February Wrap Up

When we hang up with Austin, we tell him we love him and he responds,"love you more". This boy has our hearts in his busy little hands.

How sweet is this? Ty has friends and loves most of his teachers. The adjustment to a new school has been fairly smooth. We have his 504 meeting this coming week to iron out the rough portions. The decision to move him was a good one.

Ty fell asleep on the way to school one day this week. He slept quite a bit last Sunday too. Two cold sore outbreaks were the end result. Given I was diagnosed with my first ever sinus infection and double ear infection last Thursday, we count the cold sores a familiar blessing.

We had a timeline to have Greg employed by the end of February and we slid into home plate Friday. Greg will be retiring his house husband title and returning to work as a safety director March 9. He absolutely messed with my routine three months ago, but as time marched on, I grew to love having a clean house and prepped meals on weeknights. He took care of whatever he could while I worked. It's worth noting that once I started working, I failed to see the dirt in my house as easily. And once Greg was home all day, he was more aware of the filth. In a nutshell, as of March 9, clean will be a relative term.

Erin had surgery last Friday and returned to work earlier than planned this Friday. She is one tough cookie. We enjoyed having her and her cat staying with us for a few days while she recovered. Ada brings a higher level of energy and entertainment to the place. Erin reports; however, she has slept quite a bit since going home. Entertaining us wore her out.

Layla ended up in the after hours veterinary clinical last Thursday with a sudden onset case of hives. The poor thing was covered in them for days despite the steroids and heavy doses of antihistamines. We have no idea what caused them which is a little concerning. On the way to the clinic, I cried. Life felt just a little more chaotic than necessary in that moment and I was exhausted. But I quickly recovered and started combating the logistics of the following couple of days. Life goes on.....

Our weekends have been deliberately more relaxed lately with large breakfasts, naps and good books. Ty has taken to fort building on our bed and turning on Avenger movies.

A friend made Kate her own loaf of banana bread and she had no intention of sharing. We discovered her in the bathroom with the entire loaf and a fork while she prepared for school. Insert eye roll here. She saw her neurologist again this week in hope of ascertaining why she cannot shake a four month headache. Everyone involved is frustrated. The doctor doubled medication doses and we gave that approach a few more days but ultimately decided to try something different. We have eliminated all medicine including Tylenol for the weekend to test my theory her headaches are rebound headaches. It breaks my heart to see her miserable but we have to try anything we can think of to help get her back to the active and healthy life she was accustomed.

A friend's dad sent me this last week. His gesture was sweet and timely.

Life these past few months has had it's challenges but I believe we have grown in our faith and are stronger for it. God is good, even in the long gray days of winter.

This Week

Tuesday: Greg went to wake Ty and discovered him laying silently on his back with his hands clasped behind his head. He stared right at Greg with the most serious expression and very subtly shook his head no. Greg quietly backed out of the room and informed me the boy needed a minute to come to terms with this morning. Twenty minutes later, he emerged dressed and ready but never had we seen such a solid stance expressed so coolly. He is ten. The teen years may be interesting.

Friday: Kate's first period teacher helped a boy ask Kate out by sending her on an errand while he put a gift on her desk containing a box of chocolates and a stuffed animal. Kate felt very self conscious about having an entire class watch her for a reaction and told the boy he would have to be interviewed by her father before she could answer him. He quickly agreed. Greg and I could not wrap our heads around why a teacher would support such a gesture, especially once we did a little digging into this young man's character. He likes to be known a bad boy and is failing all his courses. Kate is an honor student with a perfect discipline record. She is gently letting him down. She had a lot to process this weekend.

Friday evening: Lauren shared photos of her Valentine's and we are smitten. Goodness we miss this little family.

Saturday: Ty "needed" a new Spiderman costume because the velcro closures on all three of his previous suits no longer held. So he bought himself one with a zipper. He is beyond delighted with his purchase and has used it to "accidentally" master his backflip. He has begged for an indoor trampoline and just needs a sister or two to move out to complete his plans, or so he is convinced. He amuses us without trying.

Sunday: Kate felt strong and dressed up for church and suggested I grab my camera for a quick moment because we made plans with an orthodontist this week that will drastically change her smile in the coming months. I am heartbroken her little front tooth gap will eventually be closed but more so upset she has to endure not only braces but also oral surgery. The kid cannot get a break.

Snow Day (ish)

While in the shower, I missed the call. Ty had a two hour delay and the rest of us were off. We kept this information to ourselves and got ready for the day in an attempt to not tip off the boy who would be beyond disappointed with his luck. After a large breakfast, I drove him to our friend's house where he always catches a ride to school. Our local elementary school's closed sign betrayed my "play it cool" stance. But he quickly recovered when he joined the kids out in the snow.

I documented bits and pieces of our day because my hand misses the camera. Not photographed: housecleaning and errand running. My life is glamerous enough without those details.

After dinner, the boy who still has Christmas money "needed" to once again check out the Nerf selection at our local Target store. Greg and I stood by so long we were certain we were never getting out of there. He has made three such visits in the past and never could decide. He chose two new guns and a face protecting mask for his next epic battle.