Ian is Fast Man!

A little over a week ago, Ian learned to ride his bike sans training wheels. He was sooo proud! Until today, though, Daddy still had to help him get started. Now, he can do it all by himself...he even rode around the neighborhood with me this afternoon and down to the bus stop to greet the girls after school!

The video isn't great; the weather has been absolutely beautiful lately, but the bright sunshine means I can't see the display on my phone, so I couldn't tell if I had him in the shot for sure and just had to do my best to point the lens in his general direction. :)

After I stopped recording, Ian asked if he went "real fast." I said yes, so he decided that he was Fast Man (the fastest super hero ever), and that his bike was actually a special super speed bike. I love that kid!

Oh, and did you notice Collin zooming past on his tricycle? He does his absolute best to keep up with big brother...and to reward his efforts, Ian decided he could be Quick Man (Fast Man's sidekick, who is just a little slower than Fast Man himself.) :)

The Newest Member of Our Family

I really don't like our old vacuum cleaner. It works okay (when it's not burning through its belt...which happens frequently enough to be a big pain), and I feel like it keeps our carpet reasonably clean (again, when the belt isn't broken and it isn't stinking up the house with it's odd electric burnt rubber odor). However, emptying it out is a MONUMENTAL PAIN!! It's SUPER messy, and its accordion-type filter is not only outrageously expensive to replace and difficult to find, but also a trap for everything that goes into the canister. Essentially, whenever I'd unscrew the top to empty it out , the dirt/hair/whatever grossness had been sucked up would all be in one massive ball woven throughout the filter. I could pound it on the ground to loosen the dust, I could use my fingers to fan through the accordion "flaps," but no matter what, I always felt like I needed a shower after cleaning it out.  Over time, I tried to go as long as possible in between emptyings, just because it was such a headache.

When the belt fried yet again a few days ago, I'd officially had it.  I received some money for Christmas to put toward a new vacuum, so I started asking around.  The overwhelming consensus: "Get a Dyson!!"

Now.  I have seen the countless Dyson commercials.  "Never loses suction," they claim. And many people agree that they are as amazing as their price suggests.

BUT, I had/have major bagless-vacuum-a-phobia! I had almost promised myself that I would never give another bagless a chance; it would be bags only, for me, for the rest of my days.

And this vacuum grabbed my attention nearly swept me off my feet. To be honest, I'm STILL not totally convinced that I shouldn't have gone that direction. (The price was a little easier to swallow, too!)

BUT, in this case, the brand name carried some clout. Dyson seemed to be almost everyone's favorite. I was scared to get one and find that I would have to deal with years more of bagless horrors; I was scared NOT to get one and mentally kick myself in the head every time I vacuumed, wishing that I had.

It was a lose-lose situation.

OR...perhaps it was a win-win! I mean, if both vacuum cleaners are as amazing as they seem, was it possible to choose poorly? But if it was a win-win, am I dumb for spilling so much more cash for the machine with the big name? I don't have to buy (or order) bags...I don't have to replace filters (because my Dyson's are all washable)...so that will save some...  And after a first use, she didn't disappoint... I guess we'll see how I fare with emptying/cleaning it out. :)

So, without further ado, meet "Doris."

Doris :)

Fingers crossed that she can stay in the family! ;)

Emily's 3rd Grade Music Program

For Kansas Day (which is today, the 29th), the third grade put on a music program (which took place this past Thursday), and Emily had a solo! (Well, she was actually singing with one other student, but still. Plus, the other student didn't sing as loudly as Emily did, so she was the only one we could really hear.) She did SO great...didn't even seem very nervous, though she said she was.  (I was nervous for her, for sure, though! My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding as I took the video...which is why the picture is kind of jumpy.) Good thing she doesn't get her stage presence from me! :)

Here's the Oak Street Elementary third grade performing "Home on the Range," Kansas' state song. :)

They sang several other songs, too, but I didn't video them; and then they also performed some really cute line dances at the end. I did get videos of those, but I'm having trouble uploading them here. Oh well.

And here are some pictures from the evening:

My "big 4" before the program

Numbers 1 and 5 :)

Singing

Collin during the concert

Julia was silent the whole time and fell asleep shortly after this picture was taken

We went home by way of sonic for some celebratory ice cream sundaes. It was an awesome night!
Way to go, Emily!!!

My Big 5-Year-Old!

Ian turned five on Friday, and he had SUCH a good day. The whole weekend has been great for him, actually.

The night before, as we were on our way home from Emily's school music program (blog post coming soon), Ian leaned over in the car and said, "Hey Katy, wish me a happy early birthday..."

So Katy goes, "Uh...happy...early...birthday...?"

Ian: "THANK YOU!!"

Maybe you just had to be there, but it was pretty funny. :)

Friday morning, Ian woke up at his normal time and was thrilled when everyone remembered his special day. The girls both woke up extra early so they could be completely ready for school by the time Ian got up. Then they played games with him (they even discreetly let him win) until it was time for them to head to the bus stop. 

