Apple Picking

For our dear friend Holland's 4th birthday, we celebrated by picking apples at an Emmett Apple Orchard. Victor and Damie had to stay home sick, so only Kedrick and I went. They kids had a fabulous time picking and eating apples.

Dear Jesus...

Dear Jesus,

Please help my father. He is dangerous and he is a ROBOT! Help my dad. He is a nice man. Thank you for helping my dad be a nice, nice man.

Thank you Jesus for helping me.

Amen

(Kedrick, 4-years-old)

Fun at Camels Back Park

Playgroup was at Camels Back Park this week. We went for a little hike, played on the playground equipment, then enjoyed a picnic lunch. I've been struck recently by the beauty of Boise and the myriad of cool things to do. What a great place to live!!

The River

Victor recently figured out how to ride a bike. Now that both boys are able to ride bikes, going on bike rides along the Boise Greenbelt has become a regular occurrence. I haven't gotten any pictures yet because it's all I can do to keep up with my little bikers and prevent them from crashing into each other. They generally go slow enough for me to walk beside them, but sometimes they decide to go fast, mostly so they can see mom run. Nothing is quite as funny as a big, fat pregnant woman running down the greenbelt in a pathetic attempt to keep up with her kids, continually screaming, "Right! Right! Stay on the right! Pass on the left! Watch where you're going!!!"

Bike rides on the greenbelt always include stopping to play in the river. This particular day, daddy was with us. I love how even though the river runs right through the middle of town, it completely takes us away from the chaos of everyday city life.

Here's daddy, teaching the boys to skip rocks...

Batman

Who is that masked man?

Wiggly Worms

When daddy is out of town, all the boys talk about is the fun "daddy" games they'll play when he gets back: The Scary Monster Game, The Tiger Game, The Wiggly Worm Game, etc. Dad is great at making up fun and crazy-hyper games for the kids to play.

Here's some footage of the Wiggly Worm Game:

Baby Blues Duo

Ultrasound: 21 Weeks

This post is a bit late, considering I had the ultrasound on August 17th. For those of you who don't already know...it's a girl!! Although I'm not entirely sure. You can decide for yourself.

Here she is:

This baby isn't nearly as active as the boys were, but she still seems to have some spunk. At the last ultrasound, she kept waving at us. At this one, she gave us the peace symbol.

Here is the girl shot. The doctor spent a lot of time double and triple checking, but this was the only picture he took. Maybe the girl parts are apparent to those of you who have girls and have experience with girl ultrasounds. For me, this picture doesn't give me much confidence, or reassure me about all the girl stuff I've already purchased. Perhaps some of you can ease my mind??

Doctors, Doctors, Patients, Patience!

We spent a lot of time with doctors last week. On Monday, Kedrick had his four-year check-up. He amazed me! He was extremely cooperative. When the nurse took his blood pressure, he said, "I love it!" She was thrilled because many four-year-olds don't enjoy visiting the doctor. Kedrick was brave when he received his immunizations and although he cried a bit, he watched! I can't even do that. As we were leaving he exclaimed, "I love the doctor."

On Tuesday, Victor and I went to visit the allergist. For me it was just a check-up. For Victor, it was a bit more serious. A year ago he started getting hives. The doctor said his immune system was backfiring and it should go away in a few months. It's a year later and he still has them. The doctor wanted to test for more serious underlying diseases. Needless to say, I was a bit worried. The possible underlying diseases are quite serious.

They take blood from a two-year-old the same way they do from adults. Now it was Victor's turn to amaze me. He sat on my lap as I held his shoulders. He sat there, completely still, as they slowly took blood from his arm. He flinched a bit when they put the needle in, but besides that he was fine. He stuck his lower lip out, but didn't cry, not even a bit!

The doctor called yesterday to tell us that everything looks good! The only thing that tested positive was chronic hives, which are not serious and will eventually go away on their own. We are so thankful!

On Wednesday, I spent my first time as a parent in the ER. I am thankful I made it four years without a visit, but it was still pretty scary. Kedrick was playing a recorder quietly in his room when I quickly took the trash out to the garage. When I came back in, he was standing on the other side of the door. The recorder made a huge laceration in the back of his mouth. The doctor couldn't do anything and said it would heal on its own. But we've had a week of soft foods (ice cream, yogurt, popsicles...every child's dream) and lots of painful whining.

Damie was, of course, out of town for all of this. But I am thankfully surrounded by supportive friends and family to encourage me in his absence! And the grace of God...who never gives us more than we can handle.