Kansas Snowstorm

Well, Friday the snow came in - of course, just in time for the weekend. It seems we can't have the snow during the week for a snow day. Oh well, it was beautiful.

It was a beautiful winter blizzard in Kansas (as a much as a blizzard as it gets here). I'll admit, not much snow but it was blowing straight sideways, so that constitutes a blizzard, right? We can be thankful for the following:
sitting downstairs with the fireplace lit,
Ryan - playing card games (pinnocle, gin rummy), shooting baskets, playing the Wii
Tyler - relaxing on the couch (not too many other options), playing the Wii
Andrew - playing in the "no" (can't quite get the 's' on 'snow'), playing tractors & truck

Loving the snow!!!

Grant - enjoyed floor time, cuddling with mom & dad, rolling across the floor, and getting up
on his knees to rock, only to come crashing down to the floor

Andrew playing "hats" with Grant

Dad - getting stuck in the driveway, playing in the snow with the tractor (OK, blading the
snow so he wouldn't get stuck again)

Fun times

Mom - spent day in kitchen enjoying the pleasure of baking
Due to mom's day in the kitchen, we had our own "breadbasket German buffet" at home since we couldn't travel there. I made a double batch of sweet roll dough to make bohne beroggi, cinnamon rolls, and a pan of peanut butter twists. We baked a ham in the oven so we could use it for our gravy in the evening. My brothers, Gregg and Kent came over as well as Chris' Uncle Myron. For our dinner we enjoyed verenike (frozen from our youth verenike supper in February), ham gravy, ham, and bohne berrogi with sweet sauce. I attempted zwieback but was unsuccessful - the dough never rose. Thinking back, I think I put the yeast in water that was too warm and it killed the active rising agent - whoops. Hopefully I'll try again someday and be more successful.

This was a great weekend for time spent together as a family! Thank God for snowy weather that kept us inside.

Thank Goodness for Friends and Family

Last night our Cain cousins brought supper to the hospital for us and our friends the Schroeder's (lucky to be in Kansas City for Spring Break) came to visit Tyler. It was great to see familiar faces and be distracted a little. Our night was pretty good. I enjoyed the built in mat bed by the window and Chris was the lucky one chosen to sleep on the bed with Tyler. They actually had a pretty good night also. Tyler made good use of his medication button as he used it whenever he woke up.
The Schroeder's came back this morning and Addison and Ty did a great job entertaining Tyler. They played Webkinz for a while and the "fun lady" (as she called herself) brought in a couple board games. They sat on Tyler's bed playing Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. This was great for him to take his mind off things and keep him busy, but then of course he got a little sleepy and needed a nap.
Before he was dismissed, he had to be on oral medication. This was a pretty smooth transition for him although he didn't have the luxury to push the button then when he was in pain. Then physical therapy came and worked with him on walking with his walker (for short distances) and how his wheelchair works (for longer distances). They informed us that they very rarely have children this age use crutches due to the higher risk of falling and that is the thing they do NOT want him to do. So, walker and wheelchair it is.
We arrived home around 7:30 this evening and have made the transition pretty well. Tyler is laying on the couch downstairs (yes, we carried him down) and we're all just relaxing a little. It feels good to be home and we'll be taking it easy for the rest of the weekend.

Things went well

Tyler is out of surgery and back in the room. He's complaining a lot of pain but has a pain button to push whenever he wants to. The doctor said surgery went well. They closed the cleft (gap) in his foot and tried to straighten his big toe. But, they couldn't keep the pin in his big toe to keep it straight because there wasn't good blood flow. So, they took the pin out and big toe still curves in. They did move the tendon over that allows a person to flex their foot up. This was successful. Here's the before picture of the foot. The after picture is just of the blue cast he chose and will have for the next 5-6 weeks. It sounds like he may use a walker instead of crutches because it will be much easier for him to maneuver. We will have a follow-up in 5-6 weeks and they'll remove the cast. Then they'll decide whether they need to put a walking cast on for a couple weeks or not. Once again, we are very impressed with the care we are receiving here at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. They are taking good care of us. We will meet with the doctor again in the morning and physical therapy will come in and help him figure out what will work best for getting around. Then, as long as things continue to go well, we should get sent home tomorrow. Thanks for all the prayers sent up on Tyler's behalf!

We Survived the Weekend

We survived the weekend - YEAH! It was a busy one and crazy. It started out with Tyler, Andrew, and myself traveling to Kansas City with Brian, Cori, Luke, Ian, and Frankie for a "birthday weekend", celebrating Luke's birthday and kind of Tyler's. We stayed at the Embassy Suites near the Plaza and spent much of our time swimming (3 times within 24 hours).

Andrew, Luke, and Tyler in the hot tub

We also ventured out to the Legends Mall by Great Wolf Lodge and shopped a little. The highlight was eating at the T-Rex Restaurant at the mall --- what a cool place. We were going to do Rainforest Cafe but it has closed, but this place was very similar. The kids had a great time and Luke even experienced a slush that was almost as tall as him.

