Wordless Wednesday: Why he is always the favorite!

Happy Mother's Day

I am beyond blessed.

I have three wonderful children and a great husband.

After church we snapped this picture then hustled in to change into our play clothes.  We spent the rest of the day outside only coming in to eat dinner.

We were covered in dirt and grass stains, we laughed and played and enjoyed the beautiful day.

It stands out as one of the best days!  Memories were made today.

A happy Mother's day was had by this mama!

Ophthalmology update

Alayna had her 8 week follow up with the ophthalmologist this week.  Unfortunately, the patching (read hold her down and super glue a patch on to keep it on) isn't helping much.  Her left eye is still tending to drift inward most of the time.

Therefore, we are opting for eye muscle surgery on June 21st.   At this point the doctor is planning on doing both her eyes (they work together like windshield wipers) however, she isn't ruling out just working on the left one.  It is a half day outpatient surgery in which the whites of her eyes will be very red for a few days to weeks afterwards but, not much pain, at least that is what I am praying for.

For now we keep patching each day for 5 hours, or as long as humanly possible to keep it on her. (You can tell I LOVE patching right?)

The doctor was pretty sure that she wouldn't need her glasses after we get her eye muscles in line and her brain to recognize that left eye.

I am just kicking myself for not switching ophthalmologists sooner.  I think Alayna should have been patched when she was very little and this would have taken care of this issue and she might not have needed the surgery.

As the girls get older I am becoming a better advocate for them and instead of trusting a professional just because they are a professional I am trusting my mommy instincts more to know what is best for them and to ask more questions.  I urge all parents to do the same.

Wordless Wednesday: It's a BEAR! Storytime fun

Spring sickies

Thankfully we have all been pretty healthy this winter with no major bugs hitting us.  However, with the great back and forth weather we have been having...80 one day then 32 the next it is no wonder that Alayna started acting a little funny a few weeks ago.  Her teacher recognized something was up, she wasn't acting like herself but she had no sickness symptoms.

Missing school for a week was no fun but, helping make
daddy's birthday cake made her feel much better!

But, that quickly changed 2 weeks ago.  She started with a slight cough which by the weekend became a full blown can't stop coughing especially at night thing.  Last Sunday she added in a 103 fever to it and my sweet hubby took off work to take her to the doctor as my blood counts were really low from the previous week's chemo so we didn't want me catching anything from the "healthy" folks at the doctors office.

They didn't do a strep test because they quickly diagnosed her with an upper respiratory infection and prescribed antibiotics that would also treat strep.  I think she had both.

We went 5 straight nights with only a couple of hours of sleep and trust me this girl was WIPED OUT!  Chemo one week and no sleeping child the next makes for one grumpy old me!

Thankfully after a couple days on the antibiotic she started to slowly perk back up.  However, her endurance  had taken a huge hit.  She would play for about 20 minutes then be wiped out.   I was worried that she had bronchiolitis again and we would end up at the hospital   She missed all week of preschool but her cough is almost gone and she is perking around almost like her normal self again.

It is always amazing to me how fast they can go downhill and how long it takes them to bounce back.

Unfortunately, Friday Dariya came home from school with the same sounding cough as her sister so we called the doctor and got her on antibiotics as well.

Both girls are sleeping better and feeling better.  Alayna was thrilled to be able to go to church and dance again today and to go to school tomorrow.

Hopefully that will be our spring sickness and we will all remain healthy.

Birthdays and musicals

This week has been a super busy week here.  

We celebrated this cute boy turning 10 by taking a few of his buddies to play laser tag then we had our 

family over for cake and ice cream.  

Alayna LOVES her Uncle Ed

Tuesday night was Aidan's 4th grade choir musical.  They did a great show about the Old West.  I think he was the cutest cowboy ever but, I may be a little biased.

 The girls really enjoyed the show!

Special thanks to Grace Jubber for helping us get the perfect cowboy look!

Happy 10th birthday, Aidan!

A decade, 10 years, 120 months, 3650 days...

It seems like such a long time but, then when I look back on all the memories it seems like just yesterday when Aidan was born.   

A chunky little blue eyed piece of God's perfection.  I was in love from the moment I saw his cherubic little face.  With his delivery we were now not just husband and wife but a family.

I learned to love trains and dinosaurs right along with him.

I have watched with wonder as his gifts continue to develop.

I have marveled at his tender heart even when he sometimes tries to hide it from the world.

I have cried tears of joy, happiness, sadness and grief right along with him.

I have watched in awe as he gracefully holds the position of "big brother" and dotes on his sisters.

I have watched him grow and soar. I am so proud of him.

So thankful for the blessing of this handsome boy in our lives.

I pray that God continues to draw him close and guide his path forever. 

Happy 10th birthday, Aidan!  

May your day and life be completely blessed.

We love you more than words can express!