn new things each day about being parents and I learned again that doing something that may not be fun in the short term to help you child in the long term is worth it. Now, we just have to pray that it does help in the long term and Isaac doesn't have to deal with ear infections for awhile.

We are grateful to have the family and friends we do who were praying for him and us and that the Lord once again showed His faithfulness to us. And we're grateful our little Buddy is his happy-go-lucky self! Here are some pictures of our adventure.

It was 5:45 am, but Isaac still had some smiles on our way

to Springfield. The flash is really bright that early!

The rooms were very kid friendly and this fun car helped

pass the time while we did all the pre-surgery stuff.

Isaac looked pretty adorable in his hospital gown...still playing with the car.

Walking up and down the hallway was also a big hit.

Isaac and I before they took him back to surgery.

Back home a couple hours later and as good as new!

Winter Fun

Well, a little bit of snow made one little girl very happy! Mylee has been looking forward to playing in the snow all winter. We happened to be in St.Louis at the end of January when they got about 8 inches so that was great. But, when she woke up on Saturday morning and there was snow she said, "I've never seen snow in Branson!" As soon as breakfast was eaten, the snow suit was on and she was out the door. She doesn't really play in the snow, though. She just likes to eat it :) And Isaac wanted to go out because he wants to do whatever his big sister is doing. It didn't last long, but it was fun and we got some cute pictures.

On a different note, we just found out yesterday that Isaac is going to have tubes put in his ears. I was really against surgery in the beginning, but after the 4th ear infection since Christmas, I just want him to be well and feel well. We had our ENT appointment yesterday and we get tubes tomorrow! Really fast, which is probably a blessing so I don't have time to think about it too much. We're just praying he gets some relief and there are no negative side effects from the surgery. We'll let everyone know how it goes.

Long Overdue!

Well, this happened almost 3 months ago, but still wanted to show off Isaac's first steps across the living room. We were having "family dinner" with about 10 people at our house. After dinner we were sitting around the living room and he decided it was time to walk. The greatest part was his recline in his victory chair after he was done. Now he is a pro at walking and has probably fallen more times in 3 months of walking than Mylee has in her 3 years. The differences between boys and girls continue to amaze us. :)

In a Moment's Time

Well, a lot has happened in the last few weeks-my excuse for not updating the blog sooner. On January 23rd my mom called to tell me that she was in the emergency room, but it wasn't a big deal (I didn't believe that). She had been feeling sick the whole week and the doctors were suspecting appendicitis. That turned out to be true, and a few hours later she was taken into surgery. When the doctors went in and touched the appendix it ruptured, resulting in a huge incision, taking part of her colon, and a long recovery ahead.
I went to sleep that night after talking to my Dad around midnight thinking she was out of surgery and everything was OK. The next day my Dad told me that she had gone into respiratory distress and for awhile the doctors weren't sure if she was going to make it. How could that happen? Had my Mom really almost died? Could a quick phone call from the ER really have been the last time to talk to her? Praise the Lord it wasn't. The next time I did talk to my Mom the tears came as the reality of what she had been through hit me. It's a good dose of perspective when something like this happens. I have to think about our relationship, if I had lost her, what would I have done differently? What would I want her to know? I never expect anything to happen to my parents. I still have 3 of my 4 grandparents, so why would I worry about my parents? The Lord has reminded me to make the most of every moment and opportunity with my Mom, and with other people as well. I am thankful that He brought her through because in a moment's time, everything could have been different.
She is doing better now after another week in the hospital from an infection. She has a long recovery ahead of her, but hopefully the worst is behind.

Long time, no blog!

So, we started a blog, but haven't updated it since September....so here we go again. I really want to do this! What a lot can happen in a few short months. We've had 3 birthdays in our family, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Isaac's first steps, first hair cuts, Mylee's first gymnastics class, and lots more. We've been blessed to spend great time with family and friends over the holiday season and are settling into 2009. There will be more updates to come shortly...really this time!