Front of the T-Rex Restaurant

Look at that slush --- have to stand to drink it!!!

We traveled back early Sunday morning to see the last two games of Ryan's MAYB basketball tournament (that is why Ryan, Chris, and Grant stayed home). They played two games on Saturday and won both of them (32-17 and 33-12). On Sunday they won the first game 34-17 and then won the championship 40-19. The boys played great and we were VERY proud of them!!!














And .... lastly ..... baby food. Yes, Grant has started trying to eat some baby food. I have to say the spoon thing is not going real great --- he's still pushing his tongue out of his mouth and the food comes with it. But, he's loving cereal mixed with his milk in the bottle. Maybe it will help him gain weight a little faster. This is my attempt at making baby food. I'm hoping I will get better at this process, but am planning to do this to add to the nutritional value, eliminating all the preservatives in boughten baby food. We'll see how it goes! Also, as you can tell by the picture, Grant is definitely starting to move himself around on his own (no, we don't typically place our children under couches on the floor). Before we know it he'll be up on all 4's trying to crawl. They seem to grow up too fast!

Yummy, sweet potatoes (we hope)
Pureed in the food processor and then put in ice cube trays for freezing.

Trying cereal for the 1st time

"I'm in a tight spot now --- how do I get out of here?"

8 years ago

First off, the 2nd graders in Moundridge started a tradition last year of performing the Seusical Musical in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday. This year Tyler participated in it and had a pretty large reading part.

Tyler and friend Ellen reading their parts

The big news last week was that Tyler turned 8 years old. It is absolutely amazing that 8 years ago is when we began this new journey in our lives with EEC. We have learned so much and feel blessed for the opportunities we've been given. We've grown and know we are way more accepting of differences because of it. Tyler has been a true gift to us and we thank God for all he's brought into our lives. For his birthday, Friday, we took him to Pizza Hut and bowling with a friend. We all had a great time.

Tyler bowling with his pink ball

Then on Saturday we went to Newton and bought a Wii (which Ryan and Tyler saved $200 for since they wanted one so bad). Then we went on to Wichita to eat with Dad at work (our traditional take-out of Chipotle for the adults and McDonalds for the kids). It's always great to be able to see him at work and share a meal.

Ryan and Tyler playing "baseball" on the Wii

On Sunday Tyler had a piano recital in the afternoon. He played 2 songs and did a very good job.

I videoed but the file was too big to load

In the evening it was off to the AmericInn pool in Hesston for his "friend" birthday party. The boys had a blast in the water, devoured the "puppy" cake (made by Uncle Kent of course), and then made ate pizza.

Our 8 year old posed with his friends and cake

Now one more week before Spring Break. Please keep Tyler in your prayers next week as on his first day of vacation (Wednesday) he will be having foot surgery in Kansas City. Pray for the surgeon and nurses, strength and endurance for Tyler, comfort for us as parents to know it is the best thing for him, grace for those keeping the other 3 boys while we're gone, and understanding for us all in helping Tyler cope with being on crutches and not being able to run for 5-6 weeks afterwards (we're hoping the Wii will come in handy then - from a seated position of course). We will be staying overnight at Children's Mercy Hospital on Wednesday and hopefully returning home Thursday. We pray for safe travels there and back too.

Cousins

Last night we had the Huxman's over and the 3 newest members of the family posed for the family. In age order, Grant (August 20), Ian (Brian & Cori's born December 18), and Elias (Tasha & Tim's born January 16). Of course, in addition to the babies playing in their own "ooing" way, the others had a great time playing too. I had to also add the picture of Tyler with Sloan, who instantly grabbed Tyler's face to pose for the picture. How cute!!! It was hard to get the kiddos wound down after an active evening together. It's always great to spend time with family, and this was our first chance to meet Elias. He is adorable!!!!

"This is fun!"

"Let's pull some hair!" says Grant

"Aren't we cute???"

Growing Up

It's been a while since I've posted. Most things are still the same, although I'm requesting prayers (as Kaitlen Ortman did) about State Budget Cuts to Education. I am in the same situation she is of being non-tenured so unsure whether there will be a job for me next year as there is talk of cutting teaching positions in our district. Please pray that God will put me where I need to be and take care of my family. I have a hard time letting go of the "control" but know I need to do that. I'm working on it.

You may be wondering why I titled this "Growing Up". Well, my 2 year old, Andrew, sure has been "growing up". It seems like he's aged tremendously in the last few weeks. His speech has come leaps and bounds and he's now started singing complete songs (he used to just sing part of Rock a Bye Baby). His newest complete song is the "ABC's" ---- yes, he does know them completely. Thought I'd post a video of him singing them. Enjoy!!!



. . . . And, if anyone is still interested in purchasing any raffle tickets, you have until March 5. Thanks!