Ian wanted toast with Nutella for breakfast, so that's what we did. He helped me bake his cake. He measured all the liquid ingredients himself and cracked the eggs, and he dumped everything into the mixing bowl. (I measured the dry ingredients and double checked his work, but he really did a lot of it.) While it was baking, we played some games and did "school" (which he loves, so it wasn't really a chore). Then he asked for PB&J for lunch with carrots and broccoli and blueberries.  (That one wasn't much of a surprise. This boy looooves him some peanut butter!) He was especially thrilled when he discovered that he didn't have to take a nap and, instead, could help me decorate his cake.  He wore his Spiderman outfit the ENTIRE time...

finished cake with the cake model

...until it was time to lick out the icing bowl. :) (We didn't want to chance getting blue icing on his "wrinkly muscles!")

licking out the mixing bowl

For dinner, Ian decided he really, really wanted to go to Golden Corral, so we all packed up and headed out. (It may or may not have been a huge feat for me not to try to coerce some other choice out of him. Maybe our kids should eat out more? Haha!)  Anyway, dinner was a hit with all the kids, and thankfully we didn't have to limit the dessert intake there because everyone was looking forward to cake and ice cream at home!

blowing out the candles

At first, Ian had wanted a chocolate cake, but when he realized that Emily couldn't eat it (remember her low tyramine diet?), he immediately changed his mind.  Initially, he thought he wanted carrot cake, but then on his birthday morning, he decided a confetti cake sounded more fun. We added blue and red (Spiderman colored) sprinkles to white cake batter...and then some green sprinkles, too, since green is his favorite color. It came out great!

"I'm five!"

Ian was super excited about everything he received: an adventure Bible, a new journal and pen (from Katy), a Spiderman web-shooter (from Emily), a Green Lantern plane/tank--kind of like a transformer-type of thing (from Collin), a R/C "monster truck" (from Daddy), and some "real" Green Lantern stuff (from Nana and Papa!)

The Green Lantern

 He wore the mask and ring literally all day yesterday!

And, every year I take his picture with his little blue bear...the one he was given the day he was born. Here he is in the hospital with it:

1 day old

And here he is now:

Pretending to blast his birthday bear...because it was trying to prey on his fear, haha!

Ian, we are so, SO proud of you! You strive to always consider others before yourself, you are eager to help, cheerful, quickly receptive to correction, tender-hearted, but also gently confident. You have an easy smile and laugh, and we love your spunk and vivid imagination (especially with your fascination with super heroes!) You seek out justice, but also quickly extend mercy and compassion (even when you're the one who has been wronged), and you are so thirsty for God's Word right now, asking lots of really great questions! You are excited to start school in the fall, so I'll try to contain how much I'm going to miss you for half of every school day so as not to stifle your joy. (I am really excited about all the adventures you're about to embark on as an ambassador at school, and all the awesome new experiences you're going to get to have and new things you'll learn!) I can't fully believe you're already this big, but five years old suits you, little man! I love you so much, and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you!

Happy birthday, Ian!!!

7 Months Old!

Just after Christmas, looking very pink. :)

My Julia is a whopping 7 months old today. Time sure marches on, doesn't it? 

Sweet Ju-Ju, though still sweet and happy the vast majority of the time, is developing a little 'tude, mainly at bedtime. She has slept so well since the beginning and never fussed much; thus, she has never had the opportunity to really "cry it out."  Over the past couple of weeks, she's gotten a crash course, I'd say, even getting herself so hysterically upset that she gags.  It's not that she's really cried for all that long (I am reasonable in this department), but she can be SO dramatic. I knew it had to be in there somewhere...just took 7 months for it to come out! ;)

Now, yesterday and today, we have a slightly different issue. Poor Miss J isn't feeling to hot.  I'm not sure if she has a little bug (she has been puking in quantities that put even her spit-up abilities to shame), or if she just has extra drainage that's upsetting her tummy, perhaps due to some little teeth that are trying to poke through.  I can see them, just beneath the surface of her gums, and though they don't look a lot closer to cutting through than they have for the past month, her gums seem to be bothering her more.  Poor lil' baby. :( [Update: I think she has a sensitivity to carrots. Hmmm.]

Julia finally had her 6 month check up last week (a little late), and while her body hasn't grown a ton (her percentages on the charts dropped for both height and weight), her head continues to amaze the doctor and nurses.  It doesn't seem unusually large to me, but maybe I'm just used to big-headed babies. :) They even had three different people measure it, just to be sure they had it right.  THEY seemed a little anxious, since her head is still growing so quickly and not leveling out on the little curve on her chart (I guess it can indicate that spinal fluid is building up in her head), but having been through this with 2 of my other 4 babies, I suspect it's just the way God built her.  Gotta have room for all those brains, after all! :)

