Talent

Jackson's new talent: walking around the house with one kitten-heeled shoe on. Way to go Buddy! This time next year, you'll be in the olympics!

Rivers' Smile: Before and After

Before: Waiting in Dr. Nieders' secondary waiting area as the meds kick in. Notice the dark front tooth on the left and the chipped front tooth beside it on the right.


After: all white, no chips! Good job Dr. Nieders! Rivers was so groggy afterwards, but she was awake enough to get a scoop of cotton candy icecream from Sandy's! Her teeth are beautiful again just in time for picture day tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Pop-Pop!

Another year has passed, and dear young Dad is another year older! Praise God for another year of life with my father and the grandfather of my two children! We all got together after getting back from Boston for take-out food and some yummy birthday cake (chocolate truffle!) Jackson was already in bed when we took this picture, and Daniel, of course, was the photographer. I guess I'm just trying to figure out why there is so much of the coffee table in this picture?

Boston Trip

We were in Boston September 10-12 to have Rivers' cast removed. In the picture above, she is laying on the x-ray table preparing to have an x-ray of her left hip and leg. I have never thought to take a picture of this since I'm always the one to take her in, but it crossed my mind this visit.

Waiting outside of the cast room, Rivers was a little bit nervous hearing the saws to remove other children's' casts. We assured her that they didn't have to do that to hers because it was already split down the sides. They just had to cut the tape off, and there sat her precious little leg! It is amazing to me how much your muscles can atrophy in just five weeks from lack of use. She wasn't sore, though, which is was wonderful. Dr. Kasser did seem disappointed when he went to move her knee and it stopped. He had her relax and tried it again, but again, nothing more than the amount of flexion we had before. We'll see how the knee does after some physical therapy. This surgery, though, did get her leg completely straight as we have never seen it before, so we praise God for that! We'll see what's in store for her knee in the coming year, but I have a feeling we'll be headed back to Boston.
I thought that the scar looked amazingly good! They did a beautiful job, and Rivers was so proud of it!

Lazy Afternoon at the Zoo

The ZOO! It's always a treat to just walk around and enjoy being outside together. Daniel and I took the kids up there for literally 1 hour today, and it was the perfect amount of time to see a few animals and grab an ICEE. This is the kind of lazy summer afternoon I enjoy!

Little Man Jack

Jackson adores his Daddy! Today, after Daniel finished mowing the grass, they sat on the garage steps together while Daniel cooled off. Jackson was just so proud to be beside him! Rivers brought him water but thought he was too stinky to sit beside!

Having Fun Together

Life is so much easier now that Rivers and Jackson are playing together so well. There are the typical arguments over sharing toys and what not, but in general, life is good. They like to snack together, play chase, play peek-a-boo under the kitchen table skirt, play in each other's rooms, and PLAY OUTSIDE. With fall right around the corner, we'll be out there even more. Their togetherness reminds me so much of my brother Eric and me playing together. We are just 15 months apart, and we used to do everything together. I'm so glad that Rivers and Jackson are close in age! It is definitely a blessing when you get to this stage!

Enjoying Birthday Toys

Isn't it fun to have a birthday and to receive really wonderful, educational gifts for your child without their realizing it?! This "Magnetic Pattern Block Kit" came from Learning Express, and Rivers has had so much fun with it! She doesn't even realize that she is working on beginning math skills like sequencing and basic geometry. Yeah!