She continues to sleep about 12 hours at night, takes a 1-hour nap each morning, and a 2 1/2 to 3-hour nap each afternoon.  The rest of the time, she plays, "talks," "sings," and giggles...usually with her arms sticking straight out to the sides.  She has learned to click her tongue, smack her lips, make a kissy noise, and clap (though it doesn't actually make the sound yet...) She babbles "pa-pa-pa-pa" and "ba-ba-ba-ba," and she literally shrieks with delight when she gets set in her high chair and sees the spoon and baby food come out. She has been introduced to rice, oat, and barley cereal, pears, peas, carrots, and green beans...all of which she seems to like.  Oh, and she has also had pear juice...because, you know, cereal can make certain bodily functions pretty difficult. :) 

She loves to play patty-cake, and gets especially excited over the songs "Jesus Loves Me," "If  You're Happy and You Know It," "My God is So Big," and "The B-I-B-L-E"...probably because those are the songs her siblings sing to her the most.  (Plus, Collin does all the motions along with the songs, so how could that NOT be exciting?!) She also already loves books! Collin will sit and page through books, pointing his favorite parts of the pictures out to her, and she stays captivated for a long time!

Reading "Toy Story 2" together

When Collin was about 6 months old, we finally broke down and got one of those nifty activity bouncer things...kind of like an exersaucer.  Once we got our Christmas decorations taken down, we set it up again for Julia. Oh my goodness. She. Loves. It!

While the time is rushing by faster than I want it to, I can't help but think how blessed I am to get to spend my days doing what I do, that I get to witness all these times and changes with my own eyes...that I get to be the one to snuggle my babe when she is cutting teeth or wanting to look at a book or a toy...that I get to be the one who makes her light up, just by leaving the room for a second and then coming back...that I get to breathe in her sweet baby smell and have my nose tickled by her fine, feathery hair...any time. And I have to admit, getting these moments make me not mind so much when I have to scrub poo out of her clothes for the 5th time today or sponge spit-up out of the rocking chair after every feeding or suck snot out of her teeny little nose while she wails in discomfort.  (Just being honest, though, I'm not sure I'll ever miss THOSE times!)

Ahh, Julie-bean, let me drink in your toothless grins, your chubby thighs, your pudgy little hands, your clear blue eyes, your tickley white-blond hair. Don't be in any hurry to get big, but since it's bound to happen anyway, I'll praise the Lord I get a front row seat for it all. Love you oodles, baby girl!

Update on Emily's Leg...and Migraines

I apologize for the updates being few and far between. Not much has been happening, and I wanted to wait to post something until I'd had a chance to talk with the doctor.

It's been two weeks since we received Emily's prescriptions, and yesterday I had a phone consultation with the doctor...scheduled...just to give an update on how things have been going.

Emily is doing GREAT. After the first few days of the naproxen regimen, Christmas was upon us. Christmas Eve was a busy day, and...well...I completely forgot to give her her medicine. The next day (obviously) was Christmas, and between church and gift-giving, I forgot again! In fact, I didn't even realize I'd forgotten until after she was in bed Christmas night, when I finally caught a glimpse of her pill bottles sitting on the counter. The next day, I asked her if her leg had been sore, and she said, "Actually no! It doesn't hurt at all!"

So, I didn't giver her any medicine that day. I continued to ask periodically how she was doing, but she continued to say tell me that it hardly hurt at all. She hasn't had ANY pain medication (for her leg) since. The doctor was excited and feels this is added confirmation that we have an accurate diagnosis and that Emily's osteoid osteoma responded quickly to the anti-inflammatories. She said that, sometimes, it just takes a little bit to jump start the body into taking care of these things on its own. (Sometimes it can be a lot more involved, so we're SUPER thankful to have seen so much progress so quickly!) Additionally, Emily's activity level was a lot lower impact over the break than it typically is at school. (No climbing, kickball, etc.) It's possible that this also gave her leg more of a chance to heal...time will tell on that.

Also, God is the Great Physician. 'Nuff said.

We will go back to see the orthopedic surgeon on January 23rd and have another x-ray done then to see if Emily's body is breaking the tumor down...and then we'll take things from there!

As far as Emily's migraines go, there hasn't been any noticeable change on the low-tyramine diet so far. I'm torn between being sad that we have no further triggers identified...and being happy that we might not have to continue with these massive restrictions too much longer! Apparently, our family eats a lot of cheese, nuts, seeds, citrus, soy sauce, sour cream, vinegars, smoked meats, and pickled veggies. And I have yet to find a salad dressing she can have...tough since we eat a LOT of salad in this house. Hmm.

Through it all, though, Em has been a real trooper. She rarely complains (and let's face it, it's HARD not to be a little jealous when people around you can routinely indulge in foods you love while you can't), and she is quick to put a positive (or humorous) spin on her "plight." I've been so proud of her discipline in searching out all the blessings she has to be thankful for (because it DOES require discipline) and of her perseverance.

She has gotten much better at picking up on the early signs that a migraine is coming on so we can treat (usually with ibuprofen) before it becomes too severe. She's a pretty tough cookie!

THANK YOU for your continued prayers for our girl!!